Finishing Well?
It depends….
I wrapped up a study of Ephesians recently and felt driven to take a second look at the circumstances surrounding Paul’s letter. Post third missionary journey, on his way to Jerusalem, Paul had his last face-to-face with the Ephesian elders. He declared that prison awaited him and he would never see them again. (not exactly a fond nor encouraging farewell…) He warned of false teachers (vicious wolves!) who would come into their midst.
Then, off Paul sailed…to accusations (bringing Gentiles to the temple)…a riot (or two)…intrigue (plot to murder him) and some years of (local) imprisonment before an appeal to Caesar took him to a Roman prison (and an ongoing opportunity to write letters…).
Later, Paul (concerned?) wrote to the Ephesians exhorting them (among other things) to unity in love and in Christ, since the church contained Jew and Gentile. Paul gave them some tips for achieving that unity, especially encouraging them to mutual submission to serve one another and to stand firm…together…clothed in the armor of God.
About forty years (give or take, given your chosen timeline) after Paul’s letter, the Ephesian church takes first mention in Revelation as part of a passage containing Jesus’ message to the churches (as told to John).
According to Jesus, the Ephesians were diligent in doctrine, (on guard against those false teachers) weeding out any who strayed from the truth. (good work!) But Jesus reproved them because they had forgotten how to be devoted to the Lord, loving Him (and others) as they had a first (not good…).
The Ephesian church wasn’t focused on what mattered to Jesus. He desired a heart of love toward Him and toward others. Instead, they spent all their passion on proving who didn’t teach correct doctrine. He warned them of their need for repentance or He would remove their church (which apparently He did, as they disappeared after the 15th c.). Since He rebuked them soundly about their lack of love, it would seem that they didn’t finish well.
But what exactly does it mean to “finish well”?
In probably one of his last letters, the missionary Paul to his disciple Timothy, defined finishing well as: fought the good fight, finished the race, remained faithful.
For me, this means:
>Fighting the right fight (fighting for what the Bible deems important…)
>Finishing the race (of good works that he’s prepared for me…)
>Remaining faithful (to Him especially and what He has called me to do…).
If I am doing these three things, then I can look eagerly to His return and not be ashamed when He comes.
What does finishing well mean to you?
Are you in the good fight?
What race are you finishing?
How are you remaining faithful?
I welcome you thoughts. (Photo by Jeremy Lapak on unsplash)
The parenthetical writing seems a distraction when used continuously. Example-
Instead of: “According to Jesus, the Ephesians were diligent in doctrine, (on guard against those false teachers) weeding out any who strayed from the truth. (good work!)”
Why not?: “According to Jesus, the Ephesians were diligent in doctrine. On guard against those false teachers, they weeded out any who strayed from the truth. Good work indeed!”
Are the parentheses used to distinguish your thoughts, from own your thoughts, or…? They feel like constant interruptions in a flow of connected thoughts.
Nonetheless, on topic: finishing well must spring from the consistent training of a spiritually athletic disciple. Couple my effort to obey, with the grace of God that fills the gap when my humanity and mortality show up to say, “Time’s up!”, and I’ll find out the gap grace filled was the greater part of my journey. He finished well. Therefore I will finish well!
Finishing well, for me, means knowing Jesus better and letting His will be my will. When Jesus was an earth as a man he did things that seemed inconsistent to those who knew Him best. Went to places and talked to people who were out of the norm, or so it seemed. But Jesus was always doing the will of the father. Following God’s plan. That’s what I want to do. Follow Gods plan for me even when I don’t understand it. Then I will fish well.