FOR THE LOVE OF GOD

Scripture Reference: Ephesians 4:1-16

Unity is Married to Maturity – Continued

Please read Ephesians 4:13-16 for the background to this section.

Yes, the local church is comprises His body. In that body every organ has its own unique place while being at the same time coordinated with every other organ. All the organs have something particular to contribute to the welfare of the whole. Where each part does its bit, the whole body grows and is strengthened, and Christ’s spirit of love pervades it all. The beauty of this is that it is them manifested to be seen by the surrounding community.

We should not be discouraged if we cannot master every single detail of Paul’s picture. His overall message is crystal clear. A church is a body where each member lives for the well-being of the whole. Nobody thinks of himself solely, but does what he can, however modest, to enrich the others. Love is the energy which activates every nerve.

Where this happens the body grows. It becomes more like its Head and operates in fuller submission to Him. As it grows, so does its co-ordination. The organs work better and better together. Unity and maturity are vitally linked to each other and can never be separated.

Today, spiritual maturity is often presented as an individual affair. To a great degree, this is a grave misunderstanding. Physical organs do not mature in isolation from each other. The only maturing that ever takes place is in the context of a growing body. Where organs do not work for each other’s good, growth is inevitably stunted. Where each one does its share the whole body grows, “for the edifying of itself in love.”

Nobody is serious about spiritual growth if they flit from church to church. The same is true of those who restrict themselves to those aspects of church life which only appeal to them, or who are irregular in their attendance (outside of health reasons), passive rather than participating, poor in offering hospitality, limited in their friendships, content to leave the tasks to others, or who manifest a “me first” attitude in other ways. The passage we have studied calls on such people to repent!

There is a final point we must make before closing. There is a lot of talk today about living the Christian life only at home, or in the world. These subjects are vital and Paul’s epistle to the Ephesians does cover them. But you might be asking as to why Paul not tackle them straight away? I personally believe it is because he knows we will never make much progress in those other areas until we have first learned to live the Christian life in the church among our fellow believers in unity. From experience, those who fail there seem to fail everywhere. A side note is that those who have an isolationist attitude, also hold back the spiritual development of others.

“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called.”

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission. All rights reserved

Scripture Reference: Ephesians 4:1-16

Unity is Married to Maturity

Please read Ephesians 4:13-16 for the background to this section.

Up to this point we have been sharing about the responsibility that every member has in living for the welfare of the body and what happens as a result. Something else that happens is that the body comes to a common understanding of the faith. As we have seen in the previous section, the different spiritual gifts do not divide the body, but unite it. Each one of them contributes something to the body’s knowledge of the Son of God. Therefore, the church grows spiritually. It leaves behind childhood and presses forward towards maturity. The image on which it is modelling itself, and into which it is being shaped, is that of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. The church never loses sight of this ideal, and should be constantly working towards it and feels it cannot be satisfied with anything less than perfection, “the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”

Look how Paul expresses his desires that the Ephesians “should no longer be children.” With immaturity comes gullibility. Infants are easily taken in or tricked and, sadly, there are too many wicked people waiting to prey on them. If they were more mature they would not be so easily deceived. Paul has in mind the false teachers of whom we were speaking about a little earlier. For the most part, infantile minds believe whatever is told to them and most assuredly if it sounds like truth. Their opinions are decided by the external influences which surround them. Blown about in all directions, they have no settled convictions of their own. Wherever there is restlessness there is discord. There can be no unity where there is not a common mind. Unity is married to maturity.

No church needs to or even should remain in such a mess. There is a way out of this confusion and disarray. It starts by every person in the church speaking to every other person in the church. They are to speak the truth to each other. No doubt Paul has primarily the truth of the gospel in mind, but his words have a wider reference as well. Every word spoken is inspired by love; nobody is seeking his own interests, but the welfare of all those within the church family.

Where nothing but truth is spoken and only love reigns, spiritual growth takes place there. Out of concern for others, each person passes on what they themself knows of God’s Word and ways. In this way no area of spiritual life is left untouched. The process of conformity to Christ goes on progressively, step by step, and His headship over the body becomes an experienced fact.

To Be Continued

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission. All rights reserved