For the past few weeks, I have been teaching the book of Ephesians at our church in Midland/Odessa.  The great thing about teaching a verse-by-verse study is that you are forced to look closely at verses you typically read over with the assumption that you know what they mean without going deeper, doing the word studies, or thinking through applications that go beyond the obvious.

There are some challenging texts in Ephesians that are subject to several interpretations – all of which have merit.  There are also some straight forward texts that are challenging in the application if we were to incorporate them in a lifestyle of following Jesus.

One of those is Ephesians 4: 1.  There Paul challenges the church by writing, “I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.”  We are called to be sons and daughters of the King, ambassadors of Christ, God’s chosen people, priests, and so forth.  Each of those positions carries the responsibility of representation.  In other words, we are called to represent God to the world – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  

Jesus lived out the principle of representation when he said, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.”  A King is first known by the qualities that others see in his ambassadors.  A Father will be judged by the quality of his children.  If a man’s representatives or a father’s children are confident, well-spoken, intelligent, and tactful truth-tellers, the assumption will be   that the King or father will be the same or even greater. If, however, the representatives are lazy, unkempt, arrogant, and deceitful…those who encounter them will assume the father or king will also be the same.

In many cases, first impressions about a father, leader, or a nation are established by encounters with those who represent them.  To live a life worthy of the calling we have received is to live a life that honors God, that imparts a positive and attractive impression of God, and that represents his values, laws, and character well.  Just as Jesus said, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father,” Paul urges us to live in a way that we can say the same.  Our goal should be to live in a way that accurately represents the King and his kingdom – his heart, his character, and his righteousness.  

The truth is that God honored us with an incredible honor when he adopted us and gave us his name. Our role as a representative of the crown, is a privileged role that should be cherished and protected.  And yet, that seems to be the exception among believers today.  Many of us seem to live in ways that give little thought to how our lives will impact those who do not yet know the Lord.  They will naturally assume that we are like the God we serve.  

I’m not concerned when we try to live a life worthy of our calling and stumble or fall short.  I am concerned when we give little thought to living such a life and live in ways, speak in ways, carry on business in ways, and steward relationships in ways that dishonor God rather than representing him as those who reflect his goodness, holiness, and glory.  

When we give little thought to our representation, we give Satan all the ammunition he needs to discredit believers, the church, and even God himself in the minds of unbelievers.  Jesus was the perfect representative of the Father. His strategy was simple. He said that he only did what he saw the Father doing and only spoke what he heard the Father saying.  Our goal should be to act as Jesus would act and speak as he would speak if he were physically present.  

If we have forgotten that we represent or re-present Jesus, then we need to evaluate our words, actions, and attitudes to see where we are misaligned with the Father.  There is a story told about Alexander the Great.  He had a soldier in his ranks that was also named Alexander but he had a reputation for laziness, cheating at cards, and extremely poor hygiene.  One day he encountered Alexander the Great who said, “I understand that we share the same name.” The soldier replied proudly, “Why, yes we do.”  Alexander answered by simply saying, “Well soldier, either change your ways or change your name.”

I wonder if the Father feels that way about us at times as we misrepresent him to the unbelievers in the world who need to be drawn to him rather than repulsedd.  Paul’s message to the Ephesians challenges me and, perhaps, it challenges you as sell.