SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/13/2019
9:38 AM
My Worship Time Focus: PT-2 “The
Power for God’s Pattern”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Ephesians
4:16
Message of the
verse: “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.” “For it is from
the head that the whole body, as a harmonious structure knit together by the
joints with which it is provided, grows by the proper functioning of individual
parts, and so builds itself up in love” (Phillips).
We mentioned in our last SD about
how the body is to work, as it gets power form the Head, that is Jesus, and
then the people in the body are using their gifts that were supplied to them
after they became believers from the Holy Spirit to work in the church, then
this is how the body is to work in order to bring glory to the Lord. However if the people in the church, and I am
speaking of the local church, do not follow what is being taught here, if they
refuse to use their gifts and thus do not grow to maturity, then the church
will not function as described in this section we have been looking at from
Ephesians chapter four. John MacArthur
speaking of Jesus Christ as head “does not look for creativity, ingenuity, or
cleverness but for willing and loving obedience. The physical body functions properly only as
each member in union with every other member responds to the direction of the
head to do exactly what it was designed to do.”
Paul, in writing to the Colossians
in 2:19 gives us a priceless insight as he warns against “and not holding fast
to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the
joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.” This shows us that as believers in the body
that we are to remain close and intimate, as we hold tightly to fellowship with
our Lord Jesus Christ who is the Head, and thus we are not to be led astray by
that which is false and destructive, which while we were studying in the book
of Colossians was exactly what they were doing, thus the reason for Paul’s
letter to them.
John MacArthur writes “The sum of
all that these truths affirm is that every individual believer is to stay close
to Jesus Christ, faithfully using his spiritual gift in close contact with
every believer he touches, and that through such commitment and ministry the
Lord’s power will flow for the ‘building up’ of the Body of love.”
He then goes on to talk about the
word growth: “The noun ‘growth’ (auxesis, used on here and in Col. 2:19)
is present middle in form, indicating that the body produces its own growth
through resident dynamics. As with all
living organisms, spiritual growth in the church does not come from forces
outside but from the vital power within that ‘causes the growth of the body for
the building up of itself.’ All of this
is ‘in love,’ which is always to be the spirit of the fellowship of
believers. Above all things, the Body is
to manifest ‘love,’ and when it is built up according to this plan, the world will
know it is the Body of Christ (John 13:34-35).”
“34
"A new commandment I give to you,
that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one
another. 35 “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have
love for one another.’”
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I think that it is amazing to understand that
not only did the Lord save me through what he did on the cross, but that He
desires to use me in the local church that He has led me to, and also given me
the gift in order to serve Him in that church.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Continue to think and study about humility,
as I believe that humility is seen in using the gift that God has given to me
as I had nothing to do with receiving salvation and the gift that was given to
me when saved.
Verses
that go along with yesterday’s quotation from Abraham Lincoln: “17 "If it be so, our God whom we
serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will
deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18 "But
even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are
not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.’”
4/13/2019 10:07 AM
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