The Christian’s Strength (6)

For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3.14-19

To fill the world
Early in the book of Ephesians, Paul makes a passing comment, the scope of which is breathtaking and amazing.

In Ephesians 1.22 and 23 Paul says that everything in heaven and earth has been made subject to the rule of King Jesus. His is an upholding rule, a rule designed to allow the goodness and might of God to flourish on earth, as in heaven (Heb. 1.3).

Paul says that Jesus is ruling all things – every creature, all nations and cultures, every moment of every day – to the Church. The best translation of that Greek construction is for the sake of the Church. Jesus is ruling everything to use it in building His Church, which is His declared agenda in this time before His soon return (Matt. 16.18). The Church is the sign that the Kingdom of God has come to earth, and it is the outpost from which that Kingdom advances in the strength and might of God.

But it’s what follows that is so alarming: Paul says that the Church “is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” At the right hand of the Father Jesus is ruling over all created things, using them to build His Church, which He then engages in the task of filling the world – all nations, cultures, places, and times – with Himself (cf. Eph. 4.8-10).

In our text Paul says essentially the same thing: As we grow in the strength of the Lord, and as the power of the Spirit brings out the riches of God’s glory through our lives, in every aspect of our lives, we experience and express the love of Christ so completely that we become filled “into” – that’s the word – all the fullness of God.

A profound mystery
Now this is a profound mystery, but to me it indicates that God is strengthening us according to His riches in glory so that, by the power of the Spirit, as we grow in Christlikeness, we will fill all of society and culture with the presence and fullness of Christ; and thus we will ourselves fill up the fullness of God on earth as He is in heaven!

Believers in Jesus Christ, doing nothing more than living their daily lives in the strength that comes from the indwelling Spirit, fill the spaces and places of their lives with the reality of Jesus, risen from the dead. In all their relationships, roles, and responsibilities, a presence is manifest, a presence of hope, joy, excellence, and love, which stands out like a light, and transforms like leaven, everything and everyone it touches. As believers go about their daily lives in the strength of the Lord, Jesus fills them, and through them, fills their world with His joy.

Here, indeed, is a great incentive for us to pursue growing strong in the Lord: as we do so, together with all the saints, we bring to fuller and more visible expression the reality of God in all His glory.

This is God!
At the end of Psalm 48 the generation to come is invited to inspect the magnificence of the glorious City of God – its towers, walls, and ramparts – and to consider her majesty and beauty. The tour guides then say that we should explain to the generation to come, “This is God, our God forever and ever!”

Where God is present in and with His people, bringing them into His glory, and exerting His power in them and His might through them for living like Jesus Christ, the reality of God in our midst becomes palpable and undeniable. The City of God is the Body of Christ, and as we grow up into Him in all things, we show His glory and resurrection to our world.

The closest the people of this world will get to seeing the fullness of God in this life is what they will see in us as the Body of Christ, as we become strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. What a privilege and challenge, and what a lofty goal to set for ourselves, community by community, church by church, nation by nation!

For reflection
1.  Meditate on Ephesians 5.18-21. What does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit of Jesus?

2.  Do you think it’s God’s intention that the Body of Christ in a local community – all the churches as one Body – should be visible as such? Explain.

3.  Have you identified your Personal Mission Field, that sphere of places and relationships where God sends you day by day? What is your plan for bringing the fullness of God into your Personal Mission Field?

Next steps – Conversation: Talk with some fellow believers about ways you might encourage one another to be more consistent in working your Personal Mission Field for the fullness of God.

T. M. Moore

Christians are the bringers of joy, the joy of Christ and His Kingdom. Our booklet, Joy to Your World!, can help you bring the fullness of God to your Personal Mission Field. Order your copy by clicking here.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.