Ephesians 1.15-23 (6)
Pray Psalm 34.1-3.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul shall make its boast in the LORD;
The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
Oh, magnify the LORD with me,
And let us exalt His name together.
Sing Psalm 34.1-3.
(Alleluia [Lowe]: Mighty God, While Angels Bless You)
I will bless the LORD at all times; I shall praise Him evermore!
My soul makes its boast in Jesus—Him we gladly all adore!
Refrain v. 3
Magnify the Name of Jesus! Let us lift His Name in praise!
Read Ephesians 1.15-23; meditate on verse 23.
What would a world “filled” in all things with Jesus look like? Pray about everything that comes into your mind as you meditate on this verse.
Preparation
1. How does Paul describe the Body of Christ?
2. What, in summary, is Jesus seeking to do?
Meditation
Let’s do a thought experiment. You are in a small room by yourself, meditating on Jesus, exalted in glory—just as Paul presents Him here, in verses 15-23. You are focusing every fiber of your soul on His beauty, majesty, power, grace, truth, and glory. After a while, you feel your soul starting to overflow, so that you begin whispering prayers of praise. Singing a familiar hymn. Raising your hands to receive the Lord’s blessing. Weeping with joy. Perhaps all of the above all together?
Soon, you are joined by two or three friends. They see what you’re doing and they begin to do the same, meditating deeply, allowing their souls to overflow with Jesus. As they do, you feel reinforced and strengthened, so that the outflow of your soul continues. They, in turn, seem even more exhilarated for Jesus as a result.
Now more people have come into the room, friends and fellow church members. There are no more seats left as they join you and the others in sweet contemplations of Jesus, filling up their souls—heart, mind, and conscience—with the loveliness and love of Jesus and overflowing with worship, hugs, and words of encouragement, and testimonies of the Savior’s Presence and power.
Would you say that Jesus has filled that room? That you had a part in that through your prayers and worship, by encouraging your friends and obeying the Lord?
Now imagine that room is your church. No, all the churches in your community. Or even better, all the Christians in your community dispersed from that room, those churches into their neighborhoods, workspaces, schools, and daily activities. Just like what you knew in that one small room. Would that be Jesus, filling your community? Your world? And is that what Jesus intends as the Head of the Body He is filling with Himself?
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162.The Church
His Body is the
Fullness of Jesus
Filled with Jesus
Who fills
All in all (Eph. 1.23)
The Church is
Beautiful in elevation
High above all else
The joy of the whole earth
The city of the great King (Ps. 48.2).
There’s a sweet, sweet Spirit in this place,
And I know that it’s the Spirit of the Lord;
There are sweet expressions on each face,
And I know they feel the Presence of the Lord.
Sweet Holy Spirit, Sweet heavenly Dove,
Stay right here with us, filling us with Your love.
And for these blessings we lift our hearts in praise;
Without a doubt we’ll know that we have been revived,
When we shall leave this place.
(Doris Akers, 1962)
“For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;
and you are complete in Him, Who is the head of all principality and power” (Col. 2.9, 10).
To fill us, to fill our churches, to fill our communities, to fill our world with Jesus is exactly what “Jesus intends” to happen and why He came to earth “as the Head of the Body.” He is filling all in all with Himself.
“Now may the God of peace Who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead,
that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
make you complete in every good work to do His will,
working in you what is well pleasing in His sight,
through Jesus Christ, to Whom be glory
forever and ever. Amen” (Heb. 13.20, 21).
Spirit of the living God,
Fall afresh on me,
Spirit of the living God,
Fall afresh on me.
Break me, melt me, mold me, fill me.
Spirit of the living God,
Fall afresh on me.
(Daniel Iverson, 1926)
Reflection
1. When do you most feel like Jesus is so filling your soul that you are about to overflow with Him?
2. How do you express His filling you like this? How do you carry this filling into your day?
3. How can Christians encourage one another to fill their Personal Mission Fields with Jesus?
Christ is the fullness of the church. This entire fullness is in process of being filled up. At one stage everything which is being filled is made empty. So Christ was emptied or emptied himself. Having recovered all things again through the mystery of salvation and saved the full number of souls, Christ is filling all in all. Marius Victorinus (ca. 280-363), Commentary on Ephesians 1.20-23
Pray Psalm 34.4-9.
Pray that today and every day, you will have the wisdom, strength, skill, and grace to fill the space of your world with the Presence of Jesus.
Sing 34.4-9.
(Alleluia [Lowe]: Mighty God, While Angels Bless You)
When I sought the LORD, He answered and from fear delivered me.
Those who look to Him are radiant; shamed their face shall never be.
Refrain v. 3
Magnify the Name of Jesus! Let us lift His Name in praise!
When I cried to God, He heard me, and from trouble rescued me.
’Round their camp His angel lingers that they may delivered be.
Refrain
Taste and see how good is Jesus; blessed are all who in Him hide.
None shall lack for any blessing who in Christ will e’er confide.
Refrain
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and 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 are looking at commerce from a Kingdom perspective. Our Read Moore podcast continues readings from the book, Such a Great Salvation. In our Crosfigell series on Brendan of Clonfert, the saint is making progress in his journey to find The Promised Land of the Saints. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
And please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe with your prayers and gifts. You can contribute online, via PayPal or Anedot, or by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
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.
