Seeing the Wisdom of God in the Church

     I have been thinking alot about keeping the truths of chapters 1-3 in my head while we move on into the book of Ephesians. The context of the rest of the book is living a life worthy of the amazing blessings God has given to us, Gentiles after all, by making us part of his family and plan.
     But the even harder idea to keep afloat is that he is writing to us as a church, not as individuals. The living Bible says in 3:10 and 11: "His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known....."
    I wish we would have spent more time looking at the story of the Queen of Sheba during our study Tuesday, because the more I think of it the more I see it illustrate the principle of seeing God's wisdom through people. 
   Solomon's story begins in 1 Kings:3. At the beginning of his reign King Solomon went to God and  offered 1000 burnt offerings on the alter. After that show of devotion God appeared to Solomon in a dream night and said, "Ask me for whatever you want me to give you."
    Solomon's reply was the essence of Wisdom already, but wisdom is what he asked God for. "I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?"
    God was so pleased with this answer that he granted Solomon discernment and more. "I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for--both riches and honor--so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings."
   And there was truly no one like Solomon. I'm going to skip over the next few chapters but you should read them. Solomon was amazing. Like so many Bible hero's he's remembered for his mistakes rather than for all he did right. So read over 4-9 if you're interested in the story, but I'm going to skip it here.
    In chapter 10, the Queen of Sheba came. Now she was no schmoo herself. Head of a vast empire in Africa, she traveled many many miles to find him. She brought a caravan of camels with spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones. She also was a great ruler. But she came "to test him with hard questions" 10:1 says, and "talked with him about all that she had on her heart."
   10:3 says he answered all her questions: nothing was too hard for him. But verse 4 is the one I'm trying to get to. "When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon and the place he had built, the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he made at the temple of the Lord, she was overwhelmed."
    She said, "The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. But I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told me; in wisdom and wealth you have far exceeded the report I heard. How happy your men must be. How happy your officials who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom!"
    Solomon made known the wisdom of God to the world. It was in his rule. It was in the management of his household and the food on his table. It was in his ability to answer tough questions about life. And it was so apparent to the world that a woman who lived thousands of miles away had to see it for herself. When she saw it she declared, "Praise to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel." God is here! She could see him. He was made manifest.
     During the Exodus, the Cloud by day and the Pillar of Fire by night were the manifestation of God. They could literally see He was still there. Here in I Kings Solomon is the manifestation of God. People could see that God was there. Today, the church is to be that in the world...the way people can see God, and as was true in Solomon's kingdom, it isn't a place, it's a people.
    As we continue through the second part of Ephesians, the "practical" chapters, we need to have that thought in our heads. Maybe we won't even understand all the directions Paul has for the church. Maybe we'll understand perfectly but wonder why, or want to say, No.
    We have to take it by faith, at some point, that the things God commands us to do as believers living supernaturally together are important because they allow people to see Him in our midst.
    The Queen of Sheba heard God was living in Israel and came to meet him. How wonderful if the people of Polk City would hear it said of Lakeside, "God is there!" and would come to meet him.        
    That is the plan of God.

Living a life worthy of the calling

   I dropped the ball in blogging about Paul's amazing prayer in 3:14-21 but I'm going to move on because you did a great job word searching the key words in the prayer at our study last Tuesday, and because tomorrow we're looking at another amazing passage.
   As Paul transitions from Doctrine to Practice he urges us to live a life worthy of the calling we have received. Walk in a manner worthy. That word translated either walk, or live, or conduct your life... is one of the key words in Ephesians. Try to find all the times it is used!
   Our walk, or the practice of our faith especially in the context of the church, grows out of our doctrine. Do we believe God called us? Do we believe we have an inheritance and a hope? Do we believe we have a mission? All of those things and more from chapters 1-3 become the reason we live as Paul describes and encourages us to live in 4-6.They are related.
    So Paul offers this exhortation to us, reminding us HE is someone who is content to be in prison for the sake of the glorious gospel of Christ, to live our a life worthy of the calling. Worthy: equivalent, balancing the scales. The challenge, and not just in this passage but in the rest of the book, is to look at the calling, then look at our lives. Do they balance?
    Stott focuses on the unity of the church in chapter 7, and unity is a big deal. Look at John 17:20-26 if you don't believe it. But we will probably focus more on the gifts and the stated purpose of the gifts in 11-16. What does it mean to become mature? What does it mean to attain the whole measure of the fullness of Christ....one of the things he prayed for us in chapter 3:19, by the way. And why is maturity in the body of Christ and in our own personal lives so important? And why does the mission require each of us? Why can't some Superchristian do the work? Why..... and here we are back in chapter's 1-3 again.... why did he chose us?

The Big Ideas

    We reviewed the first three chapters of Ephesians on Tuesday, remembering all the big ideas that Paul has bombarded us with here at the beginning of this letter. I especially wanted to see the thread of the Church running through the discourse.
    In chapter 1 we learn that everything had been placed under Christs' authority and he was appointed head of the church--which is his body.
    In Chapter 2 Paul gets into our personal history; "as for you."  You were dead in your trespasses and sin. You used to live the same way. You are God's workmanship.... But still we have to remind yourselves this letter is to the Church at Ephesus. [More on that next week, right Kristen?] We collectively were sinners and have, individually it's true, been called to a collective good work within his body, the church. Paul makes it abundantly clear he had a supernatural calling to a revolutionary work given to him by direct revelation! How wild is that!
    Chapter 3 begins with the big one; Jews and Gentiles following God together, neither as Jews or Gentiles but as Christians. What a break with the past! When you read the book of Acts it is hard to imagine how those early believers were going to be able to do it, yet they were obedient to God and established churches throughout the Roman world. 
    Stott says "The major lesson taught by this first half of Ephesians 3 is the centrality of the church. Some people construct a Christianity which consists entirely of a personal relationship to Jesus Christ.... but we need to beware lest we despise the church of God and are blind to his work in history." pg 30
     There are so many big truths in Ephesians 1-3 and I was really encouraged by the sharing each of you did about those ideas impacting your own lives. In this next lesson, the second prayer, we are all going to be blown away again, this time by the Love of God. We all know God loves us. But Paul prays that we would be able to grasp the dimensions of it. I hope all of you get the chance to really look at the words Paul uses to describe God's love in this prayer and to enlarge your understanding of it. Even as he encourages us to know it, Paul acknowledges that it surpasses knowledge. 
     The Love of God is as big an idea as we can have, and hugely transforming as we continue to know and live by it.