If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus….

Ephesians 4:21

As we have ‘learned Christ,’ what have we ‘heard’ from Him and ‘been taught by Him?’  We have heard the gracious words that have proceeded out of His mouth.  He has taught us to love the weak, to support the weary, to nurse the sick and to help the poor.  He has shown us what it means to lead an utterly selfless life; to seek not wealth or fame, but to live and die for the good of others.  We have heard Him speak peace to the troubled soul and comfort to the afflicted.  We have learned that all of the manifold wisdom of God lies in Him.  We have seen His example of standing up to religious bullies and driving those who steal, in the name of religion, away from their money tables.  We have heard Him boldly proclaim, ‘I am the way, the truth and the life.’  We have learned that in Him and in Him Alone is the only hope of eternal life.  We have learned that the world around us has nothing to offer and that a few moments of glory will fade to a black night of shame.  We have heard His wisdom and learned that all of life that is worth living, is lived with eternity’s values in view.  All this and more we have heard and learned of Christ.

Our most Holy and All-wise God,
we rejoice that You have shown us Christ,
and in showing us Him,
have instructed us in the way we should go.
We praise You, that every day as we look to Him,
we will learn more of what it means to imitate Him.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

But ye have not so learned Christ.

Ephesians 4:20

The more we learn of Christ and the more we become like Him, the farther out of step we will become with the society around us.  Having said that, mere weirdness and eccentricity are not synonymous with holiness.  Being peculiar does not make us necessarily spiritual.  What is true is that a progressive learning of Christ will put us out of step with those whose mindset is opposed to Christ and His worldview.  Prior to our text for today, Paul has described the thinking and behavior of those who are ‘alienated from the life of God.’  He says they ‘walk in the futility of their mind.’  He says they ‘have their understanding darkened; are ignorant; blind of heart; and ‘past feeling.’  This leads them to ‘lewdness’ and an insatiable ‘uncleanness.’  By contrast to this mindset and the associated behavior, Paul remarks, ‘But you have not so learned Christ.’  Because Christ has taught us of Himself and has set us on the path to becoming like Him, it puts us farther and farther out of sync with others who do not know Him and have learned nothing of Him.  We are of Christ or of the world; one or the other.  Today let us look again to Christ.  As we learn of Him, we will find that He draws us more into His sphere and to reflect His views.  So, we will learn Christ and in due course of time, grow to be like Him.

Our Gracious and Faithful God,
we rejoice that You teach us daily, more of Christ.
We praise You, that as we learn of Him,
Your Holy Spirit enables us,
to draw closer to Him, and to you.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

From the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Ephesians 4:16

If ‘God is love’ and Christ is God, then Christ is love personified.  Christ said, ‘I will build my church.’  The ‘Church’ is all of the redeemed of all ages, and the Body of Christ.  To ‘edify’ someone is to build them up.  This brings us to dwell upon the value of the various members of the Body of Christ and the contribution we make to one another as Christ uses us to build up His Body.  This also enables us to see that Christ, being love personified, manifests His love to us and through us to others who are also members of His Body.  As we have considered before, when we encounter people we have no certain knowledge of whether they are members of the Body of Christ, because when we encounter them, we do not know where they are in the grander scheme of God’s working with them.  They may be unconverted at the present moment, and even showing no inclination toward spiritual things.  Our loving, edifying treatment of them may be the very thing Christ uses to work in their heart to draw them to Himself.  ‘Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.’  Thus we are able to contribute to the building up of the Body of Christ in love.

Our Holy and Wise God,
we rejoice that You order and arrange
all our circumstances
in order that we might best
accomplish Your larger purposes.
We praise You that, daily, we encounter those
who are members of the Body of Christ,
and may do them good.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

From the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Ephesians 4:16

We all have a share in the spiritual development of the Body of Christ.  As Paul is writing on the subject of spiritual maturity and the relationship between Christ, the Head and His people, the Body, he carries the analogy to where we find ourselves today.  He explains that ‘the whole body (is) joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share….’ What this means is that as surely as God has chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world and done all the things necessary to make us members of the Body of Christ, He has prepared for us a role to play as members of that Body which will contribute to the ‘growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.’  This means that not one member of the Body of Christ is without value or purpose.  We may not always understand what our role is, or what contribution we are making.  Only eternity will reveal all the details of the effect we have had on the Body of Christ to cause this ‘growth.’  For the moment, we may look to Christ, contemplate Him and imitate Him as the Holy Spirit shows Him to us.  This will lead us to do the things which He lays before us which will contribute to the ‘growth of the body.’

Our Wise and Wonderful God,
we rejoice that You have given unto each of us
a role to play as members of Your Body.
We praise You that as we grow in grace,
we will become more able to accomplish
Your Divine Purpose for us.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

From the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Ephesians 4:16

The people of God have an organic unity which is the result of our union with Christ.  We have spoken recently of growing up ‘in all things into Him who is the head, even Christ.’  Our text for today is the spiritually logical follow-on from what Paul says, that from Christ, the Head, ‘the whole body’ is ‘joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share.’  As is true of our physical bodies, so Christ’s spiritual Body has numerous functioning parts which fulfill their role in contributing to the overall benefit of the whole.  What is interesting to consider is how many of these contributions occur in subtle and perhaps unseen ways.  If, in fact, Christ’s Body is like the physical body, then the vast majority of what is going on is hidden from immediate observation.  We tend to laud and honor the outward, obvious manifestations of the workings of the Body of Christ.  We ought to be aware that what goes on unseen is very often what makes the outward manifestations possible.  One does not occur without the other.  Seen or unseen, obvious or hidden, outward or inward, we are all part of ‘the whole body joined and knit together.’

Our Wise and Wonderful God,
we rejoice at the way in which You have ordered
and arranged the body of Christ.
We praise You that each of us
has a contribution to make
to the welfare of Your people.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning