BEING THE
COMMUNITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Around
the world today the church is celebrating Pentecost, the coming of the Holy
Spirit. The Spirit has always been, but on that particular day when Peter stood
up to preach, the Holy Spirit came to dwell permanently in the body of
believers. Without the Spirit there would not be a church.
As I contemplated how to teach about
the Holy Spirit and his relationship to the community of faith, I was at a loss
to pick a passage of Scripture to achieve this. I flipped through various
verses; I tried the concordance using “Spirit” as a guide; I was stuck. I put
my head down in weariness and did what I should have done in the first place –
I prayed. I asked the Spirit to show me how to teach about his role in our lives.
Moments later I lifted my head and
turned to a verse that spoke of the Spirit. Then I looked at the letter that
verse is found in. Suddenly it dawned on me what the Spirit was showing me.
Paul was teaching this community exactly what I wanted to teach you today –
what the role of the Holy Spirit is in their midst.
Ephesus was the community in
question. And I found ten verses/passages that spoke to what the Holy Spirit
does in the church. Ephesians can be divided into two parts: the first part
(1-3) speaks to who we are in Christ through the Spirit, and the second part
(4-6) speaks to what the church does in the Spirit.
Join me in Ephesians for a sketch of
the letter that highlights the work of the Holy Spirit in the community of
faith.
1.
What the Spirit does to a community
In
the first half of Ephesians we find some very positional material regarding our
status in Christ. Our position in Christ through whom God chose us to be
adopted into his family is made secure by the Holy Spirit. This is how the
Spirit works in us. Keep in mind that when Paul says “you” he is talking to the
community, not individuals.
a) A sign that
we belong to God
– The first thing we are told about the Spirit is that his presence in our
lives is a sign that we belong to God. Paul wrote, “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth,
the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a
seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance
until the redemption of those who are God’s possession – to the praise of his
glory,” (1:13-14).
There are some very key theological
pieces in this statement. Since Paul is talking to non-Jews about a Jew who
came to save Jews from sin and death, he is very careful to say they were
included in this salvation. Then Paul connects the word of the truth or the
gospel with the presence of the Holy Spirit. That is to say, when the Ephesians
heard the gospel and believed it, then the Spirit came to dwell in them.
We can take this personally as well.
When you believed in Jesus, the Spirit came into your life. However, this
presence has a corporate implication. When you believed in Jesus you became
part of his body, his family, and it is the family that the Spirit is most felt
in.
We have this Spirit, this third
person of the Godhead, as a deposit guaranteeing our salvation. He is the mark
of God’s ownership of us, the seal that says we are his. One writer said that
the Holy Spirit is like an engagement ring. We are promised as Christ’s bride
and the ring guarantees there will be a wedding. That is the beginning work of
the Spirit in us.
b) A fuller
knowledge of Christ
– The Spirit is not just a presence or an aura or some ambiguous shadow. He is
a person with a focused task.
In Paul’s first prayer for the
Ephesians he says, “I keep asking that
the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit
of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better,” (1:17). The
Spirit’s job is to help us to know God better. He brings life to our spirits so
that we may reach up and begin to understand God. The Spirit opens the eyes of
the mind, the understanding of the heart, and makes known to us the glorious
fact that Jesus accomplished our salvation, and that it is only through faith
that we can possess this gift of God. Through the Spirit we get Jesus; that is, we comprehend Jesus.
Paul later writes about his letter, “In reading this, then, you will be able to
understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which 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,” (3:4-5). The Spirit is the Spirit of
revelation. When you read the words of Paul and other writers of the Bible you
understand what you are reading because of the Spirit at work in you. When you
do not understand it is the Spirit you should call on to reveal to you the
meaning of truth.
Since this is written to a
community, I must add that the understanding of Holy Scripture is not the task
of one person but of the community. That is why we gather around the word like
we are doing this morning. The church interprets the Bible, not the individual.
c) A community
that reflects Christ
– When we come to understand what
Christ has done on the cross, how he has achieved forgiveness for all our sins,
our focus turns to each other. The beginning of chapter 2 explains how it is by
grace we have been saved. That same chapter concludes by showing how two
natural enemies have been reconciled by the cross.
“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,”
(2:17-18). Jews and Gentiles were naturally hostile to each other; Jews because
of their spiritual elitism looked down on pork-eating Gentiles. Christ came to
make one new race out of the two, a race that belongs to God.
Paul illustrates this new community
with a house, “And in him you too are being
built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit,”
(2:22). God would not live in a house divided; it does not reflect his harmony
or unity. God rebuilds the house, he renovates it to suit his tastes. That
house on first street (across from Fasts’ house) looks like the parts don’t fit
quite right (I’ve called it a “conglomeration”). God takes the house in
question and makes its many parts look like they have always belonged.
This is what he does with the
church. The Spirit works to renovate us into a building where each part belongs
and fits so that God will live in us, as it were. Together we have access to
the Father through the Spirit; the Father dwells among us as one people by his
Spirit. That is why reconciliation is so important for us as the people of God.
d) An enduring
faith in Christ
– Paul’s second prayer for the Ephesians includes this request, “I pray that out of his glorious riches he
may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that
Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith,” (3:16-17).
So the Spirit is an empowering
presence in our lives. This does not refer to the ability to work miracles but
more so to the power that enables us to be God’s people in this world.
The Spirit works in our “inner
being” to produce the likeness of God’s character in our lives. He helps us to
live out the life of Christ together as one people dedicated to his gospel.
That inner being is not some personal consciousness or intellectual assent to
God’s existence. Our inner being is the place where our moral compass is found,
that directs us to decisions that reflect God.
Within the context of this prayer
(we actually talked about last Sunday) we find that it is part of a request to
know the love of God better. Again, the Spirit’s work in us is to take that
love of God and make it more than something we agree with. The Spirit is the
One who helps us to feel loved and to know that the love of God can be
experienced.
This work is happening as we sit
here. The Holy Spirit is making us a church right now in this place.
2.
What the Community does in the Spirit
Not
only does the Spirit of God work in us, we have a responsibility to work with
the Spirit. The second half of the letter to the Ephesians speaks to that work.
a) Keeps the
unity of the church
– While the Spirit works to reconcile people and bring people who were formerly
not of God into the people of God, we have the task of keeping the unity of the
body intact.
Paul said, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the
Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit – just as
you were called to one hope when you were called – one Lord, one faith, one
baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and in all,” (4:3-6).
There is a reminder in these words
of what our core values are as a people of God. And this goes beyond just KEMC;
it begs us to consider these truths with all churches in our geographical area
and the rest of the world.
What’s important? There really is
only one body – one worldwide church of Christ – and we all belong to it.
Denominations will one day melt away and the people of God will stand as one.
There is one Spirit for all the churches of Christ. There is only one Lord
Jesus and one baptism into his name. There is only one God who reigns over the
church.
How do we keep the unity then?
Verses 2-3 speak to this challenge. How do you care for someone who doesn’t
like you? Or a person who likes music you don’t? Or a person who opposes you
and frustrates your dreams? Paul’s answer: be lowly in spirit so that you can
patiently endure their differences. A person who humbles themselves is keenly
aware of his or her debt toward God and of the amazing grace that saved a
wretch like them.
At the end of this chapter Paul adds,
“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit, with
whom you were sealed for the day of redemption,” (4:30). Much has been said
about what this means, even debated. Considering the context of this chapter,
we grieve the Spirit when we fail to keep the unity of the church. The sins
described in this chapter destroy relationships within the community of faith.
Sins that divide destroy the body come from Satan; to continue in them is to
grieve the Spirit.
Rather we are to “be filled with the Spirit,” (5:18).
When we are filled with the Spirit we are filled with the character of Christ.
And as we take on the behavior of Jesus we will care about others in the body.
b) Battles for
the souls of men and women – As we strive for the unity of the church, we
battle for the lives of those who do not know Christ.
Paul describes this spiritual
warfare language, using armor as an illustration. Most of the items are of a
defensive nature, but the last items are offensive. Paul writes, “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword
of the Spirit, which is the word of God,” (6:17).
Normally Paul would use the word
“logos” to denote the Word of God; here he uses “rhema.” Logos refers to the
content of the gospel. So the sword of the Spirit is not the Bible per se.
Rhema gives emphasis to that which is spoken. The sword of the Spirit then is
the proclamation of Christ.
It is when we speak up that the
sword of the Spirit is activated. It is when we dare to speak the name of Jesus
to a hurting friend as the One who can make her whole that the Spirit is at
work. In our attempts to share the love of Jesus the Spirit moves in ways we
cannot imagine to transform hearts and minds. If only we would speak up…
Another way we battle for the souls
of men and women together with the Spirit is through prayer. “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions
with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, keep on praying for
all the saints,” (6:18).
Prayer is connected to this section
as a weapon that helps us in our conflict with Satanic powers. Spirit-inspired
praying with Spirit-empowered proclamation is how we take on the enemy of our
souls.
Gordon Fee says that prayer is not
simply our grocery list of requests, our feeble prayers spoken in weakness;
prayer is not simply our cry of desperation, it is an activity inspired by God
himself through his Holy Spirit. It is God siding with his people, and by his
empowering presence, the Spirit of God himself bringing forth prayer that is in
keeping with God’s will and his ways.
I often struggle with how to pray,
or what to pray. I find myself wrestling with getting the right words and the
right attitude in prayer. Some days prayer comes easy. Whether you struggle in
prayer or sail through it, the important thing to remember is that is when we are
on our knees that the Spirit works through our intercession for others to save
them and make them his own. He doesn’t care about fancy theological words or
poetic entreaties; God simply wants the cries of your heart.
I
have given you the ten verses of the letter of Ephesians that described the
Holy Spirit. I encourage you to go back this week and study each one in its
context and pray over them. I challenge you to invite the Holy Spirit to do
this work in you as an individual and in our community of faith. Consider how
you might let the Spirit use you in these areas.
The same Holy Spirit who came at
Pentecost with tongues of fire and a mighty rushing wind is present with us in
KEMC and in the worldwide church of Christ. This same Spirit wants to fill you
with understanding of Christ and make you like Jesus in your walk in life.
So I repeat the admonition of Paul,
“Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with
the Spirit.” Be filled with the Spirit. This is my prayer for you and me.
AMEN
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