Ephesians 3:14-21
Why Are We Here?
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, [15] from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, [16] that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, [17] so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, [18] may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, [19] and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. [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.
Why are We Here? Now that question could be asked in a couple of different ways- but my question is: why are we are here at a congregational meeting of the Los Angeles Reformed Presbyterian Church? And what are we doing here?
Are we just having a business meeting where we will talk about the budget- maybe have a bit of discussion about what we like or don’t like in the budget? Maybe have a few questions or comments about the reports that we will hear from the various reporters in the church.
Well, sure, we are here for that- we need to do this once a year as a part of our doing all things decently and in order- but what is at the core of what is really going on here? Why really are we here?
I would like to very briefly look at Ephesians 3:14-21 and divide the text into two areas that will help us to answer this question. The first division will be theological or historical redemptive. And the second division will be doxological, and contemporary to our particular congregation.
So why are we here? Let's start with the theological.
In verse 14 we have Paul giving praise and prayer that the mystery of the Gospel has been revealed and this is part of why we are here. The mystery of the Gospel was that it was going to be a world-wide phenomeon that would start in a tiny centralized slice of land, and it would spread throughout the ancient world and make its way into Spain in the time of the NT and into Europe and eventually North and South America and throughout all of the continents of the worlds.
We are here because we are part of this inheritance of the mystery of the Gospel.
From this world-wide revelation of the mystery, Paul applies it specifically to the lives of individual believers. Give glory, in verse 16, that the Spirit has applied this Gospel to the nations to us as individuals if we are in Christ. Then verse 17 shows that this personal application has an organic nature and that we are not here just because we are connected to some world wide movement called the mystery revealed to the nations. We are not just here because we have had this individual application of that Gospel.
We are here because we have been made a part of something bigger. Notice verse 17 shows that we have been rooted and grounded in love and then in verse 18- we comprehend this with ALL the saints.
Connectedness, organic, being a part of something bigger- the church. So we are not just a bunch of individuals who are here today who have our own agenda- we are part of an organic union called the church- and we are rooted and grounded together in this.
So why are we here- Because the love of God extends high and low and east and west and it must be applied to you specifically and to us as a congregation- and when people look onto our fellowship they should not even be able to describe what they are experiencing because the love of God in Christ that is applied within the church passes knowledge. And we are called to be filled with the love of God.
This is the theological foundation of why we are here. This should be good enough right? Why are you sitting in that chair with that packet of reports in your hand? Why are you a member of this church? Well, these were good enough reasons:
The Gospel has been revealed to the nations and God, in his providence has revealed it to our lands. Because the power of the Spirit has applied this Gospel to individuals and if you have received that- you are here because of that. Because we have been made a part of the church of Christ- and we are no longer individuals- we are a people rooted together and grounded together in Christ.
But what else? Look at verse 20 and 21. This has been the focus of much of meditation this week. Here we see the doxological aspect of the question, “Why are we here?”
And what do we see? In this doxology or word of praise and glory to God- we see some absolutely amazing words. “Him who is able to do far more abundanty than all that we ask or think.” That is why we are here- we are here because the Lord Jesus does far more than we are able to do, ask, or think.
We are here because about 130 years ago a seminary student from Southfield Michigan had the vision to go to the wild west and to plant churches. This was in a time when the RPCNA did not have established churches past Kansas. We are here because someone knew that God was able to do far abundantly than he could ask or think.
Why are we here?
We are here because people from our churches had the vision to come out to Los Angeles when it was still orange groves, missions, and a midwest sized city. We are here because in God’s providence he drove people West with a desire to see the Reformed faith expanded and grow in places where the Reformed faith had not gone.
We are here because they knew that God was able to do far more abundantly than all they asked or thought.
We are here because as the city of Los Angeles exploded in a population boom- men and woman with vision saw this as a way to expand the work of the Gospel beyond those whose last names originated in the moors and hills of Scotland and Ireland. We are here because these men and woman had the vision the God could be glorified in the RP Church through those with various backgrounds. They believed that God could do far more abundantly than all they asked or thought.
This is why we are here.
We are here because as the city became a city dependant on the motor vehicle and people packed up and moved to the newer parts of the city- Highland Park, Eagle Rock, and to the suburbs of Pasadena and Glendale- there were those that had a vision that God was not calling a church to close, but to expand into a new area- because God is able to do far more abundantly than all that they asked or thought.
This is why we are here.
We are here because a generation of saints that have been going into glory in the past two years, we are here because they lived lives that were radically committed to building the kingdom and sustaining the work that God had been doing here for a number of generations. We are here because of their prayers and their gifts and their devotion to Christ and their radical commitment to the kingdom- we are here because they, many of whom you knew- knew that God was able to do far more abundantly than they could ask or think.
This is why we are here.
We are here because as the prices in LA increased and people migrated back East for cheaper housing and to be closer to the center of the denomination, there were those of you who didn’t give up. We are here because despite some predicting the death of what Christ was doing here, there were those who persevered and prayed and knew that God was able to do far more abundantly than all you could ask or think.
That is why we are here.
We are here because a number of you had a vision for renewal that included many hard things- things that would require change, prayer, intense discipleship, and fellowship. We are here because those who were committed to renewal believed that God was able to do far more abundantly than they could ask or think.
That is why we are here.
We are here because last year we adopted a budget by faith that was somewhat obscene- and we are here because last year the Session challenged us all to pray for three new families- and what have we seen?
We have seen that God is able to do far more abundantly than all we can ask or think.
So why are we are here?
We are here for normal church business, yes. But we are here because we have a vision for what God can do in this city, in Orange County, and even in the Pacific Coast Presbytery.
And today the Lord Jesus challenges us to think big thoughts, and to have big visions, and dream big dreams, and to expect great expectations from him- because he is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think.
That is why we are here.
And what should this do for us? Look how verse 21 ends: To him be the glory in the church and in Christ- throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
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