This month we are going through Ephesians and our theme has been, “Can we Flourish as the Body of Christ?” The answer is a resounding “Yes”! In Ephesians 3, God assigned Paul special work.
“By the Spirit the great mystery was revealed that the Gentiles (non-Jewish descent) are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body and sharers together in the promise in Jesus Christ.”
Ephesians 3:6
The throne of God had then and is still accessible to us all, and we are one family under our Heavenly Father.
Paul became a servant of this gospel because of God’s grace (Eph. 3:7). Paul recognized that his history made him the least qualified, but God qualified and blessed him with the gift of effectively sharing this gospel and encouraging the body of Christ. This is great news. In God’s perfect timing He used Paul to share this news and tell the people they could now, through faith, go to God in confidence. He blessed Paul to be this vessel, showing us that we too can be used by Him as we become His willing servants.
Paul prayed for the whole church body to have the inward strength of the Holy Spirit and the permanent indwelling of Christ, he prayed they would have the power, together with all the Lord’s holy people to grasp how wide and long, high and deep is the love of Christ. He prayed they would know this love that surpasses knowledge …so that they would be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
If you feel you are like me and at times feel the least deserving to be used by God to share the gospel effectively or to be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God, you are in good company. Paul knew this was true about him. But God qualified. Paul became a servant and then God gave him this gift to effectively communicate the good news.
We come from a family tree of broken people who did amazing things through the power of Christ. Now you, as part of the body of Christ, are a sister in Christ. Even better, you have God as your Heavenly Father and the ultimate qualifier. How do we receive this gift of being filled to the measure of the fullness of God? Ask Him and ask Him to help you become His willing servant.
Have you truly become a servant of God? Do you trust He sees you as new and wants to bless you by filling you to the measure? He does. We may have to wait for our time on some things, but we are all called to share the gospel, and we are all called to encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ. We can all do that now. He shows us we can flourish no matter where we have been, and that we can bring new brothers and sisters along, while encouraging our faith family and growing in our own walks. God wants to fill you to the measure with His fullness. Paul did not pray for any blessing that is not attainable for his brothers and sisters in Christ, and this was not only a prayer for God’s chosen apostles of biblical times. These are prayers for us as the body of Christ. How will you serve while He grows and fills you? Your heavenly father wants to fill you to the measure with His spirit.
Joanna is a contributing writer for Shaken and Stirred. She loves Jesus and hopes she never stops learning more about Him. She is a Life Coach working alongside women and adolescence, as well as a mom to amazing 11&13 year old young men. She loves hiking and yoga when she gets the chance to do it. She often enjoys writing, creating, coffee with a friend or book, and laughing while hanging out with her boys.
Photo by Santiago Lacarta on Unsplash