As Paul writes this letter, he categorizes himself as a prisoner, a captive of the Lord Jesus Christ. He, as a captive of the Lord, now is making a defense that the church of God should be one in unity for the glory of the Lord on earth. He states to the Ephesians: Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 1:3-6) Now since Jesus has ascended to the heavens, He provides the body of Christ with people who possess special assignments given to them by the Holy Spirit: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. These special positions within the body of Christ are to equip his people for works of service, all within the framework that there is one God, one faith, one Lord and one baptism. The body of Christ is to act in unison, revealing the love of God to all people. People who are IN CHRIST should be speaking the truth in love of the nature of God: God is love. When the church is focused on God’s love, which is emblematic of Christ on the cross, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. As is true for Paul, all within the church of the living God are prisoners of the Lord. We all belong to him and are fully committed to him. This world holds no everlasting truth for us, for the world is full of division, hurt, shame, and a self-willed spirit. Jesus did the works of his Father. He chose to be ONE with the Father even on the cross, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34) Jesus continually prayed, not my will be done, but your will be done, Father. We see Stephen dying in the same way as one with God, Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” (Acts 7:60) Both of these scenes at death’s door reveal the love of God, manifested in the final words of those who are dying. Jesus tells his disciples, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. (John 15:9-10) We know the disciples except for John gave their lives remaining in God’s love, in his oneness of love. Jesus said that all the commandments and regulations of the law could be summarized in two cardinal laws: love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love people the same way, or be one with the Father in your heart and actions. Paul is telling the Ephesians to stay in unity with God, a God of love who cares for all people, everywhere. The Lord is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. The Lord is good to everyone. He showers compassion on all his creation. (Psalm 145:8-9)
In this letter, Paul advocates for the Ephesians to move on to more maturity in the Lord. He knows if they stay immature, their religious fervor will weaken and their testimony of God and his love for all people will be threatened by their worldly lives. They need to move on IN THE LORD, developing in their lives a passion for God and his will on earth. As with Paul, an apostle, placed by the Lord in that position in the body of Christ, special assignments have been given to the church to help the body of Christ reach a status of maturity, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. What is maturity and what is immaturity? What should all of these special assignments given to the church by the Lord Jesus Christ propagate within the body of the church? Is it stating over and over the fundamentals of how to be saved? Is it maturity to know the first works of how to be alive IN CHRIST? The Hebrew writer encourages us to go beyond these first works. Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And God permitting, we will do so. (Hebrews 6:1-3) Yes, these works are critical in the act of salvation. People should know the fundamentals of knowing God. But for Christians to dwell in this knowledge only can lead to a place of disservice to the body of Christ. For the cleansing act of salvation is an individual process that all new believers must go through to enter the kingdom of God. But to live in unity as the earthly body of Christ, we must know God as a Father of love, patience, caring, and mercy. We are no longer a self-willed entity, but we are now an integral part of the body of Christ. Unity demands loving others as we love ourselves. We place ourselves in a subservient role to the body of Christ. Even church attendance is not merely seeking only what we can get out of our attendance. No, we attend church for the body of Christ, for others, not just for ourselves. The spirit of division, separation, is contrary to the body of Christ. Division is for yourself, unity is for others. We see Jesus in Capernaum ministering powerfully in that city. He is healing people and casting our demons. A large crowd gathers around him and his disciples. Rather than staying in Capernaum, ministering to the crowd of people, Jesus tells the disciples to get ready to move across the lake to other communities. As they were preparing to move, a teacher of the law cries out to them to take him along too. When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” (Matthew 8:18-19) Jesus tells this spiritual man that to be one with him will cost him everything. Paul in this letter is telling the Ephesians, to be one with the Lord will cost you everything. Maturity will cost you your will, your feelings about others and even your closest relationships. In the Capernaum scene, we also see a disciple tell Jesus not to move across the lake yet, but wait for him to bury his father. Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father. ”But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” (Matthew 8:21-22) Jesus said, if you want to be one with me, to be where I am, you must be devoted to me completely. The Ephesians to be one with Christ in unity with God, to grow into maturity, must be committed to follow Christ without concern of their self-will. They must follow him readily, even across the lake, leaving everything for him.
Are we willing to cross the lake, to be where Jesus is regardless of the cost? Will we leave everything behind to follow Jesus as Lord of our lives? Maturity can be costly to our self-willed nature. Unity can be costly. Enduring love can be costly. As members of the body Christ, we are to reach maturity, which is not our will but your will Father God. The Father’s will is always for us to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. To know Christ we must be as David, seeking him with our whole heart, willing to spend time with him every day. David said he was like a dry land without water. I thirst for you as parched land thirsts for rain. (Psalm 143:6) David found God: he was a man after God’s own heart. He lived as a mature man of God. We who are now in the body of Christ have the Holy Spirit within our hearts. He leads us to all maturity if we are willing. He has placed us in the body of Christ as integral parts for the unity of the body. We work together, not separately for our own will. We have willingly crossed over to the other side of the lake. We are implements of spreading God’s will, his love to the whole world. We are fixated on the fulness of God in our lives. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:11-13) Paul is encouraging the church in Ephesus to go on into maturity. He wants them to leave behind the elemental teachings of salvation, and now to go ahead into the fulness of Christ Jesus who is one with the Father. Therefore, he desires them to know the whole body of Christ is put together for the express purpose of revealing God’s great love for humanity. Today, look for ways God will use you to reveal God’s love in your home, your neighborhood, your work place, and in the church. You have a wonderful gift to share!
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