A look at EPHESIANS

“far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms,

Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.

For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.” (Ephesians 1:21-23; 3:10; 4:15; 5:23)

Our responsibility is to burn with vigor in our devotions and surrendered will before our Holy God. If we are not poured out with passion as a response for who He is and what He did, then how are we communicating the purpose of the church to others? If there is no distinction between the Christ-centered church as compared to the fraternal organizations or social clubs, then what are we doing, who are we modeling, and what are we accomplishing? If we are not excelling for Christ, then we are not getting what the responsibility of the church is.

We must know the calling and respond accordingly, or we are nothing but Christian trash! By responding, we are actually seeking our Lord’s hope and riches, which He gives freely to those who seek Him! It is God’s mighty power at work in the church, so let us not block His flow with our evil desires and attitudes. We are to put our desires, aspirations, plans, and vision all under His feet, under His command and control. His dominion means that Christ is our power and lead. Then the fullness is the gift we receive by our service and obedience for His glory. His fullness will exceed over all our plans and desires a hundred fold. Our hearts must burn with passion for worship of our Lord and not ourselves. We must fall down and worship at our Lord’s feet for us to be a real purpose-filled church, that is His purpose!

The church must exist from and through Christ, because it does in reality, and thus must exist in our will as our reply. The church fulfills the hopes of the brokenness that sin caused and that the new Testament pointed to. Hope is a call that Christ gives us that we can, in turn, give to others as peacemakers. The church is to promote peace and welfare, and not stir up strife and division. Yes, there are times we must take a hard stand and we are called to do so even past the point of sacrifice. But the relationships and teachings of Christ that bring division and conflict will bring peace too.

Peace is the positive hope of Christ clearly taught and given to others in loving and caring ways. The church is to be the beacon of light first before she can take a stand. A stand done out of chaos and division is a foolish endeavor, because the credibility will not be there nor will the true purpose of the church be communicated correctly. The church is the result of our reconciliation, thus our teaching and drive is to proclaim the reconciliation we received to those who have not received, and in turn remind us who have received. In Christ we are united, so do we set that example and show it publicly and to each other? Just as the Jew was united with the Gentile, we are to unite with one another for our Lord’s purpose and to excel in His call.

We are to learn and to grow in our relationships and knowledge of our Lord. The wisdom of God is to be made known. And we cannot do that if we are too busy fighting with each other. We must realize that God will not allow His message to be thwarted by our pettiness. We cannot be hostile to our Lord as the Demons are, or as the unsaved are, we must be set apart to be a distinction and a mirror to His majesty. The love of our God is to be known and expressed by His followers and made known to others.

Our weakness and feebleness will not get in the way of our Lord’s final purpose and will. So we need to take comfort in His purpose and holiness, that He will guide and lead, we need only respond. Yes, we will make mistakes and God knows I have made a boat full over the years, but our comfort is it all does work to His glory. The point I need to make is we can do better, and His plan is better than ours. Character is the outgrowth of our struggles and obedience that will be turned to further His Kingdom. We do this as a united body, rich in our Lord and committed to His cause. We model this with integrity, honesty, and care with love as our drive, and pointing to hope in His name. So our weakness will become our strength, because of His work in us.

Christ is our head, and when we do not get this essential fact, we will spill our diseases of disgust instead of blessings from His presence. We are to give God the glory in all that we do, so our triumphs will be His and our failures will be His as our Lord reboots and gives us the perseverance to go on with greater character and ability to press toward His goal. When we stop seeking the honor for ourselves then we see His glory and the responsibility for the church. You see, we have a Lord who created the universe, and who governs it. Thus we must realize He governs us too. Our acceptance and practice will put into place the healthy church, which has been given to us as managers and responsible caregivers.