For This Reason 19

[HKHaugan]

For This Reason 19

Ephesians introduced the idea of bringing two contrasts together in Christ. This is just a return to keep us in the Word as Paul was inspired to write it and to see the implications that come from it. The following is an overview to keep us focused on what God has accomplished in Jesus.

Before, when we talked about different kinds of bipolarity, we mentioned spiritual and physical distinctives. Now we need to look at the spiritual bipolar dimensions of God’s Kingdom, the Kingdom of light and the world, secular society, as the fallen man-without-God dominion of darkness. From the time of Adam and Eve nothing has changed except the size of population and technology. If anything it has gotten worse. It’s commonly referred to as a ‘dog-eat-dog’ world. Expressions rule like ‘the world is out to get you’ and ‘it’s a man’s or woman’s world’ and ‘a world without pity.’ ‘World’ is not always a positive word. It’s scary, a place you don’t want to be at in the night. Then there’s office infighting and political intrigue, gangs, elitists, ghettoes of the rich and poor. The world is a place where fear reigns. In the midst a song pleadfully tries to say something positive like “We are the world, we are the people.” But generally it is a place of confusion, clashing egos and alienation with both underlying and open hostility. Pride, wealth, power dominate, so, welcome to ‘the real world.’

Then along came God’s people, the Jews, then Jesus, God’s Son and then the Bible, God’s Word, a collection of ‘Light’ documents containing poetry, letters, stories, prophecies and Gospels. Light, as in the sense of one spiritual light opposed to a sea of ‘worldly’ literature and activity from darkness. Ephesians is unique in its ability to differentiate these poles and give a picture of a personal reality in Jesus that transcends polarity, brings together the victims of the conflict and heals the mind with truth, the heart with trust and the spirit with faith.

First, Ephesians is about you and me. Like every book in the Bible it’s about the Lord knocking on your door. When He says, “Behold I stand at the door and knock…(Rev.3:20)” He is talking about you. A well-known pastor wrote several books about the purpose of life. The first one starts by saying “It’s not about you.” Sorry, but that is exactly what it’s about---you, me and every person that has ever been. I know what he meant, that each of us is born self-centered and life is really all about God who loves us and wants to recover us, each of us.

But, when you read the whole Bible, you find that God is taking you on a tour of humanity from beginning to end localized in you. He is personally giving you a picture of where you come from, your purpose and where you’re going. As Ravi Zacharias puts it---your origin, calling and destiny. Each of these is very personal to God and us. Each one of us in detail is the object of God’s love. He wants you to know who you really are and what you mean to Him; to realize the fullness that lays waiting in your spiritual potential. What we think and do spiritually sets the pace for our life here and in God’s Kingdom.

Second, Ephesians is about Jesus’ lifestyle. Born in the flesh, living in a family, working as a carpenter and teaching as a rabbi He lived to please His Father in every moment. Faithful obedience to His Father’s will and living life in the Holy Spirit made up His lifestyle. Jesus lived His life fulfilling Scripture. It was and is His lifestyle that He shares with us when we receive Him as Savior and Lord that transforms us from sinful self-centeredness to God-centeredness. His perfect life was a threat to every world-oriented authority because they dominate by fear but He rules in the heart through love. In Him everything separated can be resolved in Him.

Third, Ephesians is about how important you are to Him. He died on the Cross to make that very clear to us. The Cross is the symbol that reminds us of how much He cherishes us, what He knows about us and, in spite of our sinful nature, what He was willing to go through to get our attention. It reminds us we each were created in His image which He wants to restore. The Cross declares that when we die to our selfishness His Spirit is our new life. He wants to fill us with Himself, to be at one with us, to have an intimate relationship that transcends everything the world offers and to guarantee that we will never end. Ephesians goes into great detail as to the behavior that enables us to live an intimate life with God and opens us to help others into the same intimacy. We live the Cross in our relationships with others to let them know How important they are to Him.

Fourth, Ephesians is about the family of God, the Body of Christ, where this life is learned and practiced. Sin is a terminal disease that be cured only by being at one with God in Jesus. Life in the Body of Christ is learning how to let the Cross treat our sin and be our guide as we share interpersonally where we are and the needs we have. Grace is the quality of God that surrounds each person’s heart with the spiritual space necessary for recovery. It is the ministry of spiritual gifts, grace gifts, in the Body of Christ that begins the healing that will be finalized in the Kingdom. It is the ministry of spiritual gifts, the one or more given to each believer, which is part of the restoration of our hearts. Along with worship, prayer, Scripture and small groups a believer finds a special place the Lord prepares for him or her in the Body for their healing, growth and ministry to one another. It is this foundational experience in the Body that frees a believer to share the truth of Jesus with people they meet in their everyday encounter with the world outside the Body.
Fifth, Ephesians is centered in spiritual reality. Paul summarizes the entire letter by clearly stating that in this world our first concern is spiritual, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Eph.6:12).” This is forcefully implemented by listing the spiritual armor necessary to not only withstand the powers of evil but the guarantee of its ability to be a dynamic witness for evangelizing wherever we are no matter what comes against us. So Paul continues, “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people (vs.13-18).”