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ARCHIVE
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September 2006
The stuff we need to suffer well.
James Wagner
Text: Ephesians 3:14-19
For many of us, recent years have brought about a new era for
the Church. Most of us grew up in a culture in which people
respected and appreciated the role of the Church, even if they did
not attend. Increasingly we are finding our culture to be more and
more unfriendly to the Gospel message and from all the trends, we
should expect this hostility to grow in the years to come. It
would seem that it is the call of Christians in the 21st century on
every continent to experience some suffering for the Gospel.
Looking at Ephesians 3 we can see that Paul suffered for the sake of
the Ephesian church. He wrote, “I am suffering for you, which
is your glory.” Despite the suffering, Paul is far more
interested in the Church’s heart and the loss of it than his
suffering. Before Paul mentions his suffering he wrote, “So I ask
you not to lose heart.” This drives the apostle to his knees
in verses 14-19 and he bases his intercession on four godly
qualities.
Paul asks God to give the Church strength. He wrote, “that he
[The Father] may grant you to be strengthened with might.”
Paul isn’t asking God to improve the physical fitness of the
Church. It’s the heart that needs the kind of strength no
fitness instructor but God can give.
Paul is pleading with the Father for the Church to have the kind of
strength we recite in the summary of the law. Far from the
Church pulling herself up by her spiritual bootstraps God is setting
us down and doing a work of grace. God’s work of grace gives
us strength, “according to the riches of his glory” and “through his
Spirit.”
That is just what Christians need if they are about to lose heart.
It’s the “strength with might” not just to get up but also to climb
up a mountain worth scaling. That’s what the apostle prayed
for the Church and we can pray too.
Paul asks God to give the Church an indwelling of the presence of
Christ. He wrote, “that Christ may dwell in your hearts
through faith.” Christ already dwelled in Christians’ hearts but
Paul is asking for more of the same. Paul is pleading for an
increased awareness of his presence.
It isn’t enough for Christ to dwell in the believer’s heart as an
occasional event. This isn’t a spiritual fling. Dwelling with
us is an everyday affair with Jesus. John wrote, “The Word
became flesh and dwelt among us.” Jesus’ dwelling was initial and
continual.
Jesus Christ dwells in the heart because it’s the principal home for
Jesus in the Christian’s life. Jesus isn’t a foreign tourist
who comes and goes. He is like a divine immigrant who seeks
permanent
residence in our hearts, not just temporary lodging. That’s
what Paul prayed for the Church and we can too.
Paul asks God to give the Church comprehension and knowledge.
He wrote, “that [they] may have power to comprehend with all the
saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to
know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge.” It is hard
for finite hearts
to comprehend the infinite Lover. But God has and does reveal
himself to us surpassing our natural abilities to know.
The cross demonstrates the breadth, length, height and depth of
God’s love. It is the power for sinners to believe in him. By
ourselves we cannot do it. But Paul insists that our ability
to comprehend and know is accomplished by the love of Christ.
We are not alone. The saints (v. 18) have and will comprehend
and know God. This comprehension and knowledge keeps the
Church from losing heart. That’s what Paul prays for the
Church and we can too.
Finally, Paul asks God to give the Church fullness instead of losing
heart. He wrote, “that you may be filled with all the fullness
of God.” This may bring images of gluttony to mind. But it’s
not what we’re
eating that is as important as what’s eating us.
Filled with the fullness of God means God’s godliness is in us.
Everyone is full of something. The question is what? In
biblical life you are either full of yourself or full of faith in
God. Fullness of faith keeps the Church from losing heart.
That’s what Paul prays for the Church and we can too.
It would be a tragedy if the Church lost heart after it had been
restored through the work of Jesus Christ. And yet it happens
so easily. The heart becomes filled with doubt, discouragement,
depression and despair. The causes may be suffering,
relativism or pluralism, materialism, legalism or idealism. No
matter what the cause the remedy is God dwelling in us through
prayer.
 James
Wagner is the resident priest at Holy Cross Church in Abbotsford,
BC. Wagner has recently coauthored a booklet with Rev. Dawn McDonald
called
Taking Love Seriously
which is edited by J.I. Packer in a series called
An Anglican Agenda.
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