Healthy, Growing Churches (7)

Therefore He says:
“When He ascended on high,
He led captivity captive,
And gave gifts to men.”
(Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) Ephesians 4.8-10

Epistle to the Ephesians
Victorinus(280-363)
“Nothing in the cosmos is left untouched by Christ. He indeed descended to the lower parts of the earth and ascended above all the heavens. What heavens? Some say three, some more … but what does it matter? Christ, who ascended, ascended above all the heavens, however many. For eternity is now presently reigning in heaven and incorruptible life. All things there live by the Spirit. This reordering did not occur, however, until the descent of Christ. Once the mystery [of the cross] had been accomplished, all these received salvation after the passion and ascent of Christ and have been perfected. For this is what he means by ‘so that he might fulfill all,’ that is, make them perfect and full, with nothing lacking.… Surely this could not be understood to infer that he fulfilled his mission on earth but set nothing right in the heavens and perfected nothing there.”

The ultimate measure of a church’s health is the extent to which the presence of Jesus fills it, and through it, its community. Jesus is wafting the fragrance of His glory in every place, and He is doing so in and through His people (2 Cor. 2.15-17). Where righteousness is increasing, the Kingdom has taken strong root (Is. 9.6, 7). Where peace obtains, Jesus the Prince of Peace rules. Where joy is expressed, shared, and declared, there the presence of the Lord is known in power (Ps. 16.11). Where good works abound, there the Lord is working (Phil. 2.13). Jesus has gifted His churches with pastors and teachers, whose calling is to stir up and develop the gifts of the Spirit in each member of the body, so that works of Christ-like service flow into every neighborhood, workplace, niche, and nook of the community, and the banner of Jesus’ love is hoisted over all (Ex. 17.15; Ps. 60.4). Jesus is filling all things with Himself, through His Church (Eph. 1.22, 23). The more we work toward this objective, the healthier our churches will become.

How are you be able to tell when your church is realizing this filling and overflowing presence of Christ?

T. M. Moore

The Work of Shepherds
In case you missed our series on shepherding and the work of shepherds, you can receive a free PDF of 28 morning and evening readings, in which we unpack the Biblical teaching concerning the work of shepherding, guided by great shepherds of the past. Simply write to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and ask John to send you a copy of The Work of Shepherds.

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.