The Church, a New Society

A new society does not spontaneously come into existence on its own. It’s either the product of evolution or creation by intention. The church is no different. Often, most churches evolve overtime. They may get stuck, become overly programmatic, institutionalized, misguided by legalism, for example, or they are intentionally creating a culture that is defined by  a set of biblical-values that are shared by its members.

Sorry to be so philosophical, but it’s important to see the difference because what happens as a result is either a church in decline or a church of influence. 

Paul is directing the church to consider what’s it’s based upon and what it’s driven by. His hope is that the church owns these certain biblical values described in chapter 1 of Ephesians. It’s truly amazing what’s packed into the first chapter. If only we could allow these to drive the focus of our lives. Sadly, Christians don't realize that things like living into our inheritance, redemption in Christ, adoption, His power, every spiritual blessing is ours. The riches of his glory are ours. How do we live by that? A new society is at stake.