The lofty and powerful position of the church that is presented here in the book of Ephesians is mind boggling. It is mind boggling because the picture that we are presented is so different from the picture that most churches actually present.

I think there is a great disconnect because most Christians are never taught about the way in which God paints a picture to present Himself and His love to the world.

How does God reveal Himself? He makes known His “manifold wisdom” BY THE CHURCH. And He reveals His manifold wisdom BY THE CHURCH to the principalities and powers that exist in the spirit realm.

In other words, God’s wisdom is revealed in the spirit realm based on how the church is allowing Him to reveal Himself through their actions and their ability to let His power flow through them.

We, as the church, ought to be having an affect on spirit beings! It is NOT the other way around. And yet it IS the other way around with most churches. There are spirit beings who are having a huge affect on God’s people, and very frequently, it isn’t the friendly forces in the spirit realm who are having this affect.

Now when demonic powers are causing the people of God great trouble and defeat, this is not the way in which God reveals His power. This is a disconnect. And as I said, it boils down to the fact that the church, as a whole, does not understand how God paints pictures to reveal His wisdom.

His wisdom is “manifold.” This word means that it is many colored,  or many faceted. It is a MASTERPIECE that is presented both to the principalities and powers of the spirit world as well as to those who see it presented here in the physical world.

What are these spirit beings being presented? And for that matter, what are those in this physical world being shown when they look at the church?

What they are SUPPOSED to be seeing is the manifold wisdom of God. The revelation of His masterpiece. And who is His Masterpiece? Jesus!

The church is supposed to reveal the Masterpiece of Jesus to every creature in creation, both physical and spiritual.

And if this is the case, it means that God doesn’t primarily reveal Himself without flowing through the church. He certainly can. But His primary way of doing business is by, or through, the church.

And yet what do most churches reveal through the way in which they present God to people, angels, demons, and the devil?

There is frequently a problem with the masterpiece. The picture doesn’t actually show the power and wisdom of God. Rather, it shows that the devil is afflicting them with things that don’t belong in the masterpiece.

How is it that the devil even got a paint brush to add to this masterpiece? It isn’t his picture and his brush was taken away from him 2000 years ago at the cross!

But the church frequently hands him a brush and allows him to paint. In fact, there are some churches who are actually teaching that the devil’s corrupted brush strokes were painted by God. This is an insult to the Master Painter!

Sickness, lack, depression, anxiety, and defeat are all ADDED into the masterpiece that God paints to reveal by the church because the church receives the masterpiece and then gives a brush to Satan.

God’s manifold wisdom is NOT revealed when we, as the church, allow the devil to alter the masterpiece.

If the church really understood the Masterpiece of God’s manifold wisdom, which is the same Jesus who healed EVERY disease that He encountered, they would not be putting up with the junk that Satan is adding into the picture.

But Satan only has a brush because Christians don’t understand how God paints, and so they hand the wrong painter a brush.

That sickness or depression you have is not revealing God’s love to anybody, despite the goofball teaching you are listening to. God doesn’t paint bad things into the masterpiece and then tell you that these things are for you.

Take away Satan’s brush and accept the Masterpiece as God presented Him. And if Satan asks for the brush back, kick him out of the studio! You have been given the authority to do it!

P.S.: Satan is a terrible painter. Why are you letting him paint? The Masterpiece is better when you don’t give him a brush.