Monthly Archives: April 2024

A GLORIOUS CHURCH – 17

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Ephesians 5:25-27 NLT‬
[25] “For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her [26] to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word.
[27] He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault.”

Is this ever really possible?

When we see what is going on in many parts of the church of the Lord Jesus today, we can ask this legitimate question. From our perspective, a glorious church, without spot or wrinkle, holy and faultless, seems a very tall order.

Yet, Paul confidently penned the promise – a perfect bride for Jesus, free from the ‘spots’ of teenage immaturity and the ‘wrinkles’ of old age and decay….and without sin!

As I prayed, somewhat skeptically, that Jesus would perfect His bride, I thought of the possibility of all His people everywhere reaching spiritual maturity, perfectly loving and united in Him. Could…would it ever happen? How long must we wait for the final chapter of His Word to come about?

Then the Holy Spirit took me to a parable Jesus told that cleared up the issue for me, once and for all.

‭Matthew 13:24-30 NLT‬
[24] Here is another story Jesus told: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field.
[25] But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away.
[26] When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew. [27] The farmer’s workers went to him and said, ‘Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds! Where did they come from?’
[28] ‘An enemy has done this!’ the farmer exclaimed.’ Should we pull out the weeds?’ they asked.
[29] ‘No,’ he replied, ‘you’ll uproot the wheat if you do.
[30] Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn.’”

The last verse of this parable finally answered my question. Jesus IS PERFECTING His BRIDE now, but she is made up of individuals who are becoming like Him in the middle of life among the ‘weeds’ in the world.

How like God to use the very situations that make us uncomfortable to purify our hearts from sin and draw us close to Him. Isaiah prophesied that God’s Servant, His Messiah, would grow up like a root in dry ground. So we, too, must grow up in Christ against the backdrop of the spiritual darkness in the world around us.

It is never God’s intention to isolate us from the influences of ungodly people in the world or the troubles sin brought into the world. These are the very instruments God uses to sanctify us, to set us apart from sin for Himself, and to mature our faith in, and obedience to Him.

‭James 1:2-4 NLT‬
[2] “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. [3] For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. [4] So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”

‭Hebrews 12:5-10 NLT‬
[5]”And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said, “My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you. [6] For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.” [7] As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? [8] If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all. [9] Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever? [10] For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness.”

Trials, hardships, discipline, suffering…the things we would rather run from, are the tools God uses to chip away everything in us that does not resemble Jesus.

God honed Jesus, through the discipline of suffering, to be the perfect sacrifice for sinners. So, we, too, must follow Him if we are to go with Him to the Father.

‭Hebrews 5:8-9 NLT‬
[8] “Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. [9] In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him.”

Where does God find these tools with which to shape us into the image of Jesus? He finds them in the world of people (the ‘weeds’) and circumstances that rub us up the wrong way, exposing the old, sinful nature in us. Only when we are caught out by our reactions can we know what is in us and what needs to be pruned off through His discipline.

The ‘weeds’ in the church are not our problem. We are! God leaves the weeds there to sharpen our knowledge, understanding, and discernment of the truth of His Word and to teach us to recognise the sin in us, to forsake sin, and to live in the grace of His forgiveness and salvation. Without the trials and tests we endure, our faith would be as flabby as wet spaghetti!

When we get this, we are beginning to understand the essence of spiritual ‘warfare’. Jesus is perfecting His bride but not in the way we think. He isn’t getting rid of the weeds. He’s using them to clean out the ‘weeds’ in us. Moment by moment, day by day, through the troubles and hardships we endure, our minds are being renewed by His word as we receive the grace to overcome sin and to be led by His Spirit.

Only at harvest time will the fruit of our lives be fully revealed. Weeds will be seen to be weeds and wheat real wheat.

‭Matthew 7:15-20 NLT‬
[15] “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. [16] You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? [17] A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. [18] A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. [19] So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. [20] Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.”

So, Jesus says, “Don’t worry about the weeds. I’ll deal with them in due time. You must make sure that your fruit is of the Spirit. Then my harvesters will gather you into my barn with all the pure ‘wheat’ of my bride, the true church.”

PRAY THE PATTERN – 16

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Ephesians 5:18, 20, 21, 22a, 25a NLT‬
[18]”Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life…. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit…
[20] And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
[21] And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
[22] For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord…
[25] For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church”….

Paul’s ‘therefores’, following his teaching on God’s grace in this letter, form patterns of behaviour for those who have been saved by grace. What does he mean by ‘saved’? Only when we understand what sin has done to us can we begin to fathom the extent to which God’s grace has gone to rescue us from sin’s consequences.

So, Paul says, God has given us a blueprint for life after we have been rescued from death and made alive by God’s Spirit. His patterns include every category and level of the people who make up His family.

God has chosen His Son to be the model for every child of His. Jesus is the only one qualified to be the model since He is the only human who lived on earth as a perfect Son. He is the blueprint for God’s children, the one after whom the Holy Spirit is patterning everyone who has been born from above and saved from sin.

Included in these patterns is God’s blueprint for marriage. God intended marriage, between one man and one woman for life, to be the visual aid of the intimate union between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the Trinity.

God is a family. His plan was to bring into His family the humans He had created to enjoy family life with the Godhead. He instituted marriage on earth to be a family, including the children born from that union, to give us a taste of life in His heavenly family.

The fact that humans failed to follow His pattern did not deter God. He set up His plan of salvation, based on His grace, to bring His pattern back on track. Through Jesus, He brought us back to Himself and restored His power to live life His way.

Although God’s patterns are for us to follow in every situation in life, He akso has another purpose for them.

Our prayers are often based on the problems we encounter. Families are struggling, for example, and our prayers focus on what’s going wrong. We end up giving God advice or telling Him what to do.

However, God has told us the purpose for marriage and the ‘how-to’ in Ephesians. So, He says, pray the pattern, not the problem.

We know that God hears us if we pray according to His will.

‭1 John 5:14-15 NLT‬
[14] “And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. [15] And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.”

Instead of praying lengthy, wordy prayers, (like the pagans), for ourselves and others, just say ‘amen’ and ‘thank you’ to His pattern because it has already been approved.

‭2 Corinthians 1:20 NLT‬
[20]” For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.”

So, we can apply this principle to every situation we encounter for a sure solution. It’s God’s prerogative to answer in His time and in His way, but it’s our responsibility to trust Him by giving thanks for His answer.

God wants to change people. He allows situations to happen so that He can apply His grace. He gives us opportunity to participate with Him through prayer to reveal His grace to us too. In that way, we worship Him and He gets the glory, which is the ultimate purpose of prayer.

‭John 15:7-8 NLT‬
[7] “But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! [8] When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.”

THE BENEFITS OF LIGHT – 15b

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Ephesians 5:15-18 NLT‬
[15] “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. [16] Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. [17] Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. [18] Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit,..”

This new life, filled and led by the Holy Spirit, has considerable benefits for us. Instead of foolish, thoughtless living, stumbling along in darkness day after day, and attempting to stifle the guilt such a life produces, said Paul, let the Holy Spirit take your hand and lead you in the light.

As we have said in a previous meditation, the Holy Spirit and the Word are inseparable. To be filled with the Spirit is to be obedient to the Word by His power.

So, what can we expect from this Spirit/Word partnership in our lives? Among the many benefits that obedience to God’s Word bring to us, a few stand out for me.

  1. Understanding

‭Psalms 119:130 NLT‬
[130] “The teaching of your word gives light, so even the simple can understand.”

Now that’s something we need, especially in today’s confusing and chaotic world. The more mess people make and try to fix, the worse life in this world becomes.

What God’s Word says finally makes sense against the backdrop of human ‘wisdom’. His Word answers the questions that have no answer in human philosophy, questions like “Where do we come from?”, “Why are we here?” and “Where are we going? ”

‭1 Corinthians 3:19 NLT‬
[19] “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As the Scriptures say, “He traps the wise in the snare of their own cleverness.”

  1. Peace

‭Psalms 119:165 NIV‬
[165]”Great peace have those who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.”

What a treasure in a turbulent and insecure world! Jesus said that, in the end, fear would cause people’s hearts to fail them. This failure can be physical… death from heart failure, or spiritual… emotional paralysis, depression, and even suicide.

God’s peace is the only safeguard against fear. Those whose hope is in God don’t stumble over the bad things that go on around us or even to us, in a wicked, fallen world. Our peace comes from trusting in the truth of God’s promises no matter what.

‭Philippians 4:6-7 NLT‬
[6] “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. [7] Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

God’s peace also helps us stay on the path. When our peace is disturbed, the Holy Spirit ‘blows the whistle’, calling ‘foul’, and helps us correct what went wrong.

‭Colossians 3:15 NLT‬
[15]”And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts…”

  1. Hope

‭Hebrews 6:18-20 NLT‬
[18] “So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. [19] This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. [20] Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.”

Paul has already told the Ephesians that, without Jesus, they had no hope. What is hope, then? It’s not wishful thinking. Simply put, it’s a picture of the finished product.

God’s Word tells us what the completed picture will look like. A new heaven and a new earth with no sin… redeemed and perfected people recreated in the image of Jesus… God and people living together in perfect harmony forever… what more could we ever want?

  1. Freedom

The world craves freedom and tries to find it by kicking over every protection to real freedom. Lawlessness doesn’t bring freedom. Lawlessness is the worst form of bondage.

Jesus, again, gives us the real solution to our quest for freedom.

‭John 8:31-36 NLT‬
[31] “Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. [32] And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” [33] “But we are descendants of Abraham,” they said. “We have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean, ‘You will be set free’?” [34] Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. [35] A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. [36] So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.”

What can be clearer than His explanation? If God’s goal is to have a family of sons and daughters like His Son, free from slavery to sin, then He will achieve His goal, no matter what.

These four benefits of ‘walking’ in the light of God’s Word should be enough to keep us on track. Understanding keeps us from uncertainty, insecurity, and confusion about us and the goings on around us. Peace steadies us and guides us in all our doings and decisions. Hope keeps our eyes on our future so that we are not distracted or sidetracked from our obedience to the Word, and freedom allows us to journey with Jesus without the entanglements of sinful behaviour.

God has done everything for us to ensure that we make it to the end. Our part is to keep to the path, Jesus, the living Word, because He is the only way to the Father.

LIGHT OR DARKNESS? – 15a

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Ephesians 5:8, 11, 14 NLT‬
[8] “For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!..
[11] Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them….
[14] for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, “Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”

Since the Hebrew people did not understand life in abstract concepts, (expressed in their language), we must understand the meaning of the symbols, ‘darkness’ and ‘light’, from their perspective.

Hebrew people would have asked, not, “What are the properties of light?” but, “What does light do?” Light reveals and exposes. Light shows us what is around us but it also exposes what darkness hides.

God is light, and the source of light. Whatever God is and whatever comes from Him, flows from His character. We know that God is good. Therefore, light must be connected to His goodness. Light for us, then, would refer to the qualities of goodness that, in His children, reflect who He is.

‭Genesis 1:3-5 NLT‬
[3] “Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. [4] And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. [5] God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.” And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day.”

‭John 1:4-5 NLT‬
[4]” The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. [5] The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.”

Natural light came from God in the beginning, separating day from night, but natural light also symbolises something more. Let’s look again at Genesis 1:4.

What is this ‘light’ to which Genesis and John refer? Since the sun, moon, and stars were only created on the 4th day, light in Genesis 1:4 must mean more than mere physical light.

In his prologue to his gospel, John picks up the theme, describing the Son, Jesus, as God’s instrument for bringing ‘light’ into the darkness in the world, adding the dimension of enlightenment.

So, how can we understand the meaning of this symbol of ‘light’ that Paul uses in Ephesians 5?

Many verses in the Old Testament give us clarity. Psalm 119, in particular, is full of references to God’s Word as the source of our ‘light’, our understanding.

‭Psalms 119:130 NIV‬
[130] “The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.”

‘Simple’ here can mean ‘open-minded’.

Psalms 119:105 NLT‬
[105] Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.

In God’s Word, we find our source of knowledge and understanding for living lives that reflect the nature and character of God. The Bibles tells us, who God is, who we are, and what we need to live clean lives by obeying His Word.

‭Psalms 119:1-3 NLT‬
[1] Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord. [2] Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts. [3] They do not compromise with evil, and they walk only in his paths.

‭Psalms 119:9 NLT‬
[9] How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your word.

‭Psalms 119:35 NLT‬
[35] Make me walk along the path of your commands, for that is where my happiness is found.

God’s Word is also truth.

‭John 17:17 NLT‬
[17] Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth.

‭1 John 1:7 NLT‬
[7] But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.

Since Jesus is God’s Word in person, He always, only, ever lived in obedience to God’s Word.

‭John 8:28-29 NIV‬
[28] “So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. [29] The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.”

His life on earth shows us how to live in the light, and His Spirit gives us the power to do so.

John 8:12 NLT‬
[12]”Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

John 1:4-5 NLT‬
[4]”The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. [5] The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.”

In simple terms, then, with Jesus as our model, and the Holy Spirit as our source of power, we can live by the instructions in God’s Word rather that by our sinful desires.

Once we understand the meaning and source of the light by which we are to live, we can get to grips with the meaning of ‘darkness’.

Physical darkness is not the opposite of light as though darkness has a physical source as does light. Darkness is the absence of light. When we remove the source is light, we have darkness.

So also, when Jesus is absent from people and their behaviour, their lives display darkness, all the wickedness and evil that darkness hides.

Paul urged his readers, then, to live their lives in line with the teachings of God’s Word (with Jesus as their model and mentor). In this way, their lives would expose the wickedness of those who don’t live by the Word.

‭Ephesians 5:1, 2 NLT‬
[1] Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children.
[2] Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.”

‭Ephesians 5:7-11 NLT‬
[7]”Don’t participate in the things these people do. [8] For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! [9] For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true. [10] Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. [11] Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them.”

Once again, we must remember that Paul was writing to ex-pagans who once lived in the darkness of sin without Jesus. The message Paul brought them enlightened them to the cause and consequences of their wickedness, and gave them the only solution that would free them from sin and death. Their new lives of obedience to Jesus were the evidence that they were new people inside.

So, live in the light!

PRAYER AND THANKSGIVING – 14b

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Philippians 4:6 NLT‬
[6] “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.”

We have some great examples of the link between thanksgiving and prayer in Scripture. The more I read the Word, the more convinced I am that prayer is about having fellowship with the Father and receiving what He has promised rather than about asking Him to do what we want.

Abraham received God’s promise of a son decades before Isaac was born. How did he endure the waiting? He certainly didn’t become impatient or lose hope as time went by. He stood on God’s promise and grew in faith. How did he do that? It’s easy to give up when nothing is happening. Abraham kept his faith growing by “giving glory to God”. As long as he was thanking God instead of complaining or even asking, he had his eyes on God, not on his circumstances.

‭Romans 4:19-21 NIV‬
[19] “Without weakening in his faith, he (Abraham) faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. [20] Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, [21] being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.”

David is also an excellent example of a man of God who knew how to pray.

‭2 Samuel 7:5, 8, 11, 17-18, 25-26 NLT‬
[5] “Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord has declared: Are you the one to build a house for me to live in?…
[8] “Now go and say to my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has declared: I took you from tending sheep in the pasture and selected you to be the leader of my people Israel….
[11]… “‘Furthermore, the Lord declares that he will make a house for you—a dynasty of kings!…
[17] So Nathan went back to David and told him everything the Lord had said in this vision. [18] Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and prayed, “Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?…
[25] “And now, O Lord God, I am your servant; do as you have promised concerning me and my family. Confirm it as a promise that will last forever. [26] And may your name be honored forever so that everyone will say, ‘The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is God over Israel!’ And may the house of your servant David continue before you forever.”

David prayed God’s promise back to Him and God was faithful to His Word even when David’s descendants forsook the Lord and worshipped idols.

Jesus, our supreme example, thanked the Father for answering Him rather than praying for issues He confronted.

John 6:11 NIV‬
[11] “Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.”

‭John 11:41-42 NIV‬
[41] “So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. [42] I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”

Against the background of His union with the Father and His obedience and submission to the Father’s will, Jesus prayed His thanks, being confident that the Father would always do what He said.

What if, instead of rushing in with our crisis prayers and requests for what we want, we take time to discern the Father’s will or at least are submitted to His ways. Thanksgiving will prepare our hearts to approach Him in humility, allowing Him to be God in all situations. We are disappointed when God does not answer according to our expectations. How much better when we embrace His will with thanksgiving, knowing, as always, that He is working in all things for our good and for His glory.