DAY 1 | DAY 2 | DAY 3 | DAY 4 | DAY 5| DAY 6| DAY 7| DAY 8| DAY 9
‘LEARN TO ABIDE IN CHRIST’
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Ephesians 3:17a,18,19. “so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith…. That you… may have power, together with all the saints to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. (NIV)[/perfectpullquote]SETTING UP THE CONTEXT OF THIS PASSAGE
Paul wrote this letter to the Gentile (non-Jewish) Christians in Ephesus from a prison cell in Rome around A.D. 60. He wrote this letter to make it clear that Jews and Gentiles have been brought together as part of one body in Christ. He was concerned that the Gentiles were feeling as second hand believers in Christ and not equal in the status of the Jewish Christians. To get this across, he uses a number of phrases and metaphors that imply unity. He compares the “body of Christ” as a marriage relationship between Christ and His church.
THIS LEADS US INTO OUR PASSAGE FOR TODAY
This passage (Ephesians 3:17-19) is talking to the individual believer in Christ as well as the entire body of Christ (the Church). The message is:
1. That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.
2. That you may have power, together with all the saints.
3. To grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.
4. To know this love that surpasses knowledge.
5. That you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Paul starts this passage with WHO needs to be the director of our individual hearts (the presence of Christ in all of your life decisions). Then a group of like-hearted believers can power together for group ministry. Through that joint ministry service, the vastness of Christ’s love can be understood and grasped. It is realized that Christ’s love far surpasses the earthly knowledge that can be gained.
This will allow God the Holy Spirit to fill us with the fullness of God for ministry. The Bible teaches us that there are 4 permanent workings of the Holy Spirit. When someone receives Christ as their personal savior, God the Holy Spirit will Regenerate, Indwell, Baptist, Seal (RIBS) the new believer. The Holy Spirit has a 5th working for the Christian but it is temporary. It comes and it goes for the purpose of ministry. That 5th working is the FILLING of the Holy Spirit. When a Christian or a group of Christians (church) do ministry for the glory of God, the Holy Spirit will FILL them to do the ministry in and through them. That is point #5 above – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God (for ministry individually or as a local church). How many times have you done ministry and you said or did something that you did not plan in advance.
You look back and you cannot believe that you did or said what just happened. That is the filling of the Holy Spirit working in and through you for ministry.
PRACTICAL CONSIDERATION
The local church of today is under attack by the evil one to break up Church Unity. There can be a lack of unity in church leadership, worship style differences (including music), personality conflicts, generational differences and the list goes on and on. There is an agenda to break up the unity of the local church and we have to be aware of it. The passage above is what Paul is writing about. All Christians are the same and ONE in Christ. It doesn’t matter if you are Jewish, Gentile, what the color of your skin is, whether you are Young, Middle Aged, or a Senior, we are all ONE IN CHRIST.
PERSONAL INSIGHT & REFLECTIONS
We are blessed at FBCA where we have the leadership that is biblically strong and focused on God’s plan for our church. We are committed on being inter-generational and our focus is all inclusive Worship, Education, Evangelism, Fellowship (WEEF). This does not happen by chance. A lot of committed believers since 1858 (162 years ago) have served Christ well through this local church. I suggest that you reread the 5 points above on what Paul’s prayer to the Ephesian Christians states in Eph. 3:17-19. God had FBCA in mind as part of his plan when He wrote through the writings of Paul in the first century A.D. in that Roman prison cell.
Thanks for reading. Blessings from Carlton Ringer
