…having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints…
Ephesians 1:18 esv
Today we get a small portion of one of Paul’s famous run-on sentences that actually starts with verse 16 and ends at 21. The word that almost always draws my attention when used is “hope.” The Greek word is “elpis” which literally means an expectation of what is sure or certain.
So what does Paul want us to see? He wants us to stand firm in the certainty of our call in Christ. He says that its power is the same power that God used to make the resurrection of Jesus happen. In other words, Paul tells us that our reason to live the Gospel is of the same energy and will of God that breathed life back into the lifeless body of our Lord and Savior; Resurrection Power!
One of the greatest crimes perpetrated on Christian faith in the twentieth century was when some leaders in the church began denying the physical resurrection of Jesus. Leaders and laity alike began to cave into the secular world’s opinions that the bodily resurrection was not possible and never happened and that Jesus’ reanimation was simply a spiritual resurrection or metaphor for the birth of the church.
So what was the effect when this thought process gained in popularity? By denying the physical resurrection of Jesus, it sucked the power of God out of the church, and the “elpis” began to die. Soon the church began to blend into secular society and became indistinguishable. And it was then that the numbers started to plummet. They are dropping still as the numbers of none affiliated non-faithful people in our culture have reached an all time high of 27%.
So I sit here this morning, in the dark predawn hours, and pray that the eyes of your hearts be illuminated that you may remember and know the hope to which 42 called you!
Live this resurrection power today! And as always…
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