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Ephesians 4
Walk in Unity
4 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. Ephesians 4:1-6 NKJV
Paul is telling us here that he is in prison for his faith.
Have you had to suffer at all as a Christian?
He tells us to also walk worthy. Are you doing this? Would another person know that by your lifestyle and speech that you too are a Christian? Would your strong stand against what is evil, remove all doubt of where you stand for God? Can others tell of the calling with which YOU were called.
Do you present your humble heart to this world or the heart that the world better understands by its pride and selfishness?
Paul goes on to tell us that we are to be lowly, gentle, suffer long, bear with each other in love.
Do you too endeavor to keep unity and peace?
Does the Holy Spirit so live in you?
Do you follow all of His directing?
Paul reminds that there is one body and one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father. The world tries to divide us into categories that are of no importance. These above mentioned things are the things that we share. We are of the family of God, when we confess our faith in Christ, and confess our sins, accepting His death for our sins.
As part of this family of God, we have fellowship with other believers.
We are family.
Spiritual Gifts
7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore He says:
“When He ascended on high,
He led captivity captive,
And gave gifts to men.”
9 (Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) Ephesians 4:7-10 NKJV
Jesus came and died for our sins, was resurrected, and appeared to many, and then ascended to Heaven. He gave gifts to men.
Let us look at those gifts.
11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,
15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV
Some of us were given the gift of being an apostle, or prophet, some were evangelists.
There was a day when I reread those words of Paul to “do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry,”(2 Timothy 4:5) NKJV and feeling as though I had been physically struck. I KNEW those words were for me. Thereafter, each time I told someone about Jesus, I KNEW I was fulfilling what God had called me to do.
The New Man
17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; 19 who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. Ephesians 4:17-19 NKJV
No longer walk as this world walks.
Yours is a consistant Christian life and walk. Do not be ignorant, blind, and live in sin. We are different when we are in Christ. It is a new life. The old sins are not picked up again.
You have a new life.
Live accordingly, with the help of your Father, Savior, and the Holy Spirit.
20 But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:20-24 NKJV
Put off the old person that was living sinfully, and be renewed by the Holy Spirit in your mind.
Put on the new person which was created according to God. You are to be now clothed in true righteousness and holiness. Nothing is a more perfect fit for the child of God that He has made you.
Do Not Grieve the Spirit
25 Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. 26 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil. 28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.
29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:25-32 NKJV
No longer are we to lie, but speak truth.
We can get angry at sinful things around us, but not sin ourselves while dealing with the sin we see. We can ask God what it is that He wants us to do in each situation, and act appropriately, without sin, and in control. Paul reminds us not to allow the sun to go down on our wrath or anger, even righteous anger. We must lay it at the feet of Jesus and not keep letting it fester in our hearts.
Give it to God.
Help the person who stole, get a job to meet his need for food. Help him learn to work with his hands and to do what is good, that he is now able to help someone else in need. Make sure that no sinful words come from our own mouths, but instead speak words that edify and uplift another. May the words we speak help the hearer of our words. Tell them of Jesus and all He can do for them as He has done for you. Tell of the joy of knowing Him. Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit of God by what we say and do. We are sealed for the day of redemption. Live accordingly. Let kindness flow from God through you to others. Be tenderhearted. Forgive each other. God in Christ has forgiven you and me.
Let us now, with His help. forgive each other.
May God bless and guide and help you as you reread this Scripture today and as you study it. May you hid it in your heart and soul and live by it all the days of your life. You do not do any of this alone.
God, Your Father, will help you to live as He wants you to live.
You are not alone.
Praise God for Chapter 4. We are of God’s Family.
His Help is with us. We have A new life.
We are not alone.