His Masterpiece 1

Our Current preaching series “His Masterpiece”  a six-week series through the book of Ephesians has stirred me afresh for the beauty of the local church. 

Commentators have called Ephesians; 

The crown of Pauls writing 

The divinest composition of man 

The queen of the epistles 

What is fascinating in this letter to the church in Ephesus, that has obviously gripped many before us is the idea that some have, somehow, ended up High Theology / Low Church. IE a high view of God but a low view of the church. I don't believe we are being asked to swap those values … move from High theology / High church to Low Theology / High Church … But believe as John Stott says in his commentary on Ephesians that “a reading of Ephesians will result in High Theology AND High Church. 

What an important message then but how much more important in our day of what sociologists have defined as radical individualism and what some have called the McChurch Mentality. To quote John Stott again “ For by His death Christ demolished the Jew - Gentile and God - Man barriers and is now creating in relationship to himself a single, new multicultural community which is both the family he loves and the temple that He lives in” 

My desire for us that call Redemption City Church home is that we would elevate biblical truth over cultural relevance … that we would not pander to “radical individualism” or buy into the McChurch mentality that is so prevalent in our day but that we would be gripped by the biblical conviction of a high view of God AND a high view of the church! 

To be continued …