How Does God Get a Glorious Church in Ephesians 5:27?

 Did you know that glory is God expressed?  In the past the word glory made me think of dazzling sunshine.  So many times when I’ve read the Bible, I’ve thought I know that word, but after listening  to a message or reading a Life Study I realize my understanding was way too shallow. So glory is God  expressed but not just by God Himself. It may surprise you a bit (because it does me when I really think about it) that God  wants His glory to be expressed through man!  How can that happen?  In the introduction to Life Study of Ephesians Chapter 59 Witness Lee uses the context to tell us how:

 The only way God can have a glorious church is through Christ’s sanctifying, cleansing, nourishing, and cherishing. As we experience these things in a practical way the church becomes glorious (Lee, Witness. Life Study of Ephesians. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1978, Print ).

The context of this verse on the glorious church is God santifying the believers through His washing word, His nourishing and cherishing (Ephesians 5:26-29). Later he shares that as we come to the word, the Lord nourishes and cherishes us and bit by bit radiates His glory into us through our beholding His face (2 Cor. 4:6 and 2 Cor. 3:18.).  Somethings happening to us!  And this is a lot like what he shares in another message where he points out that this process of glorification is a lot like the metamorphosis of an ugly caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly (Page 481). Something within the caterpillar is consuming its old body and making a new one.  Wow, what a picture of what's happening to all of the believers of Christ!  So today our top priority is to come to the word of God and behold the Lord in His word!  

I really enjoyed listening to the radio broadcast of this message put on by Living Stream Ministry which is Program 52 - God's Desire for a Glorious Church. They really encouraged the listeners to read Watchman Nee's book The Glorious Church. I've read it years ago, but I'm planning  to read it again.  Did you know you can get this book as well as a free study Bible free of charge at Bibles for America?


Other blog posts on the Life Study of Ephesians:

What is the Subject of Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians?

What is the Mystery of God's Will Revealed in Ephesians 1:9?

How Does God Head Up All Things in Christ in Ephesians 1:10?

How Does the Spirit Seal us in Ephesians 1:13-14?

What is the Surpassing Greatness of His Power in Ephesians 1:19?

The Electricity Gospel - Showing God's Purpose to Reach Man

What is the One New Man in Ephesians 2:15?

What is the Stewardship of the Grace of God in Ephesians 3:2?

Do You Know What the Multifarious Wisdom of God is in Ephesians 3:10?

What's God's Calling for in Ephesians 4:1?

What Does It Mean to Learn Christ in Ephesians 4:20?

Seeing the Church as the Bride of Christ in Ephesians 5:32