A COSMIC WITNESS
Greetings church family!
Several years ago I took my kids and their mom to Thai food for dinner. I was feeling brave that day, so I ordered pad thai noodles at a spicy level of 5. I'd never done that before, and wanted to know just how spicy Thai food could be. Boy did I find out!
I took my first bite of the noodles, and immediately I started coughing. Then I started inhaling and exhaling at a fast rate in my attempt to mitigate the pain from the spiciness. As that was insufficient, I finally grabbed for my glass of water and drank half of its content. I continued this cycle of taking a bite, breathing rapidly, and drinking water. It wasn't long before my eyes were watering like a heavy rainfall. In the midst of my pain and discomfort, everyone around me was laughing so hard, they were crying. However, it wasn't until later, long after leaving the restaurant, that I realized my daughter had recorded the whole ordeal and was sharing the video with her aunties and friends. Suddenly I was their entertainment.
Paul writes in Ephesians 3:8-9, "This grace was given to me—the least of all the saints—to proclaim to the Gentiles the incalculable riches of Christ, and to shed light for all about the administration of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things." What is the mystery that Paul is referring to? The mystery is the joining together of the Jews and Gentiles in one body through Christ (see Ephesians 2:11-22 and Ephesians 3:4-6). Though they were once enemies, in Christ, they would be united as one church. Paul continues in verse 10 saying, "This is so that God’s multifaceted wisdom may now be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavens."
The church is not just a community of believers. The church as a whole is also a cosmic witness to the rulers and authorities in the spiritual realm - both good and evil. The church, embracing reconciliation and new creation and the love of God and of His truth, is literally the stage where God's glory and plan of redemption is on full display to heavenly beings.
By the way, this was not established as a reaction to sin. Verse 11 says, "This is according to his eternal purpose accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord." It was always God's plan to save humanity, it was always God's plan to send Jesus to be humanity's Savior, and it was always his plan for the church to reveal to cosmic beings the inevitable success of God's plan.
Ordinary acts—loving others, forgiving, serving—done within the church demonstrate God’s wisdom to the spiritual world. This means your faithfulness in community matters, even when it feels unnoticed. Furthermore, the church brings together diverse people (backgrounds, cultures, generations), which showcases God’s wisdom. When we work through differences in love, we model something supernatural.
From the outside, a church might seem small or unimpressive. But spiritually, it is the theater where God's wisdom is on display—even to angels and demons. This doesn't mean the church is perfect—but that’s part of the point. God displays His wisdom through weak vessels. You don’t need to wait to be flawless to believe God can use you, use us! What a privilege we have to be a cosmic witness for Christ!
Blessings, church family, and know that God is for you, God is with you, and God loves you!
Pastor Chris
