Eph 5: 15Be very careful, then, how you live–not as unwise but as wise, 16making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 19Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 21Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”
The “will of God” is one of the most fascinating themes about the Christian faith.
George Muller (1805- 1898), a respected English evangelist and philanthropist who established orphanages and Bible institutions, was known for his remarkable faith and life of prayer. In one of his classic essays titled Knowing God’s will — How to ascertain God’s will, he writes, “I seek the will of the Spirit of God through, or in connection with the Word of God. The Spirit and the Word must be combined. If I look to the Spirit alone without the Word, I lay myself open to great delusions.”
As you know, Muller’s position on the will of God, being anchored principally on Scripture or God’s Word, has become quite unacceptable and “outdated” for many people today.
For some, this position is way too fundamental, too simplistic, and perhaps, too narrow-minded, especially in these times of great diversity and openness. In this day and age of relativism, inclusivism, and maximum tolerance, how can one possibly take Muller’s seeming “exclusivist” and “prejudiced” position?
In our scripture reading, we are taken back to the time of Apostle Paul and his pastoral letter to the church he founded in the city of Ephesus, known to us today as the book of Ephesians or the letter of Paul to the Ephesians.
Ephesus is a Greek word that means “desirable”. Understandably, the city of Ephesus earned that name because of its very diverse, cosmopolitan, and prominent reputation in the entire region.
What truly put Ephesus in the map during its time was a religious shrine that had become the showcase of the city — the shrine of Greek goddess Artemis who was called by the Romans as goddess Diana.
Artemis or Diana was a fertility goddess whose image was revered and worshipped by her followers during the time of Paul. Consequently, much of the City’s economy and trade revolved around this temple. It became a place of pilgrimage for tourist-worshippers who have virtually supported the business industry because of the increasing demand for images, pins, and other souvenir items made in honor of the goddess.
As all these were happening, we see Apostle Paul rising to the occasion, showing great concern for the followers of Christ who were living in this very peculiar context.
Understandably, Paul recognized the deep and serious challenges faced by the believers living in the City. The public, economic, and cultural pressure alone was enough to discourage the believers from pursuing their faith. Many felt the strong economic and religious pressures of being a follower of Christ in their cultural context.
Imagine yourself a Christian during those times. Would you, for the sake of economic survival, have engaged in a business that supported the practice of what your personal convictions and faith would go against?
In Acts 19, we read a full account of Paul’s encounter with a man named Demetrius, a local businessman who organized a full blown movement against Paul by instigating other members of the business community to oust him from the City for apparently proclaiming a message of faith that was bad for business.
If not for the intervention of a city clerk named Alexander, who was able to manage the angry crowd, Paul would have been literally shred into pieces. As a result, of course, Paul was advised to leave the City for the sake of peace.
But what is the prize for true peace, we ask ourselves? In this time and age where people just want to stay neutral and play safe, just so that people will not be offended, or just so that we would not upset anyone’s feelings, or just so that we would not lose the favor and good graces of our so-called supporters and benefactors, how far would we go?
This was the great concern of Paul during his time as he faced the daunting task of admonishing the followers of Christ to remain faithful and steadfast.
In three short passages, we get a glimpse of Paul’s heart and passionate concern when he said, Eph 5: 15Be very careful, then, how you live–not as unwise but as wise, 16making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.
So much can be said about the will of God, but in the succeeding verses, Apostle Paul focus on three issues pertaining to God’ will: godliness, gratitude, and graciousness.
In his book, Strengthening Your Grip
, Charles Swindoll differentiates godliness from religiosity. “Things happen so easily in this generation of superficiality. We can pick up the religious language, learn the ropes – – – and defend our lifestyles by slick systems of theological accommodation- – – all it takes is a little Scripture twisting, and a fairly well- oiled rationalization.” Godliness is all about being filled with the Spirit of God. In the words of Christ, it is learning to die to ourselves — taking up the cross, and following Christ sincerely and wholeheartedly, in word and in deed.
20always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 21Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” The emphasis is obviously on the word “always” and in the phrase, “in everything”.
Gratitude is one’s ability to acknowledge the sovereignty of God, especially in times when it is most difficult and trying.
Unlike the lifestyle of that Ephesians that is centered on self-pleasure and self-satisfaction, the followers of Christ are not pleasure-obsessed. They are able to appreciate God’s presence and wisdom even in seasons of hardship and adversity.
Parallel to this lifestyle of gratitude is that of graciousness. It is one’s capacity to honor others above self. In the very example of Christ, graciousness is about laying down our lives so that others may live.
Ephesus today is modern day Turkey. It is believed that more than 99 percent of the total population of the country does not believe in Christ as the Son of God (Source: Wikipedia).
What truly happened to the Church? Was the pressure too intense that it became difficult for the followers of Christ to stand by their faith and convictions? Did the believers simply have to go with the flow for the sake of their survival?
Only God knows. What we can say for sure is that when all is said and done, faith is a moment by moment journey. It is a race we need to run with great patience and fortitude.
Even as we are assured of God’s love for us in Christ, we can never disregard the need for us to persevere and endure to the very end. Christ is certainly faithful. What about us? O God, help us!
