Scripture: Ephesians 5:8-20; 1 Corinthians 14:13-19
As we all know, followers of this world’s ways have
one objective, and that is to convert believers of Jesus Christ to their own
destructive and perverse way of thinking.
In Matthew 6:22-23,
Jesus tells us that “22 “The eye is the lamp of
the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of
light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy, your
whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness,
how great is that darkness!”
But
we have to also understand that our ears are just as susceptible to the
darkness as our eyes are. Our human
senses can open us up to either the light of Christ, or the darkness of Satan,
and quite honestly, the darkness seems to have a much easier route into our
hearts and minds than the light does!
And yet, as long as we keep our heart’s focus on the ways of Jesus, our human
senses will also be devoted to receiving and accepting the truth of God.
But never forget that Satan’s darkness will never
give up in the war that is being waged against every one who is faithful to the
Christ. In Peter’s first epistle (1 Peter 4:3-5), we read “3 For
you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to
do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable
idolatry. 4 They are
surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they
heap abuse on you. 5 But
they will have to give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the
dead.”
Read Ephesians 5:8-14
This passage from Paul’s letter to the church in
Ephesus appears to be more of a commandment than it does as simple
instruction. When we come to Christ, and
are bathed in His Light and Truth, it appears that we also are given a number
of expectations in our faith expression!
First, we are to learn what brings pleasure to our
Lord, as opposed to those things that are detested by God. This could be quite a list, as His pleasure
will be based in our living His commandments, which will have many aspects
associated with each and every command.
Second, we are not only to end our involvement with
those “fruitless” deeds that are founded in the world’s “darkness”, but we are
also to denounce those ways through the truth of God’s way. In other words, stop sinning against the Lord
and begin putting His ways first in your life.
Third, not only are we to end our sinfulness, but we
are to reveal them for the hatred and lies that they truly are. This is not only a revealing within our own
life, but a revealing for the lives of others!
This could become quite a daunting task, to say the least!
And fourth, verse 12 brings us to a rather significant
crossroads in our life. We are to expose
sin for what it is – an opposition to faith in Jesus Christ, while at the same
time being a call to denounce the sins of those who intentionally disobey the ways
of God.
And if the people of earth listen and shed their
darkened lives of sin, they, too, will, in essence, wake up and rise from the
ways of death that they have chosen for their lives. This mission, this discernment in truth, is a
responsibility that faith in Christ has placed upon the lives of all
believers! Developing a true
understanding of all that the Lord is asking of us, and then committing to
carry through on the desires that Almighty God has for each of us – this is the
task set before all who give their lives to Jesus Christ. And it will require a life long effort of
study, prayer, personal confession, and a heart filled with love – not only for
our Lord Jesus, but for His word that must now reside in our soul.
It will require an acceptance of the revealing that
comes from other Christians who may see levels of darkness within our own
lives, as well as the emerging ability to lovingly do the same for others! And the difficult part will be in avoiding becoming
judgmental and confrontational when approaching and challenging the lives that other
sinners are living – whether family, or
friends, or total strangers.
Read Ephesians 5:15-20
Interestingly, the previous section seemed to have a
greater focus on what the world’s darkness brings into our lives, while these
next few verses give some insight into what living in the Spirit does for
us. The Spirit, then, gives wisdom and
light to reveal the truth of all that surrounds and works within us to give
purpose to this life.
These
verses also contrast the effect of living in the Spirit of God, versus living
in the spirit of “drunkenness”, which is confusion
and ignorance. The
Spirit opens us up to the truth of God’s ways, while the world will only deepen
the darkness and work to press the Light of God into oblivion. The Spirit leads us to share the true word
and way of God with each other, and enables us to stand firm against the
follies of earth.
George
Bernard Shaw once reflected on a Native American saying with these words - “A
Native American elder once described his own inner struggles in this manner:
Inside of me there are two dogs. One of the dogs is mean and evil. The other
dog is good. The mean dog fights the good dog all the time. When asked which
dog wins, he reflected for a moment and replied, the one I feed the most.”
I
believe that this is the exact thought that Paul was trying to impress on the
church at Ephesus. Do we put the focus
of this life upon the Spirit of God who brings wisdom, and hope, and joy, and
the light of God into the life we live, or do we let the darkness, the evil,
the pain, the hopelessness of this world take precedence over all that we know
to be true in the Lord? It isn’t that
our involvement in church has anything to do with the answer that this question
demands. The answer to the question
comes from the choices that we follow and reveal through the encouragement that
comes from the desires of our heart and soul – will it be the Spirit of God’s
goodness that fills us, or the spirit of the world’s evil?
Read 1 Corinthians 14:13-19
This
passage from Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth, acts as a supplement to
chapters 12 & 13 from this same book.
In particular, he is explaining the purpose behind the speaking in
tongues versus the interpretation of tongues that he says should always be included. Without interpretation of those unfamiliar
words, the prophecy that comes from God will be lost. 1 Corinthians 14:2-4 reveals Paul’s point - .” 2 For
anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. Indeed,
no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit. 3 But
the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging
and comfort. 4 Anyone who speaks in a
tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies
the church.” He is saying that tongues themselves are to
capture the attention of nonbelievers and inquirers, while prophecy that comes
through interpretation is for the enlightenment of believers.
So
you may be wondering why I chose to include this passage today, along with
these verses from Ephesians! My reason
is this – to show that even within the church, if we aren’t careful to be
complete in our offering of what God would have us understand, we just might
miss out on some important aspect of the words that come through our voice,
giving someone a false impression of God’s desires for our life. The apostle Paul would have us know that the
thought that the Lord gives us may not be the fullness that He would have us
share with others. We may not even
understand what the words of tongues are conveying, but neither will anyone
else – only interpretation will do that.
Light
is the important part of the message, but if we neglect to include it all,
darkness just may reign without our ever knowing it. James 3:1-2 is the Lord’s call for perfection on all who teach
and instruct. We must never miss out on
the fullness of God’s word for our lives.
True learning will fill us with
the light of God, and never with the darkness of earth!
