Ephesians 4.11-16 (2)
Pray Psalm 46.4, 5.
There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God,
The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.
God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved;
God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.
Sing Psalm 46.4, 5.
(St. Chrysostom: We Have Not Loved Thee As We Ought)
God’s everlasting, joyous grace gladdens the city where He dwells.
Safely in Him, we will not be moved; when morning dawns, His love will be proved.
Fears and distresses Jesus dispels for His beloved, chosen race.
Read Ephesians 4.11-16; meditate on verse 16.
What kind of “working hard” does Paul have in mind? What should that look like?
Preparation
1. How should a local church grow?
2. How does such growth happen?
Meditation
Jesus intends for His Church—and every local church—to grow in Him and, as the expression of that, edify itself and increase in love. And Paul says that can happen. Every local church can be more the body of Christ in its community, more and more week by week. And if our church is like Jesus as a body, we would expect it to be doing in our community the kinds of things Jesus did—reaching out with the Gospel, exploring every available venue for doing the work of evangelism, caring for needs as we encounter them, praying for people we meet, exuding the fragrant power of grace into every nook and cranny of our community—where we live, work, go to school, recreate, buy, and relax.
Safe to say, that’s what Jesus would be doing if He were in our community. So it’s what we, His body, should be doing as we grow up into Him Who is our Head.
How does that happen? We note the absence of any mention of buildings, budgets, programs, activities, worship bands, or even eloquent preachers. We need none of these things to become the Presence of Jesus in our communities. I repeat, none of these things.
What we do need is for every part of the body of Christ to do “its share”. That “share” involves daily prayer and growth in Jesus by His Word; practicing the fruit of the Spirit and the tokens of love at home and everywhere else; seeking the boldness of the Lord to bear witness to Jesus; caring for the needs of the saints; seeking to advance the righteousness, goodness, beauty, and peace of the Kingdom in everything you do; and, as often as you have opportunity, doing good works to all. That’s it. Every joint—every church member—doing their share, focused on Jesus and becoming more like Him.
It’s not as complicated as we try to make it. But how does that happen? Stay tuned.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.16
Paul writes in very long sentences. And verse 16 gets the period that began this thought in verse 11.
Verse 16 being the culmination of Paul’s point, we will do well to take it apart phrase by phrase:
“…from Whom [Christ Jesus]
the whole body [is]
joined and knit together
by what every joint supplies,
according to
the effective working
by which
every part does its share,
[causing] growth of the body
for the edifying of itself
in love” (Eph. 4.16). Whew!
In Colossians 2.19 Paul clarifies all this by adding that this growth is “the increase that comes from God.”
Nothing—not a church, not a business, not a school, not a family, not a government, no machinery, no appliance, not anything—succeeds if all the parts are not functioning together to make the whole thing work.
Although online information does not strive to set a godly tone, this “search assist” is spot on: “The phrase ‘one rotten apple spoils the whole barrel’ means that a single bad influence can ruin an otherwise good group or situation. It serves as a warning about the corrupting effect of one negative element on the rest.”
Turns out, Do your share can either be a positive or a negative.
So, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the Name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Col. 3.16, 17).
And, “Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving…walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one…Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it” (Col. 4.2, 5, 6, 17).
The psalmist’s words guide us, as we set our hearts to do our share:
“Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD!
Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart!
They also do no iniquity; they walk in His ways.
You have commanded us to keep Your precepts diligently” (Ps. 119.1-4).
Our job is to supply effective, positive, godly work in order to edify our church and others.
It’s good work, and “It really isn’t as complicated as we try to make it.”
Reflection
1. What is your share in helping your church be the body of Christ in your community?
2. What could you do to help a new church member discover their share in your church?
3. How can you help other church members to discover what their share is in your church?
God’s children are growing, as long as they are in this world; and the Christian’s growth tends to the glory of Christ. The more a man finds himself drawn out to improve in his station, and according to his measure, all that he has received, to the spiritual good of others, he may the more certainly believe that he has the grace of sincere love and charity rooted in his heart. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on Ephesians 4.16
Pray Psalm 46.1-3, 6-10.
Rejoice in the Lord and in His strength. Call on Him for strength to do the works He has assigned you this day. Listen in silence as you contemplate His greatness and power working through you.
Sing Psalm 46.1-3, 6-10.
(St. Chrysostom: We Have Noe Known Thee As We Ought)
God is our refuge and our strength; He is our help in times of need.
Thus though the earth beneath us should change, the sea engulf the mountain range.
Waters may roar with raging speed; yet God will rescue us at length.
Kingdoms arise and rage and roar, threat’ning the earth with sore distress.
Nations may fall, earth melt away, His Word is yet our hope and stay.
God is among us, ever to bless; He is our stronghold evermore.
Come see the works of God’s Right Hand! He breaks the nations of the earth,
shatters their foolish weapons and pride, sets all their sinful strength aside.
Them He will show His infinite worth as they before His judgment stand.
Rest in the LORD and be at peace, all who are mired in sore travail.
Lift up our God, praise Jesus our Lord; proclaim to all the earth His Word!
God is our stronghold, never to fail; thus may our hope and joy increase!
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest: This week: In our ReVision series on “The Kingdom Economy” we continue looking at what the Scriptures say about justice. Our Read Moore podcast considers three brief books that could change your life, beginning with The Gospel of the Kingdom. Our Crosfigell teaching letter continues our study of the life of Brigit, a contemporary of Brendan. Click hereto see all the other columns and writers available to you.
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
