Ephesians Chapter Four Part Three-

Of course, all scripture is in blue.

Let’s take a moment to review a scripture out of an earlier part of Ephesians that very simply sums up what Paul is asking us to realize.  

Eph 4:2

Living as becomes you] with complete lowliness of mind (humility) and meekness (unselfishness, gentleness, mildness), with patience, bearing with one another and making allowances because you love one another.

Because without real love for one another you  are are like tinkling brass. None of all your good works, even to help others has any use in the eyes of Jesus useless we are truly filling the last command Jesus gave us: “That we love one another as He has loved us”.

The Apostle Paul has now turned his love and attention to the church in this fourth chapter  of Ephesians. Teaching what real unity means. The amazing thing to me is Paul (as we see in the scripture above) continually shows us that LOVE is the motive- which is given to us by God- for God IS LOVE and love is always His motive- implanted into our hearts when we become born again. It’s there, you only have to believe it.

We also talked about the serious damage strife can bring. Not only to the church as a whole but also the damage to individuals who live a life full of strife. It is my desire that all of us return to the unity and peace that the Holy Spirit brings to God’s born again children.

We left off with this statement by Paul in chapter four. Continuing now with verse three:

3 Be eager and strive earnestly to guard and keep the harmony and oneness of [and produced by] the Spirit in the binding power of peace.  [There is] one body and one Spirit—just as there is also one hope [that belongs] to the calling you received—  [There is] one Lord, one faith, one baptism,  One God and Father of [us] all, Who is above all [Sovereign over all], pervading all and [living] in [us] all.

There is a harmony and oneness given to all born again children at their spiritual birth. It is held together by the binding power of the peace Christ ‘in us’ brings. All is freely given to you, as well as being produced in you by the Spirit. That means that there is no work for us to do. Except, as Jesus told us-

John 6:29 Jesus replied, This is the work (service) that God asks of you: that you believe in the One Whom He has sent [that you cleave to, trust, rely on, and have faith in His Messenger].

With you, truly believing that you have received your new nature from God (that is, believing in faith), you can learn to respond to any situation being motivated only by the love of God that is in you, as easily as you once reacted (mostly in self interest) being in the old man you once were. You had no peace in situations that were not what you liked or wanted. You often reacted by becoming upset and angry to the actions and talk of people you didn’t like. Quick anger from us is a true revelation that we are still living like mere unchanged men. Realize this, and step back into the heart and mind of Christ, which is yours and tell Him openly and without fear. He will forgive. You will slip often.

However, we must be ready to guard and keep this peace and love that is ours from God as a gift because it will be a main target for the enemy. He will strike at us using our old natural thinking and the emotions of the old man we used to be. Our old man is gone, killed when we were baptized into the death of Christ. Christ’s resurrection was also shared with us, releasing a new nature in us. The nature of Christ Himself. (see Romans six).

God’s church is one body. Not Baptist, not Seventh Day Adventist, not anything except everyone who is born again into His one body. There may be many of his children involved in many denominations not realizing who they are. When Jesus appears there will be many realizing that are part of His one body.This one body is filled with the same Spirit of Christ for and in all. The fruits of this one Spirit will appear openly in Christ’s one body.

Here in First Corinthians 1:7 We see the hope to which we are called. 

 That you are not [consciously] falling behind or lacking in any special spiritual endowment or Christian grace [the reception of which is due to the power of divine grace operating in your souls by the Holy Spirit], while you wait and watch [constantly living in hope] for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and [His] being made visible to all.

Here then is the hope for God’s church. We are expected to wait and watch for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ, in constant hope. As with anything we’ve asked  God for, we should expect it and watch for it. The watching and expecting is a very important attitude when counting on God to fulfill our desires. 

Yet we have the same spirit of faith as he had who wrote, I have believed, and therefore have I spoken. We too believe, and therefore we speak,

Notice he called it a spirit of faith. This faith is brought to be by the presence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. The spirit which was given to us during our born again  experience. Providing for us the ability to believe in our hearts and not just our minds.

But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness,

So the One Spirit of God which is given to all shows up in faith and the same fruit always.

When it comes to unity in the church, there is One Spirit at work in the hearts of every child of God. This same Spirit births the same thing in all of us, faith and the same fruit (love) in every believer. When this is actually happening there is unity because God’s spirit never causes confusion amongst the children He lives in.

 

 

Ephesians Chapter Four Part Two

Continuing in Ephesians. (of course all scripture is in blue)

In this chapter, so far Paul has spent his time giving us a picture of how he wants the church to look. He really has a bad time when he detects strife. For individuals and the Churches in general. We have left Ephesians for a moment to look at 1st Corinthians  to determine what concerns him so much about strife.

1st Corth 1:10 amp 

But I urge and entreat you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in perfect harmony and full agreement in what you say, and that there be no dissensions or factions or divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in your common understanding and in your opinions and judgments.  

Paul entreats the church in Corinth by the name of the Lord Jesus (Paul is very serious) that all of the church be:

In perfect harmony-  in full agreement in what they say-  that there be no dissensions-  or factions-  or divisions among the church- that in the church all be perfectly united- united together in all common understanding- united in all their opinions- united in all their judgments- 

How different do Paul’s words on Unity appear when contrasted with what we usually find in the modern church in America today. It must have been quite a spirit working during those days for Paul to expect this kind of growth out of these Christians to have the unity he expects. 

This post interruption to 1st Corinthians from Ephesians will show the high spiritual cost to any church when true Unity is lost. 

For it has been made clear to me, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions and wrangling and factions among you.  What I mean is this, that each one of you [either] says, I belong to Paul, or I belong to Apollos, or I belong to Cephas (Peter), or I belong to Christ.

Paul can tell right off that these people were reacting to the same flesh impulses that powers the world. Later he would write that they behaved themselves like ‘mere men’ (KJV) In a way we could say that all the actions the flesh of these believers caused, had drowned out any further spiritual understanding that might have been revealed when Paul was there to actually speak to them. He puts it this way.

1st Corinthians 3:1 amp

HOWEVER, BRETHREN, I could not talk to you as to spiritual [men],

Now here is the cost! He’s unable to speak to them about what God really has for them and what they have such a great need to understand. For this kind of understanding, which is available only from God, is only for men (or women) who have reached a certain level of spiritually. But, as he says in the next scripture this church was not spiritual. The general church for sure had no or little spiritually, but also, all individuals (today as it was then) should be aware of what the enemy gains when he’s allowed to bring strife between people.. For we as individuals will suffer the same loss if we remain content to lazily remain unspiritual. So there is no blaming it on other people, anyone can pursue a spiritual life if they want it. 

but as to nonspiritual [men of the flesh, in whom the carnal nature predominates], as to mere infants [in the new life] in Christ

and what does it mean to be unspiritual? It means to walk (live your lifestyle) according to your natural carnal nature… like infants in the life which was given to you when you were born again. The life of Christ Himself is lost to any believer. 

I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not yet strong enough [to be ready for it]; but even yet you are not strong enough [to be ready for it],  

Paul indeed fed them with milk because as carnal babies they could not fed on anything stronger. Do not get caught in this trap which is arranged for you by Satan. If you already are, go to God and confess and repent and ask for a love for His word and His help to free you.

For you are still [unspiritual, having the nature] of the flesh [under the control of ordinary impulses]. For as long as [there are] envying and jealousy and wrangling and factions among you, are you not unspiritual and of the flesh, behaving yourselves after a human standard and like mere (unchanged) men?

Envying, jealousy, wrangling and factions. All these bear the signature of a little infant spirit which is overcome by the thoughts of a strong dominating flesh. Bottom line, leading a life without real love as it’s motivation… means a life outside His presence.

For when one says, I belong to Paul, and another, I belong to Apollos, are you not [proving yourselves] ordinary (unchanged) men?  

What we need to realize from all of this is that this happens to individuals. Individuals like you and I and this is as true for us as it was for them. It is so important to learn to walk in love, which indicates a spiritual life. For only unfeigned love living in our heart will be able to break the bond of the flesh in us. It is most important that this happens. Stay in God’s word, with thanksgiving, and be obedient to whatever God teaches you.

This following of individual Teachers and Pastors that is displayed in the church today contributes to the  the general strife. Of course there are certain good teachers and ministries that are preaching against strife And that is the goodness of God, as strife in any person’s life affects the peace needed to allow us to find the Holy Spirit working in our lives as Christ desires.

Notice now the difference in some of the other people Paul uses in his example.

Yet when we are among the full-grown (spiritually mature Christians who are ripe in understanding), we do impart a [higher] wisdom

Here’s the cost. A higher wisdom is available to those who are in God’s peace and walk in love.

the knowledge of the divine plan previously hidden); but it is indeed not a wisdom of this present age or of this world nor of the leaders and rulers of this age, who are being brought to nothing and are doomed to pass away. But rather what we are setting forth is a wisdom of God once hidden [from the human understanding] and now revealed to us by God—[that wisdom] which God devised and decreed before the ages for our glorification [to lift us into the glory of His presence]. 

 So, Paul’s explanation tells us we can miss God’s wisdom which can be grasped and understood by spiritual Christians. A marvelous wisdom hidden since before the ages for us, who are born again, and available through the Holy Spirit to us- that is if we have overcome our flesh and have become truly spiritual people.

We will continue in Ephesians with our next post.

Hope all is well and may God’s blessings follow you always.