Ephesians Chapter 4

This chapter is full of so many great things that I know I cannot do justice to in the short amount of time I have to post this. However, I would like to attempt to at least scratch the surface on the elements presented here.

Unity in the Body of Christ
1As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4There is one body and one Spirit–just as you were called to one hope when you were called– 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
7But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8This is why it[a] says: “When he ascended on high,
he led captives in his train
and gave gifts to men.”[b] 9(What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions[c]? 10He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) 11It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Live a life worthy of the calling you have received! What a complicated task that can be at times, for the calling on our lives is such a great one! Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Humility is such an important aspect of the Christian life, I am not surprised that it is mentioned first in this short list of things. Without sincere humility we cannot honestly live out gentleness, patience, nor love (or any of the fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22)

He has given us all different gifts for His service, so that this body (this one body of believers, called the church) may be built up continually until the day when we are all in unity in faith and knowledge of Christ! We are at different levels of maturity right now, but one day we will all have the whole measure of knowledge and faith in Him! Once again, humility is key in coming to this unity. Just to give you an idea of how often humility is stressed in the Bible here are a few verses:

2 Samuel 22:27-29
27 To the pure you show yourself pure,
but to the wicked you show yourself hostile.
28 You rescue those who are humble,
but your eyes are on the proud to humiliate them.
29 O LORD, you are my light;
yes, LORD, you light up my darkness.

2 Chronicles 7:13-14
13At times I might shut up the heavens so that no rain falls, or I might command locusts to devour your crops, or I might send plagues among you. 14Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land.

Psalm 25:8-10
8 The LORD is good and does what is right;
he shows the proper path to those who go astray.
9 He leads the humble in what is right,
teaching them his way.
10 The LORD leads with unfailing love and faithfulness
all those who keep his covenant and obey his decrees.

Psalm 69:31-33
31 For this will please the LORD more than sacrificing an ox
or presenting a bull with its horns and hooves.
32 The humble will see their God at work and be glad.
Let all who seek God's help live in joy.
33 For the LORD hears the cries of his needy ones;
he does not despise his people who are oppressed.

Psalm 149:3-5
3 Praise his name with dancing,
accompanied by tambourine and harp.
4 For the LORD delights in his people;
he crowns the humble with salvation.
5 Let the faithful rejoice in this honor.
Let them sing for joy as they lie on their beds.

Proverbs 3:33-35
33The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked, but his blessing is on the home of the upright.
34The LORD mocks at mockers, but he shows favor to the humble.
35The wise inherit honor, but fools are put to shame!

Philippians 2:2-4
2Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one heart and purpose.
3Don't be selfish; don't live to make a good impression on others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself. 4Don't think only about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too, and what they are doing.

James 4:6-8
6He gives us more and more strength to stand against such evil desires. As the Scriptures say,
"God sets himself against the proud,
but he shows favor to the humble."[a]
7So humble yourselves before God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. 8Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, you hypocrites.

1 Peter 5:5-7
5You younger men, accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, serve each other in humility, for
"God sets himself against the proud,
but he shows favor to the humble."[a]
6So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and in his good time he will honor you. 7Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you.

To humble yourself is not easy, especially in a world where it is encouraged and fully accepted to look within one's self for everything they need and to just follow our own hearts! However, this is not what we are commanded to do and in light of scriptures such as those I have quoted here, I pray that it will become a top priority to humble ourselves more and more each day.

Back to Ephesians Chapter 4:

14Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. 15Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16From 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.

The world is full of the teachings spoken of here, and often times they are disguised as the light instead of the darkness they really are. Many of those who say they are born again "Christians" are being thrown every which way by all the new "revelations" that these teachers preach. We must remember that we are under Christ, He is the head! Only when we remain humbled before Him and seek Him can we be a true member of His body!

Living as Children of Light
17So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.
20You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. 21Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

25Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26“In your anger do not sin”[d]: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27and do not give the devil a foothold. 28He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.

29Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

These are not particularly easy verses to follow, as we all struggle with our sinful nature, and to say we do not the truth is not in us. However, I find these verses to be so very encouraging! We are encouraged through these words to strive for good, to do the right thing, to be humbled, to have the fruits of the Spirit and to remember that we are not the only member of this great body that Christ has assembled with Himself being the head, directing us in every direction. Obedience is necessary if we are to stay on the vine, for our branches can easily be cut off and replaced. Remember, if we are silent the very stones will cry out in praise to Him!

Luke 19:37-40
When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!""Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!" "I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."

Warnings from Israel's History

1 Corinthians 10:1-13
6Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. 7Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in pagan revelry.” 8We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did–and in one day twentythree thousand of them died. 9We should not test the Lord, as some of them did–and were killed by snakes. 10And do not grumble, as some of them did–and were killed by the destroying angel.
11These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. 12So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! 13No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! I have found, that the times I am the most sure of myself and sure I am standing firmly where I should be, I am about ready to fall flat on my face and realize that I haven't been trusting in God nearly as much as I need to be. It seems when I am full of the most humility, knowing how small I am and how big God is and drawing from that, I am the closest to where I should be. It's funny, but I never think of myself as "standing firm" in those times, rather I see the sinner I am and the righteousness of Christ and holiness of God and I put my faith in them instead of the sinner. I often struggle with sin, daily even. However, I find myself more and more often taking that way out. God has convicted my heart of many things in the past few years, things that have been challenging to say the least and I have failed and fallen back into those things at times. However, it is usually at that time I "think" I am standing firm and doing right until God once again shows me how wrong I am when I lean on my own understanding. We must be careful to take heed of the warnings given to us, such as those from the history of Israel and others. I doubt they expected the wrath of God to be so immediate! We must live each day to glorify God and remember that it could be our last.

1 Corinthians 10:31-33
31So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 32Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God– 33even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.

Colossians 1:15-23

15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

What an amazing description of Christ this is! It is so comforting to know that Christ, the one whom I put my faith in daily, is the same Christ that is written about here! How, when knowing these things, can I worry or complain about things in this life? His blood was shed for me, the blood of the one who created all things and for whom all things were created! What a humbling thought that should be to each one of us who take His name as Christians!

21Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation– 23if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

Oh how unworthy we are of this reconciliation considering our past willingly sinful lives! To think that we will be held holy in his sight (holy is not a word that I would ever use to describe myself, though I know He is making me increasingly holy as I walk with Him, I know I am so far from it) without blemish and free from accusation (I could be accused of so many things, and I am far from being clean). This thought brings me so much joy, to know that one day I shall be in His presence and He will not see me for the wrongs I have done but see me in this new light. However, we must be careful to continue reading for the next words are vital - if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. So many have strayed from the gospel and sadly many are anything but firm when standing for Christ and the gospel that offers us this hope! May each of us pray daily that we are a better steward of the gospel message and that we may become a humble servant to the One who bought us at such a great price!

Matthew 12:22-37

22Then they brought him a demonpossessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. 23All the people were astonished and said, “Could this be the Son of David?”
24But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebub,[a] the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.”
25Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. 26If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? 27And if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. 28But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
29“Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can rob his house.
30“He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters. 31And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
33“Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. 34You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. 35The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. 36But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. 37For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

The Pharisees were desperate to discredit the Son of God, but His response is one I suppose they did not expect. Too many "Christians" forget that we are to be recognized by our fruit. Our fruit must be that of righteousness and not that of the world. We must be careful not to partake in Godless speech, but only in speech that glorifies Him and praises Him.

Reflecting God's Glory

Philippians 1:9-11

9And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, 11filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ–to the glory and praise of God.

We are here to reflect the glory of God. Of course, the only one who successfully did this His entire life was our Lord, Jesus Christ. However, this passage describes what it is that we need to reflect His glory in our every day lives. We must daily find ourselves seeking out His Word and His wisdom. We must seek Him out in all things, and not look to the world around us. We must have the fruits of righteousness.

Ephesians 5:8-10

8For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9(for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10and find out what pleases the Lord.

Galatians 5:22-26

22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and selfcontrol. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

We must remember that our goal each day is to glorify Him. His grace and His mercy have allowed us to have such an awesome purpose in this life and we cannot hesitate in fulfilling that purpose!

1 Thessalonians 2:1-6

1You know, brothers, that our visit to you was not a failure. 2We had previously suffered and been insulted in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in spite of strong opposition. 3For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. 4On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts. 5You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed–God is our witness. 6We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else.

As Christians, we must remember this each time we present the gospel. We have been entrusted with the good news, the greatest news there is or ever will be! We cannot misuse that trust, though many of the Christians today are afraid of any opposition and are using much flattery to try and "win" people to Christ. People of the world are looking for "acceptance" and they long to hear the words that God loves them just the way they are and does not expect them to change. However, it is clearly stated many times that we are required to change and it is not acceptance but grace that God offers. When we witness to people we must keep in mind that this is the Great commission and we are entrusted with the greatest treasure on Earth. We cannot be looking for praise from men, but rather we must be seeking approval from God. That is the only thing that really matters!