How we live, and the way we live, is not insignificant. We ARE being watched, be it by the world, or those who have gone before, or even spiritual beings. While Jesus gets all the praise and honour for what He does through His people, we are a part of it. We are trophies of His grace. We are being put on display, and our witness matters.

You and I are under constant scrutiny

We are being watched. No, I am not here talking about the growing surveillance state in the West, doing its best to keep up with Communist China in keeping tabs on our every movement. Instead, I want to speak of a spiritual and biblical truth, and I begin by recalling two things from last century.

Back in my hippy and radical left days in the late 60s — early 70s, there were a lot of protests, marches and the like. Sometimes these were met with over-the-top police and military responses. Clubbing, tear gas, and sometimes even death occurred. Because of this, we would often loudly chant, “The whole world is watching!” We wanted the media to capture what was happening. The world had to know.

The second thing has to do with a movie I often make use of when teaching at Bible colleges and the like. I refer to the 1998 Jim Carrey film, The Trueman Show. You likely know about it: Carrey plays a guy who from birth has been the topic of a massive reality TV show. His whole life is being watched by millions of viewers, unbeknown to him.

So what do hippies and Hollywood have to do with a biblical devotional piece? Well, that is how my mind tends to work. I read a passage of Scripture, and immediately I think of all sorts of applications or illustrations and sermon material.

The Church and the World

Reading this morning again in Ephesians, I found two texts that have to do with a global display — of us believers. The first is Eph. 2:7. It is in the context of verses 1-10:

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience — among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved — and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

The second is Eph. 3:10, and the context is verses 7-13:

Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, Who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that He has realised in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in Him. So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.

In both texts, the church is on display to the rest of the world. In Eph. 2 it speaks more of a future display, while Eph. 3 speaks more of a present display. And we can assume that it is the church as a whole, as well as individual believers, that is in view here. So there is a personal and a collective message being emphasised in these passages.

The main point of course is this: how we live, and the way we live, is not insignificant. We ARE being watched, be it by the world, or those who have gone before, or even spiritual beings. While Jesus gets all the praise and honour for what He does through His people, we are a part of it. We are trophies of His grace. We are being put on display, and our witness matters.

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