Changing the World Was Never My Job

What Ephesians can teach us about ordinary faithfulness

Quick note before we jump into this week’s email. I’ve recorded myself reading this, and you can listen by hitting the play button above. I thought this might be a useful addition for those who want to catch up on email while you’re driving or cleaning or cooking. It only took me a few extra minutes, so if you listen and enjoy it, let me know so I can do this more in the future.

I had heard it probably dozens of times before. In the first half of Ephesians the Apostle Paul outlines the theological realities of salvation, and in the second half he explains how Christians should practically live in response to those realities. But as I studied the epistle with a group of young moms last fall I saw a truth I had never noticed before: changing the world was never my job.

We’ve been talking about the false promises of radical Christianity and exploring a course correction together toward ordinary faithfulness. There are many single verses and short passages in the Bible that instruct us in this approach to the Christian life. In 1 Thessalonians 4:11 Paul urges members of the church “to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands.” A significant goal of the well-known Romans 13 passage on submitting to government authority is to make it clear to believers that God’s purpose and desire is not for them to become activists out to overthrow the political status quo, but to quietly and faithfully live as citizens of a higher kingdom.

Since last fall, Ephesians has become one of my favorite sources for a more complete theology of ordinary faithfulness. When I looked at the overarching outline of the epistle as a whole, I was overwhelmed by how clearly it contradicted the radical Christianity I was taught. Again, here is the most common way Ephesians is outlined by biblical scholars in commentaries and studies.

• Ephesians 1-3: Theological explanation of a new spiritual reality, our position “in Christ.”

• Ephesians 4-6: Practical instructions for living from that new spiritual reality.

Ephesians 1-3 has some of the most incredible verses that beautifully describe “every spiritual blessing” we have in Christ (1:3), including the gift of the Holy Spirit (1:13-14), new life after being spiritually dead in our sins (2:1, 5), unity and belonging in the household of God (2:14, 19), open access to salvation for those of us who are not Jewish (3:8), and “the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge” (3:19). This new reality of our lives in Christ is nothing less than earth shattering. It leaves me speechless at times. Can we just pause for a moment and praise God for these undeserved riches?

And then in chapter four we shift to the practical instructions. In light of these incredible spiritual gifts and this new reality, how are we to live? One might expect Paul to call on the believers in Ephesus to dedicate their lives to missions, as he has. Or to get out into their city to do door-to-door evangelism. Or, remember See You At the Pole, when Christian high school students would meet to pray at their school flag pole? How about See You at the Temple (of Artemis)?

But no. Paul doesn’t suggest any particularly radical ways for the church in Ephesus to live out their new spiritual reality. Instead, he instructs them in unity (4:1-16), personal purity (4:17-5:21), marriage (5:22-33), parenting, (6:1-4), employer/employee relationships (6:5-9), and then reassures them that they have access in Christ to everything they need to carry out these instructions (6:10-20). Here are some of the most boring and basic instructions included in Ephesians 4-6.

• Be humble and gentle. (4:2)

• Don’t steal. Do honest work so you can meet your own needs and also be generous. (4:28)

• Be kind and forgive each other. (4:32)

• Don’t tell dirty jokes. (5:4)

• Don’t get drunk. (5:18)

• Husbands, love your wives as you love yourselves. (5:28)

• Children, honor your parents. (6:2)

• Masters, don’t threaten your bondservants. (6:9)

Sure, these things were not common in ancient Ephesus, and they aren’t common in our own culture. But, this is also a very different definition of “radical” than the one I was taught. It sounds like Paul is saying that in light of the incredible riches we have been given in Christ, we’re just supposed to… keep living our lives. Our physical, geographic, and demographic position isn’t expected to change, even though our spiritual position has been radically altered.

Studying Ephesians has made it clear to me that what God desires is not a handful of “radical”, “sold out”, “on fire” Christians, but millions of faithful men and women who are embodying the kingdom in their ordinary lives. Understanding this has not resulted in apathy for me, that tragic condition I was constantly warned against by youth conference speakers, short-term mission trip leaders, and bestselling evangelical authors. Instead, it has resulted in freedom. Freedom to live in the truth that my salvation is enough, that there is nothing more I can add to Christ’s finished work, and that love, joy, and peace can be the overflow from which I serve.

Beauty in Church History
One of the things I wanted to do while visiting family in Germany was take our 3 year old to visit a cathedral. We visited the Altenberger Dom in Northwestern Germany. The first church in this location was built in 1160, and since 1856 it has served as a simultaneum, a parish church for both Catholics and Protestants. A 3 year old’s understanding is obviously limited, but I loved answering his hushed questions about the stained glass windows and paintings of scenes and characters from Scripture.

Beauty in Work
We’ve been in Germany for a month now (we head back to California in two weeks). I am thankful everyday for my job, but the gratitude levels have been even higher while we’ve been here. Not only am I able to work entirely remotely while staying home with my toddlers (which would be a miraculous blessing by itself), but I also have the privilege of shepherding Christian books into the world as a marketing manager for a Christian publisher.

In pursuit of Beauty,