Ephesians 4:16 - From whom all the body fit together and joined together through that which every joint supplies according to the working of each part as one unit the body grows by building itself in love.

One of the main themes of Ephesians is the "love of Christ." It is here that we find the key to not only our individual maturity and success but also to that of the local church to which we belong. For the church to be strong collectively the individuals in the church must be strong. Paul opens this Epistle to the Ephesians by drawing their attention to the fact that from the very foundation of the earth we were created to be holy and without blame before God in love (Ephesians 1:4). By being established in this love we are able to comprehend with all saints the breadth, and length, and depth, and height of every dimension of God's plan and purpose for our lives (Ephesians 3:17). It is also through knowing the love of Christ that we are individually filled with all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:19). Then Paul brings us to this point in Ephesians chapter four where he reveals how the church functions. Each of the individuals gather together in the church with the supply given to them by the Spirit, and this supply results in the very function of the person of Jesus in our midst. The supply of the Spirit in the individuals functioning together act as tendons and ligaments - which not only give the connectivity to the body but its range of motion. Thus the manifestation of the Spirit functions as a result of the individuals being knitted together as one individual for the sole purpose of Jesus being revealed.

There is a responsibility that we all need to take up if the purposes of God are to be fulfilled through His church. It is each person's responsibility to be filled with the Spirit. We must be willing to give ourselves to walking in the realms of God's glory each day if we are going to have the capacity to yield to what God has purposed His church to be. The local church possesses an unlimited potential to reveal the glory of God. The church is to be the very revelation of the person of Jesus Christ. The church is the fullness of God and was established by Jesus Christ to reveal His glory. The church is to so reveal the person of Jesus that it would be as though He never left. This glorious revelation of who the church is depends upon each individual walking in a love for Jesus and for each other that is nothing less than supernatural. The result of giving ourselves to such a relationship brings to pass the full expression of the glory and power of Jesus Christ in our meetings. If we give Jesus His proper position and our undivided attention then He will supply all those things necessary for the fullness of His glory to be revealed in our meetings (Colossians 2:19; Ephesians 2:21; 1 Corinthians 14:25).

Be blessed,

Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
abidingplace.org