Healthy Spiritual Community – Core Strength

Core Strength physically and spiritually come from the same place, our center. If we as the church do not possess a strong center we will be vulnerable to collapsing under the pressures of ministry. If we as individuals do not have a strong center, we too will be vulnerable to collapsing under the pressures of life. The Bible makes it very clear that Jesus is the center of our salvation, our faith, the church and our ministry – so much so that the very concept of being a follower of Christ is connection to the “Body of Christ”.  

The Scriptures also make it clear that an individual’s core is their “heart” (Luke 6:45, Prov. 4:23 and Eph. 1:18 & 3:16-17), and that a spiritually sound and healthy heart is one where Christ is Lord, the center of our control (1 Peter 3:15). 

Therefore, a strong spiritual core is when your faith in Christ becomes the center of who you are as a member of the Church/Christ’s Body. Can you see how that definition of your core strength is inextricably linked to the church? You cannot separate who you are in Christ from who you are as a member of the body of Christ. Yet that is exactly what we struggle with. We fail to see ourselves as critically linked to one another. Our culture is so far removed from the Biblical/Hebrew culture that we miss the message that resonates from almost every page of the scriptures. Let’s walk through our text and let me highlight the movement of Paul’s thoughts as he writes. 

First, let’s remember that he isn’t writing a letter that will be run through a copy machine and then delivered to each of the homes of all the Ephesians’ Christians. He is not addressing individuals – he’s addressing a body of believers. His application throughout the letter is much more corporate than individual. By that I mean, he wasn’t thinking for a moment that they would work on their faith independently, but interdependently with one another. Therefore, if we are to develop true “Core Strength” it will happen only in the context of community. 

Our passage as well as numerous others reflect quite clearly that a “strong core” (a church that functions with Jesus at its center), comes from three things: being faithful, prayerful, and insightful with one another. 

Being Faithful – Eph. 5:1 tells us to be “imitators of God”, and God is faithful, see 1 Cor. 1:9. Looking at verse 15 of our text notice what precedes their love. It’s their faith. That is a connection that scripture makes over and over. True faith in Christ instigates love for others. Love in the Bible is always about action. It always does something. “For God so loved the world that he…” what? He gave! A church learning to love in healthy ways must be well connected to faith – faith in what? Look back to Eph. 1:1, “faithful in Christ Jesus” and 1:15, “your faith in the Lord Jesus”. Core strength originates from our faith in Christ and is evidenced by our love for one another. The apostle John was so adamant about this, he challenged the early church that if they do not love one another, they do not know God (1 John 4:8, & 19-21). We will never be faithful at loving others if we are not learning to live within community!  

Being Prayerful – How central is prayer to the Christian experience? So central that you cannot have one without the other. If you are reading the Bible, it doesn’t take very long to recognize that prayer is as essential to core spiritual strength as breathing is to living. There are dozens of passages that tell us what to pray, when to pray and how to pray. One of my favorites is 1 Thess.5:17 that challenges us to “pray without ceasing”. Oswald Chambers said it well, “The purpose of prayer is to get a hold of God, not an answer.” That’s it – we don’t know God personally without prayer. It is the primary mode of our communication. You can think, write, sing your prayers, or simply say your prayers. If you aren’t praying, you aren’t connecting to God. Community is one of the most powerful and perfect places to learn to pray!  

Being Insightful – The Christian experience is repeatedly described in the scriptures as a spiritual move from darkness to light (Jn. 1:9; Acts 26:18; Eph. 5:8; 1 Peter 2:9; &1 Jn. 1:7-8). When Paul prays that “the eyes of their heart would be enlightened…” he is asking that they would have or obtain greater insight. The bottom line to having spiritual insight is knowing “What would Jesus do?” An insightful believer has the clarity to see at least three things based on our text. They see the future through God’s eyes which produces hope, they see one another through God’s eyes which produces worth and they see power through God’s eyes which produces strength. Take a few minutes and look up three more passages and make notes on how Christ is at the center or core of each way of seeing or gaining insight (Col. 1:27;2 Cor. 8:9 & 2 Cor. 12:9-10).

If you have not yet joined a small group or ministry team I have to ask, why not? Please let us help you to connect to one today and begin to build your “core strength”. Sign up on your iCard or stop by the info desk for assistance.

In His Love,

Pastor Jeff

Advertisement