BIBLE STUDY FOR TEXAS: A life's potential is realized in Christ

June 18, 2001

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July 29 Lesson

A life's potential is realized only in Christ
___Ephesians 3:1-21
___¹For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles--
___²Surely you have heard about the administration of God's grace that was given to me for you, ³that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. ⁴In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, ⁵which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets. ⁶This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
___⁷I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of his power. ⁸Although I am less than the least of all God's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, ⁹and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. ¹⁰His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, ¹¹according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. ¹²In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. ¹³I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.
___¹⁴For this reason I kneel before the Father, ¹⁵from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. ¹⁶I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
___²⁰Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!

___By Jeanie Miley
___I stood outside the birthing room of a hospital in Lubbock on the day before Easter, pacing back and forth. Frequently, I called my husband in Houston from my cell phone to update him on our daughter's labor. I couldn't wait to hold that bundle of potentiality in my arms, and when I finally did hold Abby, I was overwhelmed with a deep desire that this brand-new person become everything she was created to be.
___The next day, Easter Sunday, I recalled my father's dramatic conversion experience on Easter Sunday in 1934, and his surrender to the ministry the next Easter, two events that changed his history and our family's. Again, I was overwhelmed, this time with gratitude that his faith and trust in Christ reached fulfillment. At the end of his life, we knew he had fulfilled the purpose for which he had been created.
___"We don't want anything to happen to you that would nip you in the bud," my mother used to tell me when I was young. I didn't understand until much later that some people and some churches reach their full potential and others do not.
___Paul's passion for others
___The life and ministry of Paul was shaped by his consuming passion for Christ, a love relationship that began with his dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus. Christ was deeply established in Paul, and his desire was that the early converts and the early churches he established reach that pinnacle of the spiritual life, unity with Christ.
___In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul communicated that God's plan for all people is that they experience the strength, fulfillment, love and intimate, rich relationship with him faith in Christ brings. In chapters 1 and 2, he emphasizes that God has been at work since the beginning of time to draw all people to himself, in unity, through Christ.
___In the chapters and verses previous to this lesson, Paul offers a knowledge of God, man and the world, and the relationship of Christ to each. Conscious of the value placed on necessary knowledge and an intelligent and intelligible explanation of the plan of God, Paul addresses that need.
___Suddenly unable to contain himself, Paul's passion for Christ and for God's intent and purpose for people spills out in one of the most beautiful prayers in the scriptures, and it is "for this reason" that Paul prays. He prays because he yearns for these early followers of Christ to experience the fullness of Christ, for Christ to be fully established in their hearts and for all people and the churches to reach their full potential.
___Indeed, Paul was ever watchful of those disputes, misunderstandings and troublesome issues that would "nip in the bud" the life of Christ in the other churches. In Ephesians, his fervent desire is for God's purpose in the world to be fulfilled and that all people--Gentiles as well as Jews--might be reconciled to God through Christ and brought together under the lordship of Christ.
___Standing was the ordinary way of praying in Paul's day. In this prayer, Paul's "kneeling before the Father," indicates humility and solemnity. Paul's desire for the will of God to be fulfilled is so big he cannot remain standing. He bows in surrender to the will of God and is an example to the indwelling Christ that has inspired and encouraged countless disciples through the centuries. It is through surrendered lives that God works.
___Paul's reference to the "family of God" calls to mind those in the past, all who believe today and those who are to come in the future. This prayer reminds us God is the source--it is to God and God's purpose that we bow, and that we are interconnected with each other. This life we share, the life of Christ, is not a private possession, but a gift of grace that unites us with God and with each other.
___Connecting with the source
___Paul understood that God was the source of all riches that make life worthwhile and meaningful. In his prayer for his beloved friends, he doesn't ask for temporal gifts or passing fads. He prays for spiritual riches for individuals and churches, not so they could boast in what they had, but so they would be equipped to fulfill the purpose for which God had created them.
___May he strengthen you in your inner being
___Earlier in his letter to the Ephesians, Paul acknowledges that the power of God acts upon people and the world from the outside. Here, he offers a complementary truth, and that is that we are also strengthened from within by the power of the indwelling Christ.
___Churches, corporations and institutions expend enormous amounts of energy maintaining buildings, marketing themselves--all external trappings that may or may not reflect inward strength. The cosmetics industry reflects the desire of all of us to look good. However, if a person or an entity is not strong at the core, it will not last, no matter how glittery the outside appearance is.
___The strength Paul prays for is that inner strength of character, character reflecting Christ's indwelling presence. It is the strength of confidence of living "in Christ." Paul's prayer is that the inner core of the person, that place in each of us that is the highest part of our nature, will have integrity and congruence, authenticity and unity. The outside reality will reflect the inner strength.
___The strength Paul prays for is not that of self-will or willfulness. It is not the strength of power, domination and control. Paul understands the power of love; he knew that where love is lacking, power and control rush in. Paul prays for that inner strength that flows from the very nature of Christ, a result of dwelling in Christ.
___Christ dwelling in your hearts
___What informs your decision, day by day? What is the governing value or organizing principle of your life? Is it the agenda of the corporation, the demands of your family, the call of an addiction or is it the spirit of Christ?
___Paul understood the importance of the heart as the place where a person's mind, heart and will come together. He also knew how easily people give their hearts to other people and to small gods, and that people are easily "tossed about" by other doctrines and movements from without and by the winds of emotion from within.
___For the followers of Christ, Paul desired inner strength, initiated by the Spirit, would create a condition that was strong enough to contain the empowering life of Christ. Paul knew the overwhelming result of the initiative of Christ in the individual life. He knew that to fall into the hands of God, in Christ, was a revolutionary thing, requiring an uncommon inner strength. Instead of living in fear or conflict, anger or confusion, we must dwell in him, and he in us.
___In the church, we must take into account the seriousness of discipleship and its cost. We must take seriously the process of faith formation, allowing people to mature in faith and in love. We should not expect people to manifest a maturity, either in their own daily lives or in leadership in the church, which they have not yet attained. On the other hand, we must hold ourselves and others accountable and responsible for that maturity we do have.
___Rooted and established in love
___It is common knowledge that newborns, deprived of love, will fail to thrive and often will die. There comes a point in one's maturation process where the failure to love, to give it to God and to others, is to fail to thrive.
___Again Paul returns to the theme of love. Love is central in Paul's understanding of life in Christ. Love is the essence of life in Christ; it is both the goal and the way to the goal.
___Over and over, he moves from the dizzy heights of intellectualism and the lofty ranges of theology to the centrality of Christ's love. Indeed, he says to the church at Corinth, nothing matters without love.
___To be rooted and established in the love of Christ is the highest aim of the Christian. Jesus' commandment was to love God and one's neighbor as oneself. "By this," Jesus said, "others will know that you are my disciples, by the love you have for each other."
___The bigness of God
___Stand on the rim of the Grand Canyon. Scale one of the Fourteeners in Colorado, if you can. Edge up to the ocean and test how far you can see. Sit outside at night and try to count the stars. Try to measure the potential in a newborn baby. Look back over your life and make a list of the countless blessings you have received from God. Take a walk through an art museum or a library and ponder the creativity of God, unleashed through human instruments.
___All of these pale next to the vast love of God.
___Read, then, Paul's soaring finish to his prayer and ponder the immense resources of God available to us. Listen in on Paul's petition for the people of Ephesus, early followers in a land far from Texas.
___Allow Paul's petition to nestle down in your own heart and become your prayer for yourself, for your church and for the faithful followers of Christ known as Texas Baptists. What could happen if we reach the potential God has for us?

For thought and discussion
___ What do you think would happen if your church members prayed this prayer for each other and for your church every day for a month?
___?What would happen if you prayed this prayer for yourself? Are you ready to be blessed this much by God?
___ What do you think God might be wanting to give Texas Baptists in the next five years?___
___?Is it possible the refusal on the part of some to receive the glorious riches of God might affect others? Explain.
___ How do people place themselves in a position to receive all God wants to give? How do people block the gifts of God?
___ What part of your life needs to be strengthened by the indwelling Christ? What part of your church's life needs to be strengthened by the indwelling Christ?
___ What kinds of things--external and internal--keep an individual from being "strong at the center"? What would Paul suggest to do about this?
___ What kinds of things prevent a church from being strong at the center? What
___would be Paul's remedy?
___?What is the payoff or secondary gain for remaining weak or immature, either as an individual disciple or as a church? In other words, why would anyone want to remain immature, as a Christian?
___ What is the cost, to the culture of Texas, of spiritual immaturity of Christians?

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