The Mystery of the Church of God

The sermon begins by presenting two interconnected mysteries from Ephesians 3 written by the Apostle Paul. The first mystery relates to the Gospel, in which the Gentiles are made co-heirs with the Jews through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This unity occurs because Christ broke down the wall of separation between the two peoples so they could become one body—the Church. The second mystery concerns the Church itself, through which all the manifold wisdom of God is revealed to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, namely angels and demons. This multifaceted wisdom of God is displayed not through human achievement but through the weakness and humility of the Church.

The sermon then explains the concept of the Church clearly. The Greek word "ekklēsia" does not refer to a physical building or temple but to a group of people called out by name to assemble together in a public place. After Jesus Christ ascended to heaven, He gave the Holy Spirit to those who believe in Him as promised, making the bodies of believers temples of God. Jesus Christ Himself established the Church when He said to Peter, "I will build my church on this rock." Since the Church is a group of believers, when we speak of problems in the Church, we speak of problems among believers; when we say the Church is divided, we mean discord between Christians.

The third section addresses the fundamental questions: why and how did God choose the Church to display His wisdom. God's wisdom is completely different from human wisdom. The sermon cites 1 Corinthians 1:18-29 to show that God chose what the world considers foolish, weak, and lowly to nullify the things the world considers great. Not because early Christians were bad or stupid, but because God desired that no one could boast about their own merit. Historical evidence shows that the early Church consisted of common laborers, people with little education, slaves, and those despised by society. The apostolic fathers and early church historians testified that the Church attracted the marginalized and overlooked.

The following section explains how the Church displays God's wisdom. The mystery is that although the Church consists of sinful people with problems, through these imperfect people God's transforming power is displayed. The sermon emphasizes the way of the cross, the narrow path Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount, and the presence of the Holy Spirit in the lives of those who truly believe and obey Christ. Early church fathers are mentioned—those who demonstrated love, forgiveness, and humility despite persecution and torture. Remarkably, the Church has existed for over 2000 years while more than 150 empires have completely disappeared. When secular empires fade into history, the Church continues to grow and transform lives through the Gospel message.

Finally, the sermon emphasizes that the spiritual fruits the Holy Spirit teaches—love, forgiveness, humility, patience—can only develop through communication and fellowship within the Church. The Church is the place where believers practice and develop Christ-like character through interaction with other believers. The sermon concludes by reminding us that despite the Church's many problems and imperfect members, Jesus Christ Himself walks among His churches, as the book of Revelation depicts, where He stands in the midst of seven golden lampstands representing the seven churches. This assures us that Christ's presence and protection ensure the Church's perpetual existence until His return.