“Live in the Light”

Scripture: Ephesians 4:1-14

We are living in a time of darkness. Not that ordinary sin (whatever that may be!) is reigning over our lives, but that fear – the “handmaiden” of Satan – has taken hold of our hearts and spirit. In Romans 8:15, we read “The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The problem with fear is that it has no place in faith with Christ – fear exists as part and parcel with the spirit of slavery, and it stands in direct opposition to God’s grace and glory.

But that doesn’t mean that we ignore the revenges of earth, or ignore the threat that has spread worldwide and plagues us today, and we are to never think that if we take unreasonable chances in addressing the world’s onslaught of disease that God will always protect us, simply because we have faith. In Matthew 4:1-11, we read of Jesus’ temptation as he was fasting and praying in the wilderness. Satan tried three times to persuade the Lord to give up his Godly mission to the people of earth, in favor of receiving secular power and authority from Satan, simply by transferring his loyalty and worship from his Father to the prince of darkness.
When Jesus is taken to the pinnacle of the temple, and told that if he jumps off, that the angels will catch him, and never allow him to even stub his toe on the rocks below (my translation, obviously!). But Jesus replies to the Adversary with these words from Psalm 91:9-13 - “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” (verse 7)

We may be “tempted” to make a life’s decision based on our own understanding, but the best choice is to listen to the Lord’s words first – Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us to trust in the Lord, to follow his ways, and to never depend on our own understanding.

In today’s look at living in Christ and his ways, we consider the power of the Light of Christ and how it will reveal both the truth of God and the errors of earth so that we might understand him fully.

Read Ephesians 4:1-6

Paul opens this passage by reminding the Church that he is currently in prison – not as a prisoner of God’s, but as a prisoner for the Lord. He doesn’t fight against his imprisonment, but instead, sees it as an opportunity that his Lord has given him. Just as the authorities of Israel tried over and over to discredit Jesus by claiming that he was violating the laws of God, Jesus used every chance he had, not to condemn them, not to attack them, but to teach them the truth of God right where they were. That is the Light of God at work in us – not through anger or fear or retribution or judgment, but through faith and trust and obedience in our Lord.

The apostle continues with 5 aspects of our response to the Lord’s call on us while we serve our “prison sentence” here on earth. Each of these 5 attitudes could be a message on their own, so I won’t elaborate on them. So I’ll offer just a brief reflection on each:

Be humble – we must never think that we are greater than anyone else. If we ever ignore the Lord’s call to humility, and become impressed and self-elevated with how much God loves us, the world will humble us very quickly!

Be gentle – arrogance and pride must vanish from our life, and in return, a confidence that our new guide and new purpose for life is service in the name of Jesus. And then we will know that this is enough.

Be patient – don’t think that our job is to help God out, to move things along when it appears that the divine process is taking too long! His timing is far more important than our plans will ever be.

Be loving – 1 Corinthians 13 tells us that love enables and completes every action and every step that we take in faith. It can never be about our agenda, or our plans, or our expectations – it is about “the Way, the Truth, and the Life” of Jesus Christ (John 14:6-7), and that will be the purest and fullest form of love we will ever know.

Be peaceful – peace is the summation and fulfillment of the first four. Without peace, there can never be a satisfying relationship with others; without peace there is no true life in Christ; without peace, we will never escape bondage in the world; without peace, the Body of Christ will be broken.

And until peace is restored, restoration with the Lord will always be just out of reach, and “one Lord, one faith, one baptism” will rest somewhere else.

Read Ephesians 4:7-10

Every good gift that we receive, and in particular, the five mentioned above, come through the grace of God. Grace is one of those things that people have been trying to understand and define for centuries, and for the most part, they have failed. But in general, the best description of grace that I’ve ever heard is that it occurs when we receive that which we don’t deserve, could never earn, and will never gain on our own. Of course, that is only how we experience it, but the better part of grace must always be based in God’s perspective and purpose, which we still can’t understand.

At this point, Paul gets a bit rambling and confusing, but what he is trying to tell us is that as the ultimate Conqueror of evil, Jesus, unlike the kings of earth, will give gifts to all who surrender their lives to him. These gifts will be given to the most unexpected people, and when they use these gifts in the way that the Holy Spirit directs, glory will be proclaimed on high, and they will produce honors and praise to the One who has defeated the ways of earth.

And the point of Christ’s ascent and descent? Paul doesn’t seem to explain that very well, but here is my take on the expression. Christ “descended” from heaven to come to earth, and his coming wasn’t just for the elite of this place, it wasn’t just for the leadership of the nations, it wasn’t just for the righteous – it was for all. As we read through the gospels, who do we see Jesus spending the most time with? He chose the lowly, the rejected, the outcasts - those who the educated, the very ones who should have known better, had deemed as unworthy of a relationship with their Almighty God.
And his “ascent” to a place that is “higher than all the heavens” is to the throne of God, where he is to be praised - above all, and for all, and by all, throughout eternity. This is the place where the glory of God, that “Shekinah Glory”, the Light of Christ, will shine upon all, revealing the fullness and truth of God to all.

Read Ephesians 4:11-14

And here, Paul gives us another list of five that, again, we need to discuss briefly. These positions are sometimes described as offices of the early church, but in truth, they continue to be descriptions of those who lead the Church of today. And we are told that their purpose as a whole is to build up the Body of Christ, not in a cursory way, but to lead all new believers to a mature faith and understanding in Jesus. But they also have a purpose in the lives of those who have attained a maturity in faith. They are to watch for heresy and deviation in the basic tenets of faith, and when Christian principles begin to deteriorate, each has a responsibility, within their own areas of ministry, to bring the Church back to Godly truth. So what are those areas?

Apostles – originally, were defined as those who had 1) experienced Jesus personally, and 2) could testify directly to Christ’s resurrection. Today, they are those who 1) have personally experienced the power of Christ at work in his or her own life, and 2) have come to know the power of Christ’s resurrection in the lives of all who surrender their lives to the ways of Jesus.

Prophets – are not actually fortune or future tellers, but more accurately, they proclaim the word of God as the consequences of both faithful and unfaithful living.

Evangelists – are preachers who proclaim Christ, but who are not held to one place or to one congregation.

Pastors – the word comes from the Latin word meaning “shepherd”. They care for the people in both their spiritual and human needs. They preach the gospel, and care for those under their care just as Jesus did for his.

Teachers – are those who teach the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus to young and old alike.

And while there may seem to be some overlap in each of these ministries, each one is vitally important to the maturing and the faithfulness of the Church. For without them, the Light of Christ will dim in these lives, and as Paul writes in verse 14, “Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.”

The Church must not only be walking in the Light of Christ, we must be living and proclaiming that Light in all that we do, regardless of what comes against us, and regardless of what the world is doing, this day, and always.

Amen.