Terry

Ok Pastor Ralph, As promised in ages past, here's my take on this. First of all it was a great study, the structure and flow and unity. Who do you think you are, Paul? Just kidding. I am going to approach my answer in two ways personally and theologically what I got from the study. Personally, after reading Ephesians over and over, and your study, it makes me kind of sad. By that I mean, it is sad to see what the church in general has become and it's also sad to see the preception presented in the media and felt my people who could be helped. When the church is mentioned in the media or the public in general I can see at least two images that are understood as the church today. One, is an image of a bunch of crazy right wing, warmongering, rich, right wing crazys. The other is the Televangilists, always with their hands out taking poor peoples money. The scandels, TBN, pedophiles. Unfortunatly, thats what were fighting, trying to get the truth out. Then as an interfaith reaction, we have the liberal main line churches, who although they have good intentions, dilute the Word so that people may never get to know - The church God created. The Psalmist was right to wonder what is man that he is so special to God, we can really mess things up. But we can also straighten them out. Things like this study, men like Henry Nouwen, Dallas Willard, my Pastor Marty Berglund, there are good teachers out there and if we could just get them to read Ephesions a few times it would change opinion. The church is not what the media thinks or that big building or even that little white church in the country. The church is not where we go every Sunday - IT IS WHO WE ARE EVERYDAY! The Church is God's household. Household is another word for family. And as God family we, the church, should be like members of his household. We the church, universal and local are God's presence on earth. When we are looked at God should be seen. We are the body of Christ. And as Paul's analalogy descibes there are many parts to the body and each one's function depends on another. The control center though is the brain, and where is the brain, in the head. Jesus is the Head of the Church, we are the body, the plan is for the head and body to be joined eternally. We represent God on earth as the church. God concieved the plan of the church, another creation. And like his most loved creation, man, who was the only creation of God not made, ex nilho, out of nothing, man was formed from dust. The Church was formed from man. God concieved the church plan, Jesus implimented it, and the Holy Spirit sustains it. Just like Paul to get the Christocentric and Trinitarian doctrines out of 11 verses Eph 1:3-14. I'm going too long here, let me wrap up with one final thing. One thing anbout God's church is that some assembly is required. We need to stop attending church and start assembling, remember were one, unity a body. My final words, I promise. Remember we are the church We represent God on earth God lives in us through the Holy Spirit We must have a servant attitude as Jesus did We are never alone as long as we are part of the church What people see in us the precieve as the church thus that's how they see God Love never fails Lets make ourselves - The Church God Created not the church man distorted. God bless everbody and especially you Pastor