PT-4 Intro to Ephesians (The Body of Christ)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/16/2018 10:31 AM

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  PT-4 Intro to Ephesians

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Ephesians

            Message of the verses:  We have been looking at some different aspects of what we will be learning as we study the book of Ephesians.  Today we want to begin by looking at another aspect found in the book of Ephesians and that is the church as Christ’s body.  This of course is a metaphor that shows the church not as an organization, but as a living organism which is made up of many interrelated and mutually dependent parts.  We see that Chris is the Head and that the Holy Spirit is as it were, its lifeblood.

            The following descriptions or metaphors are used both for the church and for Israel.  First they are both called a bride or a wife as seen in His. 1:2 and we can also compare Jeremiah 3:20 “Surely as a wife treacherously departs from her husband, so have you dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, said the LORD (KJV).”  Revelation 21:2 states “And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.”  The following verses speak of both Israel and the church as a family household:  Psalm 107:41; Jeremiah 31:1; and Ephesians chapter two.  Next we look at them being called a flock from Isaiah 40:11, and we can compare also Psalm 23, Luke 12:32 and Acts 20:28-29.  Vineyard or vine found in Isaiah 5:1-7 and also John 15:5.  MacArthur adds “But the Old Testament never speaks of Israel as God’s body.  That is a distinct and formerly unrevealed figure for God’s people in the New Covenant.  Christ’s church is His present reincarnated Body on earth.

            “It is only this outward incarnation of Christ that the world sees.  Consequently, the church should be just as whole and full statured as Jesus was when He ministered on earth.  Members of the Body of Christ are inextricably united in their Lord, and when one member malfunctions, the whole Body is weakened.  When its members disobey the Head, the Body limps and stumbles.  Yet when its members faithfully respond to the Head, the church manifests the Lord’s beauty, power and glory.

            “The Body functions through the use of spiritual gifts and through the responsibilities of fellowship and mutual ministry.  When the church is faithful Christ comes to full stature in His present earthly Body.  When the church is not faithful, the world’s view of Christ is distorted, the church is weakened, and the Lord is dishonored.”

            I want to point out something that is obvious and that is that the Apostle Paul is the author if this letter (book) to the Ephesian church.  I have learned from taking a brief look at this book a few years ago that this book or letter was to be a circuit letter similar to the book of Revelation which was to be given to the seven churches mentioned in chapters two and three, and so perhaps this letter to the Ephesians also circulated around those seven churches also.

            As far as when it was written, probably between 60-62 when Paul wrote this letter from Prison.   MacArthur adds “Because of the phrase who are at Ephesus is not in many early manuscripts, and because there is no mention of a local situation or individual believer, many scholars think this letter was an encyclical, intended to be circulated among all the churches in Asia Minor (including those in Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, and Sardis, as well as Ephesus).  It may be that the letter was sent first to Ephesus and therefore became especially associated with that church.

            “The first three chapters of Ephesians emphasize doctrine, and the last three chapters emphasize behavior.  The first half is theological, and the second half is practical.”

            I guess that it is good to know that I agree with what John MacArthur has to say about this letter being a circular letter around Asia Minor.  This helps us to better understand this letter, for when we look at other letters that Paul wrote like 1 Corinthians we see that he was addressing a series of problems that the church was going through, but we also see that part of the letter was theological or doctrinal and the other part was practical, and this follows Paul’s way of writing letters.  I have thought that if the people that Paul wrote to had not had similar problems that are seen in the churches today then we would not have the answers on how to answer these problems.

            In our next SD on this letter or book of Ephesians we will begin to look at the first two verses, and if memory serves me correctly there is a very long sentence in the original language in this first chapter of Ephesians, so we will only be looking at a small part of that long sentence as we begin in our next SD looking at what is called “The Salutation.”

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Being reminded that the church is the body of Christ has brought back some things that I have to admit that I had forgotten, and am very thankful for this wonderful reminder.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  I trust the Lord to open up to me some wonderful things from this letter that Paul wrote so many years ago, things that will cause me to know and understand my Lord better, and things that will cause me to understand better the function of the church.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “Apollos” (Acts 18:24).

Today’s Bible question:  “What 5 books were written by John?

Answer in our next SD.

10/16/2018 11:16 AM