Tag: Ephesians

PTTS: Ephesians 1:3-6

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.”

May all praise be to You, the great and mighty God, who alone has the power to bless His children. Sin and the forces of darkness may offer temporal things that seem to benefit me, but they are illusions; they are designed to distract me from the hope of glory to come and also to make me dissatisfied with the provision of Your perfect gifts. Grant that I may seek pleasure in You alone.

Selah.

What splendor!!! Through faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I have been blessed with every blessing. May that thought sink into my heart…’every’ spiritual blessing! There is no good gift that I lack. Indeed, should I be discontent, should I think that God has forsaken me in any way, then I sin against His goodness and the promise of His Word.

Father, let me be a testimony to those around me of this great truth. Let my actions show that I have been blessed with every spiritual blessing. Let me not complain of my lot in life. Let me not show forth greed and lust for things that are contrary to the holiness of the Law of Christ. Forgive me for sinning in this manner and for giving the world another reason to think that the Christian faith is just another mere religious institution. Let me be convinced that nothing good will ever come from sin and that the perfect supply of blessing for every need in my life has been supplied by my Lord Jesus Christ.

Should I ever wonder how I am blessed in so great a measure, use Your Word to convince me. Let me know that as a believer in Christ, I have been chosen by You before the foundations of the world. As such, my assurance is secure. There is nothing I can fail to do to lose your love, for You have not chosen to bless me so richly based upon my own actions, but by Your sovereign grace. It is through this grace that I stand before you holy and blameless, for I have been united with Christ, the Holy One.

Let me know that I have been adopted as a son by You through the kindness of the will of Jesus Christ. Therefore, even with the Apostle Paul, I cry out with praise to You for Your glorious grace to me. Loose my tongue that I may sing and speak of Your glories. Glory to God for the every blessing bestowed upon all believers in the Gospel freely through the Beloved, Jesus our Lord!
Amen.

"Multifaceted" Wisdom

Several weeks ago, there was quite a stir over Barack Obama and the church to which he belongs. Typically, I avoid involvement in politics and talk radio, and this would have not been an exception, except one thing stood out to me. Obama stated that Sunday is the most segregated day of the week in America. His point brings up a stark reality that there is in many cases a strong separation between churches of different racial backgrounds.

There was much reaction to this statement. I heard many discussions around me in person, on the radio, and elsewhere. And as I listened to the responses, my heart sank. I have harbored a very passionate reaction to this, but I have held it back to let the emotion pass and hopefully allow the very critical issues to be considered.

First of all, let me state that I am glad that the issue was brought up and I hope that it brings about something good, especially in the Body of Christ. But I do want to point out one exception to Obama’s statement. I do not believe “segregated” is the right word. Instead, I believe that the word “separated” would be very appropriate. To me, “segregation” implies a purposeful and proactive attempt to keep one people group from being integrated with the other. I do not know of a single church or a single pastor that has ever purposefully and proactively sought to keep people away from their church on the basis of race.

However, I do think that it is an appropriate point of discussion to consider the “separation” of racial groups in churches today. I do not want to begin a discussion of why this separation exists, though it may be a useful exercise and good for harmony in the Body of Christ. But I just wanted to share a passage of Scripture that I think should come to our minds in light of this issue.

In Ephesians, Paul discusses the greatness of the Body of Christ. As we went through Ephesians as a church, we were all changed. The Word of God powerfully worked upon our hearts and by the Spirit we were challenged to a new understanding of the importance of the Body of Christ. We saw the need to love, to forgive, and to be involved in one another’s lives. Throughout the epistle, we are reminded over and over that the Body of Christ – the living Temple – is great and glorious.

In the second chapter, Paul speaks of the wonderful work of Christ in making one Body, out of two groups: the Jews and the Gentiles. If ever there were groups that were racially divided and segregated, these two groups would have been the clearest example. In Ephesian 2:14-22 we see Paul state that the blood of Christ has abolished the dividing wall (the Old Covenant Law) established peace between the two groups. They have been brought into one household, the household of God (His dwelling place).

The language of Ephesians is filled with construction (specifically Temple) imagery. The Body of Christ is shown to be the Temple of the living God. Each member (whether Jew or Gentile) is a part of that structure, and each is instrumental for the good of the others. In chapter 3, Paul speaks further of integration of the Gentiles with the Jews and he makes this statement:

3:10 The purpose of this enlightenment is that through the church the multifaceted wisdom of God should now be disclosed to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly realms.

There is a construction term in this verse that we need to grasp. The word “multifaceted” is the word to describe the beautiful, multicolored decorations of the temples in the first-century world. (Temples were not a drab gray as we see in their ruins today…they were splendid in color.) In other words, the Body of Christ is composed of all sorts of races. They are all united together. This is the wisdom of God to bring reconciliation in the Body, and just as the temples were colored with beautiful and vibrant decorations and gems, so the Body of Christ is beautiful in the multicolored peoples (races) that compose it.

Let us in the Body of Christ be burdened that racial division still occurs. Let us seek to remove any racism within. Let us see that hatred towards others based upon their race is unloving and sinful. And let us repent when we find it in ourselves.

Now let me add one more thing. There will never be the glorious racial integration spoken of in the Scriptures when we leave the pure Scriptural purposes of the church and seek culture-centered needs instead of biblical truth.

For instance, consider preaching in the modern church. Exposition of the Scriptures in preaching will unite us under the banner of our Lord. It does not matter what our racial background is or our social status is when the Word is proclaimed. Being black, white, rich, poor does not affect our ability to seek the Kingdom of God through the Word. But, if the preachers in our churches abandon the Word, we quickly see the results of separation. The seeker-sensitive suburban churches that teach about the felt needs of 20-30 year old white Americans will not be attractive for those who are outside the demographic. The churches that preach sermons dominated by themes of social injustice and of frustration for specific groups without regards for others also increase the separation.

Let us return to the Word! Let us seek the glory of our Lord! And let us love one another and value one another, regardless of race or social status. May God grant us this power which will work within us far more abundantly beyond all that we think or ask, and to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus!