Kevin Dibbley - November 5, 2023
"The Infinite Potential in the Church"
This message is called “The Infinite Potential in the Church”. We will be studying Ephesians 1:15-23 where the apostle Paul gives thanks in prayer for the Ephesian church. They might be struggling. They may need to work out issues. However, Paul rejoices knowing that what lies unseen in the church is the power of the risen and reigning Christ. Ministry in a fallen world is challenging. However, greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. Let’s begin to pray that we might see the church with the eyes of our hearts being enlightened. Let’s get genuinely excited and engaged in what God has purposed to do through the local church not because of us but because of and for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a very encouraging passage. Do you need a perspective change? Let’s come together for worship and pray for the Holy Spirit to help and to strengthen us for the mission that God has given to us as a church family.
Scripture References: Ephesians 1:15-23
From Series: "Ephesians: One In Christ"
We are beginning a sermon series focusing upon the New Testament letter of Ephesians. Our series is called “One in Christ”. In Japan, there is a form of artwork called Kintsugi art. Kin means gold. Tsugi means to mend. In Kintsugi art, an artist will take, for example, a piece of ceramic teaware that has been broken during an earthquake or something like that. Instead of repairing it to make it look like the original plate or teacup, the artist will instead use Japanese lacquer and gold to actually highlight the fractures. Out of the broken vessel comes a brand new piece that is considered more beautiful and more valuable than the original. The apostle Paul teaches in Ephesians that God in Christ has chosen to take our lives broken and alienated from God and each other by sin and make one new community. John Stott writes “Through Christ and in Christ, we are nothing less than God’s new society, the single new humanity which he is creating and includes Jews and Gentiles on equal terms. We are the family of God the Father, the body of Jesus Christ his Son, and the temple and dwelling place of the Holy Spirit.” Our hope and prayer is that over the next several months, we would get a vision of the church as God’s new creation, His masterpiece, which is just the beginning of what God intends to do throughout all eternity and throughout the entire heavens and on earth. Out of his brokenness, we become one. Pray that together we would become in real relationships what we are in positionally through the gospel – One in Christ.
