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).
“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” (HSCB).
We mentioned in our last SD about
how the body is to work, as it gets power form the Head, that is Jesus Christ,
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,
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 only 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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