Openness

When they came to him, he addressed them, “You know how I lived among you the whole time from the day I first came to the province of Asia.” Acts 20:18

Privacy. We treasure it. We keep it. We procure it. It’s one thing everyone would like to store. You don’t share your address to everyone. We don’t share our pictures on Facebook to anyone. We put walls in our internet usage. Passwords are controlling entry to your email or computer. Life locks are alpha-numeric or conventional. Whether you are rich or poor, it’s one resource which keeps us secure.

In the secular society, this makes sense. In living with the people of God, it doesn’t.

Public life not privacy drives our church and community. Paul lived this way. “You know how I lived among you the whole time from the day I first came to the province of Asia.”, he said.

• Ephesians knew how Paul lived.  They knew him. They knew how he lived amongst them. How he worshiped. How he followed Jesus. How he is empowered by the Spirit. They knew where he lives. They knew his daily activities. He told them about his passion. He shared to them his life. They knew his weaknesses. They knew how he lived the Gospel.
• Paul opened his life for them, the whole time. There was consistency in Paul’s publicity of his life. Paul was always showing the Ephesians each minute, each hour, day in and day out. He did not leave any second for his life not to be known and not to be shared. He did not keep a secret.
• He did this from the very first day he came to them. Now that’s the test for openness. First day at school makes us awkward. First day at work makes us careful. Paul’s first day in Ephesus? He begun to make his life known. Not awkward but forward. Not careful but careless.

Make your life known among the brothers and sisters. Share your life. Inspire them by showing them how you live. Be open to bring to the light the darkness in your life.

Our closeness with God’s people depends with our openness.