2022.08.13/14
Hello brothers and sisters. Praise the Lord for the opportunity to share with you my thought through the “Pastor’s Desk.
Recently, I have been thinking about what kind of image a church should have before the world. I refer to different articles, which talk about how to reach new friends, or what elements should be used, etc. I believe these are all very helpful. But I think it is important to go back to the Word of God to contemplate.
Paul wrote a letter to the church in Ephesus (The letter of Ephesians) talking about the church. When we thought Paul would spend a lot of time explaining what the church should do, he brought our attention to the very basics of who we really are.
Ephesians 1:4 (ESV)
even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love
Paul is telling us here that we are chosen by God before the foundation of the world. We are chosen by the One who created the heavens and earth. We are chosen to be God’s spokesperson. We know that a very important element in marketing is to find a spokesperson. The best spokesperson is the one when people see them, they immediately think of the product the spokesperson endorses. God’s will is for us to be His spokesperson. This is the purpose of setting up the church.
To be God’s spokesperson, we must have a good relationship with Him. But it is impossible for sinners to represent the Holy God. Paul tells us that we are holy and and blameless. Here comes the problem: we are not without flaws. No matter how careful we are in life, we can never be blameless. We can be blameless, not because Paul lied, but because of the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ and because of His blood, we can be blameless. He took the blame so that we can be blameless.
After the resurrection of Jesus Christ, He once appeared to the disciples and even let the disciples ran their fingers through the nail-marked hand. The question is, Jesus Christ has been resurrected, what is the reason for keeping the nail-marked hand? That’s because that nail-marked hand is our proof that we are blameless. Because of that nail mark, we are blameless. God not only wants His only begotten Son to carry nail-marked hands to eternity, but also wants us to be His spokesperson.
When we come together, we become the church. A church that belongs to God is, most fundamentally, a place where a group of people-who-respond-to-God’s-love gather together and show their response to God’s love through different methods. When the goal of a church is to respond to God’s love in different ways, the place becomes a bright lampstand.
Brothers and sisters, let us respond to God’s words with our actions, and RCAC will naturally become a bright lampstand.
HIS Servant,
Pastor Mark Liu