SCRIPTURE: EPHESIANS 4
MEMORY VERSE:
“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:2-3)
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32)
UNITY IN THE BODY OF CHRIST (vs.1-16)
How to live a life worthy of the calling you have received?
- Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. (v. 2)
- Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. (v. 3)
- Remember there is only one body and one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all and in all
Jesus descended to the lower earthly regions but he had also ascended to higher than all the heavens in order to fill the whole universe. He gave some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers to prepare God’s people for works of service 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 and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Then, 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. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is Christ. From 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.
LIVING AS CHILDREN OF LIGHT (vs. 17-32)
PAUL’S CRITERIA ON HOW TO LIVE AS CHILDREN OF LIGHT:
- Do not harden your heart or indulge in every kind of impurity with continual lust for more. (vs.17-19)
- Put off your old self which is being corrupted by deceitful desires. (v. 22)
- Put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. (v. 24)
- Put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor. (v. 25)
- In your anger, do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry. (v. 26)
- Do not give the devil a foothold. (v. 27)
- Do not steal but work with your own hands so that you have something to share with those in need. (v. 28)
- Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs so that it may benefit those who listen. (v. 29)
- Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. (v. 30)
- Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander along with every form of malice. (v. 31)
- Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (v. 32)
THOUGHTS:
Since God has chosen us to be Christ’s representatives on earth, we have to live lives worthy of the calling we have received. This includes the character of being humble, gentle, patient, understanding, loving and peaceful. When people watch you, can they see Christ in you as His representative?
The church is supposed to be united in one body. Differences among people can lead to division. Remember that we are one body, one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism and one God. Learn to appreciate differences by complementing one another. Instead of dwelling on the weaknesses and faults of fellow believers, be patient and gentle and pray for them. Build unity by focusing on God and not for ourselves.
Each believer has God-given abilities that can strengthen the church. This involves preaching, teaching, healing, nurturing, giving, administering building and many other tasks. Use your ability in God’s service to contribute to the strength and health of the body of believers. Are you exercising the gifts God has given you?
As followers of Christ, we must be committed to the truth because Christ is the truth, and the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth. That means that our words should be honest and our actions should reflect Christ’s integrity. It is not easy to hold the truth in love, but it is necessary if the church is going to do Christ’s work in the world.
The way we live is a testimony of whether we are Christians or non-Christians. We are to live a life full of light. That means we have to change our old nature to a new nature expressed in right attitudes by keeping God’s Word. We are not to be driven by desire and impulse. Instead, put on the new nature, head in the new direction and have the new way of thinking that the Holy Spirit gives.
Paul told us to deal with our anger and handle it properly because if vented thoughtlessly, anger can hurt people and destroy relationships. If bottled up inside, it can cause us to become bitter and destroy us from within. If we nurse our anger, we are giving Satan an opportunity to divide us. Don’t let the day end before mending your relationship.
Paul warned us against unwholesome language, bitterness, improper use of anger, harsh words, slander and bad attitudes toward others. Instead, we should be forgiving just as God has forgiven us. Having received forgiveness from God, we have to do likewise to fellowmen.