Between two Time Zones
Recently, I flew from Melbourne to Brisbane. It was disorienting but nice gaining an hour, leaving at 10 a.m. and arriving at 11:30 a.m. after a 2.5-hour flight. I thought I would adjust over the next few days, but my hotel was right next to the NSW border, so my phone changed if I got too close to it. I would wake to find it was 5:40 a.m., go back to sleep, and find it was still 5:40 a.m. an hour later.
The light was pleasant, the confusion wasn’t. I was split between two time zones, unsure if I was running on NSW or QLD time!
Split between time zones
Ephesians is written to the holy people in Ephesus who are caught between the heavenly realms and the broken temporal realm of earthly existence. If you’re a Christian, then you also experience the frustrating disorientation between God’s eternal time zone and the world’s time. The temporal plane we exist upon has deadlines, problems, distractions, and sin, while God’s eternal dwelling is life, peace, wisdom and joy.
Blessed in the heavenly Realms (Ephesians 1:1-14)
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ…
In the first time zone, the heavenly realms, Christians are blessed in Christ with every spiritual blessing. Paul describes a lavish gift basket of adoption, redemption, forgiveness, love, understanding and incredible joy - all pointing to the praise of God’s grace for his plan to unite everyone under Him. It’s an overwhelming passage that is as grammatically complicated as it is encouraging. We’re “included” in this promise, we’re truly part of this plan right now, not just in the future.
On Earth as it is in heaven (Ephesians 1:15-23)
For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. (Eph 1:3)
Paul raves about how extraordinarily thankful he is that the Ephesians have been included in God’s promises. He prays fervently that they will grasp the hope of the promise, the immeasurable power of Christ for believers and how Jesus is the fullness of God. In this passage, Paul mentions that Christians are raised with Christ. Christians are blessed in the heavenly realms already, seated in Christ. Our days are characterised by earthly concerns, but our existence is also spiritually present with God through Christ.
Good works are Predestined by God (Ephesians 2:10)
How does all this impact our work?
Our work on earth can seem full of all-too-temporal troubles. This project needs to be done before the end of next week, and we're waiting on someone to provide a key part of it. There’s a bug in the software and it won’t save. These worldly frustrations can seem pointless and difficult. They don’t appear to have heavenly significance. However, just as WE are a good work of Christ, so we are called to do Good Work.
God prepared them in advance for us to do ( Ephesians 2:10). These good works don’t just include sharing the gospel directly, but treating our colleagues with dignity when they don’t hit a deadline or don’t check their emails. It includes working well in the seemingly pointless and frustrating tasks that characterise earthly work.
We may think of some parts of our work as having great significance, but the true significance of our work is invisible in this time zone. Our Good Works on earth give glory to God in ways we can only imagine. I pray as Paul prayed that this insight can become clear in the daily frustrations of your work.
Ephesians 3:16- 19
I pray that out of his glorious riches, he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
