Seek First – Kingdom Focused Devotionals

“Being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart” (Eph. 4:18).

                The true nature of life without God is now described in a series of devastating and depressing phrases.  When one has no cognition of God, the old nature has both free reign and great power.   Paul is not suggesting that everything listed here marks the life of all non-Christians, but he is indicating that this is the path that life tends to take without God.  Without God, all else is vanity and without purpose. 

                A person without God may have much knowledge but they have no light of wisdom and thus they can be described as one whose understanding is darkened.  It is sometimes hard for us to fully comprehend that one can be brilliant in the world’s eyes and still be darkened in the understanding of what is true and real about life.  To know God is not simply knowledge about God but fellowship with Him, and thus one who chooses to live without knowing Him is excluded from the life that is only available in Him.  It is tragic when one lives all of life without knowing his/her Creator and thus discovering one’s true purpose. 

                Man living without knowing God was never God’s desire but was caused by man’s hardness of heart.  The word “hardness” is somewhat difficult to translate.  It could be derived from a noun meaning “blind” or a verb that means to “petrify.”  The meaning might combine the two.  When one ignores the revelation God provides there is a subtle but sure hardening of the heart towards the things of God. 

                Don’t forget that Paul is reminding believers that they should no longer walk in “futility of mind” (17).  When believers ignore God’s word, it can cause a hardening in our own lives concerning the things of God.

Prayer:  Father, forgive me when I ignore Your truth and follow my own way.  Amen.

“So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind” (Eph. 4:17).

                You may recall that we began our study of chapter 4 with a call to a “worthy walk.”  Paul is now going to provide practical instructions for how to walk in a manner that is worthy of one’s calling. 

                First, one must completely abandon the old way of living, a manner of living which is here described with the phrase “futility of the mind.”  The term “walk” means “to conduct one’s life.”  When you see “Gentile” you can translate it as “pagan.”  The pre-Christian lifestyle is one of pagan excess.  If you know the history of the first century, you will realize that Paul’s description is not wide of the mark.  The first century was marked by mental and moral decay.  Sound familiar?

When a person accepts Christ, he/she turns his/her back on a lifestyle that is focused on oneself and thus often marked by personal excess.  The difficulty is that we, like those first century believers, continue to live with persons who live without any thought of God.  Thus Paul feels led to warn his readers that they can no longer walk in their former manner of life now that they have accepted a kingdom call. 

Does your life reflect a new way of thinking and living?  Have you turned from the futility of mind and a life focused on your own pleasure?

Prayer:  Father, renew my mind that I might walk as one worthy of my calling.  Amen.

“From whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love” (Eph. 4:16).

                Notice the linking of this verse to the one before.  It is Christ alone who provides all the energy for growth and activity.  He is sovereign over the church, coordinating its entire ministry so that it might build itself up in love. 

                We have already seen the term that is translated “being fitted and held together” in Eph. 2:21.  These are the only two uses of this term in the entire New Testament.  This word can be used for a joint or fastening in the construction of a building or for the shoulder joint of the body.  It is through every joint that the growth and proper-functioning of the body is made possible.  It is through the individual parts that God Himself has designed and placed in the body, according to His own desire, that proper growth occurs. 

                This verse makes clear two important principles.  First, the body depends upon the Lord’s empowering and direction for its growth.  Second, God has chosen to work through all of the parts of the body to accomplish His work on earth.  The building up of the body speaks of the spiritual growth of all the members of the body.  When spiritual growth is evidenced by the participation of all the members in the context of love, numerical growth will follow. 

                I hope you noticed that you are an important “joint” in God’s plan to invade earth with His kingdom.*

Prayer:  Father, I am continually awed that You would choose to work through Me.  Amen.

*If you want to know more about how to discover your gifts, see You Are Gifted by Ken Hemphill.  Book is available from any bookstore.   Video teaching, and study guides are available.  For free administrative materials see www.auxanopress.com .

“But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ” (Eph. 4:15).

                Those who have come to know the truth must also embody that truth.  They must speak the truth in love to see the church grow up in every area of life into Christ.  

                It is important to note that what is done and the attitude in which it is done must be in complete harmony.  Did you notice the contrast with the men depicted in verse 14 who teach false doctrine by means of trickery and craftiness in deceitful scheming.  These men taught falsehood for their own financial gain, whereas the believer is to speak truth for the spiritual benefit of others. 

                When members of the body speak truth from the right attitude, everyone grows in spiritual maturity which produces stability in the church.  All of our growth is “into Him, who is the head.”  The goal of the development of Christian life in the church is that every member will discover that every part of life finds its object and goal in relation to Christ.  Every activity of the healthy, growing church must be under Christ’s direction and for His glory. 

                The church corporately, and each of its members individually, can be healthy and strong only as each is obedient to Christ’s control.  Does obedience mark the life of your church?  Does it mark your life today?

Prayer:  Father, may my life always be marked by total and immediate obedience.  Amen

“As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming” (Eph. 4:14). 

                   You may recall that this letter and Colossians were written to combat the spread of heresy in the Lycus Valley.  The need for doctrinal purity is no less crucial in our day than it was in the first century church.  Thus these words should both challenge and encourage us. 

                When the body members work together according to God’s plan, one result will be the growth in spiritual maturity with the result described in this verse.  The words translated “tossed here and there” is used in Luke 8:24 to describe the raging waters of Galilee.  The picture is of a small boat that is at the mercy of the action of the waves driven by a storm.  The word “carried about” speaks of violent swinging which makes a person dizzy. 

                Persons without a doctrinal rudder are at the mercy of the trickery of men.  Trickery speaks of playing with dice and thus fraud.  “Deceitful scheming” is used in 2 Cor. 11:3 to picture the guile of the serpent.  False teachers are not above using deceitful schemes and cunning devices to convince others to follow them.  But as we grow up in every aspect into Christ, we will be able to stand against these forces. 

Prayer:  Father, may I grow up so that I will not be tossed about by the trickery of men.  Amen

“Until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13).  

                Sometimes when we think about church growth, we think only about numerical growth.  Yet, if numerical growth is not accompanied by spiritual growth, the church simply becomes larger without becoming stronger.  It is for this reason, that Paul now turns his attention to the goal of every-member ministry. 

                When each person discovers, develops, and deploys his/her gift, the first impact will be unity.  The verb translated “attain” is often used to speak of a traveler arriving at his/her destination.  Notice that the unity which is given by the Spirit is attained as “the faith” is communicated.  People with varied backgrounds, interests, and tastes will grow in their understanding of the biblical basis for unity. 

                Unity is not found simply in the recitation of a set of agreed upon doctrines; it is found as people grow in their personal relationship with Christ.  “Knowledge” here is a deepening personal and relational knowledge that comes through the study of God’s word in the context of God’s people.

                Our goal is to present every person mature in Christ.  Some translations read “perfect man.”  Perfect means full development (cf. 1 Cor. 2:6).  What is in view is adulthood as contrasted with childhood.  It is tragic that many Christians continue to play childhood games when it comes to church. 

                The ultimate goal of our growing maturity?  The fullness of Christ!  Christ has all the fullness of God (Col. 1:19) and He desires to fill His church with Himself so that the church will, in turn, express His fullness in the world today. 

Prayer:  Father, forgive me when I act more like a child than a mature man.  Amen.

“For the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ” (Eph. 4:12).

                The role of the gifted leaders is to equip the gifted members to accomplish the work of ministry and thus build up the church.  Tragically, we have nearly forgotten this God-given model for the proper functioning of the church.  Some people act as if only those who have seminary degrees and are on the church payroll are equipped to do ministry.  This “minister-only” ministry pattern has crippled the church. 

                Thus it is clear that a stated goal of the church is the development of the members to a state of spiritual fitness that they fully participate in the ministry of the church.  Surveys indicate that nearly 80% of the church’s ministry is accomplished by about 20% of the church’s membership.  Can you even imagine what your church’s potential would be if we moved to this biblical model of every member ministry?

                We cannot and we must not overlook that the basic assumption of this verse is that every member of the church is redeemed, empowered and gifted by the Spirit for effective ministry.  The phrase “building up” indicates that the church is increased numerically and spiritually as each member finds his/her place in the body and employs his/her gift for the glory of Christ. 

                Do you know your place in the body?  Are you using your gift for the good of the body and the glory of Christ? 

Prayer:  Thank You for gifting me and placing me in Your body as You chose.  Amen.

“And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers.” (Eph. 4:11).

                Christ’s gifts to the church are men and women whom He empowers and gifts to minister to one another to the building up of the body until it expresses God’s fullness.  In this first verse Paul focuses on leaders, whose role is to equip other gifted members.  The emphasis on leadership gifts was prompted by the spreading heresy that was threatening the churches of pro-consular Asia. 

                The word “apostle” is used in several different ways in the New Testament.  At its most basic level it could mean messenger (cf. Phil. 2:25).  Its primary use was for the original twelve disciples who held a distinctive position because they were eyewitnesses of Jesus.  A third use includes other men such as Paul, Barnabas, James (brother of the Lord), Silas, Junias, and Andronicus.  These men had seen the risen Lord and had been sent out by him (cf. 1 Cor. 9:1).  Thus they too had become foundational to the early church (Eph. 2:20).  The prophets were men of inspired utterance whose ministry of the word was essential for the infant church.  By definition, the ministry of apostle must cease with the death of the eye-witnesses.  The role of the prophets quickly diminished with the establishment of the Canon of New Testament Scripture. 

                The evangelists were similar to our missionaries whose itinerant work was to establish churches; i.e. church planters.  The words “pastors” and “teachers” are linked by the same article, thus describing the work of the leaders of specific local churches. 

                The point we must underline is clear—God will gift His church in every generation to express His fullness in the world.

Prayer:  Father, thank You for providing gifted leaders for Your church.  Amen

“He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things” (Eph. 3:10).

                We must never forget that the ascension of Christ has a distinct and ongoing purpose.  God desires to fill everything with Christ’s presence.  His desire is to express the fullness of God in the earth today which will be accomplished through His church. 

                Paul first stated this purpose in 1:22-23 where he indicates that God put everything in subjection to Christ and place Him as head over all things so that His body, the church might express His fullness in the earth.  He mentions this glorious design for the church again in 3:9-11.  Paul was given the privilege of bringing to light the mystery which for ages had been in God.  “So that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.  This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord.” 

                You may be thinking that this bold design for the church is beyond anything you have seen or experienced in your church.  Truth is–we have aimed too low.  God has never changed His plan for establishing His fullness in the whole earth; and His plan is to hold up His church as the picture of His manifold wisdom. 

Prayer:  Father, give me a renewed commitment to and passion for Your church.  Amen

“Now this expression, ‘He ascended,’ what does it mean expect that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth?”  (Eph. 3:9).

                We have already seen that Paul has repeatedly emphasized that Christ has been exalted to the highest possible honor.  His authority is such that He is “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come” (1:21).  Don’t forget that the exaltation of Christ is seen throughout in terms of the empowering of the church to express His fullness on earth. 

                In our present verse, Paul wants us to understand that His ascension was preceded by His descent.  Paul is contrasting His glorious ascension with His humiliating descent.  He came from heaven to earth, took upon Himself human flesh, and became a servant—even to the point of death on a cross (cf. Phil. 2:5-11).  The glorious King willingly came to the very depths of the earth. 

                He came to earth not only for the redemption of mankind, but to fill everything with His presence.  Since He is supreme over all authorities and powers, there is nothing that is not subject to Him.  Thus the ascension of Christ did not mean that Christ had deserted the earth.  His ascension led to a Christ filled world.  How, you might ask?  He gave gifts to His people that we might fill the earth with His presence. 

Prayer:  Father, may I be a yielded vessel that reveals Your presence in all the earth.  Amen