Where the Action Is
Where do you think the action is? The 1960s variety show, hosted by Dick Clark, gave their answer to that question. Pop sensations surrounded by pimply teenagers dancing and singing along. They believed that was where the action was. Doubtless, countless people who show up to live events, from political rallies to sports, think "This is where the action is!" People who hawkishly eye the S&P 500 do so because they believe that's where the action is. We can think of plenty of examples. What gets our attention and acclaim likely reveals where we think the action really is. In the midst of all the noise in our culture, the Apostle Paul walks into a Sunday church service and says "THIS is where the action is!"
We'd all be tempted to laugh at such a claim. It doesn't often feel that way. But things are never as they seem. According to Paul, the big reveal of human history that will rippled out through the ages is that Christ has a Church. According to Ephesians 3, this is the mystery of Christ. It was once concealed, but now it's revealed! Why?
Ephesians 3:10 - "This is so that God's multi-faceted wisdom may now be made know through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavens."
What? Paul wrote those words as a prisoner of the Roman Empire. He wrote those words while Nero was on the throne. He wrote those words when pagan temples and shrines were littered throughout the land. He wrote those words to a tiny minority group of Christians who were the laughing stock of the wider culture. But contrary to appearances, the Church is where the action is.
The Church, made up of churches, united through one Lord, one faith, one baptism, is displaying the multi-faceted wisdom of God to an unseen spiritual realm that watches with bated breath. When Paul speaks of the rulers and authorities in the heavens, he has in mind the angels of heaven who worship God and serve his people. He also has in mind powers of darkness that work against God and His people (Eph. 6:12). The world is stranger than we think; and the church is bigger than we realize. Through the church, God's wisdom is being displayed in a way that signals celebration in heaven and taunts the powers of hell.
As we joyfully worship Jesus as our Savior and King, the powers of darkness tremble. As we joyfully pursue unity with one another, the spiritual forces that seek to tear us apart are frustrated. THIS is where the action is! The Church not only reveals Christ, but Christ reveals His Church!
Yet, we might be surprised at how Christ reveals His Church. It's through weakness on behalf of others. Ephesians 3:1 and 3:13 serve as bookends to the cosmic picture Paul paints of the eternal purpose of God. Paul writes as "the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles." He says that his afflictions are "on your behalf" and for "your glory." This is strange. We would naturally think that God displays His multi-faceted wisdom through pastors and faith leaders who hobnob with presidents. We would naturally think that it's the powerful and the polished who God broadcasts in the headlines of heaven. We'd think the demons tremble at activism and culture wars. Yet it's ordinary churches filled with ordinary people - people who are captive to Christ and His cause - that's what displays God's wisdom to the rulers and authorities in the heavens.
God's wisdom is indeed strange. It turns the wisdom and power of the world on its head and says "Here is greatness!" The woman who drives the mentally handicapped to church every Sunday. The college students who are warmly enfolded into families while they're away from home. The cancer patient who rarely gets her chemo treatment without a visitor who will pray with her. A group of men who meet up to read Scripture, confess their sins, and pray together. People who go through seasons of joy and sorrow, yet never alone. Those are a few examples that appear weak, ordinary, and even odd to our world. These churches are hidden from the headlines of the day, but they are front and center in the headlines of heaven. Certainly not perfect, but growing together as a masterpiece of grace. Contrary to appearances, the church is where the action is. And by God's grace, anyone can get in on the action.
