Reflection - A Fourfold Call

By Rev Clive W Ayre

How is the authenticity of the Christian life expressed? Paul has some words of wisdom in Ephesians 5:15-20. His words present a personal standard of conduct, but they speak also to the church. I see in them ‘a fourfold call’.

First, Paul says, ‘Be careful how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time because the days are evil.’  Those words were written 2000 years ago, but it might just as easily have been yesterday. I don’t need to go into a long litany of woe so far as our society is concerned. We know all too well the impact of violence and corruption, greed, drugs, and other addictions; we may question the extent to which we have a stable society based on strong moral and ethical principles.  But that is the context in which we live.

The difficulties Paul faced in his day bear an uncanny resemblance to our current context. Be careful how you live, Paul might say, because Christians are effectively on trial in the court of public awareness. Some people take a perverse delight in the misdeeds of Christians and are just waiting for an opportunity to point the accusing finger. Yet the way we live as Christian people is not motivated by any number of accusing fingers, or even codes of law for that matter. In short, we will be careful how we live because we live every moment of every day as in the presence of our God. If the grace of God is real, it has to make a difference.

Second, Paul says that we should ‘understand the will of the Lord’.  It seems to me that we need to remind ourselves constantly that we are not here to please ourselves.  We are servants of a divine purpose and mission, people under orders, if you like, from a higher authority.

One of the subtle dangers we face as a church is that we tend to think of the style we prefer, to create a church in our own image. Yet in the end it is not our church, but Christ’s church. It is he who has the right to determine the direction and shape we should take. It is for us to seek that direction. That isn’t always easy of course. The clue is in waiting on God in expectant hope, and then going forward in good faith. It gets more complicated when we talk about conflicting expectations in a Church!

Third, Paul says, ‘be filled with the Spirit, as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves ….’  Again, there is a lot that could be said about that. But it is noteworthy that nearly every resurgence of faith and forward movement of the Church is associated in some way with music.

Finally, Paul speaks of ‘giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.’  When we look back over our journey, hopefully we can do so with a profound sense of thankfulness to God; for whatever is wrong, there is so much that is right. As the Apostle said, in all things God works together for good for those who love him. Give thanks with a grateful heart! As we permit Ephesians 5 to speak to us again as a people, we may grasp the elements of a fourfold call.  Be careful how you live, understand the will of the Lord, be filled with the Spirit, and in all things give thanks.