“So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be
able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the
love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:17-19 NASB)
A recent movie entitled “The Greatest Showman,” highlighted P.T Barnam and how he started what became
known as “The Barnam-Bailey Circus.” His goal was to take what society considered “misfit” people and bring
them together to provide entertainment, wonder and laughter to people. He recognized that what the average
person considered a “misfit” was actually a uniquely gifted individual. He saw the bigger picture. He envisioned
that these individuals when brought together in a team would produce “The Greatest Show on Earth.”
We too were misfits and strangers to the kingdom and promises of God. We were outcasts (Eph.2:1-3, 12).
Though He chose one group of people to be His people, He always had a bigger picture in mind. A hint of this
bigger picture is seen in God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 17:4 as He called Abraham a “father of many
nations.” According to Ephesians 3:11, this bigger picture was God’s plan from eternity. It was a plan that was
hidden until the fullness of time came to be revealed through Christ (Ephesians 3:4-6). The plan was that all people– Jew and Gentile, would become one people experiencing the fullness of His promises and blessings for the purpose of revealing His nature and character to the world (Ephesians 3:9,10). Jesus’ death on the cross was the ultimate sacrifice that made this possible. It broke down the dividing wall between God and man (human kind) and between Jew and Gentile. He brought us together as one new man in whom there are no divisions (Ephesians 2:14,15). When Jesus rose from the dead, Ephesians 4:7-11 says He gave gifts to men (Greek “anthropos”- human beings). He also comes to live in the hearts of those who express faith in Him for salvation (Ephesians 3:17, Galatians 2:20). This changes us and equips us for His purposes.
CHANGES US
When Christ comes into our hearts, we become “rooted and grounded in love.” (Ephesians 3:17) We receive the
very nature of God which is love (1 John 4:8). As this seed of love matures, in addition to loving others, it enables
us to more fully comprehend and experience the full dimensions of God’s love for us (Ephesians 3:18-19). It is this
love that is the bonding agent of our unity as believers. The blood of Jesus makes our unity possible. It is God’s
love in us that makes it actual. Love is not a theory or a feeling. It is a decision that is manifested in attitudes and
actions. To grow in Christ is to grow in love. The mark of a maturing Christian is the degree to how they love (see
1 John 4 & 5). To be filled (under the control of) with the Holy Spirit is to be motivated by God’s unconditional
love. The fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22,23 is love. The other attributes are the expressions of love (compare 1
Corinthians 13:4-8). That may explain why the word “fruit” is in its singular form.
EQUIPS US
While embracing our individual uniqueness, Jesus gives us the abilities (gifts) to accomplish things beyond what
we could do in our own power. They are called “spiritual gifts.” They are generated by the Holy Spirit who is the
presence of Christ in us. The purpose of the gifts is to enable believers to strengthen and mature each other so
that the body of Christ (the church universal) may be strengthened as a whole. The church in its mature form is
unified in its faith and knowledge of Christ and exhibits His character. Ephesians 4:13 puts it this way:
“ And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists,
and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of
service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of
the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature
which belongs to the fulness of Christ.” (NASB)
HIS PURPOSE
The purpose for the church (the body of Christ) is to be transformed into the image of Christ and to be a light in
the world that draws people to Christ. Our power is in our unity. Unity is a work of the Holy Spirit as we yield to
Him and allowing love to be our motivation in all things. It is a dying to self and considering the needs of others
(Philippians 2:1-11). Jesus prayed that we would be one as He and the Father are one. It is a quest for unity
among our diversity. When we talk about becoming one, it begs the question, “Which one of us should we
become?” The answer is “neither.” It is a new person. It is the one that is most like Jesus. We have only one foe
and that is the devil. It is not each other, nor is it the unsaved neighbor, spouse or co-worker. In Christ, we have
all the weapons we need to defeat him and his cohorts. We are the most powerful when we are unified. It is then
that our light shines brightest and God is glorified. It is then that we become the “greatest show on earth,”
showcasing the love and grace of God to the world.
THE CHALLENGE
Jesus is coming for a mature bride (the church) fulfilling His commandment to go into the world and make
disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). Do you want to hasten His coming? Then allow the word of God to
transform you, the Spirit of God to unify and empower you and the love of God to motivate you to reach a lost
world. God loves people and it was for the deliverance of people that Jesus died (John 3:16).
This is His heartbeat. Let it be ours and we will become the “greatest show on earth” magnifying the greatest
showman – Jesus Christ.
PRAYER
Father, I thank you for loving me. I repent of selfish, self-centeredness. Thank you for forgiving me. Fill me with
your Holy Spirit and love my fellow believers and unbelievers through me. Unify us as your body so that the enemy may be defeated and Jesus exalted. This I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Article Written by: Shermaine Jones
