The Twilight series offers a dream of love
and hope that exceeds many of our worldly expectations. For me, I was so sad to
see it end. For this book, we are in the same place. From the garden behind our
dream house, we can see what we have learned together. In Ephesians 1:3-14, we
saw how God created the world for the purpose of His glory. He created a
natural world with supernatural power. It is the same duality that Bella faces
in the Twilight series. In this
process, he also created us and a pathway of redemption. In Ephesians 1:15-23,
we learned how God uses this same supernatural power in the resurrection of His
Son, Jesus Christ. That same power is available to us.
Ephesians
2:1-10 brought this message home to us as God revealed His work in us as
individuals. He offers us a light place in our dark world. Like Bella in New Moon, we yearn for someone to heal
the brokenness of our hearts and souls. We find our salvation in Christ. That
salvation brings us into a new community, which is described in Ephesians
2:11-22. This new community is a place of equality, belonging and peace. Diversity
is celebrated here. The apostle Paul then shares how God has given him a new
purpose in Ephesians 3:1-13. We each have a new purpose in the community of
Christ, just as Bella finds her own personal purpose in the battle against
Victoria in Eclipse. With this
purpose, we have the freedom to love more deeply and explore more extravagantly
the love of Christ as described in Ephesians 3:14-21.
The final
chapters of Ephesians bring God into us as a community of Christ. As a result,
we live differently. We mature in this body of believers. We move from hate to
unity, from lacking to gifting, from selfishness to integrity. Our
relationships look different, and we stand together as a community to defend
ourselves from the enemy. Like the assortment of Cullen family and friends in Breaking Dawn, our power together is
greater than our individual parts. As we see what God has shared in Ephesians,
we must confront the truth that the power of God’s love has changed our
identities forever.
While
vampires and shape shifters make for a great fantasy world, we still have to
deal with the real worlds around us. A different identity in Christ means
seeing things differently around us. The Twilight
series may change from an obsession to just a fun read for us. Spending money
may change from selfish indulgences to world-changing projects. Parenting may
change from an overwhelming responsibility to a humbling opportunity.
Everything in life changes when we are transformed by the Holy Spirit. Our
perspectives become rooted in God’s view, not our own broken views like Bella.
Navigating a fallen world is difficult, but we are called to do it with
Christlike integrity (Ephesians 4:25-32).
Here are
three ways to engage our fallen culture with integrity. First, we need a biblical
understanding of our own sinful state.
Everyone is cloaked in the human skin of brokenness. None of us are without sin
(Romans 3:23). Therefore, everything in our culture has some degree of sin,
whether it is real life or portrayed in a story. We need to think about what we
see and process what is presented through God's eyes. Second, we need
appropriate boundaries. Anything in excess does not promote healthy community
in Christ. Excessive exposure to unhealthy sexuality does not bring purity.
Excessive anything brings an unbalanced approach in life (I Corinthians 6:12).
We need boundaries in every area of our lives. Some things or people may not be
healthy for you as a Christian. Lastly, we all need strong accountability.
Since each of us is capable of sin, we all need accountability for our actions.
We may not realize that our lives are changing because of exposure to unhealthy
situations. God said, "It is not good for man to be alone" (Genesis
1:18). We need people in our lives that will be honest with us when our lives
don't match our words. These people will help us stay honest about our biblical
understanding and appropriate boundaries.
The
apostle Paul closes the book of Ephesians with prayers for himself and a
farewell. He doesn’t know if he will ever see the people of Ephesus again. And
so, we stand at the same place in the garden of our dream house. I don’t know
if we will have any more books in the Twilight
series, but more importantly, I don’t know if I will ever have the chance to
share this message with you again. I pray that this time together has ignited a
fire in your soul for God. Studying the Bible is a life-changing experience.
The book of Ephesians has given us an understanding of who God is. God the
Father loves you extravagantly and wants a relationship with you. God the Son
offers more than what this world tries to provide. A life in Christ is
expansive, not restrictive like many would say. We have limitless opportunities
in Christ Jesus. God the Spirit can live in you forever as a change agent and
deposit guaranteeing your inheritance in Christ Jesus. This is all possible for
you if you believe in Jesus as God’s Son. You can have your own wedding
ceremony with Jesus by being baptized into his community. And the Holy Spirit
will continue to change you with each passing day.
What are
you going to do with immortality? What are you going to do with the love God
offers to you? We aren’t that different than the people of Ephesus who
worshipped the great goddess Artemis. Those people worshipped the Roman gods of
mythology in hopes that one would give a supernatural glimpse into the human
life. They looked for miracles and changes that required more than human effort
could ever suffice. Isn’t that why we read books like the Twilight series? We are also searching for miracles and changes
that we can’t make on our own. While vampires, shape shifters and other fantasy
beings can be fun to explore, they cannot help in our everyday lives. We all
need Someone greater than us to break through our human misery and provide a
divine plan for our lives. We need God the Father, God the Son and God the
Spirit. A greater existence is only possible in Christ Jesus. May your dream
house be built and forever inhabited by the one and only Immortal Love, Christ Jesus
our Lord.