Paul had left Timothy in Ephesus because there were problems there in the church. For one thing the church was much like us today in that God was somehow connected to financial success....(you can read of this in 1 Timothy 6-19.) Only a few decades later the Apostle John's words would include the church in Ephesus in his letters to the seven churches. They had indeed remained doctrinally true....but they had also...."left [their] first love." (Revelation 2: 1-7) That is right about where many of us in the remnant are today....and you can see it particularly in our feeble misguided response to one of God's judgments upon us....the coronavirus pandemic....where no longer grounded in love....we simply could not care less how much suffering there is....and how many people die....for we want economic success....and we want our liberty to further pursue more economic success.
In that first letter to Timothy he mentioned that there were those who were commanding Christians to abstain from certain foods....(1 Timothy 4: 3)....just as we today are told to abstain from a vaccination.....and Paul also warned in 1 Timothy 1:4....to stay away from...."fables and endless genealogies"....as just for one example of this today we are told by one prophesy superstar that Donald Trump was Jehu....and Hillary was Jezebel. These fables and genealogies have become our daily diet....in evangelicalism and in politics.
All Paul could do was to warn us....but I bring Paul's letter to the Ephesians up in this post for an altogether different reason....which directly relates to a recent post on how so few evangelicals today are actually born again....for in that short third chapter of Ephesians....Paul wrote about...."the mystery of Christ"....specifically in that gentiles would be "fellow heirs"....in the gospel....with the Jewish believers in Jesus Christ....but in that chapter Paul prays that we would truly know Christ....that we would understand and comprehend the glories of Christ....and folks....the only way to see the true majesty of Jesus Christ....is to have been born again. So....if Jesus Christ is academic to you....all true doctrine maybe but purely academic....with no unspeakable and sustainable joy evident....yes with a church-going profession of faith....and even weekly Bible study....but no actual longing for Christ....no total dependence on the Bible being 'studied' whereas it must be consulted with joy and hope every day of our lives....and therefore in all of this there being no evidence of having been born from above....then Paul is here praying for you.....
"that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height-to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with the fullness of God.....Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Jesus Christ to all generations, forever and ever. Amen"
John 3:3 is this...."Jesus answered him (Nicodemus)....'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God'". We've all seen the billboards with this verse on it. May God bless those who have undertaken such a great task. The word here "see" speaks also to having a knowledge of Christ....and an awareness of such a great salvation....and a discernment on issues that those born again must have to retain the truth of the gospel.
