The Church Is The Hope of The World | Pr Daniel Tan

Ephesians 1:15-22 In this week Scriptures, the heart is the seat of the emotions. The apostle's prayer is that they (and we) may so grasp the revelation that is made to the mind—that it begins to enlighten, move, and motivate our hearts.  That is when we become vital Christians—turned on, ready to serve, and highly motivated because we have begun to feel the power and the wonder of the truth that we have been taught.  That is why Paul prays for the eyes of your heart, that you may feel the truth not just in your intellect, but also deep in your emotions and that you may reflect and rejoice on who God is and what he is like. There are three specific things, he says, that we need to know about God: First, the hope to which he has called us, second, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and third, his incomparably great power. It is power to reach out to others to help them in their need. It is power to respond to people's hurts around you and power to take some of your own time to minister to them. This is what makes a church function as God intended it in society. That is what these last verses say.  "And God placed all things under his (Jesus') feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church (it is all for the church now), which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way." - Ephesians 1:22-23 Everything takes place through the church now. The church is God's great funnel through which all this great power flows. Our prayer for you is that with the eyes of your hearts you may come to know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and the incomparable power which he has already given you.