How Can the Church Make God’s Wisdom Known?

His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Ephesians 3:10

As we have seen in previous reflections, God has chosen to reveal his plan to unify all things in Christ "through the church" (3:10). The plan to be revealed is also known as God's multicolored wisdom or the mystery. As I noted in a previous reflection, the centrality of the church in God's strategy might be surprising to us, owing both to our individualism and to the all-too-common ineptitude of the church. Nevertheless, God's intention remains. He wants to communicate the Gospel to the whole creation through the church.

This truth suggests a crucial and obvious question: How? How can the church make God's wisdom known to the world and, indeed, to the whole cosmos? And, on a personal note, how can you and I participate in the church's communication effort?

I could imagine writing a whole book on this subject. But, in this week's reflections, I'll suggest three ways that the church, including you, me, and the rest of our fellow believers, can share God's wisdom with our neighbors, our colleagues, and, indeed, the powers throughout the universe.

Today, I'll begin with one of the most obvious ways we can communicate God's plan to unify all things in Christ. Ready? We can tell others about it. Yes, yes, I know this idea gives many Christians the willies. But you don't have to share the good news with others in an awkward, pushy, or insensitive way. All you really need to do is to be open about your life and honest when you have the opportunity to share with others what you believe.

Of course, in order to do this, you have to know what you believe. If you're the sort of person who regularly reads these reflections, then I expect you are the someone who likes learning, thinking, and talking about Christian faith. I imagine that you are more prepared than you might expect to talk about your faith in a truthful and winsome way.

But, talk alone won't do it. In tomorrow's reflection, we'll consider other ways to communicate the multi-colored wisdom of God. Stay tuned...

QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER REFLECTION: How do you feel about sharing your faith with others? If you have reservations about this, why? If you feel positive about this, why? Do you feel confident about your ability to explain the wisdom of God in a clear and truthful way?

PRAYER: Gracious God, you have determined to demonstrate your multi-colored wisdom through the church ... and this includes me. One way we can do this is by simply telling the truth about your work, your plan to bring all things together in Christ. Help us, Lord, help me, Lord, to share this good news freely, respectfully, and kindly. Give me opportunities to tell others about you in a way that doesn't feel weird or forced. Help me to be honest and clear. And help your church, Lord, to share the good news with this generation in a way that makes sense to the very people who need to hear it. Amen.

P.S. from Mark - I'm excited to let you know about a new video just published by The High Calling, the host of my Daily Reflections. It's called "A Day with Greg Buell," and is both deeply-moving and thought-provoking. I know you'll be glad you watched this video. Plus, you can help us get out the word by letting others know about it (through email, Facebook, Twitter, etc.). Thanks to my colleague, Dan Roloff, the executive producer of this video, and to his video team, Nathan Clarke and John Harrison, for their fine work. You can view "A Day with Greg Buell" at this link. You can see all of The High Calling's videos at our YouTube channel.

Image courtesy of Laity Lodge, one of our sister programs in the Foundations for Laity Renewal.