Perhaps you are already answering the question in your mind..."Surely not Steve. Your asking us this question at 8:00 AM. It's not even "the third hour of the day" in Peter's words. Plus - we're Baptist; the strongest thing we drink is Chai Tea!"
But I am not speaking of drunkenness from wine or the foolishness from the immorality of the wicked world around us. I ask in the context of Ephesians - that great work that calls us to consider the New Covenant Temple, the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Are we drunk with the wine of family and personal ambition and therefore become foolish architects/builders of the Temple that we are to be focused upon?
In our previous studies at Heritage, we have seen how the letter to the Ephesians is filled with construction language. Some of the language is clear in English translations, some is not. In Ephesians 5, we are faced with a question. Has the light of Christ shone upon us? If so, we must arise and if we are wise, we must redeem the time.
What is it to be "wise"? A builder/architect was demonstrated to be wise by the quality and durability of his work. An example of this is found in the parable of the two builders in Matthew 7:24-27. The builder of the strong, secure house was called "wise". The builder of the house destroyed by the rain and the floods was called "foolish".
So, are we wise?
- How are we doing at building up the New Covenant Temple, composed of both Jew and Gentiles (Ephesians 2.14-21)?
- How are we doing at understanding the glory and importance of the Church as this temple, which Paul prayed God would reveal that we see the magnificence of it in its splendor and glory (Ephesians 3.14-20)?
- How are we doing at utilizing our spiritual gifts that we were equipped with through the resurrection of Jesus so that we each hold one another together and support one another and grow together in the Corporate Temple (Ephesians 4.10-15)?
If we are wise builders, and not fools, then we will redeem the time. The prophets rebuked Israel for not being concerned with (re)building the Temple. Zechariah was one of these prophets. As he encouraged Israel to give effort to build the physical temple, his words were prophetic of the true Temple to come. In Zechariah 4:6 the word of the Lord says, "Not by strength, nor by power, but by My Spirit says the sovereign Lord".
In Ephesians 5, we are commanded to be "filled" with the Spirit. "Filled" is a construction term that is used to speak of the materials of a building being incorporated into one another during construction. As Zechariah promised, God is building his temple by his Spirit.
So, are we redeeming the time? If we do not do so, weeks will fly by, months will disappear, and the Temple will be left degrading instead of being built up.
Let me suggest a few practical things:
- Pray with the apostle Paul (Ephesians 3:18), that you and your family will understand the glory of the New Covenant Temple.
- Pray that the Spirit of God will use you in the "filling" of the Temple, so that you and your family will help the whole Body to grow in love, being integral "fittings" and "supporting ligaments" (Ephesians 5.18 and 4.16).
- Commit in every way possible to being involved with the meetings and studies in the church.
- Find ways to use Christian conduct and the gifts of the Lord Jesus to build one another in the the Body.
- Do not let other things take you away from this great work.