Devotion for Monday, 23 May 2011 Anno Domini (Ephesians 4:1-16)

Devotion for Monday, 23 May 2011 Anno Domini (Ephesians 4:1-16)
“1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. 8Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: 16From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.” (Eph 4:1-16)
“I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called.” Not a prisoner in the sense that he has been taken against his will, but he has become so very attached to the Gospel of Christ that he is fixed in his place. All who are Christian are made to conform to a High and Holy Calling, especially so are ministers of God.
“With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love.” Love extinguishes all pride and selfishness. The loving heart is drawn down to the lowest earth for the sake of the object of that love. There is no expiration date on love’s endurance – it waits interminably for the accomplishment of all good for that which commands its heart. It always assigns a lower value to itself than to another. “Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” There can be no division where there is unity of Spirit and, therefore, no bond but peace. Having Unity of Mind in Christ, we will have no cause for quarrel.
“There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling.” Christ came in a body, and the church is representative of that Body of Christ. The foot should never do anything to hurt the head, and the mouth anything to hurt the ear. All fitted together for one purpose is the Body of Christ in the Church. The Spirit, too, is one and omnipresent with believers. An example of the Oneness in Body and Spirit is our form of liturgical worship – the Lord’s Prayer said at all services (Our Father), the Apostles or Nicene Creeds repeated in all services of our church everywhere, and the General Confession. These unite us in one faith and one Lord. The Lectionary, too, keeps us all on the same course and same sheet of music else our songs would be discordant.
“One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” Yes, there is no God but the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Allah does not measure up. He has neither Holy Spirit, nor Son, nor Grace! We have no Savior but God the Son, and our faith should be uniform if we could conform to the same Word of God as was first given and revived by the great Reformers. We are baptized into a faith and not a denomination. The outward signs of the inward graces are made manifest in the Sacraments.
“But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.” ‘But’, though we are one in faith and Spirit, we each have a special gift according to our need and ability to respond for the good of the whole Body. The nose fulfills a need that the toes cannot do. Each body part, though one with the whole, are indispensable parts of that whole with peculiar properties to keep.
“When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.” Instead of deprivation of freedoms and hope, Christ has led captivity into the captivity which had been foisted upon us. He has, in lieu thereof, bestowed precious gifts upon us – salvation, grace, ministries, love, hope, and faith, etc. These are gifts which fade away if not invested to produce greater return.
“(Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)” Christ first descended to our level, made like unto men, so that we might see and know God. He also is the One who ascended to the highest heaven in fulfillment of the Gospel plan. Please do not waste hard earned money on books purporting to be written by deceitful men who have ascended to heaven for a time and returned to tell us of it (for a profitable sales). He has ascended to the place of Highest Authority where He intercedes for us. No other can claim that privilege.
“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers.” He (Christ) has appointed these gifts to certain men whom He has called to that role of apostle, or prophet, or evangelist, or pastor, or teacher, or any other special calling to which a man may be called and fitted. Not only is the Calling a gift of Grace from Christ to the recipient, but also a gift to those who are benefactors of these ministries. May I further point out that none among men are worthy of these callings in their own right, but God will surely make every man worthy, in Christ, for the Calling which he has received, and He gave them to this end: “For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.”
For what period are these gifts given? “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.” The work of the minister of God is to preach Truth which cannot but unify. The object of every sermon should be centered in Christ. Every sermon should be an exposition of the beauty and grace of Christ and Him crucified. That perfect man is a work in progress. Sanctification is an ongoing process in this life which can only reach fruition in the life to come, but the ‘imputed’ righteousness of Christ gives us the perfection required here and now.
“That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.” The lack of wisdom and understanding among modern Christianity is unbelievable. How is it that so many sincere and humble souls are led astray by false prophets in our day? It is a fault of the ministers of God failing to teach the Word of God with convincing power and truth. Not knowing the depth and breadth of God’s Word, and Love, has caused many to be susceptible to the deceit of evil men after filthy lucre. They are the tools of the Arch Enemy of our souls as they lie in wait to deceive and destroy as their master bids. Instead of acting as children playing in the streets, we should be as soldiers of valor in truth and Spirit.
“But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.” Even in speaking truth, we must be kind and thoughtful in it. Thumping unbelievers over the head with a Bible does not impart grace. Our words should be gentle and thoughtful in order to be convincing, and our lives should reflect the very meaning of the truth which we impart.
“From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.” An otherwise wholesome body is not whole if the arms are withered, or the tongue is deformed, or the ears are silent, or the legs are crippled. Each part must be fitted to perform its essential task for the whole to be at comfort and full performance. The church may have an excellent clergyman, but the Vestry (or Session) is balking at every turn so that the Body is partially crippled to move ahead to the salvation and nurture of souls. The choir may be commendable, but the director a total dunce so that the result will lack its full measure of beauty. Instead, all these may be admirable, yet the membership is divided and split over the color of décor or the length of the service. But these are evidences of a lack of Godly love and obedience to Christ. If we love Christ above all else, how can we fail to tender the greatest measure of love toward one another. When such love permeates the church, and is centered in the heart of Christ, how can these trivial divisions arise? When an army is perishing for want of water, there will be no objection to the goodness of that officer which can satisfy the need. This principle also should apply in the Church Body of Christ. Does it in your church?