Planting Churches among the City's Poor - Volume 1

188 • P LANTING C HURCHES AMONG THE C ITY ’ S P OOR : V OLUME 1

power. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 3. Christ in us Gentile followers of Jesus, the hope of glory, Col. 1.24-27 – Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, Eph. 2.19 – So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. 1. The necessity of regeneration, John 1.12-13 – But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. 2. The significance of adoption, Rom. 8.15-18 – For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. A. The Church is figured and typified as the family of God .

II. The Church of God in Jesus Christ Is Integral in its Imagery in Trinitarian Theology