The Manifestations of Spirit-Filling: Submission (2)

As we’ve been studying, there are at least eight manifestations of Spirit-filling in the New Testament, four of which are in our text. The first is music (Eph. 5:19a), second, there is worship (19b), and third, there is thanksgiving (v. 20). Fourth, there is submission—Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God (v. 21).

As mentioned last time, this is one of the most misunderstood principles of God’s Word! It has been greatly misapplied and abused. But this principle is actually the one that leads into Paul’s deeper discussion of the family and the responsibilities of each family member. How desperately we need to understand this all-important truth. Let us look at two thoughts. First, we considered the meaning of submission.

Second, we consider submission in the home. This principle of submission is the central theme of the entire passage on the home. God has designed and defined the roles of each family member according to whom each family is submitted, that is, ranked underneath. Again, this never implies inferiority; it simply speaks of responsibility. 

Before we illustrate this principle with each family member, consider another thought. This submission we have been discussing is certainly the opposite of the “selfism” philosophy of today. We cannot be submissive if we are “self-sensitive,” that is, always aware of our own needs, feelings, and desires. Nor can we be submissive if we are “self-assertive,” that is, always expressing our own needs, feelings, and desires. And we certainly cannot be submissive if we are “self-centered,” that is, always fulfilling our own needs, feelings, and desires. The more conscious we are of “self” the less submissive we will be. To have a Godly home, each family member submits according to God’s order.

First, the wife submits to her husband. Please notice that verse 22 does not say, “The husband makes his wife submit.” No, he does not Lord over her as a dictator over his subjects. Rather, the wife voluntarily “ranks herself underneath” because the husband is the God-ordained leader in the home. We will deal with the term “help-meet” as we progress, but may we mention here that the basic idea of the word is that the wife is under her husband supporting, aiding, and encouraging him. As we will also see, the woman was actually created for the man not for herself (I Cor. 11:3, 8-9). The reason this is true is because individually the man and the woman are only half a person. It is only when they come together that a whole person is formed.

Second, the husband submits to Christ. Because the wife submits herself to the husband “as unto the Lord” (v. 22) and because the husband sacrificially loves His wife as Christ loved the Church (v. 25; I Cor. 11:3), the husband is under the direct headship of Christ and is Christ’s representative in the home. Talk about responsibility!

Third, children submit to the parents. Children “rank themselves underneath” as they obey their parents (6:1-3). This does not mean that parents are “better” than the children, but it simply means that God has put the parents in authority and has made them responsible. How much better off our homes would be if parents would not just teach children to “obey,” but teach them the motive for obedience—submi­ssion, keeping order in the ranks. 

Oh, how foundational is this principle submission in the home! Without a submissive attitude from every family member, we will not have Godly homes.

Now that we have studied the Meaning and the Manifestations of Spirit-filling, we are now prepared to look at one other principle of Spirit-filling. That’s for next time.

The Manifestations of Spirit-Filling: Submission (1)

There are at least eight manifestations of Spirit-filling in the New Testament, four of which are in our text. The first is music (Eph. 5:19a), second, there is worship (19b), and third, there is thanksgiving (v. 20). Fourth, there is submission—Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God (v. 21).

Here is one of the most misunderstood principles of God’s Word! It has been greatly misapplied and abused. But this principle is actually the one that leads into Paul’s deeper discussion of the family and the responsibilities of each family member. How desperately we need to understand this all-important truth. Let us look at two thoughts.

First, there is the meaning of submission. It needs to be made plain right from the start that submission has absolutely nothing to do with superiority, inferiority, authority, or position. Submission does not mean “slavery” nor does it imply “domination.” 

The Greek word used here is hupotasso. The root tassō originally carried the military connotation of drawing up troops (or ships) into battle array. From this came the ideas of directing or appointing someone to a task and to arrange and put things in order. The prefix hupo means “under.” 

To illustrate, when one joins the military he is no longer an individual; he no longer governs himself; he voluntarily ranks himself underneath someone else. For this reason, I was amazed when the Army came out with the new recruiting slogan some time back, “An Army of One.” How silly that is, but it reflects the philosophy today of individualism and independence apart from submission. The whole point of hupotassō is not to be an army of one, but to voluntarily get in order under someone. So, as Spirit-filled Christians, we are to rank ourselves under one another within God’s predefined positions. Again, this does NOT imply that one person is inferior to another. Rather, this means the Christian is humble and is willing to be “ranked underneath” as God prescribes. Consider a few illustrations.

First, Church leadership. Each Christian within the local church is to submit to the spiritual leadership of the church. Why? Because God ordained the church and its leaders. This does not mean that the leaders are better people, nor does it mean they lord over you. It simply means you rank yourself under their leadership.

Second, human government. According to Romans 13 Christians are to submit to the laws of the land. Why? Because God ordained human government to carry out his laws and precepts. This does not imply that government officials are superior or better. It simply means we rank ourselves under their leadership and obey as long as they do not demand that we disobey God’s Law. 

Third, the master and slave relationship. In American society this means the employer and employee relationship. The employee submits to the authority over him. This does not imply that the employer is a superior person, rather that he is the head. 

Fourth, the Lord Jesus. Here was the greatest act of submission. Our Savior submitted Himself to the greater need, the greater good. Does that imply that He was inferior? Certainly not! He voluntarily put his will aside and submitted to the demand of the Father’s holiness and sovereign will in the salvation plan. That act actually gives us our motive for submission. Our text reads in the fear of God. Therefore, we should submit because our Savior submitted. He asks no more of us than what He did Himself.

So, may we repeat, submission is a mutual thing; it is designed to be balanced. It is not something one person lords over another like an axe above the neck. Rather, it is designed to bring about a mutually satisfying and productive relationship. 

This leads us right into our second thought, which we’ll examine next time.

The Manifestations of Spirit-Filling: Thanksgiving

There are at least eight manifestations of Spirit-filling in the New Testament, four of which are in our text.. The first is music (Eph. 5:19a) and second, there is worship (v. 19b). Third, there is thanksgiving—Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Eph. 5:20).

If we are Spirit-filled, thanksgiving will flow from us like water over Niagara Falls. Giving thanks translates eucharisteō, the root of which is charis (“grace”) with the prefix eu (“good or well”). The obvious idea, then, is “to give good grace,” that is, to express deep gratitude. Indeed, with “grace” at the root, how can we not express thanks? Our text reveals four principles about thanksgiving. 

First, there is the time of thanksgiving (always). Let us each ask ourselves, “When do I thank the Lord?” We can put ourselves to the test and see whether or not we are truly thankful by considering the three occasions for thanking God.

1. The occasion of blessing. This is the easiest time to be thankful. It is easy to be thankful when all goes well; it is easy to thank God for what He has given and what He is doing. We do not discount this occasion; it is important to be thankful during these times, but it still is the easiest time to be thankful.

2. The occasion of trial. It is at this time that we are thankful (and we tell God we are thankful) for the pain, the problems, and the perplexities which come our way. James goes into great detail in his discussion of trials in the Christian life (Jas. 1:2-12). He tells us that we are to be joyful in trials. Now, “joy” does not mean that we will not be sad, burdened, grieved, or sorrowful when problems and tragedies come. 

Rather, joy can be defined as, The peace and security which we have in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. You see, we can evaluate trials differently than the world does; we can evaluate them in light of knowing that God is using them to strengthen us and to help us grow. Trials actually work for us, not against us. Just remember, trials are for our good and God’s glory.

But we all have at one time or another said something such as, “But I feel so bad that I just don’t feel thankful!” I once read these words by Joni Eareckson Tada, a well-known quadriplegic who is quite an accomplished artist, drawing pictures by holding the drawing instrument in our mouth: “Giving thanks is not a matter of feeling thankful, but it is a matter of being obedient.” 

3. The occasion of anticipation. Can we thank God in advance of what is going to take place? Can we say, “Lord, thank you for what is to come whether it be blessing or trial?” That is indeed the height of maturity and trust in the Lord. As Job said, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him” (Job 13:15).

Second, there is the content of thanksgiving (for all things). This takes our previous thoughts one step further. Why do we thank God for everything? Because He has given us everything! As James tells us, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father” (1:17). May we never forget that whatever comes our way is noble and purposeful and we are to thank God for it.

The late pastor Ray Stedman recounts his days in the Navy, where he ate in the Mess Hall. He makes the comment that if you have ever saw a Navy food tray, you’d know why they call it the Mess Hall. He recalls a day when he and a Christian friend were sitting across from a burly non-Christian quartermaster. As always, his and his friend bow their heads and thanked God for the food, after which Stedman’s friend began complaining about the food. Suddenly the non-Christian man across from them said, “Look, didn’t you just give thanks for that slop. Then shut up and eat it!” He was right. You can’t give thanks and then complain. We are to thank God for all things. 

Third, there is the recipient of thanksgiving (the Father). By now this is clear to us. We thank God the Father for all things. Even though someone else gives us something, it still comes from the Father. 

Fourth, there is the pattern of thanksgiving (in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ). There is actually no way to be thankful other than through our Lord Jesus Christ. Why? Because it is only through Him that we have anything. It is through Christ that we have salvation, have access to the Father in prayer, and have provision and blessing. 

So may we see that to be Spirit-filled is to be thankful all the time, for all things, to the Father, through the Savior. Dear Christian, are you really thankful?

The Manifestations of Spirit-Filling: Worship (2)

The common Old Testament word for worship (shachah) means “to bow down, to prostrate one’s self.” The common New Testament (pros­kuneo; English, “prostrate”) means “to kiss toward, to kiss the hand, to bow down, to prostrate oneself.” None of these words are “holy” in themselves. They can refer to any recipient of worship, but we place them in the context of the worship of God, bowing down before Him to give honor, respect, praise, and adoration. While literally bowing down or lying down is not demanded, the idea of doing so in [our] heart[s] (Eph. 5:19b) most certainly is.

Scripture is permeated by the precept of worship. How can we possibly miss it? How can we build entire “ministries” that are totally man-centered and hold church services that are geared entirely to people’s needs?

Worship is at the very core of the commandments God gave to Moses (Ex. 20:2-5). Worship is illustrated by the seraphim (literally, “burning ones”) in Isaiah 6:1-3. Worship is the core truth of the Psalms (95:6-7; 5:7; 29:2; 45:11; 66:4; 86:9; 96:9; 99:5, 9; 132:7; 138:2). The first concern of the Magi when they came to visit Jesus was worship (Matt. 2:2). At Jesus temptation by Satan, the central issue of the greatest spiritual battle ever fought was worship (Matt. 4:8-10). Mary of Bethany’s desire was worship (Jn. 12:1-3). Immediately after telling her about salvation, the Lord Jesus told the Samaritan woman about worship (Jn. 4:20-24). The key issue that Paul emphasized to the Athenians was worship (Acts 17:23). Paul makes it clear that the defining characteristic of the true Christian is worship (Phil. 3:3). The activity in Heaven for all eternity will be worship (Rev. 4:10-11). Let us look briefly at four basic principles of worship.

First, worship demands reverence, the first absolute essential. The New Testament word for “reverence” (entrepo) is a most remarkable one. It literally means “to turn into one’s self, to put self to shame, to feel respect or deference toward someone else.” It is graphically used, for example, in the Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers (Matt. 21:37; Mk. 12:6; Lk. 20:13). A vineyard owner hired men to tend his vineyard but they were wicked. When the owner sent servants to collect the harvest, the tenants beat them, stoned them, and even killing some. He finally sent his son, thinking the tenants would “reverence” him, but instead they killed Him. The parable is, of course, about the Lord Jesus and servants of God who came before Him. 

That is, sadly, the scene in some churches. We simply do not reverence the Lord. Instead of putting ourselves to shame and completely bearing ourselves to God, we entertain ourselves and get what we want, and He is, therefore, mistreated. How can we worship when we are laughing at the “Christian” comedian or performing a stage play? 

Even something that seems as insignificant and meaningless as talking before the service begins mistreats our Lord. This is not a time for socializing but silence. This is a time of preparation, a time for purging our minds and mouths of the things of self and concentrate on the things of God. This is the first and foremost reason we come to church.

Second, worship involves Scripture reading. An integral part of the public meetings of God’s people throughout the Biblical record is the public reading of the Scriptures (Ex. 24:7; Josh. 8:34; II Kings 23:1-3; Neh. 8:1-8; 9:1-3; Acts 13:15; Col. 4:16; I Thes. 5:27; I Tim. 4:13; etc.). Some dismiss these many verses by saying, “The reason the Scriptures had to be read then was because people did not have their own copies of the Scriptures.” While that has some truth in it, it’s a flimsy reason, indeed, to throw out public Scripture reading. There is nothing more powerful than the spoken word, especially when that spoken word is the Word of God. 

Third, worship includes music. In addition to what we observed about music, may we add here that “Prelude” and “Postlude” music is important. Music helps to quiet us and prepare us for worship and helps us to reflect on the service as we prepare to leave.

Fourth, worship is directly linked to the Preaching of the Word. This is the climax; everything points to this and has prepared for this. There is nothing of equal importance than the preaching of God’s Word. We could sing all day, but until we preach the Word, we haven’t worshipped. Nothing praises God as does the proclaiming of His Word as absolute Truth. Tragically, deep, doctrinal preaching is on a steep decline; countless things are substituted for it. But God has told us that expository preaching is the method He will use for our growth, learning, and encouragement. The preaching in our worship services should worship God and feed His people. When God’s people are truly worshipping, they won’t want to be entertained but will want to listen to and obey the preaching of the Word.