By Ezekiel Kimosop
How should believers conduct themselves during this difficult season of COVID 19 shutdowns and lockdowns now that Christian worship gatherings have been outlawed by the authorities?
The social media platforms have lately become the place of solace for many who seek answers on the prevailing circumstances. Unfortunately, most of what flies across those pages do not offer true solace for believers. Besides, false teachers have taken over these platforms to post scary articles that leave many confused!
I wish to propose a sound prescription. Let us turn to the comfort and wisdom of Scripture. Scripture is a high voltage lamp that illuminates our paths, beaming into the future.
We should therefore daily turn to the word of God for directions on the above question.
Ephesians 5:15-21 says "See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God."
This passage begins with a call to believers to understand what the will of God is for our given set of circumstances so that our decisions and actions can glorify God.
God's will for us can only be discerned from the devotional study of the word of God. The Bible contains principles and illustrations that address practically every conceivable situation of life, including what we presently face under the COVID 19 pandemic.
Many believers are living in fear because false prophets are using lies and deception to spread fear and pandemonium about the immediate and distant future. However, those who pay attention to the truths of Scripture will face the difficult times with fortitude and calm and will ably provide spiritual direction to God's people in these dark times.
Ephesians 5:21 exhorts us to submit to one another in the fear of God. What does this Scripture mean in our present circumstances?
We shall return to this question later in the concluding section of this study.
PASSAGE CONTEXT
First, it is instructive that the above passage is a conclusion to three important exhortations by Paul in Ephesians 5. This is where we find our context or road map for our passage.
Let us briefly examine them below.
First, Paul called on the Ephesians (and us) to walk in the love of God and to be imitators of Christ's sacrificial love. God's highest expression of love was exemplified in Christ's atoning death (see Ephesians 5:1-7).
The Bible is here reminding us of the cost that Christ paid for our redemption. His finished works of the cross were motivated by sacrificial love for us (Philippians 2:1-10). This should be a daily reminder of the high price paid to deliver us from sinful condemnation.
Paul then admonished the Ephesians (and us) to keep away from the defilement of immorality, saying God will certainly punish the immoral along with idolators.
This admonition is instructive.
Idolatry was entrenched in the pagan city of Ephesus where the goddess Diana was worshipped.
Notice that the riot in Ephesus in Acts 19:21-41 had to do with the declining income for the idol craftsmen after many Ephesians turned to Christ at the preaching of Paul and his associates and abandoned their idols.
The second exhortation is found in Ephesians 5:8-14. The Bible admonishes us to walk in the light. This is by reason that Jesus has rescued us from the life of darkness and brought us into His kingdom of light.
The Bible describes believers as children of light (Ephesians 5:8). Light is often used in the Scriptures in the context of enlightenment or spiritual awakening.
Elsewhere in Scripture, the word of God is described as "a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path" (Psalm 119:105).
Jesus taught that believers are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. The gospel is also metaphorically identified with a light that shines broadly from a lamp that is placed in the pathway and which therefore leads men in darkness (Matthew 5:13-16).
PASSAGE ANALYSIS
The third and final exhortation is our passage of interest in Ephesians 5:15-21. In this passage, the Bible admonishes us to walk in wisdom.
Ephesians 5:15-16 says "See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil."
To walk circumspectly is to walk with godly wisdom in a world where deception and the cunning craftiness of men abounds (Ephesians 4:13-14).
The adverb "circumspectly" is borrowed from the Greek word which means to take heed or to walk cautiously. A person who exercise spiritual prudence is aware of the circumstances and nature of pitfalls that stand in their way of obedience. This prudence can only come from a life that is informed by the knowledge and obedience to the word of God.
Ephesians 5:16 exhorts us to redeem the time for the days are evil. This is a warning to every child of God to keep their spiritual antennae on the alert.
Many people today believe that the world as we know it is perpetually spinning on its axis. They are dead wrong! God has set the times and the seasons for us. The Bible is our only reliable guide in interpreting the seasons and in determining where we are in God's timelines as we look forward to the soon coming of Christ.
Scripture exhorts us to diligence in understanding the will of God for our times (Ephesians 5:17). In so doing, we should watch against moral excesses that obscure our spiritual path. Wine was liberally consumed in the New Testament period just as it is today. It is a popular tool of entertainment and pleasure today. Sadly, hard drinks taken in excess can numb our mental faculties and impair our moral judgment.
Wine is here described as a dissipation (NKJV). This word speaks of far more than gluttony or greed. The Ellicott's Commentary describes it as "a reckless pursuit of excitement at all costs." This is primarily descriptive of addiction, an impulsive attraction to objects of pleasure.
The consumption of wine is metaphorically used to describe spiritual confusion and lack of discernment that comes with greed and addiction to worldly pleasures.
Instead, Scripture exhorts us to "be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God" (Ephesians 5:19-21).
To be filled with the Spirit is to be under the influence and control of the Holy Spirit. This is a contrast to the life controlled by wine or worldly pleasure. A Spirit filled believer is not one who speaks in strange tongues but one who exhibits spiritual maturity and deportment. Such a believer rightly discerns between truth and error; between the heavenly and worldly things. He is conscious of his obligations in walking in obedience.
This passage concludes with the projection of a Spirit controlled life that oozes with godly worship and Christian admonition in truth. A thankful heart is a heart that is connected with God and which marvels at His awesomeness in gratitude. It is a contrast to a heart that is ruled by the impulses of earthly pleasures.
CONCLUSION
This now brings us back to our first question. What does it mean to submit to one another in the fear of God? See Ephesians 5:21.
Christian submission is about orderliness and godly conduct. It is a broad biblical concept that requires a separate treatment. However for purposes of our prevailing circumstances, I will narrow it down to our Christian obligations to one another under the restrictions we presently face.
Most Christians would readily admit that they miss their Sunday church worship gatherings and fellowship meetings.
How then should we maintain our Christian way of life in isolation? I have the following suggestions.
First, I am pursuaded that members of a church congregation should submit to their congregational obligations even if we do not get to gather in the usual manner.
We should follow our church sermons, exhortations and other instructions online (in as much as this is practically possible). We need regular spiritual nourishment from our pastors and elders.
Secondly, we should dedicate part of our now flexible schedules to the study of the word of God at personal and family level. This is a discipline that can easily be lost to hours of TV and social media platforms.
Thirdly, we ought to observe our congregational commitments including faithfully sending our offerings and tithes to the church through mobile money or bank transfer during our online services.
Remember that if we neglect our obligations on giving, our pastors and church workers will not receive their support and church bills will run into arrears! If we can eat, we can give to God.
Fourthly, we should pray earnestly. Pray for those infected and affected by COVID 19 pandemic and the thousands of medical workers who are in the frontline in managing the cases. Let us pray for and support the needy in our midst and in our communities of context. Many have lost their means of livelihood as a result of the calamity.
Finally, we should use online platforms to share the Gospel and to exhort and admonish one another in the way of the cross.
In this way, we shall be walking circumspectly, redeeming the time.
Shalom
© Ezekiel Kimosop 2020
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