His Glory IN the church

A book cannot be judged by its cover neither can a home be judged by its exterior. I watch some of those home make-over shows, particularly Color Confidential and Divine Design, enjoying the transformation from blah to beautiful. However, the exterior of many of these homes isn’t much to look at while the inside can be a big surprise.

A local church can be like that too, but this is not about the appearance of the building so much as outside perceptions of what church is about. When our children were small, one of the neighbor boys asked our son if you had to be a member to attend. He’d never been in a church and thought it was something like a social club.

Others have the idea that church is more like a school where the Bible is taught, or a place where people go to worship and sing. Television offers a few stereotypes as does the memory of childhood experiences in Sunday school or DVBS, daily vacation Bible school. My memory of that included making crafts with “God loves you” written on them.

Church can include some of those things, but today’s reading gives the real purpose of the Christian church. This is right after a verse that I often quote to remind me of God’s power when I pray. I’m surprised that I’ve not paid attention to the rest of it. These verses say:

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21)

While the church is a place for worship, fellowship, learning, receiving help, and so on, the primary purpose of the body of Christ is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ. We are to do that in our worship and in our lives, but He also does it in us and for us as He answers our prayers.

I read these verses, I think how people on the outside may not see that. Our exterior hides it, and they need to come in to see it, but even when they do, there is something about His glory that is visible only to those who are part of His body, the church.

Glory is about the attributes of the Lord, about what He is like, what He does, and the way He works in the lives of His people. We pray and the answers are clear to us who are on the “inside” even though those who observe might see only a “coincidence” instead of God at work.

It was no different when Jesus walked this earth. A few people realized that this man who did miracles was God in human flesh, but most of them had other conclusions. To them, He may have been a good teacher, or a threat to current religious practices, or a kind man, or a leader of rebels. To those who believed what He claimed, He was the expected Messiah who would deliver them from sin.

Is that why some see the glory of the Christ and others do not? In 2 Corinthians, Paul wrote how Moses’ face shone so brightly in the presence of the Lord that he had to put a veil over his face when He came out so the children of Israel could look at him. He uses this to illustrate how not their eyes but their minds were blinded. He goes on to explain that Christ came to take away that veil, but “even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart.” However, “when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.” (2 Corinthians 3:12-18)

This explains part of why he also wrote “to Him be glory in the church.” That glory is seen mainly in the church because the true church is made up of people who have turned from sin and to Him. He has opened our spiritual eyes and we can see Him, but He remains veiled to the eyes of those who are not interested or have not heard.

He amazes me every day with His glory. I don’t know when or where or how I will see Him today, but because of His amazing grace, I know He will do exceedingly abundantly above all that I ask or think. That is the wonder of knowing the Lord Jesus Christ and the joy of being part of His church.