How Geeks Are Primed For Transformation (Ephesians 1:1-4:19 Recap)

Ephesians, Recap (1:1-4:19)

One of the main reasons I wanted to take us through the book of Ephesians is because I think it has such timeless and urgent application to Christian Geeks. It provides the foundation for the kind of community I hope we are increasingly becoming at Christian Geek Central.

As believers in Christ, there are some vital truths for us to understand that will make all the difference in our ability to live lives in empowered partnership with the Holy Spirit, becoming increasingly like Jesus. Paul reveals some of these truths in chapters 1-3.

First he reveals some incredible things that God has done for us that are easy for us to forget in the midst of our daily grind. (1:3-14).

Then he shares the kind of understanding and perspective we ought to pray for each other to have, highlighting the power of Christ for us and his authority over the world. (1:15-1:23)

Next he reminds us of why we so badly needed Jesus to rescue us in the first place, and what that rescue has accomplished and prepared us for that we may not often consider. (2:1-2:10)

Then he reveals the common ground and essential unity all believers share. (2:11-22)

Finally, before applying what he has taught, he highlights the reality of these things as a mystery that is not naturally seen, but that was planned by God from the very beginning and is being unveiled through what God has revealed to Paul. Paul's prayerful desire in this letter is for God to strengthen believers to trust in Jesus, understanding the fullness of his love for them. (3:1-3:20)

Before we started looking at chapter 4 I observed 8 truths that are revealed in chapters 1-3 that are foundational to our ability to even hear and apply what Paul begins to teach in chapter 4. I'm convinced that the degree to which we can actually live out what Paul begins teaching in chapter 4 is dependent on our daily trust in the following 8 realities:

1. God lavishes forgiveness and rich blessings on us. (1:3-4, 1:6-8)
2. God has adopted us as his children. (1:5)
3. We have an amazing inheritance waiting for us. (1:11-14,18)
4. God's immeasurable power is actually at work in us. (1:19-23)
5. We were rescued from a hopeless, helpless state. (2:1-9)
6. We are made to partner with God in his work. (2:10)
7. Despite our differences we are each part of the body of Christ. (2:11-22)
8. We are each tirelessly, relentlessly and immeasurably loved by Christ. (Demonstrated by our described redemption/adoption/inheritance and emphasized by 3:17-19)

If we don't really believe these truths daily, where the rubber meets the road, we will recoil and find ways to avoid the call to unity and selflessness that Paul begins teaching in chapter 4.

I've seen this played out in my own life very recently as we visited family on vacation. It was a very packed week, socially speaking. And so I often found myself at an intersection where I could choose to grab some rest from being in a social environment or die to myself and press forward more into relationships. Almost without exception I chose to cling to isolation whenever I had the chance.

I could try to justify myself and say that I probably wasn't falling short of any family expectations (though I'm not at all confident in that), or that I'm very introverted, we all have to rest at some point and there's nothing wrong with that. But as I reflect on why I chose isolation I realize I wasn't once considering the unity I share through adoption with the people I had opportunity to connect with more deeply. And I think forgetting that truth made it all too easy to just pursue what I wanted and felt entitled to, rather than the deeper and richer things God was calling me to.

So I'm grateful for God's mercy and forgiveness provided through Jesus, and his record of perfect righteousness which God takes into account instead of my selfish neglect and rebellion. It's because of that undeserved mercy and favor that I know I can rightly choose not be discouraged by my failure. I can get up and keep moving forward into what God has for me, keeping his perspective in mind as I do that.

In our look so far at chapter 4 we moved slowly through verses 1-6 to take a deep dive into the characteristics of humility, gentleness, patience, bearing with each other in love, and eagerness to maintain unity of The Spirit in the bond of peace.

We saw how we can view those more gifted than us with a healthier perspective because Christ is the source of all giftedness. (v. 7-10)

We saw how different roles in the church each contribute to equipping ALL believers for ministry and for spiritual maturity and unity with each other (v. 11-13)

Paul revealed that the aim of the church is to be built up into stable maturity in our unity with each other through Christ, so that we will build each other up in love. (v.14-16)

Finally, Paul warned believers not to live life according to popular thinking and trends of the day, as this caused believers to be alienated from the energizing life of God, disconnected and numb to his activity in their lives. This condition instead results in a short-minded pursuit of pleasure as the highest priority in a given moment, further separating the believer from the unique and purposeful life God intends. (v.17-19)


SO WHAT'S IN ALL THIS FOR GEEKS?

As Geeks we can get so excited, so immersed in the things we love, that they permeate our thoughts and affect our priorities, even our views of the world. We have this sometimes unsettling capacity to let our internal thought-lives transform our life perspectives and actions, which can result in selfishness or insecurity.

But what if we took that same capacity for affecting our lives through our thoughts and inserted truth instead of our current preoccupations?

In what we've read so far, Paul is describing an approach to life that is alien to us. One of humility, gentleness, patience, bearing with each other in love, and eagerness to maintain unity. It's a life that needs to be lived socially, in local communities with other believers, in order to thrive rather than shrivel.

Before describing this life, Paul highlighted some foundational realities that provide the basis for living this way. And trusting in those realities, thinking about them and their ramifications for our daily lives, seems to be key in living out this amazingly alien lifestyle.

In Romans chapter 12, Paul also calls believers to the same kinds of things he is calling them to beginning in Ephesians chapter 4. And in Romans 12:2, he provides again what I think is the foundation for living a vibrant, transformed life in the Holy Spirit.

(Romans 12:2, ESV) Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

That whole chapter is a great parallel companion to what we've read in Ephesians so far. But I want to focus on one word in that verse for a second. The Greek word for "renewal" here means "renovation, a complete change for the better".

If we want to live transformed lives we first have to redirect where our thoughts go throughout the day. That's what changes our perspective and turns our efforts at obedience from a vain struggle against our desires to a mix of both personal effort and natural desire. We can do that through strategic scripture memorization, setting smart phone timers to remind us to pray, or placing sticky notes containing scripture or biblical truth around our homes and offices.

As I heard someone recently describe it, holiness isn't just abstaining from what you want it's CHANGING what you want. And that happens by praying for the Holy Spirit to change who we fundamentally are, and allowing truth to invade our thoughts and change our perspective on both the broad strokes and mundane details of daily life.

I suspect that as geeks we have a powerful tool in our capacities for introspection. And bringing truth to that already natural tendency will only free us up to begin living out a portion of eternal life right now.




Resources typically used to prepare this study include:

"Expositor's Bible Commentary", Frank E. Gaebelein General Editor (Zondervan Publishing House)

"The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament", by Dr. John H. Walton, Dr. Victor H. Matthews & Dr. Mark W. Chavalas (InterVarsity Press)

"The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament", by Dr. Craig S. Keener (InterVarsity Press)

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Blueletterbible.org (primarily for search functionality)

The Christian Geek Central Statement Of Faith can be found at:
http://christiangeekcentral.blogspot.com/p/about.html