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The Ephesian Connection
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints who are at Ephesus, and who are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
A quick glance at this verse reveals the singular nature of God’s house. The saints in Ephesus all belonged to our Lord’s one household. Since the beginning, there has always been only one Church in all the earth. But she is divided. God’s view of His house differs from man’s. While we may see many churches in an area, He sees only one. And while the task may seem impossible to us, He intends to visibly unite His people (John 17:21, 23). But for us to arrive at His goal, we must receive and yield to His perspective rather than simply accept our present condition as normal. What God sees as normal differs from what we often accept as adequate. And the best of our humanity is simply subnormal in His eyes.
all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Even those of us born of the Spirit fall short of His glory. Paul did not say that we only fell short when we were unbelievers, but that we presently do so.
To be clear, the only normal man in all of human history was Jesus Christ. He totally fulfilled everything He was sent to accomplish; He never sinned. And He never failed to reveal the glory of His Father. But every other individual has sinned. And today we all continue to fall short of God’s desire. Because of this, our perspective is deficient. So, we must turn to Him and cry out that He would open our spiritual eyes (Ephesians 1:16 - 18). We desperately need Him to empower us by His grace to see as He sees, to gain insight into His perspective. And thankfully, He wants us to see as He does, to accurately view the lost and the condition of His Church. In fact, He is training us to observe our world and His actions in it through His eyes, not through the eyes of the news media, the educational system, or the entertainment industry.
Because our Lord Jesus is presently the King of kings and the Lord of lords, He reigns over all earthly kingdoms and is uniquely involved with every soul of man. He gazes into every heart and into the course of nations with a full comprehension of human history – past, present, and future. Clearly, His assessment is better than ours. And His judgment is perfect and complete.
And from a study of His view in scripture, the Church of Jesus Christ in its present state has some room for improvement. His glorious intention for us lies still in our future (Ephesians 5:27). Instead of a sanctified and unified house, we presently stand divided, corporately tarnished.
If we had gone to the city of Ephesus during the time of Paul’s labors there, we would have found a single united church. This does not necessarily mean that they all met in the same building. In the larger cities that would have been impossible because of the considerable number of believers. But in each locale, the apostolic vision was for a unified expression of the Body of Christ. Christians were to be marked by their love for one another, not by sectarianism. Men of God were not to withdraw themselves from one another in order to build their own separate ministries and followings (Acts 20:30). Where authentic apostles had laid the foundation, the Church was to be a cohesive people served by a plural leadership that sought to stand together under the headship of Christ.
Prior to Calvary, Jesus prayed that His people on earth would express the same oneness that He had with His Father.
that they may be perfected in unity [lit. into a unit], that the world may know that Thou didst send Me.
Surely, Jesus’ prayer will be answered; God will unite His people. And this unity will be so obvious that the world will see and declare that Jesus was indeed sent from the Father. It will be “fleshed out” in life-styles having such practical implications that even those not born of the Spirit, those without spiritual discernment will be able to recognize it. God will have His testimony on earth. And those who have lived as though He does not exist will be without excuse.
But today such unity is not evident. In city after city, the Church falls short of Heaven’s intent. So, we must not be complacent. We must see where God wants to take us and then submit to His plan to bring us there. And while our present condition is simply not good enough, He does have a strategy. One significant element of His plan is that He will call, empower, and send us authentic New Testament apostles and prophets to unveil the singular nature of the foundation of His one house (Ephesians 2:20). And those leaders who seek to draw away disciples after themselves will be exposed and rejected. Sectarianism will die.
In very practical terms, we must cease from competing with other gatherings of believers in our locales, seeking to draw people from them to join us. Rather, our motive must be to simply serve the Lord’s one house. And as we abide in Him as committed members in the particular local fellowships where He has placed us, and then serve others as led by His Spirit, God will unify His people. Our best efforts will not produce what Jesus prayed for. We can neither organize the miraculous nor legislate harmony. And we will never realize the unity of the faith by debating on doctrine, though there can be a place for spirited debate in an atmosphere of love.
But Heaven will bring us to what Jesus prayed for when we return to our first love. One kingdom principle I have noticed over the years is that whenever we focus on loving the Lord with all of our hearts, He then introduces to us others who love Him as well. They may not be people we would have initially chosen to walk together with, but our love for Him and His love for us has brought us together. To then take it a step further, we will in the future find alongside us those who simply disagree with us on various points of doctrine. And Christ’s command will echo in our ears. If you love Me, love those I love. And it will take wisdom from Heaven to walk in those relationships – wisdom to love each other, to love the truth, and yet refuse to yield to a spirit of compromise in order to maintain peace.
Whenever God’s people return to Him with all of their hearts, they inevitably find Him bringing others who love Him into their lives. After all, He said that He would build His Church. As a result, He is today bringing together believers from diverse backgrounds with different spiritual gifts, ministries, and personalities. It is only as we are filled with the Holy Spirit and pursue a heart attitude of humility that we will ever succeed in walking together in true spiritual integration. The greatest cause of division in the Church is not differing doctrines, but the pride of our own hearts. We are used to running our own lives. We like to do things our own way. Then when we see others who function differently, we feel free to pull away. But God’s strategy is to form humble servants.
Incompatibility is not a basis for separation. God was quite incompatible with us, so He sent His Son to die on our behalf. Consider how different the Lord Jesus was from the world He ministered in two thousand years ago. It was undoubtedly offensive to His holy character. Yet He gave Himself even to the shedding of His blood for our salvation. In His ministry, He loved and spoke truth both to those who were the outcasts of society as well as to those in societal/religious leadership. He was the perfect servant no matter who the Father sent Him to. If we would contribute to the unity of God’s house, we must become servants of Christ conformed to His character. If we do not, we will misrepresent Him even when we speak His word. Amazingly, we can speak His truth and destroy with it. Proud believers destroy with the same truth that humble believers build with. The pride of man has done more to damage and divide the Church down through history than anything else.
In the past, God has allowed men to build little “Christian empires” and sects around various doctrines and personalities. But in these days, He is requiring that we humble ourselves in His presence as a prerequisite to partaking in His great work of uniting His people. He is gathering us unto Himself. As we come to Him, we will discover others who love Him even as we do. There we will find the Lord requiring us to “wash the feet” of those around us with His love and His truth.
“Foot-washing” is an attitude as well as a physical practice. When Jesus washed the disciples’ feet with natural water in John Chapter 13, it was simply an extension of what He had been doing for three years with the spiritual water of God’s word. He had served them with truth. Even when they consistently did not understand what He was saying, He patiently and persistently took the time to explain God’s kingdom. Today we need to walk in the same humility as we minister His truth in our generation. We are His servants sent to serve His people at His command. And His instruction is clear.
…the greatest among you shall be your servant.
Today He challenges us to become the least, to become as a child, to be a slave. Here is true greatness. We must not seek recognition or our name in lights. Rather, let us seek how we can be poured out so that others can come into all that God has purposed for them. Instead of pursuing position or running after fame, let us run after Him. For in so doing, the Lord will use us as He builds His house.
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