Ephesians 3:8-11, 20-21                                                                                                                   ⁸ “To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, ⁹ and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, ¹⁰ so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. ¹¹ This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord,                                                                                            ²⁰ Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

WOW! With an exciting title like that, even I can’t wait to hear this Sunday’s sermon!

John Calvin is often quoted as saying, “The chief duty of the church is to make the invisible kingdom of God visible to the world.” While I certainly believe that to be true, I believe this idea of “making the invisible visible” goes farther than that. This coming Sunday morning, as the Lord allows, I will share three areas in which the Church fulfills our goal of “making the invisible visible.”

First, we exist to make the invisible gospel visible! The Bible says that we are walking, talking gospels that are read by everyone. Lost people can neither see nor understand the things of the Spirit of God, (including the gospel) so it has been given to the people of God to make it visible to them!

Second, we exist to make the invisible Kingdom of God visible! While some believers think that the Kingdom is only something that is “out there” in the future, the truth is that the Kingdom is already present on earth and is manifested in the Church!

Yes, I am premillennial in my theology and I am convinced that there will indeed be a literal 1,000 year rule of Jesus Christ on earth fulfilling God’s covenant with David. But, I also believe that there is an “already” aspect to the Kingdom right now as Jesus rules and reigns as King of Kings in the hearts and lives of His people. He is already our King and we are already His Kingdom!

Finally, the church exists to make the invisible Glory of Jesus visible! Our resurrected, ascended, and glorified Lord indwells His people through the Person of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is glorious and His glory can be seen – even during His temporary absence from earth – in His people. Several verses tell us the ways in which we can glorify Jesus in our life today.

One of the great tragedies of life is for someone or some group to live and die never knowing and never fulfilling their reason for existing! This should not, and must not, be true of the Church! We simply exist to make visible to this lost and dying world the gospel, the Kingdom, and the glory of Jesus!

I hope you will think over these verses and pray over these verses and come to Church Sunday morning ready to be transformed by the Word of God.

I hope to see you Sunday with your Bible in your hand, a smile on your face, and your family and friends by your side!