Yippee eye aye! It’s Tuesday again! I’m so glad to be here and so glad you’re here too. Welcome back to afaithtalk.com. A little place on the internet where I write about faith in the hopes of growing mine and helping you grow yours.
We’re past the half way point in Ephesians already. My is this going fast. I hope you’re enjoying it as much as I am. It’s such an extraordinary book and nearly each verse has something we need to learn. I’m so very grateful to have this and to have Jesus write with me and show us what we need to see in this chapter. Come walk with me through Ephesians 4.
Let’s pray:
Dear Lord Jesus, I thank You so very much for the words in this chapter, for the lessons within so many of the verses. I thank You for whatever You’re going to teach today because writing with You is so much fun. All for your glory, Lord. Amen.
Read Ephesians 4:1 NIV
Do you consider yourself a prisoner for the Lord?
If not, why not?
There is no freer place to be than in the Lord.
What is the subtitle of this chapter?
How does that make you feel?
What is it Paul is urging us to do?
Do you know what calling you have received?
I think it’s simpler than it could be here. You don’t need to wrack your brain trying to figure out whether you’ve been called or not. There are a bunch of things you’ve been called to be as far as behavior goes, lots of them in this book alone. As far as doing, well, in some ways that’s harder to answer. And it’s likely you’ve been given more than one and some that lead to others too. Here’s an example.
Round about the year 2001, I was asked by my pastor’s wife to lead Bible Study. Since then, with a year off a couple ago, I have done that. About two or three years ago, I wrote a book I handed my father-in-law for Christmas with a bunch of the writing I’d done with Jesus in it and a few other things I found from others that had blessed me so. Since then, I’ve written many things as Jesus lead, most of which I didn’t share widely if at all. Then just this past fall, I felt Jesus lead me to start writing here. He seemed to say something like “It’s time to share what we write.” The step to do this was both scary and obedience. It’s not easy, I don’t have it all figured out just yet, but He’s always blessed me with joy when I obey. And He continues to lead me and provide whatever I need to write whatever He wants written for any day. Tuesday’s Bible Study and whatever I write to go along with the slides I prep for Worship. That’s an email, and it doesn’t get posted, but those are the two I’ve prayed for for years. Now I ask for two others as well. And last week? He handed me all four of them. By this point the three meant for the blog are there and you can read them. Yay, Jesus! What a week you provided for me. Do it again, Lord, please, this is a new week, do it again.
Read Ephesians 4:2-3
Be Humble: (in a spirit of deference or submission)
Be Gentle: (softly, delicately, kindly)
Be Patient, bearing with one another in love.
Make every effort to…
Did you know that phrase isn’t used but just a few times in Scripture? Probably helpful since how many things can you make every effort to do? Let’s look at them.
Luke 13:24 Jesus said “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.”
Romans 14:19 “Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.”
Hebrews 4:11 “Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.”
Hebrews 12:14 “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.
And Peter uses this phrase several times. We’re skipping one because he’s telling us in that one what he’s going to do.
2 Peter 1:5 “For this reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness knowledge;”
2 Peter 1:10 “Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble.”
2 Peter 3:14 “So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blames and at peace with him.”
Every one of these things is worth making every effort to do.
In Ephesians 4:3, what is it we’re to make every effort to do?
Read Ephesians 4:4-6
One, how many times did that word show up in those three verses?
Do you suppose that is what Paul means by “the unity of the Spirit”? And also why he’s calling us to peace.
One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. Oh that we would see and realize this at all times.
Read Ephesians 4:7
Read that again. To whom?
What was given?
Who distributed it?
Do you remember what John 1:16 says? How does that make you feel about Ephesians 4:7?
Ready Ephesians 4:8-10
I love how Paul is explaining Psalm 68:18, which is verse 8 in these few verses. Firstly with the parenthetical statements of verses 9 & 10. Doesn’t it make you feel wonderful that Jesus fills the whole universe?
He’s going to go on with the gift here in a minute. But first we need to see Jesus our Lord fills the universe we are within. He’s everywhere, we can’t get away. He has us in his hand. He’s over it all, for us. Hold onto your faith.
Read Ephesians 4:11-13
Why did Christ give apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers?
So that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God…
When we reach this unity and knowledge, we will become mature. What will we attain?
How does that make you feel?
Read Ephesians 4:14
We will no longer be?
No matter the waves, the cunning and craftiness or the deceitful scheming. Maturity in the faith is like being mentally & emotionally safe from all the ungodliness around us.
Read Ephesians 4:15-16
How are we supposed to speak the truth?
What will this do for us?
Here’s a kind of illustration from coloring books. We know that Christ Jesus is over all and He fills all because we’ve read that before we reached this point, so imagine that while we are sharing our faith and growing our faith, we’re being built into this house, as chapter 1 put it, only this house is Jesus. We’re filling him as if he’s an outline and we’re filling it up as crayons can fill in pictures. All of us filling it up and His love encompassing us all. Just a way to think about it, not how it really is, most likely, but it’s one way our minds can wrap our heads around the wonderful plans God has for us in Christ.
Read Ephesians 4:17-19
What’s the subtitle of this section? Yes, it changed here.
What happened to those who didn’t believe? Or maybe the question should be why is their thinking now futile and their understanding darkened?
Read Ephesians 4:20-24
When you were taught of the truth in Christ how are you to live?
Read Ephesians 4:25
If you’re speaking truth, you’re putting off what?
Why should we always speak the truth in love?
Read Ephesians 4:26-27
How often do you realize your attitude can give the devil a foothold? Perhaps we should all realize that more often and be quick to ask Jesus to help us change the way we’re thinking.
Read Ephesians 4:28
Do something useful with your hands.
I’ve been thinking on this for a few days from something else I read about the Day of Judgment. How much of your life do you hope doesn’t get blown away as chaff in the wind? It’s reward you’re losing when that happens. What can you do today that will be eternally useful? Perhaps we all need to think on this a while.
Read Ephesians 4:29
All of our words should build others up. They should be beneficial words. Is that saying more than ‘don’t speak to cut people down or insult or hurt people’ it’s more than that. It’s speak words that build others up. I know someone who’s really good at this. It’s interpreted as encouragement. But we can all speak words that build and benefit those who listen.
Read Ephesians 4:30
The Holy Spirit lives within you, You are sealed and forever in God’s hand so watch your tongue, watch your attitude, you don’t want to inadvertently grieve the Holy Spirit. There’s no way to live by faith when you grieve the Spirit. And living by faith is what we’re supposed to be doing.
Read Ephesians 4:31
In case you needed help deciding what kinds of behavior or attitudes to get rid of, this list is very helpful. If you feel any of these things pray. Ask Jesus to forgive you and to come between you and those feelings and restore his peace to your mind & heart.
Read Ephesians 4:32
Do this instead. Be kind. Be compassionate. Forgive. You have been forgiven. Live like it.
Fun story, I was driving my daughter to ABA and talking to Jesus about this and I remember saying “I don’t have any songs yet, Lord, what should I add?” He answered me at this verse. This one is so applicable to the times we live in right now as well.
Revolutionary by Josh Wilson
And to end this, The Blessing. It’s a live performance that was recorded and Kari Jobe gets winded. It’s beautiful, loud and wonderful and all Scripture.
Thank You, Lord, for this lesson, these songs, this book, this time, the people who will read it and join me in this study, the way you keep us all held. That we would all know this as one of the most certain truths we could ever know. In Your name, and for Your glory I pray. Amen.