By Every Supporting Ligament

The Earth from Space (NASA image)

At a recent Bible study, we looked at Ephesians 4:15–16:

“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” (NIV 1984)

The word translated here as “ligament” (haphē, ἁφή) means a joint, a point of contact in the body, or a ligament. It is also used for a harpist’s touch on the strings, or a wrestler’s grip on his opponent. The Bible demands a tightly connected and intimate relationship between Christians here, and this applies to the Body of Christ spread out across the planet, as well as to one’s local church.

How to do this? One can support a Christian aid organisation like Christian Blind Mission. One can follow a blog by a pastor in another country – such as Zambia. Or one can simply find out a little about another country and pray for Christians there.

“The day Thou gavest, Lord, is ended,
The darkness falls at Thy behest;
To Thee our morning hymns ascended,
Thy praise shall sanctify our rest.

We thank Thee that Thy church, unsleeping,
While earth rolls onward into light,
Through all the world her watch is keeping,
And rests not now by day or night.

As o’er each continent and island
The dawn leads on another day,
The voice of prayer is never silent,
Nor dies the strain of praise away.

The sun that bids us rest is waking
Our brethren ’neath the western sky,
And hour by hour fresh lips are making
Thy wondrous doings heard on high.

So be it, Lord; Thy throne shall never,
Like earth’s proud empires, pass away:
Thy kingdom stands, and grows forever,
Till all Thy creatures own Thy sway.” – “The Day Thou Gavest, Lord, Is Ended” by John Ellerton, 1870