The first half of the letter to the Ephesians shouts of the glory of God and the wonder of Jesus Christ. The first half of the letter doesn’t command us (other than to remember the truth of the Good News) but celebrates the believer’s reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ. It drives home the truth that all believers, Jew or gentile, male or female, slave or free are united through the glory of our Savior. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Ephesians 2:14-17 Twice in the letter’s first half the apostle breaks into fervent prayer on our behalf. Those prayers are spectacular and very much worth reading.
The second half of the letter to the Ephesians, in amazing contrast to the first half, delivers forty direct commands. The 2nd half of the letter is a clearly stated demand that Christian people refuse to remain in Christian infancy, but instead we are to make it our constant desire and effort to grow up in our faith, becoming powerful and effective voices for the Good News of Jesus. …until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. Ephesians 4:13-16
Of the 1,300+ thoughts for the day that I have written this is the first time that I have used one to promote a specific book of the Bible. But I do so today because I believe that we are facing desperate times in our world and that the Lord needs His people to be at their best. The letter to the Ephesians is a mighty shout out to the glory of God and to our Savior Jesus, and it is a strong shout to the Lord’s people to “get it in gear” and to “get the job done”.
We are not alone. The Lord is always with us, but at the same time we are not alone because we have one another. The Body of Christ is tremendous, but we need to be willing to work together. Please, take some time to read the letter to the Ephesians. Take some notes of how the words apply to you personally and notes to help you remember some of those 40 direct commands. The Christians at Ephesus got the message and they became a driving force for the Lord in their world. I believe it is time that we too get the message.
Vern