Psalm 105:1-6 (ESV)

Tell of All His Wonderful Works

1 Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name;
    make known his deeds among the peoples!
Sing to him, sing praises to him;
    tell of all his wondrous works!
Glory in his holy name;
    let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!
Seek the Lord and his strength;
    seek his presence continually!
Remember the wondrous works that he has done,
    his miracles, and the judgments he uttered,
O offspring of Abraham, his servant,
    children of Jacob, his chosen ones!

His Church, His Eternal Purpose

The church is at the very center of God’s eternal purpose in Jesus Christ!  This truth is crystal-clear from what we’ve been seeing in Eph. 3:10-11,

 

“…so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.  This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord…”

 

What vision this truth provides in revealing that the church is not just helpful and beneficial, but absolutely essential in God’s design!  Moreover, this truth magnifies the important privilege and responsibility every believer has as members of God’s church…the importance of why we are to “walk worthy” of this calling God has given us in Christ (Eph. 4:1-3).

 

Pastor John Piper highlights this well:

 

“We don’t usually hit targets that we are not aiming at. And the target for the church is to demonstrate to the evil powers of the cosmos that God has been wise in sending his Son to die that we might have hope and be unified in one body, the church. Therefore, when we fail to live in hope and to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, we send this signal through the galaxies: God’s purpose is failing; he was not wise, he was foolish.”  (Sermon:  The Cosmic Church)

 

Beloved, embracing and living in light of this is why we need to love, pray for, and encourage each other day by day!  What a glorious vision God has given us of His eternal purpose in Christ.  And what a great joy to share in His purpose with you at RCG!

 

Because Christ lives, and is returning,

Greg

The Focus of Faith

The outworking of sin in our lives, and in our world, has produced distorted thinking in countless ways.  Nowhere is this more evident than in the distorted, wrong ways we often think of God, and of human beings.  Simply put, we have a great tendency to deify other human beings, and to humanize/domesticate the eternal, almighty God!  We easily overestimate the power and significance of other humans (even ourselves), and underestimate the power and significance of God!

 

The Apostle Paul was very aware of this tendency that even Christians can have.  Thus in Eph. 3:8-13, he passionately seeks to magnify the “unsearchable riches of Jesus Christ”, and the “manifold wisdom of God”!  Lest his readers become discouraged over the difficult things Paul is suffering, he deflects attention away from himself to God’s eternal purposes in Jesus Christ.  This is where the focus of faith must always be!

 

Oh beloved, how easily we’re tempted to be discouraged when we, or those we love, face various trials and difficulties.  And how necessary that we continually “lift up the shield of faith” (Eph. 6:16) – gazing upon, trusting in, submitting to, and praising always our God – the One who powerfully and perfectly works everything after the counsel of His will (Eph. 1:11).

 

Even today, at this very moment, He is worthy of our fullest trust, and our highest devotion.  May He strengthen and encourage your soul to that end, knowing myself and the other elders pray for you as Paul did – Eph. 3:14-21!

 

With love in Christ,

Psalm 40:5

“You have multiplied, O Lord my God,
    your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;
    none can compare with you!
I will proclaim and tell of them,
    yet they are more than can be told.”