In
the current meditations we reflect on the question: is the full armour of God
of which Paul talks in Ephesians 6:10-17 only meant for individual Christians
or also for the local church as a whole? Does God’s armour only protect
Christ’s life in us personally against Satan’s assaults? Does it equally protect
Christ’s life within the local church which is the Body of Christ? So far we have seen that Jesus wants to manifest His life in our
churches through our passionate love for God and for each other. We have realized
that God’s Spirit is well able to produce this Christlike love in our hearts
and in our congregations. However, the question remains: how do we protect
Jesus’ life in our churches against Satan’s attacks?
To
protect His Church against Satan’s onslaught, God commands His people through
the apostle Paul, saying: “Be (or: grow, become) strong in the Lord...”
(Ephesians 6:10**)
Before we can talk about the question how our
churches can grow strong in the Lord, we need to ask the question: what does it
mean for a church to be ‘in the Lord’?
Paul
often uses the term “in the Lord” in his letters. Here are some
examples:
--- “Greet Ampliatus, whom I love in the
Lord.” (Romans 16:8**)
---
“So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer
live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.” (Ephesians
4:17**)
---
“I am confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon.” (Philippians
2:24**)
---
“Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me
to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you.” (Philippians
3:1**)
However, for our meditation we
need to limit our search for Paul’s use of this expression to texts in which he
describes the state of an individual or a church as being ‘in the Lord’.
Thereby Paul speaks of (1) being chosen in the Lord; (2) having fellowship in
the Lord; (3) working or labouring in the Lord.
(1) To be chosen ‘in the Lord’, ‘in Christ’,
‘in the Spirit’ or ‘through the work of God’s Spirit’ means to be called out of
the world en brought into union with Christ and each other.
When
Paul finishes his letter to the church in Rome, he sends greetings to Rufus and
writes: “Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has
been a mother to me, too.” (Romans 16:13**)
The
Greek text says literally: “Greet Rufus, the chosen one in the Lord...”
Rufus was a man, called out of the world and chosen by God to live a life in union
with Christ.
Paul
writes to the church in Ephesus (Turkey): “Long ago, even before He made the
world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault
in His eyes.” (Ephesians 1:4*) All God’s children, called out of the world
and reborn by His Spirit, are meant to live a life in union with Christ.
In
his second letter to the church in Thessalonica (Greece), the apostle tells the
church that God chose to save them through the intervening act of His Spirit: “We
ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the
beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the
Spirit and through belief in the truth.” (2 Thessalonians 2:13**)
Paul
reminds Jesus’ followers in Corinth how they started their Christian life: “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into
one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free, and we were all given one
Spirit to drink.” (1 Corinthians
12:13, Berean Study Bible). Here the apostle shows that their lives as redeemed
children of God had actually started with the gift of God’s Spirit.
Consequently, they were intertwined as members of the Body of Christ.
It
seems that in these texts the expressions ‘in the Lord’, ‘in Christ’ and ‘in or
through the Spirit’ are interchangeable. They all indicate that the start of a
redeemed life is characterised by Christ’s saving work through His Spirit.
(2) To have fellowship ‘in the Lord’, ‘in
Christ’ or ‘in the Spirit’ means to live in union with Christ and each other.
In
his letter to the church in Rome, Paul designates himself as someone who has
fellowship with Christ. Therefore he calls himself “one who is in the
Lord Jesus” (Romans 14:14**).
The
same expression the apostle uses in this letter for those Christians who belong
to the household of Narcissus: “Greet those in the household of
Narcissus who are in the Lord.” (Romans 16:11**)
When
Paul writes to the followers of Jesus in Ephesus (Turkey), he reminds them of
their former life in the world and their new life in union with Jesus: “You were once
darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.” (Ephesians 5:8**)
The apostle Paul is probably
imprisoned in Rome when he writes to the church in Philippi (Greece). In his
letter he mentions the bold witness of the Roman Christians: “Because of my
chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak
the Word of God more courageously and fearlessly.” (Philippians 1:14**). He
calls them ‘brothers in the Lord’, because they live – like Paul - in
union with Christ. Therefore they belong with him to the family of Jesus.
Paul speaks to the Roman
Christians about their union with Christ that intertwined them as members of
one body: “Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these
members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many
form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” (Romans 12:4-5**)
In his letter to the Christians
in Galatia (Turkey), Paul identifies them as belonging to God’s family through
their union with Christ: “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ
Jesus, for all of you who were baptised into Christ have clothed
yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male
nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:26-28**)
The apostle Paul tells the church
in Colosse (Turkey) that his colleague Epaphras was deeply impressed by the
love that ruled their congregation. That love was produced by God’s Spirit who
lived in their hearts: “Epaphras also told us of your love in the Spirit.”
(Colossians 1:8**)
Again we see that in all these
examples, the expressions ‘in the Lord’, ‘in Christ’ and ‘in the Spirit’ are
interchangeable. They all denote the unifying work of Christ through His Spirit
in the lives of individuals and of the church.
(3) To work or labour ‘in the Lord’ means
to serve Christ in the power of His Spirit.
In his letter to the church in
Rome, the apostle Paul sends special greetings to some outstanding Christians: “Greet
Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord. Greet my
dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord.”
(Romans 16:12**)
The
expression ‘to work in the Lord’ means to be empowered by the Lord through His
Spirit to do the work He has called us to do. That is the way these saints in
Rome served the Lord.
It
was also the way Paul himself served the Lord. He testifies to the church in
Colosse: “So everywhere we go, we tell everyone about Christ. We warn them
and teach them with all the wisdom God has given us, for we want to present them
to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ. I work very hard at this, as I
depend on Christ's mighty power that works within me.” (Colossians 1:28-29*)
Paul reminds the church in
Corinth in his first letter that their existence is the result of the ministry
to which Christ empowered him by His Spirit: “Are you not the result of my
work in the Lord?” (1 Corinthians 9:1**)
Later in the same letter Paul
encourages the church in Corinth to follow his example. Their service to
Christ, empowered by God’s Spirit will certainly bear fruit: “My dear
brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the
work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not
in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58**)
Paul recommends his precious
colleague Tychicus to the church in Ephesus because of the latter’s faithful
ministry empowered by Christ through His Spirit: “Tychicus, the dear brother and faithful
servant in the Lord, will tell you everything, so that you also may know
how I am and what I am doing.” (Ephesians 6:21**)
Finally, in his letter to the
church in Colosse the apostle urges the believers that they encourage Archippus
to finish the ministry that Christ had given him by His Spirit: “Tell Archippus:
‘See to it that you complete the work you have received in the Lord.’”
(Colossians 4:17**)
In all these texts, we see that the expressions ‘in the Lord’, in Christ’ and ‘in the Spirit’ point to the
fact that God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son work in individuals and in congregations
through the Holy Spirit. That is the true Trinitarian way Christian life
starts. That is the true Trinitarian way authentic Christian unity in the church operates and
that is the true Trinitarian way genuine Christian work is done.
Jesus already spoke in John’s
Gospel about this Trinitarian mission:
-- “I will ask the Father, and
He will give you another Counselor, who will never leave you. He is the Holy
Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world at large cannot receive Him,
because it isn't looking for Him and doesn't recognize Him. But you do, because
He lives with you now and later will be in you.” (John 14:16-17*)
-- “If anyone loves Me, he
will obey My teaching. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and
make Our home with him.” (John 14:23**)
-- “The Counsellor, the Holy
Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and
will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14:26**)
--
“I will send you the Counselor-- the Spirit of truth. He will come to you
from the Father and will tell you all about Me. And you must also tell others
about Me because you have been with Me from the beginning.” (John 15:26-27*)
-- “I am the true vine, and My
Father is the gardener. ..... Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. For a
branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be
fruitful apart from Me. Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who
remain in Me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from Me you can
do nothing.” (John 15:1.4.5*)
This may all still sound a bit theoretical.
So, now the question is: how does a church that wants to grow strong ‘in the Lord’ practically
look like? That will be the theme for the coming ‘Interruptions’. So hold on!
Translations: * New Living
Translation; ** New International Version.
About
“Who is the Holy Spirit and what is His ministry?”, see meditations 27-33.
About "God's major project: Transforming me and my church into the likeness of Christ", see meditations 44-48.
About
“Personal, Christlike love for God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ”, see
meditations 56-62.
About
“Corporate, Christlike love for God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ”, see
meditations 63-99.
About “The Church as a
‘Corporate Personality’, see meditation 63-65.
About “The two Tracks of Maturing in
Christlikeness”, see meditation 100.
About “How to overcome the power of sin in my life?”, see meditations
101-119.
About “How do I protect Jesus’ life within me against Satan’s attacks?”,
see meditations 120-133.
