- GOING to Ephesus; ACTS 18:19-211 &
- SOWING amidst the Ephesians ACTS 19
- WATERING the Believers at Ephesus ACTS 20
- GATHERING a body in Christ Ephesians 1:1-6
COLLECTING OUR THOUGHTS: In our precious conversations we have discussed Going, Sowing Watering and ...now we consider Gathering. We observed that these are essential elements for planting, growing and maintaining spiritually dynamic congregations of believers. This spiritual process is the inner work of the Spirit of God working through the Word of God. These ministries of initial evangelism, basic discipleship and becoming a “collective work at work” all depend on co-workers faithfully preaching, teaching and living-out the Truth of God’s Word. The resulting inner-life of the believer is communicated through these terms: “In Him,” “in Christ,” “our walk,” “riches,” “love,” “the Spirit,” “submission,” and “the church.”
4. GOD GATHERS HIS CHILDREN:. Ephesians 1:1-6
Paul’s rich encouragement was inspired by the Spirit of God and is the Word of God fulfilling the Old Testament promises that are being explained on the basis of the New Covenant.
4.1 TALKING POINTS: GOD’S WILL.
Ephesians 1:1-3 — “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: 2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:”
God’s Will: Apostles. (1.) How do we establish who an Apostle is? Scripture Text?
God’s Will: Faithful Servants. What Biblical standards (Examples) are there for Faithfulness?
God’s Will: Grace & Peace (2.) How are these two terms different?
God Wills: Spiritual Blessings (3) What practical (current/today) examples are there?
All … to us
In … Heavenly Places
In … Christ.
In verses 1-2, we can observe these faithful believers gathering in groups throughout the city of Ephesus and hearing these loving greetings. God’s will, apostleship, sainthood, faithfulness relate to believers who “in Christ Jesus.” These New Testament and Early Church Period believers, could now enjoy the benefits of God’s blessings of grace, and peace. These blessings fill the heart of believers with joy! This is especially true when believers contemplate or consider the importance of these special blessings of God’s grace.
God’s will: created these special Apostolic witnesses of His Son’s divinity, humanity, redemptive sacrifice, victorious resurrection and His promises to gather-up the Saints and to return to establish His Kingdom. This group of witnesses were referred to as Apostles. God willed that all those who believed would also be privileged to serve Him in witnessing, as well. The Apostles were first hand witnesses of the realities and truths of Christ. We also have many opportunities to witness and we are able to be competent servant-worshippers by His grace. (Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 3:1-6)
God also willed that believers could call upon Him and ask Him to bless others, or, to impart both grace and peace to our brothers and sisters in Christ - to one another. These blessings come as answered prayers (not just meaningless greetings or formalities) as God’s interventions of inner spiritual strength. Such spiritual blessings come from God’s kindness and are sourced from God’s own heavenly standard based on His nature or the essence of His being and attributes. For us, as believers, these spiritual kindnesses come to us through our relationship “in Christ.”
Ephesians 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:”
Every spiritual blessing:” Dr. Henry C. Thiessen – explains, is referring to the basis of our sanctification! There are two parties that have to do with man’s sanctification: God and man. However, it is not God the Father only, but the Triune God that has a part in the work. God the Father sanctifies the believer in that he reckons the holiness of Christ to him, works in him that which is well-pleasing in His sight and disciplines him. Christ sanctifies the believer by laying down His life for him and in producing holiness in him by the Spirit. The Holy Spirit sanctifies the believer in that He frees (Romans 6) him from the carnal nature, to strive against the manifestation of that old nature, putting to death the old nature as the believer yields it to Him for crucifixion and produces the fruit of the Spirit.
Every one of these blessings – now to be discussed in chapter one – are from above from heaven. The word “places” is not in the original but added by the translators to assist the reader. Dr. Harry Ironside rightly points out that: “The apostle is not talking about something that may be ours when we get to heaven, but right here and now I have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus.” This reference to heaven is not about their “source” i.e. heavenly places, but is a reference to the fact that these are precursors or previews of the very blessings we will enjoy in heaven with God – in eternity and in His presence. These blessings are available to us because of our relationship – positionally and practically – as those who are - in Christ! This is all by virtue of our union with Christ (Lightfoot).
In the Epistle to the Ephesians the Christian is seen as chosen for a wonderful blessedness where we are “ascending and seated” in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. The fact that verse three pointed out that the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is the true source of all our blessings is foundational or essential truth! Yet equally true is the fact that all these verses, from verse three to six, are joined together to identify the Heavenly Father as making His plans to bless us before the world itself was founded. This plan to offer every believer full salvation and spiritual blessedness literally ‘flows’ from His Divine: the eternal attribute of heavenly love!
Many theologians and academics seem to get lost on the idea that God “chose us,” while loosing sight of the issue under consideration. When we become preoccupied with any single idea and lose the context and purpose of the overall statement we do serious damage to God’s Word. Yes, we who are the blessed of God are chosen and selected for something but the question must not be avoided – what is it that we are chosen to be or to receive? The passage is clear, we are being blessed of the Lord so “that we would be holy and blameless before Him, in love.”
The context is clear. Verse three establishes that “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,” are ours so to lead to God’s plan and purpose for us – the blessedness of being holy and blameless before the Lord, in love.” It was and is God’s own Divine plan and full expectation that those who place their trust in Christ for salvation will find themselves in a practical love based relationship of salvation through Christ. In this new and special relationship the believer is set apart unto God (holy) and found blameless in the righteousness of Christ. We, then, have received the most wonderful of heavenly blessings – free and full access to stand before and walk with God, in love.
4.2 TALKING POINTS: GOD BLESSES.
God’s has His choices and His choices are related to His eternal being and nature.
2 Corinthians 13:11
“Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.” (kjv)
1 John 4:16
“And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.” (kjv)
Blessed in Christ
Blessed to be holy
Blessed to be without blame
Ephesians 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
In verse four, we see the expansion or more complete explanation of the earlier considered special relationship “in Him”. Now, we who are “in Him” are encouraged to be given the knowledge that even before the foundation of the world, God decided to include, as a part of grace and peace, our own secure competency and confident (in Christ), blessedness would be including with forgiveness.
The thought of verse four carries right into verse five. Now, we are told, that because of His love, or concern for our well-being, He has predetermined (predestined) that all who believed in Him would immediately be adopted as His children. Here we see the unlimited blessings and kindness of God. Here we observe God declaring us to be more than the heart can imagine (1 Cor 2:9). Along with God’s gracious judicial (Romans 4) justification of our situation of sin guilt before Him He has by justifying us also liberated and pronounced a declaration of emancipation, exculpation and acquittal and this is for all who, like Abraham, have placed their faith in His Son for salvation!
Allow me to quote a few excerpts from a most meaningful study by Udo Middelmann:
“The first chapter of Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesians is another place where the word “predestined” occurs. The whole chapter revolves around God’s choice to offer us salvation and much more. The letter was written in part against the Gnostic heresies that promoted, under the influence of Platonic ideas, a search for spiritual accomplishments by freeing oneself from matter, history and reality by means of secret knowledge. The quest for this arcane knowledge, it was said, would achieve spiritual results and greater independence from a painful material experience.
Pau’s response to these ideas is that we have in Christ the Godhead in bodily for (Colossians 2:9). Our God did not dwell in some remote galaxy but had come in the flesh. He is the creator of the material world; he came for lunch and discussions in it. We should not pursue the kind of spirituality that abstracts us from the real life, from our bodies, from thought and reflection, or from the efforts to resist the results of the fall in a broken world through work, love and creativity. The “Spiritual,” that Paul taught, is what God has communicated by means of the Spirit in Word and work to tell us what He had in mind when He made us in the first place. It informs our spirit so that we can live more truly and fully as human beings in the completeness of our being, both body and soul.
From God’s Spirit, the author of the prophetic (Biblical) text , we know that we are not meant to be angels or wisps of ectoplasm. Neither are we to take life’s experiences uncritically, just lying low. The word from God tells us from outside our visual reality how to look at all of life from the vantage point of God. This perspective not only tells us what is, but also what ought to be. We learn where it is no longer or not gain and what we should do to bring it about.
In Ephesians Paul speaks of the spiritual accomplishments God has already gained for us. We have already received all spiritual blessings in Christ in heavenly places (1:3) We do not need secret knowledge (mysticism or Gnosticism, etc. drMSBsr), the denial of matter, or the abrogation of real life. We are not looking (like Platonism, or asceticism) for ways to free the soul from the body or other ways to become spiritual. In Christ we have all the spiritual blessings we will ever need. (Middelmann, Udo, The Innocence of God, Downers Grove, Biblical Books by InterVarsity Press, 2007, p. 83-84.)
Now we can see how clearly verse four states ‘more about the more’ that we have in Christ.
Verse four explains that being “in him” includes a purposefulness of an inner victorious new man relationship (1 Joh 3:4-6) where we are truly blessed to be set aside, consecrated or dedicated to God’s purposes (i.e., ‘holy’).
4.3 TALKING POINTS: GOD ADOPTS.
Ephesians 1:5 “Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.”
God Predestines: (5)
Unto Adoption by Christ
To Himself
To please His will (6.)
To the praise of His Grace
To our Acceptance as Beloved.
Now, we are also declared to be granted adoption. This adoption is the granting of a full status of spiritual and eternal rights by being placed into God’s family. Now, we are granted the rights of a mature adult son (with full and immediate rights of adoption). The King James Version uses “children” rather than sons but “hulothesian” (Grk. refers to the fullness of belonging to God not immaturity of age.). We, then, are not to be seen as “little children” in any possible diminutive or secondary interpretation of our access to our God-given rights.
I return to Udo Middelmann’s thoughts for a short moment:
WHY? In answer to this existential question Paul details the Biblical view in one long sentence: in Christ we have been chosen to be holy and blameless (v.4); through him (Christ) we have been predestined for adoption (v.5); in the beloved (Christ) we have been blessed with glorious grace (v.6); in Him (Christ) we have redemption and forgiveness (v.7); God lavished the riches of His grace on us, making known to us the mystery of his will and purpose which He sets forth in Christ (v. 8,9). Another sentence continues: we, the Jews, have received an inheritance in him (Christ) (v.11) according to his predestined purpose, and you all, the Gentiles, when you believed, were sealed with the Holy Spirit (v.13) as a guarantee of our inheritance until we receive the full possession (v.14.) (Ibid., Middelmann)
In this relationship of love, Ephesians 1:5 declares that God - “Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
God is, in these Words is sharing with us …that in eternity He decided that He wanted all of those who believed on His Son’s finished work .. they could be assured that every blessing already a reality in heaven would become a reality for them. The members of His family - including, of course, the adopted sons in Christ, are given an eternal relationship with the Father. This amazing relationship has the purpose of giving heavenly blessings to the praise of the glory of his grace!
“In regeneration we receive a new life, in justification, a new standing; and, in adoption a new position. From eternity God had planned to save us from our sins and make us His children by New Birth, but not only this – there is more! Yes, forgiven, born-again but more! We are now being told that in the eternal plan of God, God foreordained or predestined that we would be adopted as an act of Grace. Our loving God willed to positionally establish every one who believed on His Son, Jesus Christ, would be declared an adult son. This blessing – like all others – is made available to us through Christ. This adoption or “adult sonship” – as the Greek word indicates -- establishes us in a firm relationship with our heavenly Father – not as an immature child with no rights to the eternal and heavenly blessings and inheritance but the truth of adoption establishes (shall we say legally) that we will receive all the blessings of a full inheritance.
As adults freed from the law, forgiven of our sin, we are also granted the Spirit of God as our indwelling comforter, teacher, seal, life-giver and witness of our new adult relationship before the Father.
For this reason, “we cry out, ‘ABBA FATHER!’” Romans 8:11-17 “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. 12 So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— 13 for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" 16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.”
The Lord is good and “according to the kind intention of His will” He has saved us and this kind (loving) intention is based on totally on His – infinite holiness, love, wisdom, omniscience, omnipotence and omnipresence. This salvation is accomplished according to a well-ordered plan, and worked out without accident or confusion to a glorious end. Yet, this salvation is neither forced on anyone or fatalistically imposed on the world.
Now, we walk with our Father (Romans 8:13-16) Who lovingly lavishes the grace of redemption, forgiveness and acceptance on us - you and me! This is such an amazing thought and truth. The walk we choose with the Spirit and in the Spirit (Romans 8:4-12) is directly related to one’s seriousness toward the things of the Lord. In other words, our maturity depends upon our choices to act responsibly by submit each day to the Spirit of God. It also needs to be said that we can also bless God, or worship God, by our deeds, our works or actions. As we manifest the truth to others, or in other words, witness to His truth we by such acts of love support our words of praise and testimony to God’s worthiness. When we share the truth of God – His love, His righteousness and His judgment we are tools of the Holy Spirit – used by Him to deliver the Word of God – the Truth: “the glad tidings of good things” … the message of faith – all quite necessary if they are to “call upon the name of the Lord.” Worship that begins in public, that is founded in our private prayer results in proclamation of His message of Love and this, too, is truly an act or action of Worship!
“What love desired, that wisdom planned, intelligence chose, will decreed and Providence worked out, making contribution thereto the whole universe with all its material laws and spiritual intelligences.”
Eph. 1:6 “to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.”
-----------------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment