The manifold wisdom of God

There is a passage that always shocks me when I read it, but in a good way, and it is in Ephesians, chapter 3, verse 10. I am going to start with this verse, I am going to refer to different ones, but I want to start with this one. Ephesians chapter 3 verse 10. Look how it says: "So that the manifold wisdom of God may now be made known through the Church to principalities and powers in heavenly places." The phrase I want to pay attention to is that, "so that the manifold wisdom of God."

Multiform means that it has many forms, it is varied. It has different sides where one can analyze it, or experience it. I am not saying that there is variety in God, because the variety that there is in God, I do not mean that He changes his mind, because the Bible is very clear that in God there is no variety or shadow of doubt in Him, but yes the variety we are talking about is who He is. When we believe that we have already known something of God, what we thought we knew, wow, it changes, it goes the other way. God teaches us another side of Him that we had not considered, that we had not seen. It may be that in our lives we had thought that we are living a comfortable, calm life, that problems are, as they say, on the margin, and our stress level is not high, and suddenly a tragedy happens that shakes the world and that makes us question, but come here, God, I thought that you were good, that you were with me, and that nothing bad about this was going to happen to me, and now oops, it happened, and as that trauma passes, one gets to know a totally new dimension of God, at least if one opens up to know that new dimension of God.

I began to think about different things that I have been listening to in these last Sundays, and I say to myself, wow, Lord, how beautiful it is to be part of a church like this, which in some way or another reflects that multiformity that exists in you. You think I'm saying the right thing, right? Here the variety of people that are part of León de Judá in some way reflect that variety, that multiformity that there is in God, the mere fact of having people from different generations, the mere fact of having people from different cultures, that those different cultures They bring different experiences, different ways of seeing a panorama, different ways of interpreting writing, or proceeding to read writing, different experiences that can enrich mine and mine can enrich yours, all of this my brothers let us know about how God is in action, how God operates in all things.

A joke, on Sunday I left here, I was talking to a person, and the conversation with that person seemed to me as if he were singing to me, I'm not from here, I'm not from there, I don't know where I'm going or where to be, because he was saying that it's like, it was an argument that sounded like it's impossible for a church to be like in the middle and not be on one side or the other, and I said to myself no, that's precisely what God wants that we are, it is not that you are going to think in that passage in the Bible that we are neither cold nor hot, it has nothing to do with that, if you read that passage in its context you will realize that it has nothing to do with it. It has nothing to do with how we are now as a church, but rather has to do with the DNA that God has placed in this church that allows us to move in all these areas, in all these facets of what a truly Pentecostal church is. , very fiery, very euphoric, very emotional, as it also allows us to move in a line It's like, more rational, more thinking, where we question, where we seek to understand with our mind, not just with the spirit and our emotions, we want to understand what God is doing.

That is part of who we are as a church. And there are times when there are people who cannot connect with that dynamic, because we are used to being on one side or the other, and the thing is that on either side where we find ourselves, we can be in the presence of God, we can commune with God, we can know something about God, and by knowing something about God we can know something about our own lives as well. Look for example, and here again I am being pastoral, I am just processing things with you. How was the dynamic last Wednesday? How many of you can tell me here that this was the glory of God from beginning to end? How many can say amen to that? They didn't say many, or I imagine there are some who are still processing. And how many can say that in this quieter service, the glory of God is with us? The service is not over yet, and that is my brothers, something that distinguishes us as a church. We can experience God in fire, just as we can experience God in the still small whistle. As there are also times when we experience God in the thunder, in the earthquake, in the uproar. God is in the midst of all those things.

I believe that one of the messages that I have seen my brothers, or that I have managed to receive from all this that the pastor is communicating to us, is the mere fact that we have to be careful that if we become too affiliated with one of those extremes, with that if the other is more or less holy than the other person, or that if one is more spiritual than the other, it is not, that is not the purpose, that is not what God has intended for the church to do. I can tell you, not me, there are times when my head as a pastor, I say to myself wow, how many people would come to a service like the one last Wednesday only because of miracles and signs? Versus a person who understands that his life His relationship with God does not depend only on those miracles and signs, but also depends on moments of intimacy, of communion, of silence before the Lord, where I can process precisely an experience like a week ago, where something comes and it's like the anthill stirs up the house, and then we shepherds have to come to put order and process the dynamics, and I'm not saying that stirring up the anthill is bad, that has its time, it has its place, look how I'm saying, that's part of us as a church.

What happened last Wednesday is nothing new for us, it has been happening here for a long time. It happens on Sundays with the leadership of the church here, we don't necessarily need someone to come from outside to stir up the anthill because we know how to stir up the anthill very well here, and with everything and that I am speaking with great respect of the person who It came yesterday like that, is what Patricia was saying, that package that came, maybe for some it was like that, but for others maybe for others it was like, look, dig, dig, and the moment will come where you You will find that moment, that anointing of the Lord that you are waiting for, I saw people here that I never imagined would fall. I looked at their faces when they were going to pray for him and said he is going to stand still and when I look again poof. There God with him, or there God with her, God knows how to struggle.

Come, my brothers, the point that I want to communicate to you with this is that we cannot put God in a box. To the point that you box God, God is going to let you know your box is too small for me, and God is going to let you know two things, either he gets into your box and breaks it, or he tells you your box is too small , I can't go in there until you get me another one, which one do you want to use. One implies invasion, it's like God is going to get in there no matter what, and he's going to break all the patterns and mental and emotional schemes that you have of Him. The other is like God is going to stay at a distance waiting so that you yourself say ok, let me get a bigger box, or at least a box that has three sides, to better give God a space where he can flow.

It takes a lot to dare to communicate messages like the ones that have been communicated this and last Sundays, I tell you, I have a lot of respect for our pastor now that he has dared to touch those messages, because not everyone dares to venture into those shapes. Not many people dare to venture into the gray areas of the Bible. Something like who says no but it is written and it stays that way, no but the more you dig the more you say hmm, here is something else that my mind cannot process and I have to literally depend on God to literally let me know what He intended . We have to make peace with the idea that there will be questions that are going to remain unanswered, and we have to be at peace with that, not all the time God is going to answer things that we have in prayer or something, why ?, I don't know, God knows, I can't in my pastoral and preaching ethics, I can't preach something that I myself know that God may not respond like that.

As the pastor used to say, give so much and in a week you will have a new Cadillac, never in your life will you hear me say something like that or any of the pastors. Correction, I really want to correct this, your husband left, your wife left, let him go, that is not the church's perspective, okay? We believe in counseling, first chance, second chance and if not, then from the fourth or fifth and a lot of prayer doesn't work, because then we entrust it to the grace of God, but from the first it does, let it go, uh hm, and don't come back either. Do my brothers follow me where I go? Rather I am taking advantage of the opportunity because those packages have to be processed well. And we have to dare to speak about these things because the growth of our faith depends on this. It depends on this that our faith becomes more complex than it is now, and that we learn to see God in all those areas of our lives. It doesn't mean that I stop praying, it doesn't mean that I stop asking God for something, no, the Bible is very clear, look: "Search, knock on the door." The Bible is very clear with that, and it is not necessarily the Bible, they are the words of Jesus, if Jesus says it for something it is, it is because we have to pray, it is because we have to ask, it is because we have to search, and the Lord He will then take charge at the time of giving the answer that He understands is best for each one of us.

We cannot adhere to God to our molds and to our patterns my brothers, I would like sometimes to try to get inside our heads to be able to understand that it is not possible. I like that expression, I can't twist God's arm so that He does something in my favor, let's try to twist God's finger if I can, it's going to cost me a lot of work. So that's a point my brothers.

A second point that I wanted to bring you, was in Romans chapter 14. I really like Paul's perspective, if you read the Epistles of Paul, there are many themes that repeat themselves in his letters, in Romans, in First Corinthians, in Galatians, in Ephesians, Philippians, there are many ideas, many thoughts of Paul that are repeated. And when it has to do with the dynamics of a body that is like this, multiform, and Pablo is an expert in talking about that, and we understand my brothers that we have to learn to live in harmony with each other, and understand that for example when Jesus says: Do not judge so that you will not be judged, he says it with intention. And here I clarify something my brothers, it does not mean that we can never judge because judgment is important to us. Judgment at the level of being able to distinguish, of being able to discern, when something is good and when something is not very good, we always judge to be able to distinguish one thing from the other, that is something that is always there before our eyes.

But when I use that judgment to condemn someone, when I use that judgment to denigrate or lower the esteem or image of a person, then I am falling into a very big mistake. Look how it says in Romans chapter 14, there are several things, verse 1 says: "Receive the weak in faith but not to dispute opinions." In other words, it is not to be discussing perspectives on life, "because one who believes that he feeds one, another who is weak eats legumes", in other words, here he is talking about what can and cannot be eaten , "the one who eats everything cannot despise the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat cannot judge the one who eats because God has received him". If I use that illustration of eating and not eating, I can say: if a woman arrives with a long skirt, and another arrives with a less long skirt, I cannot, like someone who says, receive the one with the long skirt, and the one who the shortest skirt has to tell her: no, you don't belong to this group, I can't do that.

If a wife arrives with her husband and her children and I see that it is an ideal family, which is to put them up as a trophy, the example of an ideal family, and another family arrives there whose boys are climbing walls, and the husband and the wife looking at herself badly, treating herself badly, ah, I'm sorry, this is not the church for you, we can't deal with you here, I can't get those people out, nor can I get the other one out, I can't. Ah pastor, so-and-so is living in sin, he is living in sin, let him come to the church, but how can it be, we cannot have sinners in the church, tell me where the Bible says that we cannot have sinners in the church. In which church are there no sinners? In which emergency room are there no sick people?

There are times when I can't imagine seeing a nurse who is on her break and is outside smoking and then comes in and treats a patient, hello how are you, if there is a heart patient there it ends die. There is no regulation that prevents that, does that mean that we cannot receive it? No.

Look how verse 4 says: "Who are you who judges another's servant, for his own lord he stands or falls, but he will stand firm because the Lord is powerful to make him stand firm." That verse has always blown my mind, because what it is saying is: if I start to judge the way of being or speaking, or thinking, or saying a person, I have to be very careful with how do I issue that judgment, because through my judgment many times I can cause that person to fall, but if God is with that person, if God has plans and purposes with that person, even if I issue a judgment, God will go above my judgment and will see to it that his plans and purposes are fulfilled in that person. This is how God works.

I jump a little further to verse 19, look at what should be the focus of our life as a church: "So let us follow what contributes to peace and mutual edification, let us not destroy the work of God because of food, or because of because if someone speaks in tongues or not, or if someone is more self-righteous than the other or not, or if someone prays more time of the day than the other or not, or if someone wears a better tie than the other, all the Things are really clean, but it is bad that man makes others stumble with what he does, what he thinks, what he says.

Look at verse 22, it says: "Do you have your faith? Have it for yourself before God, for blessed is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves." In other words, if you are sure before God, of what you have learned according to the experiences you have acquired, according to the advice you have heard, according to the things you have decided to adopt towards your life, and those things that you have decided not to enter your life, have that faith before God. If there comes a time where you start to compare your faith with mine, and your lifestyle is a little different from yours, and you start to compare yourself with my lifestyle, then your faith is going to start working in a different way. You can't live my lifestyle, I can't live your lifestyle, we can empathize with each other, we can pray with each other, we can share things in common, but that you embrace everything that I I am, I everything that you are, it will not be possible to do.

I have my faith before God, I live my faith before God. Having my faith does not mean that then I am going to start, oh no, your faith is less than mine, oh, if I start doing that, I have problems. Mine will go down, exactly, that's how it is. There is a lot my brothers that I can continue telling you, but I will finish for today, I will end with this passage, Colossians chapter 3, verse 12, we are going to finish with this, how can we deal with those differences that exist in our midst, what does the word say , says: "Clothe yourselves then with the advice of God, holy, beloved, of endearing mercy, of benignity, of humility, of meekness, of patience". Verse 13 is something that comes very easily to us: "bearing with one another." Isn't that really easy to do? And the second part is even easier, "and forgiving each other if someone has a complaint against the other." And the third part is even easier: "just as Christ forgave us, so also", isn't that really easy? Read it, but live it, but therein lies the challenge before us.

"Above all things", here is the ideal ingredient, "above all things clothe yourselves with love which is the perfect bond, the peace of God rule your hearts". Let's not forget that we were called in one body, and let's not forget to be grateful. How nice it would be that as we continue to climb, we continue to climb to reach that perfect call that God has for us, how nice it would be if we could see ourselves dressed in love, dressed in that clothing that only Jesus can give us. Where I can see and say, ah, this one is from Chile, this one is from Colombia, or that one is from Santo Domingo, ah, I don't mix with this one because it's very wild, I don't mix with the other one because it's very calm , that I do not see myself like that, but that I can say, this is a citizen of heaven just like me, this is a member of the body of Christ just like me, and the blood of Christ covers him, covers her just like it covers me too.

Look my brothers, I dare to preach this, I assure you that as we grow at that level, to truly experience what it is to be covered by the love of God and see the character of Christ, which molds that of we, this I dare to tell you, I throw myself to the chest saying, we are going to begin to see totally different things happening in our midst, a church that knows how to live as God commands, as God orders, I am not saying absent from lawsuits because lawsuits will always be there, but that we can deal with our lawsuits and differences to continue living in harmony, together but not mixed up, I am sure that God will send his blessing there, in ways that we have not seen yet. I am very honest with you, last Wednesday was a blessing for me, and what I am going to say, my brothers, I am saying completely personally, this is my process, I am not saying that this is something that you also think, but i share it

This past Wednesday I was blessed, at first I do not deny it, I was prejudiced with this person, I confess, I even looked for videos on YouTube of this person and when I saw them my head was prejudiced, I admit that I sinned before God When doing that, when the service began, I said to myself Lord, forgive me for the prejudice that I did, this person is your servant, do with him what you want. When he began to minister, I tell you, there was something in me that was like it couldn't be, I can't see this, no no no, but just as that thought entered it was as if the Spirit told me, shut up, listen , pay attention. okay sit And you know what my brothers, it was hard for me to open my heart and be sensitive to what God was doing. I know that many people were blessed, I give glory to God for that. I was also blessed, look how interesting, that after so much fight that I had in my head and in my heart I also received my portion. But when I left here I said to myself, Lord, is that it? Is that all, or is there something else? I could clearly feel in my heart how the Lord told me to wait for it because there is more.

I know that there is more than what we have seen my brothers, there is more, I was sharing with a brother yesterday, there are times when we are here it is as if there was a curtain and we are touching that curtain, and we push and push, and it is not that this curtain or veil is something bad, it is as if it were a veil of the anointing of God, we are there in contact with it, because we have experienced the anointing of God, but it is like a membrane that still does not let us pass to another side, and no matter how hard we push that membrane, it seems like it doesn't break, and I said I don't know what has to happen, I don't know if something has to come from above and really break that membrane for us to enter that new dimension, or if God has to instill something in us for us to truly go beyond that, and reach those things that God has, or if it is a combination of both, but whatever it is I know there is more. Amen, I say amen to that, God is going to give it in due time.

So, my brothers, wait for it, wait for it, I promote Wednesday services not because there is someone who prays miracles and wonders, keep coming on Wednesdays because you are looking for God, not just because a guest preacher from Patagonia came or something Come because you are looking for the one who gives of his riches in glory, come for that, amen? Let's stand up and pray.

Father I thank you because in the midst of all things Lord, You are in action Lord, I never tire of saying that, You are there when you pierce that membrane Lord, and You are also here, there are things that You have ready and Lord, it's only a short time for us to truly enter that new dimension that You have. Lord, in our waiting time I ask you that our faith does not diminish, that our faith can continue to grow, that we do not get tired of looking for you Lord, that we do not get tired of longing for what You have for our lives, if not that we can maintain an open heart, sensitive Jesus, to what You have for each one of us, for the life of this church, and even for Your church around the whole world Lord. I firmly believe that a new revival, that a new move of Yours does not come to a single church in particular, but it comes to Your body, to Your church, in the four corners of this world, Lord, and we are only a little piece of that great puzzle Lord, but as a little piece of that puzzle we ask that the portion that touches us Lord, that You give it to us, we long for it, we want to see it, we want it to be something that ministers not only to our spirit and our emotions, yes not also to our body, our mind, our intellect Lord, let it be something full, let it be something total.

May the fullness of yours Jesus be manifested in our midst. Father believe in us, that hunger and that desire to find you, not just something emotional, not just something euphoric, but also that we can understand it, at least in our limited mind, Lord, that we can understand it, that we can reason with it, and that our mind, our spirit, our emotions, can be enriched with the experiences of others around us Jesus, that we are not cutting our heads saying that one is better than another or that another is worse than one Lord, but that we we can see in the light of how You see us, who are your sons and daughters, Lord, and with each one of us, You will manifest your glory.

I declare that You have purposes with each one of us Lord, from the smallest to the most adult Jesus, You have purposes, fulfill them Lord, at the time that you command Lord, fulfill them. Take us safely to our homes, protect us on the way, Lord, that Your word can continue echoing in our hearts, and that tomorrow, if You allow it, we can get up with new strength, new energy to get hold of what the day of tomorrow I can bring Bless my brothers, bless my sisters Lord and grant each of us your peace. For your son Jesus we pray and we thank you, amen and amen.