I love that scripture. In 2001 I had the words “by what every joint supplies…”(Ephesians 4:16) put on the back of my motorcycle. Many doors have been opened over this. To the world it speaks of joints and pot. To believers it revealed my thoughts about touching community and people. Lately it is taking on a life of it’s own.
Over the last few weeks I have been helping a friend on her website. It is a beauty site. My friend is anti-airbrushing ads and pictures, the “real deal” and “let’s look our best, ladies!” She also battles an unusual illness. I pray for her a lot.
I often see similarities in real life mirrored in prophetic life. Or vice versa.
The emerging church is a lot like my friend and her business. As the church we have an idea or mandate that we are to carry the gospel forward into all the world. This is much like the use of her site. It is the broadcasting or the publishing of His goodness. In her case, she is reaching women. Lots of them.
My friend is trying to remove the falseness and error of fake beauty. Like that, Jesus comes into our life to affirm that which He has sown, that we might not get caught up in that which is error or falseness.
Her desire is to be the real deal. Jesus comes alongside and His nature makes us beautiful. We are made the real deal.
Anyone can look their best. Jesus believes that as well. He knew us before the foundations of the earth.
And like my friend, we often see there is a battle to be who God called you or I to be.
My friend has an illness that affects her with pain. It begins in a joint. Jesus wants to heal her. The church has an enemy that would like to injure or cause pain. It injures a joint and affects tissues and nerves. Why? Because it is the place of supply! Ephesians 4:16
I had a dream on abundance the other night. And the Lord showed me this morning that Ephesians 4:11-16 is important to the process. To the coming supply! Not walking about in the “futility of our minds.” Ephesians 4:17
There is a supply that is available. It is clear we must tap into it.
My favorite science was biology. Anyone that knew me knew I wanted to be a doctor. (Even later in life a doctor friend was trying to get me to look to it.) Long before I was a follower of Christ I was intrigued by the body and its makeup.
A joint in the human body is a place of contact between two bones. It is a place of changing direction. In this joint there is a secretion of fluid (Synovial fluid from the Latin word for egg. You should be getting excited right about now!) The secretion of this fluid provides for a reduction of friction, shock absorption and nutrient and waste transport. It is also a place of many nerves (A nerve center – Hilton’s Law says “the nerves supplying the muscles extending directly across and acting at a given joint also innervate the joint”.)
The joint is:
- A nerve center, reading the mail from limb to brain.
- A supply of nutrients bringing nourishment.
- A supply of lubricant-removing friction.
- A supply of buffering or anti-shock system.
- A place of changing direction and purpose.
A place of supply. Let the arising of the joints come forth. Let the joints arise to their true purpose. For equipping. For structure. That the ligaments would hold fast and remain joined.
Like my friend the church is coming into a place of full understanding and supply.
