SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/12/2019
12:12 PM
My Worship Time Focus: PT-1 “The
Power for God’s Pattern”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Ephesians
4:16
Message of the verses: 16 from whom the
whole body, being fitted and held together by what 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.” “16 From Him the whole body, fitted and
knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for
building up itself in love by the proper working of each individual part”
(HCSB).
The
last part of verse 15 says “we are to grow up in all aspects into Him
who is the head, even Christ,” which tells us that Christ is the Head of
the Body, which is the church, and then as we move into verse 16 we that that
the “body” the church, is being fitted and held together by what every joint
supplies. This shows two parts that are
working in the church. The first one is
that of Christ being the head, and then the second speaks of the members of the
church where we read “is being fitted and held together by what every joint
supplies,” and the supplying joints are the believers in the church. MacArthur writes the following to help us
understand this: “The Body receives its
authority, direction, and power as it grows ‘up in all aspects into…Christ,’ ‘from
whom the whole body’ [is] ‘fitted and held together.’ The two present passive participles that
those phrases translate are synonymous and are meant to express that the close,
tight, compacted correlation of function in the Body as an organism is the
result of Christ’s power. That does not
negate the efforts of believers, as proved by the phrases ‘by that which every
joint supplies’ and ‘according to the proper working of each individual part.’ Each of these phrases is extremely
significant in conveying truth about the function of the Body. Christ holds the Body together and makes it
function ‘by that which every joint supplies.’
That is to say, the joints are points of contrast, the joining together
or union where the spiritual supply, resources, and gifts of the Holy Spirit
pass from one member to another, providing the flow of ministry that produces
growth.”
When
we looked at the different Spiritual gifts that the Holy Spirit gives to
believers once they are saved, and this came from the first part of Ephesians
chapter four, and then we also mentioned that the gifts are also found in 1
Cor. 12, along with Romans 12, and 1 Peter 4.
When we see the phrase the “proper working of each individual part” this
speaks of the gifts that each believer has, and as these gifts are used then
the growth of the church is seen. It is
not seen as a result of clever methods but of every member of the Body fully
using his spiritual gift in close contact with other believers. Christ is the One who is the source of the
life and also the power and growth of the church, and He facilitates this
through each believer’s gift and mutual ministry in “joints” that touch other
believers. Now the power of the church
flows from Christ through individual believers and also relationships between
believers.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I can surely praise the Lord, knowing that it
is He who is the Head of the church, and it is He who, through the Spirit gives
me the gift that He desires to give to me in order for me to use that gift to
be a part of the church that He has put me into.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Knowing that it is Christ who puts this all
together as far as the Church and the gifts and the growth of the believers in
the church there is nothing for me to be proud about, but humbly praise the
Lord for doing all of this.
Quotation for today, and this one is
from Abraham Lincoln “To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards
of men.”
4/12/2019 12:44 PM
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