“ALWAYS REPPEN”

Read Ephesians 4

“Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects unto Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love” (Eph. 4:15-16, NASB).

It is said that Nashville, Tennessee is one of the leading cities in providing excellent health care. However, the citizens of Nashville are some of the unhealthiest in the nation. There are several factors that contribute to this truth. When it comes to having good health, medical science tells us that there are some things that we cannot control. We cannot control our heredity. On the other hand, there are some things that we can control, including our diet, exercise, and sleep. In like manner, we cannot control the fact that we are all born sinners, separated from God, and condemned to eternal death. Jesus died on the cross to redeem us from our sins, and we are expected to grow up in our relationship to Jesus Christ. In this article I want to compare physical conditioning with spiritual conditioning. Let me tell you why I am using the title “ALWAYS REPPEN.”

I become acquainted with Michael at the health facility where I attend. I notice that Michael does all of his exercises at a fast pace. Michael lifts weights. He will do one exercise, walk fast to the next exercise station, and again do the exercise at a fast pace. One morning Michael has on a shirt with the words ALWAYS REPPEN written on the front. I interrupt Michael and ask him, what does this mean? He explains that he is trying to get two exercise routines into one because of time limitations. By walking fast between each station he is always doing repetitions of an exercise.

It takes discipline for Michael to get up early in the morning, come to the gym and work hard to get his exercises done in the short amount of time that he has before he has to go to work. Nosy me, I walk along with Michael as he walks between stations and ask him questions. In the conversation I learn that Michael has a purpose and he has goals. When it comes to our conditioning and growth in spiritual things we too must have purpose and goals.

The apostle Paul writes to the church at Ephesus to encourage them to work towards unity. As is the case with most groups of people there is a tendency to have divisions. Paul writes to say to the Ephesians that they are to work toward unity. Unity does not come naturally. People need a purpose to strive toward unity. Paul says that the Christians’ purpose is that they grow up in Christ Jesus. This means that each individual member is to take personal responsibility for their own growth, and this will result in a healthy and unified congregation. How can we grow in Christ is our challenge.

If we are to be spiritually healthy we must have a healthy diet plan and commit to spiritual exercises. Donald S. Whitney in his book Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life gives us ten disciplines. These include: Bible intake, prayer, worship, evangelism, serving, stewardship, fasting, silence and solitude, journaling, and learning. In this context disciplines means a course of learning and training. Paul writes to Timothy and says, “Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness” (1 Tim. 4:7, NASB). We must persevere in spiritual discipline on a daily basis. If we become slack in spiritual disciplines, like the athlete that fails to do his or her exercise, we will become out of shape. We will be unable to compete effectively on our spiritual journey. In the context of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, they will not be able to maintain unity in the church.

What is our purpose for exercising ourselves in spiritual disciplines? We must be strong in our faith. By faith I mean that we must have active faith; the kind of faith that moves us to participate in the ministry that the Lord calls us to do. The church is one body under the authority of one Spirit that calls all of us to one hope (4:4). In the church the Spirit calls individuals to different ministries or rolls. “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 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 fullness of Christ” (vv. 11-13, NASB).

Thus the purpose of spiritual discipline is that we become healthy and well-conditioned Christians. In physical conditioning, each exercise is designed to strengthen different muscles in the body. Thus, in order to be healthy one develops an exercise routine in which the entire body is conditioned into one unified healthy body. When I read Whitney’s book for a class while in seminary, I discovered that I was not thoroughly conditioned in my spiritual life. Although I was strong in Bible reading I was lacking in my prayer life. I learned that a stronger prayer life enhances my bible study.

What is the goal of Christians? What do we hope to gain from our walk with Christ? The goal that the church has in mind is eternal life. In his book The Gospel-Driven Life, Michael Horton consistently reminds us that keeping the gospel in the forefront of our mind is the key. We must live with the death and resurrection of Jesus in mind. With the gospel in mind we have an eye toward eternity. Paul describes this as the motivation that keeps us exercising in the spiritual disciplines. He says, “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14, NASB). In the Ephesians context Paul encourages the church to seek unity. Their unity shows evidence that they are growing in Christ. It strongly suggests that they are running to gain the prize of eternal life.

In Ephesians 4 we learn that Paul prescribes a healthy spiritual diet. A healthy diet has a list of foods that we are to consume each day, and there are some foods that we are to avoid. For example, Paul writes that we are not to eat the foods of false doctrines offered to us by trickery men who use crafty advertising to convince us to order from their menu of unhealthy foods Instead we are to eat the healthy foods of truth and love (4:15).

Diet alone will not give us a well conditioned body that is able to compete in the race. Although medical science has learned that being overweight contributes to unhealthy conditions, it cannot be concluded that a person with ideal weight is able to run the race. So, Paul tells us to include spiritual exercises for the whole body. As stated above, there are different exercises that strengthen each muscle and body part. A well rounded exercise routine contributes to a strong and healthy body. Spiritual disciplines contribute to the growth of “each individual part, causing the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love” (v. 16). Growing in Christ requires daily work. So, let us follow the words, “Always Reppen.”