There’s stuff in my life that I can’t see. You can. I can’t. That’s why we call them blind spots. If you’ve ever taken a golf lesson, the pro can quickly spot some flaw in your swing that you don’t see. It might take a bit of effort and practice to fix the problem, but once you’ve been told about it, you’re aware of it. They’ve exposed your blind spot. Here in his letter to his friends in Ephesus, Paul says that revealing hidden sins and blind spots is an important part of life in the local church. “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful to even speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible” (v11). Don’t join those who are living in darkness and destruction. Bring it to light. Bring it into God’s light. They don’t call Jesus the “Light of the World” for nothing!
Expose the blind spot.
This is all part of what Paul means to “walk as children of light” (Eph 5:8). We bring the light of truth to every part of our lives. It’s living with transparency. That means not only a personal willingness to reveal our junk to others but the willingness to have it revealed by others. Living in New Testament community means helping each other become aware of the areas of our lives that fall short of God’s standard. Walking as a child of light is not just shining His light but having the humility to allow God’s light to shine in the dark places of my own life. I need to see what I can’t see. I need to see what I refuse to see.
Expose the blind spot.
Paul begins by telling us what NOT to do. “Take no part in the unfruitful works of the darkness” (v11). He uses the Greek verb sugkoinoneo, which means to partner with another, have fellowship through a particular situation or even help someone. If you look just a little closer, you’ll see the nugget of the word koinonia. That’s how the friendship and fellowship of the life in the church is described. Think of being a teammate. You win together and you lose together. That’s sugkoinoneo. The apostle was extremely grateful that the Philippians were so willing “to share (Gr. sugkoinoneo) my trouble” as an inmate in a Roman prison (Phil 4:14). During John’s glimpse of the exciting conclusion in the end times, he heard God announce that folks should stay as far away from the sinful city of Babylon when she falls. “Come out of her, My people, lest you take part (Gr. sugkoinoneo) in her sins” (Rev 18:4). In giving us this warning here in Ephesians, the man from Tarsus is saying that we don’t do a couple of lines of cocaine with a friend in order to get them to stop their addiction. Don’t join in. Don’t be a teammate with sin. Don’t be a teammate with darkness. That’s NOT why we’re there.
The stuff done in the dark is actually “unfruitful” (v11). Paul uses the word akarpos. It means barren or useless. Literally it describes a plant without fruit or seed that refruses to germinate. Dark stuff lacks positive results. Dark stuff is unprofitable. Dark stuff is a waste of time. Jesus used the term in His illustration about the spread of the Gospel comparing it to different kinds of seeds and soils. He talked about how the “thorns” of the obsession with wealth choke the Good News and makes it “unfruitful” (Gr. akarpos) and lacking any positive result (Mt 13:22; Mk 4:19). Jesus’ brother Jude said false teachers and religious hucksters are like barren fruit trees at harvest (Jude 12). Sin in the dark is useless. Fruitless. Pointless. It doesn’t do anything to help anyone. It only hurts. And it needs to be brought to light.
Expose the blind spot.
Paul tells us that instead of being a teammate of sin and darkness, we should “instead expose them” (v11). Here we see the verb elegcho, meaning to show someone their error. We’re to bring something to light for the result of exposing sin or fault. It’s shining God’s light to expose something for what it really is. The purpose is to call a fellow believer to account in order to lovingly correct them. It’s show each other our blind spots. In Jesus encounter with Nick at night, he told him, “For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed (Gr. elegcho)” (Jn 3:20). Paul told his buddy Tim that if leaders in the local church insist on sinning after being warned repeatedly, we’re “rebuke (Gr. elegcho) them in the presence of all” and expose their garbage (1Tim 5:20). This expose’ becomes a powerful teaching lesson for everyone in the congregation. The writer of Hebrews quotes Proverbs 3:11, encouraging us to hang in there when under God’s discipline. He lovingly corrects us by showing us our blind spots and being “reproved (Gr. elegcho) by Him” (Heb 12:5).
Expose the blind spot.
The point of the disclosure is to ultimately help and restore someone. It’s NOT to hurt them. It’s NOT to shame them. It’s to help them. It’s to reveal their blind spot so they can turn from their sin and turn back to Jesus. Think of an intervention. That’s when friends and family confront a loved one trapped in an addictive lifestyle. They are shining the light of truth on the darkness of their sin. They are not just exposing the pain this addiction is causing but the great love they have for the addict. They desperately want them to kick the habit and get clean.
Here Paul is describing a spiritual intervention. In his letter to the folks in Galatia, he makes the point that such a restoration has to be done “in a spirit of gentleness” (Gal 6:1). When the apostle heard that there was a man in the Corinthian church sleeping with his mother-in-law, he demanded that these believers remove him with the ultimate goal being his restoration (1Cor 5:1-5). Jesus taught that such interventions are a very important part of doing life with other believers (Mt 18:15-20). The Lord makes the VERY important point that this expose’ starts behind closed doors long before it ever is brought in front of the entire church.
Expose the blind spot.
So, what do YOU think? Do you agree or disagree? Would love to hear your thoughts. Just post a comment below. Come on. You know you want to.
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