Healthy, Growing Churches (3)

See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5.15, 16

Epistle to the Ephesians 3.15.16
Jerome (347-420)
“Christ, the Sun of Righteousness, has risen. Rise up from the sleep of the age. Walk cautiously and prudently. Cast off folly. Take hold of wisdom. In this way you will be able to avoid changing yourself constantly as you walk through the vicissitudes of the times. Rather you will find a unity within yourself even amid the diversity of the times.”

We note that Paul says the time, and not your time. The time God entrusts to us is His. He gives it to us, moment by moment, like the talents in Jesus’ parable, that we might invest it for His Kingdom and glory, to which we have been called (1 Thess. 2.12). This is a matter of stewardship, of “making the most” of every opportunity for seeking Christ and advancing His Kingdom. We are stewards of God’s gifts for the sake of others, that we might live wisely, and not as fools (Eph. 5.17). Only those who consciously discipline their bodies for serving the Lord Jesus will be ready at every opportunity to redeem the time for wisdom. And only those who are equipped to live this way will do so. In healthy, growing churches, shepherds equip the saints entrusted to their care for disciplined lives, so that they can go daily into their Personal Mission Fields as Jesus did, seeking the lost, serving others, shepherding one another, sowing the Word, and redeeming every moment for the glory of God.  

Meditate on Ephesians 4.11, 12. To what extent does this represent the life of your church? Explain.

T. M. Moore

Healthy, Growing Churches
Our assessment tool, Twelve Questions that Could Change Your Church, can help you discover the extent to which you are building the Lord’s church as He intends. Use this tool with your church leaders to discern the health of your church, then to plan the next phase of your growth as the Body of Christ. You can download Twelve Questionsfor free by clicking here.The Fellowship of Ailbe is supported through the generous and faithful gifts of those who benefit from and believe in our work. Does the Lord want to use you in this way? Please look to Him in prayer over this question. You can contribute to The Fellowship of Ailbe by using the Contribute button at our website, or by sending your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction, VT 05452. Thank you.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Quotations from Church Fathers are from the Ancient Christian Commentary Series, published by InterVarsity Press.