"just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call." (Eph. 4:4b)
New Testament hope is not like a worldly hope which is little more than wishful thinking. NT hope is based on the promises of God and it is absolutely assured. It is hope because it is not yet fulfilled, not because there is any possibility that it will not occur. The "hope" that we have is described in all of chapters 1 to 3 as Paul lays out before us what God has done for us through Jesus Christ and what He is going to continue to do.
If you really want to make this hope come alive, take these first three chapters and place your name in the place of the "you" and "us" pronouns. If you are a Christian all of these statements are true of your life. For example, beginning in 1:3, 'Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed Brad in Christ before the foundation of the world, that Brad should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined Brad for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, etc.'
Go through and put your name in these verses and then pray these verses back to God. The more we cooperate with God's Spirit, the more quickly we are transformed into Christ-likeness by the renewal of our minds through the Holy Spirit's regenerating and transforming work.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
The Body takes Orders from the Head
"Rather speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love." (Eph. 4:15-16)
Throughout Ephesians 4 we are called to unity in the body of Christ. But this is not an external unity that can be programmed. Vs. 3 reminds us that it is "The unity of the Holy Spirit." Much of the chapter is devoted to telling us how we as individual members of the body, the church, can maintain the unity of the Spirit. Even though it is a gift from the Holy Spirit, we learn in v. 30 that we can grieve the Holy Spirit and destroy the unity. When there is no unity, God will not manifest His Presence in power and the church will be rendered cripple.
In the verses here, we are told that Christ is the head of the body, and it is in submission to Him that the church functions properly. It occurs to me that the way to maintain unity, which is described in all of this chapter as dealing with our relationships to one another, is to be sure as individual members of the body we are in submission to the Lordship of Christ. If Christ directs moment by moment each of our lives we will not have a problem relating to each other in love. But when we push Christ aside, we become self centered and problems begin. If you are not getting along with someone, look and see if Christ is in charge in your own life first.
Someone said, "It is never all your fault, and it is always some your fault." That is a pretty good reminder of all of our sinful natures and the need to be humble and willing to make corrections to any wrong relationships. It is worth it. When the church body is one, it grows in grace and love. That is what this text promises.
Throughout Ephesians 4 we are called to unity in the body of Christ. But this is not an external unity that can be programmed. Vs. 3 reminds us that it is "The unity of the Holy Spirit." Much of the chapter is devoted to telling us how we as individual members of the body, the church, can maintain the unity of the Spirit. Even though it is a gift from the Holy Spirit, we learn in v. 30 that we can grieve the Holy Spirit and destroy the unity. When there is no unity, God will not manifest His Presence in power and the church will be rendered cripple.
In the verses here, we are told that Christ is the head of the body, and it is in submission to Him that the church functions properly. It occurs to me that the way to maintain unity, which is described in all of this chapter as dealing with our relationships to one another, is to be sure as individual members of the body we are in submission to the Lordship of Christ. If Christ directs moment by moment each of our lives we will not have a problem relating to each other in love. But when we push Christ aside, we become self centered and problems begin. If you are not getting along with someone, look and see if Christ is in charge in your own life first.
Someone said, "It is never all your fault, and it is always some your fault." That is a pretty good reminder of all of our sinful natures and the need to be humble and willing to make corrections to any wrong relationships. It is worth it. When the church body is one, it grows in grace and love. That is what this text promises.
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