The Mystery of God's Church

The sermon begins with Paul's call in Ephesians 3:7-11, where he declares that grace was given to him to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles and to enlighten all people regarding God's mysterious plan. This mystery, never before revealed in earlier ages, has now been manifested through the Church. From the Greek word 'ekklēsia' (from 'ek' meaning 'from a place' and 'klēsia' meaning 'called out'), the sermon explains that the Church is a group of people called by God to assemble together in a public place. These very people are living witnesses to the power of God's salvation.

The sermon continues by presenting clearly that God deliberately chose ordinary, weak, and despised people according to the world's perspective. Through 1 Corinthians 1:26-29, the preacher shows that there are not many wise, powerful, or noble people in the church, but God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, what is weak in the world to shame the strong. This is confirmed by the apostles Peter and John, ordinary and uneducated men, yet recognized as having been with Jesus. Testimonies from the Greek philosopher Celsus in the second century also reveal that early believers did not dare speak to intelligent people, but only tried to penetrate groups of young people, slaves, laborers, and the most ignorant of the population.

The sermon then discusses the characteristics and actions of early believers, who lived out unity, love, and humility in an environment of persecution and suffering. Letters to Diognetus and works by Justin Martyr and Aristides describe how believers loved everyone, blessed those who cursed them, and prayed for their enemies. They transformed swords into plowshares and cultivated the fear of God, righteousness, mercy, faith, and hope. Philip went down to Samaria to preach when under persecution, and the more the church was persecuted and killed, the more people became believers. The fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control—became the identifying marks of true believers.

The sermon concludes by applying the message to the practical life of the modern congregation. Through lessons from Ephesians 4:1-3, Colossians 3:12-14, and Galatians 5:22-23, the preacher emphasizes that today's believers must live in a manner worthy of the calling God has given them, being humble, gentle, patient, and bearing with one another in love. They must clothe themselves with love, which is the bond of perfect unity, maintaining the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. The image of the seven golden lampstands in Revelation 1:10-20 symbolizes the seven churches, each being a witness to the presence and guidance of Christ. As Galatians 3:28-29 confirms, in Jesus Christ there is no longer Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female—all are one and are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to the promise.