WORD From The Woods
Ephesians 4:1-16
"I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,and he gave gifts to men.” (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love."
In verse 1, Paul talks about walking in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called. We haven't just been called to get saved and avoid the torment of an eternity spent in hell, we have been called to also serve Christ and if we are to serve Christ then we must do it in a way that is worthy of this calling. We can't just strive to live in a worthy way for the sake of living a "good" life, that would just be empty moralism. If we are going to live in a manner worthy of God's calling, then our life must first be built upon the foundation of Christ through the gospel of salvation! In the first part of this passage, Paul lists some characteristics that we as believers should exemplify as we mature in our spiritual lives, such as humility, gentleness, patience and so on. Paul puts a huge emphasis on unity among the believers within the body. We weren't called to be Lone Ranger Christians, but we were called into a community of believers to grow and fellowship and serve together, with our eyes fixed in the one who unites us, Christ Jesus! In verse 9, Paul tells us that we not only have a savior in Christ, but that we also have an example. Christ descended from His place of glory to this earth, He lived and walked among the people of this earth and experienced all the trials and temptations that we do. He lived a perfect example for us to follow and while doing this, He set up the church through the apostles and teachers and evangelists and many others. After Christ established his earthly ministry, He solved the problem of sin on the cross and broke the power of death by leaving the grave on the third day! We as believers today are still called to be a part of the ministry that Christ himself established during His time on earth. We are called to be unified in Christ with the rest of the church, the body of Christ. We are called to grow together and serve together until the time of Christ's return when all things will be made new and all things will be set right!
God bless, and have a great week! -Terry-
Ephesians 4:1-16
"I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,and he gave gifts to men.” (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love."
In verse 1, Paul talks about walking in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called. We haven't just been called to get saved and avoid the torment of an eternity spent in hell, we have been called to also serve Christ and if we are to serve Christ then we must do it in a way that is worthy of this calling. We can't just strive to live in a worthy way for the sake of living a "good" life, that would just be empty moralism. If we are going to live in a manner worthy of God's calling, then our life must first be built upon the foundation of Christ through the gospel of salvation! In the first part of this passage, Paul lists some characteristics that we as believers should exemplify as we mature in our spiritual lives, such as humility, gentleness, patience and so on. Paul puts a huge emphasis on unity among the believers within the body. We weren't called to be Lone Ranger Christians, but we were called into a community of believers to grow and fellowship and serve together, with our eyes fixed in the one who unites us, Christ Jesus! In verse 9, Paul tells us that we not only have a savior in Christ, but that we also have an example. Christ descended from His place of glory to this earth, He lived and walked among the people of this earth and experienced all the trials and temptations that we do. He lived a perfect example for us to follow and while doing this, He set up the church through the apostles and teachers and evangelists and many others. After Christ established his earthly ministry, He solved the problem of sin on the cross and broke the power of death by leaving the grave on the third day! We as believers today are still called to be a part of the ministry that Christ himself established during His time on earth. We are called to be unified in Christ with the rest of the church, the body of Christ. We are called to grow together and serve together until the time of Christ's return when all things will be made new and all things will be set right!
God bless, and have a great week! -Terry-