Robert E Rasmussen.com

Paul,the Mosaic scholar, the religious zealot who sought to eradicate all followers of Jesus whom he hated, who was confronted by the risen Christ and struck blind so he could truly see, and who, now as he writes, dwells in a prison for proclaiming the Christ he once despised — this extraordinary soul whose body was hindered by a disability which intense prayers could not remove, Paul now writes of divine realities which exceed the capacity of human language.

Consider his theme of fullness (a Greek word, pleroma, which should not be confused with a later heretical Gnostic myth).

1. The gathering in the fullness of times.

“that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and earth – in Him” (Eph.1:10)

When all is accomplished that God needs to accomplish, both in heaven and earth, then He will wrap up a grand gift to present to Christ.

We live in an unfolding story. Our time is known by God. The places we occupy are seen by God. He was there in what has happened already. He knows what is ahead. And He is with us right now, right here. He knows what is happening on earth, and has synchronized what is happening in heaven.

Surely, the churning on earth is kept in balance by the calm in heaven. The dark storms on earth cannot cast a shadow on the brilliance of heaven. And here is why.

2. Christ fills all in all.
    Christ is the head of the body, the Church.
    The Church is the fullness of Christ.

“And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all” (Eph.1:22-23).

There are now, as then, principalities and powers in the heavenly realms. There are forces holding dominions, carrying names, whether holy or evil.

But there is One who died and rose again, who has now been seated at the right hand of God, far above every other power in the heavenlies. And that is His rightful place, not only now in this present age, but also in the future age which we will enter in the fullness of time.

This One, the Lord Jesus Christ, stands above all other powers, for “He put all things under His feet” (Eph.1:22). And the supreme Christ is connected in love and power to all His followers, as Head to body. This means that the Church is not subservient to any power other than Christ. So vital is the Church to the victory of Christ that we are His fullness, just as He fills everything in every way, in heaven and earth, in this age and the next!

Words fall short. The mind must let go and admit we cannot keep pace with such revelation.

As we stay in our homes to curb the spread of this virus, we are only as confined as our theology is small. Dear believer, your Savior, who knows right where you are, sits atop the tiers of heaven, yet lives in your soul. You are part of His body, and in Him you will flourish in this life and the next.

Permit me to round out Paul’s teaching.

3. Be filled only with the Spirit of Jesus.

“And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit” (Eph.5:18).

To live into the fullness of Christ, Who fills all in all, we must be full of the Spirit He has given us. Accept no substitutes,

• neither wine nor medication
• neither lust nor human love
• neither plans nor property

Only Christ! Add nothing to Him. Take nothing from Him.
Let us be so emptied of self that there is room for Him to increase. Confess fear and welcome Him who is the fullness of love.

Let us do this till our final breath and we wake on the other side where we will see Him and understand the glory of His fullness.

My personal prayer as I conclude this lofty teaching must be:  Lord Jesus, how shall I live this day to enlarge my heart to be more filled with Your Spirit?

Covid-19 will significantly change our nation and world. It remains to be seen what those changes will be. Analysts observe several areas that are already changing in some nations:

• increased government role in surveilling citizen behavior and health
• government activism in supporting the economy
• nationalizing industries
• government-run medical systems
• sealing off borders

How will the Church change? As we seek to pray from our heavenly point of view, as Paul did in Ephesians, how do we understand the signs of our times so as to pray and live as Jesus would want?

Praying from the mountaintop must not detach us from serving in the valley of the shadow of death.

Books will be published by experts on these topics. I can only posit some preliminary thoughts from my vantage point.

I believe God would be glorified if the Church will enter into a lasting season of repentance and revival. We have been reminded that life on earth is fragile — that our few years here should be lived for the values of eternity.

This calls us away from self-preservation and toward risk for one another, especially the vulnerable in our world. Jesus calls us to extravagant love for the sick, blind, prisoner, the widow and orphan.

Those in developing countries are likely to be hit broadside with Covid-19 in coming weeks. Several factors make the situation worse:

• denial of the threat by leaders,
• close physical proximity in urban and slum areas,
• cultures of communal living,
• poor medical systems,
• hunger leading to unrest,
• government incapacity to assist financially

These and many other factors portend a tsunami of fatalities in poorer countries which could devastate nations.

Christians in the West must not look the other way while insuring we have enough supplies in our homes!

Millions of people in the global diaspora are now cut off from their families. Already struggling, many refugees face unemployment, no medical insurance, undependable housing, trauma, and little family support. Many are lonely and desperate. Yet what little they have has been shared with their needier relatives back home through remittances. Now, that flow of sharing is disappearing.

Wealthier countries will further draw up the bridges, shutting out desperate refugees in the name of self-preservation. We will see a lessening of opportunity for Christians to show the love of Christ to migrants who have never heard the gospel, nor seen it lived out.

The impact of this global crisis will take years to unfold. We must pray for a “spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him” (Eph.1:17).

We, the Church, need wisdom as to how to see the new world that is unfolding. We must pray that the Spirit would reveal the light of the gospel to millions before they enter an eternity separated from the God who loves them and sent His Son to be the Savior of the world.

We must care passionately and pray fervently for our brothers and sisters throughout the world who face poverty, illness, and death this week.

We must pray against further calamity coming on top of the virus. I believe the Holy Spirit is restraining further evil and disaster. We must pray, and seize this moment for repentance.

We must long to see “the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe” (Eph.1:19). We have a miracle-working God who sees and honors faith.

This, of all times in our lives, is when we must step forward and believe God to be God on behalf of all humankind.

It is doing my soul such good to enter into the thoughts of the Apostle Paul, a prisoner for his devotion to Jesus, as he writes of vast heavenly truths.

Today we have many words describing horrible invasions, like 

• pandemic
• cancer
• virus
• epidemic

As I look at Paul’s epistle to the Ephesian believers, it is clear that God has unleashed on humanity a glorious infection — an array of blessings which can spread to everyone in every place.

Just as Covid-19 began with one invading cell, I’ve looked in our passage for the source of every spiritual blessing.

And I think I’ve found it.  It’s the pleasure of God.

Embedded in the grand hymn of praise (Eph. 1:3-14), there are two instances of “good pleasure” (Gk. word, eudokia)

• “according to the good pleasure of His will” (1:5)
• “according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself” (1:9)

God could have been angry, vindictive, selfish, petty, dictatorial, weak, — a real cosmic sour-puss. Instead, God, in the deepest recesses of His being delights in goodness. He is good, and He wills to spread goodness to humanity and creation.

So, He created in the heavenlies a blessed people, and unleashed us to spread through the whole earth. Imagine the impact of millions of people who:

• know they are chosen by God!
• bask in the security of adoption into God’s family!
• have all their sins forgiven!
• possess an eternal inheritance, sealed and guaranteed by the Holy Spirit!

If we become glued to the fear and negativity of these days, we could miss our part in the good pleasure of God as He infects the world with His love.

Epidemics will come and go,
Markets will fall and recover and fall again,
Leaders will falter
Institutions will disappoint,
but the good pleasure of our God will thrive into eternity.
So we, together, will wait on Him
and spread His good news
in every land and home.

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At a time like this, our response to hardship rests heavily on how we see ourselves.
In studying Paul’s epistle, we often see the plural pronouns “we” and “us.” Who is he referring to? The salutation says, “To the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus” (1:1). The congregation, meeting in synagogues and homes, was multi-cultural (both Jewish and Gentile).

The point? These solid truths are written about all genuine believers together.

Considering the first stanza (1:3-6):

• God blessed us with every spiritual blessing
• just as He chose us in Him
• having predestined us to adoption by Jesus Christ
• He made us accepted in the Beloved

Its beautiful to know that you in particular were chosen by God, but let’s not be too hasty to individualize so much of God’s Word which addresses our corporate standing.

Stanza two and three adds:

• we have redemption through His blood
• we have obtained an inheritance
• that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory
• having believed, you (plural) were sealed with the Holy Spirit
• the guarantee of our inheritance

God’s story is one of gathering throughout history, from every tribe, tongue, and nation, a new, chosen people, for His own glory.

At all times, even and especially when times are hard (like Covid-19 weeks), what should give us our bearings? Who are we to be as the global and local community of believers?

We can rest in the confidence that the lavish kindness of God is safely and eternally reserved in heaven (1:3).

We can marvel that God has been, is now, and will continue to choose a global, multicultural, multi-generational community for His own good pleasure,

• and keep clearly in our collective mind that He envisioned this gathering from before the foundation of the world,
• and focus on His purpose that we be “holy and without blame before Him in love” (1:4).

We can take confidence that God set our collective destiny beforehand, as adopted into His eternal family because He delights to do so (“the good pleasure of His will,” 1:5).

And we can lift up voices and hands and good works in a praise-response to His amazing grace — the undeserved kindness by which He has given us, together, full belonging and safety in His beloved Son.

A final thought.
I count eight times in Ephesians 1:1-14 where Paul says “In Him” or something similar. Can you find them?

All these blessings are treasures which open up to us in the person and work of Christ Jesus. I encourage us all to burrow deeper into Jesus right now.

• Put your full trust in Him.
• Surrender every last portion of your heart to Him.

Let this time of hardship be the renewal your heart has needed for a long time.

Reaching out to you in our shared belonging to God in Christ,

Robert