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The Ephesian Connection
with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things upon the earth.
God intends to establish an administration (Greek, OIKONOMIA) suitable to the fullness of the times. The Greek word OIKONOMIA is derived from two words, OIKOS, “a house” and NOMOS, “the law.” And since we get our English word “economy” from this word, OIKONOMIA could be translated either as “economy,” “administration” or “the law/management of a house.” Clearly, it expresses the idea of administrative order. While we know that God governs the universe properly, He is at work in His house to involve us in His reign. And in order to achieve this goal, He is first bringing His divine order to His house, for judgment must begin there.
As He increases the manifestation of His reign, His goal is that in everything, beginning with the hearts of His people, He would come to have the preeminence (Colossians 1:18). But because of Satan’s rebellion and Adam’s fall, disorder has come into the universe, and sin’s effects are seen everywhere. Out of this chaos and disarray, our God is moving to establish an economy, an administration that will be suitable when time comes to the full. In other words, what He is doing now has eternal consequences. And how we respond to what He is doing will have eternal consequences for us. At issue is not only whether we will go to heaven when we die, but where we belong in His economy in this life.
Some Christians focus on going to heaven as the solution to their problems. “When I die and go to heaven, I will have total victory over sin.” But such thinking reflects more confidence in our future death than in Christ’s past death and resurrection. The basis for a victorious Christian life is not found in the future but in the past. Since we have been baptized into His death and resurrection, we are now able to walk as new creatures in Him.
Obviously, it is not wrong to talk about going to heaven. Jesus did. But heaven as a place did not dominate His thinking; the One who dwelt there did. He longed to be with His Father.
If we are to be a heavenly people on earth, we must focus on and be filled with the One who fills heaven. It is His presence that will fashion us into such a people. Talking about heaven as a goal when we die is not the same as having the present reality of heaven permeating our lives. And as our God fills us with His presence, He will establish an economy “suitable to the fullness of the times.” Again, His objective is not simply to get what is of the earth into heaven, but to bring heaven and its order into the earth and into earthen vessels.
The incarnation involved God stepping down from heaven and becoming one of us. For the first time in history, the reality and order of heaven was found in a single individual. He was able to say, the Kingdom of God is in your midst (Luke 17:21). Men were able to see God’s economy, His government, and His order perfectly expressed in one Man. Prior to His appearing on the scene, the house of God consisted of natural material with its order maintained and managed through law. But His intent today is that His house consisting of living stones be marked by the order found in the one Foundation Stone, the Lord Jesus Christ.
One of the major themes of the Old Testament was the house of the Lord. After the destruction of Solomon’s temple, God promised through the prophet Haggai that the glory of the latter house (the rebuilt temple) would be greater than the former (Haggai 2:3 - 9). Yet there is no Old Testament record of God’s glory cloud entering the rebuilt temple. Notice, He did not promise that the latter house but its glory would be greater than the former. The glory of the former house (Solomon’s temple) was God manifest in a cloud. The glory of the rebuilt house was God manifest in the flesh. When Jesus of Nazareth walked into that temple, the Glory of Israel was made manifest. But multitudes missed it when “the Glory” walked in; and multitudes missed it when He walked out.
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”
(Matthew 23:37 - 39 ESV)
Notice Jesus spoke of “your” house. It was their house now; it was no longer His. As He was walking out, it was being left desolate – the glory of God was departing. Such a critical moment in Israel’s history! And yet most failed to recognize its significance.
What did He mean that they would no longer see Him until they could say, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord”? Did they not see Him a few days later at His trial and crucifixion? Obviously they did. But Jesus was not referring simply to His physical person; He was speaking as the Glory of Israel. They would see Him physically, but they would not understand. And apart from repentance, they would no longer behold the glory of God. Not many days later, as recorded in Acts Chapter 2, three thousand Jewish people in response to Peter’s sermon, repented and in effect said, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” In receiving Peter, who had come in Jesus’ name, they received their Messiah (Matthew 10:40). Suddenly, they experienced the Glory of Israel coming into His temple. And the house of God made up of living stones was filled with His presence.
God’s plan is to establish His OIKONOMIA, the law/administration of His house suitable to the fullness of the times. He governed His Old Testament house through laws; He is governing His New Testament house by His indwelling abiding presence, His Holy Spirit. He will not establish His order through well-meaning Christian leaders trying to structure His people according to their interpretation of scripture. Rather, He Himself is the law of His house. It is only as we submit to Him that we will find harmony in our relationships with one another. In fact, the glory of God is the uniting factor in His house.
The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one.
Our unity is to reflect our harmony with Him. The reason disharmony/disorder exists in the universe is because people are out of tune with their Creator. Disorder exists in God’s house for the same reason.
We have thought that divine order was revealed in good organization, good programs, a competent administrative staff, and a firm voice of control at the top. While these might appear successful, God’s order involves each of His people walking and functioning in the Spirit together. Or to put it another way, corporate harmony is the product of individual obedience.
...the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
As each member functions properly, the Body of Christ builds itself up, and thereby comes into the order of God. Of course, godly elders are to oversee this process.
Either God’s order comes from those who have good administrative abilities, or it comes from Heaven as many people offer themselves freely to the will of God. But by its very definition, divine order is divine, it is beyond human ability to author. Christian leaders cannot structure the house of God; if we try, we will simply establish an organization and put His name on it. Rather, we are to oversee the process as He constructs His house through the ministry of His life. True divine order is miraculous. And God will receive all the glory as He establishes it in our midst. Today He is establishing the administration of His house that will be suitable to the fullness of the times. And if His goal seems unattainable, let us fix our eyes on Him and then trust that He is able to take us where He is going. And let us go with Him.
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