Going on To Perfection

Going on to Perfection
Ephesians 4:13-16
13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting. 15 but speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head-Christ- 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part doe its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Again Paul is writing to a church that is made of Jews and gentiles, all trying to come together in faith. They have one common bond and that is Christ, the Jews welcoming their Messiah and the gentiles entering into the family of God by faith in that Messiah. It is faith that joins them in the church and it is faith in Christ that propels them to work as a church to spread the good news of the gospel of Christ to others. When a team, talented as it may be, works as a group of individuals, it is not able to accomplish all that God intended it to be. God brings certain people together and gifts them according to His will and then is with them to help them accomplish His goals. Individuals are able to accomplish some things alone, but when we pool our gifts together and work in unity, imagine what we can accomplish for God. What stands in our way? What keeps us from being all God intended for us to be? In verse thirteen Paul says we are to go on to perfection, to the measure of Christ. Christ is our example of how to act, and our image in a mirror to become. One exercise we could do each day is to go to the mirror once a day and ask ourselves, am I measuring up to Christ today? For we are to be Jesus to the world!
There are two images I get in verse fourteen to explain what Paul is saying. One is that of a child, who follows every popular fad, or is attracted to a new and shiny toy that they just can’t live without. People react in like manner to new doctrine that please them and seem more attractive, and lesson the impact of the need of a savior, making them feel good and right in their own minds. One of Satan’s biggest lies is to convince us that we are okay, or not that bad. If we can come away from church thinking that we are good people and feeling pretty good about ourselves than we have no need of a savior. There are many new and shiny toys for us to seek after, that all led us to the same perception that we are good people.
The other image that I get is of a ship tossed to and fro by the winds of a storm, unable to be steered, but controlled by that wind. In the recent hurricane, one man lost his life while trying to ride out the storm in his sailboat. When we loose our focus on the word of God, we tend to follow false doctrines that control our thinking and we are unable to follow the will of the Father for our lives. Our salvation remains intact, but we loose the opportunity to be used of the Father to further His kingdom, if Satan cannot keep us from the Father than he will make us ineffective in our walk.
Men also will attempt to persuade us from the will of the Father by deceit, in order to force their will upon us, or to obtain their goals. By being grounded in the word of God we are able to recognize false doctrine when it appears and avoid it. 2 Timothy 2:15 states; Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. The word diligent means to quietly and steadily preserver, especially in detail or exactness. When we study the word of God with this attitude, we guard ourselves against every wind or false doctrine that comes along. We are able to look past the new and shiny coating to see the lie that is beneath, mixed in with just enough truth to make it palatable.
V.15, “speaking the truth in love,” I have always heard it said that you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, does this mean we are to sugar coat the gospel? Certainly not, but when you express the love of God for His people, through arrogance, hatred, and indifference, isn’t that a contradiction to the gospel itself? When people tell me off color jokes, I have two ways to approach this. One I can tell them I don’t want to here that trash and drive away any chance to even talk to them, or I can ask them in friendship to keep it clean, and listen to a watered down version of their joke. I have tried this and found that it doesn’t offend people, and I project a good witness. After awhile others tend to even apologize for using foul language around me.
Nobody wants to have things crammed down their throats, or our opinions forced on them, but when we lead a life that is parallel to the gospel, we open the door for the gospel to be shared. God will place you in certain situations where you will have an opportunity to share His love for His people, so always be prepared to give a reason why you believe. 1Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.
Just as the body needs nourishment to grow, so does the spirit, that whatever comes our way, we will not live in fear, but continue in the hope of the gospel. A steady diet of teaching and prayer, and a life of sharing love for God’s people, will help you face each situation that comes along. God may not deliver you out of your situation, but He will deliver you through it. In this we are learning to be dependant upon the grace of God, and walk worthy of the calling to which you have been called. People will watch how you handle each situation that comes your way and react towards God by how you react to each situation.
From verse sixteen we come away with the thought that we have a family that is growing in grace as we are. That when we all express our gifts for the furthering of the church, and work together to spread the gospel that we grow into what God desires for us, as the body of Christ, to become. Just as a proper diet is needed for the body to grow and mature, so does the church. If you feed the body sweets all your life you will do the body no justice. If the body Of Christ is fed with anything but the truth, tempered with love, and presented in a way that reaches to each ones needs, than it will fail. A proper diet of the word spoken in truth and prayer are vital for the church to grow.
I leave you with this story: Remember putting your face above a headless frame painted to represent a muscle man, a clown, or even a bathing beauty? Many of us have had our pictures taken this way, and the photos are humorous because the head doesn't fit the body. If we could picture Christ as the head of our local body of believers, would the world laugh at the misfit? Or would they stand in awe of a human body so closely related to a divine head? Dan Bernard.