Ephesians 3:21 “Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.”
The preeminent function of the Church is to proclaim by words and actions the “glory” of our Lord God. We must be careful to not become distracted and led away into business and entertainment and auxiliaries. Solomon said it this way, “Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). We are Commanded to not add or take away anything from the Word of God (Revelation 22:19; Deuteronomy 4:2). Thus, in His Holy Word, our Lord has prescribed exactly what His New Testament Church is to do, and we do not have the liberty to alter it in any way. Paul warns us this way, “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the SIMPLICITY that is in Christ.” (II Corinthians 11:3). To worshipfully issue forth “glory” to our God “in the church” is to, with strict “simplicity”, SING, PRAY, PREACH/TEACH the Word of God, and lovingly FELLOWSHIP with one another. And, we BAPTIZE believers and take COMMUNION with the Church and ORDAIN ministers and deacons and we MINISTER to the needy. These are the preeminent functions of the Lord’s Church prescribed in His Bible, in particular the New Testament; all given to us to issue forth “glory in the church” to our Sovereign, Eternal, and Holy God! To add anything to our Lord’s Commandments is to focus “glory” upon men and not God. Only Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior has the authority to Command His Church. Three times we are plainly told that, it is Jesus Christ alone who is “the head over all things to the church” (Ephesians 1:22), “Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body” (Ephesians 5:23), and “he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence” (Colossians 1:18). Paul expresses this simple form of worship this way, “in SIMPLICITY and godly SINCERITY, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world” (II Corinthians 1:12)! There is nothing more lovely and pleasing, in this present world, than to have part in the Church of Jesus Christ as she SIMPLY and SINCERELY declares the “glory” of our God!