Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
Ephesians chapter 1 is one of the richest openings of any letter in the New Testament. If you have not read Ephesians chapter 1 in a while, you need to go and read it today.
The Apostle Paul is writing to the Christians who are in Ephesus, and he begins here in chapter 1. He is praising God, blessing God, and thanking God for His election, for His redemption, for His adoption, for His forgiveness, for His sealing us with the Holy Spirit.
Then he lifts our eyes up to the risen Christ, who is seated at the right hand of God, where He rules with all authority, power, and dominion.
The Church as Christ's Body
Then this verse right here, verse 23, it comes at the end of that section where our eyes are focused on Christ and all that He has done. He says: "The church is His body. That is the body of Christ. The church is the body of Christ, and it is made full and complete by Christ."
The word "church" in the New Testament is the Greek word ekklesia, and it refers to both the universal church and the local church. The universal church is God's people—it is Christians of all places and all times. It is Christians everywhere.
The local church is a local expression of that universal church. That is God's people gathered together in submission to leaders—the ultimate leader, the Chief, Christ—and in covenant with one another.
The Church Is Not Optional
One of the reasons that this verse is so important today is because so many people today treat the church as something optional—like it's helpful if it's convenient, it's meaningful if it's enjoyable, but it's really dispensable if you find it disappointing.
But Paul, he will not let us think that way, because the church—it is Christ's very body. Is it imperfect? Absolutely. Is it still growing? Yes. But it is essential to belong to Christ.
We say we belong to Christ. To belong to Him, according to this verse, is to belong to His people, because His people are His body.
Are You Committed?
The question is: Are you? I hope you are. Are you committed to a local church? Not just, are you attending? or, do you visit? or, do you go once in a while? But are you committed to a local church?
We are called to commit ourselves to this body, to this family that we are a part of. We're called to submit ourselves to the authority of pastors who are overseers of our souls. We're called to sit under the regular preaching of God's Word. We are called to invest in the life of the local church.
Where is that happening in your life? Is that happening in your life?
Remember What the Church Is
Whether you have drifted away from God's people or because of something difficult you're going through in a church right now, if you're tempted to drift from God's people, remember what the church is. It is the body of Christ.
If you are weary—as we all grow weary at times—if you are weary of the church's imperfections, remember who fills her.
According to this verse, Christ is not finished with His people.
