April 30, 2017 Temple Baptist Church, Jamestown, ND
TITLE: WALKING TOGETHER IN CHRIST, Ephesians 4:1-6 (TBC Together #2)
One of things Kristy and I enjoy doing is taking walks together. During the winter
months that can be difficult because of the snow, ice, wind and the low temps. But
when conditions are right, we enjoy getting outside. We use it as time to get some
exercise together, to talk a little, to unwind from the rest of the day.
When we belong to Jesus Christ, the Bible describes our living as a walk. I find
that image helpful. Some use the word journey. We are not called to sit. We are
called to walk, to move. Part of our call to faith in Christ is a call to walk together in
a manner that is a direct witness to the One for Whom, the One with Whom, we
are walking.
This walk is with others. To walk properly, or worthily, as the apostle Paul says,
means we do so with others. Ephesians is a beloved book likely used as a general
letter on the Christian life for churches throughout the 1st Century region of Asia, which
corresponds to the western most part of modern day Turkey.
The first three chapters are about our identity in Christ. Paul prays, among other
things, that you may know what is the hope to which he (God) has called you (1:18b).
He writes of the work of the Father by means of the Spirit through the Son (our Lord
Jesus Christ).
God makes the way for His grace through the incarnation, life, death, resurrection and
ascension of Jesus Messiah, for the purpose of accomplishing His good work in and
through us, which become the means by which we live this life, our walk.
Practically that means there is no longer any reason for ethnic, racial or other
barriers between peoples, because we all come to Christ in the same way. Christ
breaks down the dividing wall of hostility between peoples. All of them. We, then,
become a witness of the mystery of God’s good news. Paul concludes chapter
three with a prayer that we be strengthened through the Spirit so that we come to know
the love of Christ and fullness of God resulting in His glory displayed in the church.
Which brings us to our topic for today. The first chapter in the book we are reading
together focuses on being a functioning member. Chapter two emphasizes being a
unifying member. Let’s listen to Paul’s words after his prayer and then consider their
significance. Read Ephesians 4:1-6. These verses serve as a general introduction to
the last three chapters explaining how this faith or walk works out in all of life. How
do we walk worthily of the call by which God calls us to be His?
•
Walk with humility, gentleness and patience.
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 . . . 4:1-2a
Paul, as a prisoner, a bound-one, is not free, but they are. As followers of Jesus walk
with all humility, gentleness and patience.
It is humility, Paul writes to the Philippians, that allows us to count others more
significant than ourselves (Philippians 2:3). Gentleness or meekness, likewise, is a
quality particularly lacking in our modern world.
Patience is also translated as forbearance. It essentially means slow to get hot.
Tweets, emails, texts and Facebook don’t seem to contribute to this quality, either.
Think of it this way. Humility is WHAT is behind our actions, gentleness HOW we
act and patience WHEN we act.
As members of Christ’s body our actions begin with these qualities. Let them not begin
from pride and quick responses which come from quick judgments. I find that face to
face communication is usually a far better approach when dealing with sensitivities in
relationships. Take time to stop, to sit, to look the other person in the eye, to listen.
If we are to walk worthily of the call to which God has called us, the call to be His
people, that call means walking with humility, gentleness and patience. This is what
the Spirit strengthening us with power in our inner being looks like.
Take a moment to think of a situation that calls for these qualities. What will be your
next step? Now, what would happen if you did not have to think situationally, but
these qualities flowed naturally out of who God is making you to be?
•
Walk bearing with each other in love.
The attributes of humility, gentleness and patience are not lived in a vacuum. As
mentioned, they are in the context of relationship. What does bearing with one
another in love (4:2b) mean? (Audience) How would this work out, for example, in
relationships among the TBC family? (Audience)
Bearing with one another means giving the other person some space, the benefit
of the doubt, not jumping to immediate conclusions. Sometimes the next step is
required, forgiveness. At the end of this chapter Paul writes, Be kind to one another,
tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32
Thom Rainer lists the continued need for forgiveness in the body of Christ when writing
about being a unifying church member in chapter two of I Am a Church Member. I
know of no relationship that can be healthy without active, respectful
communication and an emphasis on making peace through forgiveness.
Peacemaking, reconciliation, is one of the areas I want to explore more deeply during
my upcoming sabbatical.
In another letter written about the same time Paul encourages the followers of Jesus in
Colossae: Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate
hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if
one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you,
so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything
together in perfect harmony. Colossians 3:12-14
The way we bear with each other is in love, the love we receive from Christ, which
then helps us look at others much differently. I sometimes don’t wear my Jesus
glasses like I should. How I see changes when I do wear them. Write down the name
of someone who would benefit from your bearing with them in love.
•
Walk zealously keeping the oneness of the Spirit.
. . . eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4:3 I’m translating
eager to maintain as zealously keeping, because this is something that requires us to
take the initiative rather than being passive.
The word unity simply means oneness. Paul says the way we zealously keep the
oneness of the Spirit is in the bond of peace. There is a bit of word play going on. Paul
describes himself as a prisoner, or bound one. Peace is the bond that contributes to the
oneness of the Spirit.
Paul reminds us who are followers of Jesus: Therefore, since we have been justified by
faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1 Our peace
with God means we then have peace with each other, Christ breaking down the walls
that divide us through the shedding of His blood on the cross (Ephesians 2:13-17).
Paul uses this word unity/oneness again in verse 13 where he comments that the
diversity of the gifts God gives is so that we, the saints, will each be equipped for God’s
work, His ministry, which then helps build up the body of Christ. As Christ’s body
grows stronger, it matures because we have oneness in our faith in Christ.
When I come to Christ, it is not my doing, but my response in faith to the Spirit’s
work. The Spirit saves me, applying what Christ did on the cross to my life. But, as
Jesus promised, He doesn’t leave me as an orphan. I don’t just get the Spirit’s
presence in me, but the Spirit in us. We bear the presence of the Spirit. Every one
of these you words is plural, y’all, or if you are from the South, all y’all. The Spirit isn’t in
me, but in we.
The oneness of the Spirit is not something I produce, yet I zealously guard it.
More often we work at tearing down. Thom Rainer calls out gossip and its tragic
impact on the body of Christ. Gossip is selfish, like spreading shards of glass, which cut
and cause pain. Walking zealously keeping the oneness of the Spirit in this context
means we refuse to participate in listening to gossip or passing it on. I need to
regularly repent in this area, sometimes for listening, sometimes for not humbly, gently
and patiently taking the initiative to question the person who is just sharing.
•
Walk together because of one Spirit, one Lord and one God.
Paul then explains the reason for our oneness. There is one body and one Spirit—just
as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—4:4
One body is a reference to the church. We speak of individual churches, just as the NT
does of various churches in Corinth, Rome, Laodicea, Ephesus, Philippi, Thessalonica,
Colossae and so on. But we are, in God’s eyes (and quite frankly, the world’s) one
church, one body. There is one Spirit, not many different ones. We have one hope,
the hope of Christ’s return, making all things new, including receiving our new bodies as
He promised.
. . . one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 4:5 Jesus is not many, so the faith we have in Him
is not many, but one faith. Likewise, baptism is also one. Baptism is something the
Spirit does when we confess Christ, our outward immersion in water an expression of
our uniting with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection.
A word about baptism. I was sprinkled in the Presbyterian church which my parents
attended when I was born. I don’t remember it. It expressed their faith, not mine,
and their intent to raise me in the one faith in the Lord Jesus. Some time later they
began attending the Baptist church and my father came to realize that, although he too
had been sprinkled as a baby, he had never personally trusted Christ as his Savior. He
did and was baptized. I asked him if it was hard. I got a little hassle from my family at
first, he said, but this was something I was doing and they saw I was serious about my
stand for Christ. I received Christ when I was eight or nine and baptized at nine.
My experience is that those who grow up in churches that practice infant baptism, or
even baptism in a different way, sometimes find it difficult to be baptized by immersion,
even though they agree that this is the way baptism was practiced in the NT times and
most clearly indicates its meaning. Baptism is to be our testimony of God’s work in
us, a source and a statement of our joy. Sometimes, though, our pride gets in the way.
I value the different heritages from my family, my mother from a Methodist background,
my father from a Presbyterian one. When we receive a Christian legacy from our
parents, let’s express our gratitude. We also must realize that none of us will
stand before God and claim someone else’s faith as a replacement for our own.
We each must personally choose to receive Christ and then take a stand for Him,
the initial sign being baptism.
What do we do if we were baptized a different way? I think we must ask ourselves two
questions. Was I baptized because of my faith or because of someone else’s
understanding? Second, do I believe that the NT teaches that the way people
personally identify with Christ is through baptism by immersion? If the answer to
the second question is YES, then we ask a third question. What is standing in the
way of my taking a stand for Christ? I would be happy to visit with you re: any
questions or comments you have, but you may find that a Discovering Church
Membership class, which we plan to have next Sunday will answer your questions.
Verse six completes the Trinitarian statement. . . . one God and Father of all, who is
over all and through all and in all. 4:6 While there is debate about exactly what is meant
by all, Paul is making a claim of God’s oneness, Spirit, Son (Lord) and Father. The
unity/oneness of the church is a testament to God’s rule over all and His rule over
all is evident in the oneness/the unity of the church. We walk TOGETHER because
of one Spirit, Lord and God.
Conclusion. Pastor Kalen and I were privileged to share with leaders of other NAB
churches across the U. S. and Canada last week. We were challenged to realize that
what is going on in our inner lives impacts everything, including you whom we
lead. When we pay attention to what is inside and begin to regularly practice things that
cooperate with the Spirit’s strengthening power, we become a place where Christ dwells
more fully, more deeply. We become people of joy.
So how is your walk? Are you walking with Christ? Are you walking worthily of the call
with which God called you . . . demonstrating humility, gentleness, peace, bearing with
each other in love, zealously keeping the oneness of the Spirit in the bond of peace,
walking together because we share one Spirit, one Lord, one God? This is a sign of
God’s grace of the Spirit at work in us as we cooperate daily with Him.
So how do we do cooperate with the Spirit? Three suggestions. Join us for the next
Discovering Church Membership Class. I would be honored if you choose to speak with
me about this topic. Please continue to read in your book. Life Groups are one of the
best ways to help us learn to walk together. Please contact Pastor Kalen if you have
questions about Life Groups. He will speak next week on the topic of chapter three: I
will not let my church be about my preferences and desires. (Pray)
NEXT STEPS: With another read Ephesians 4:1-6 three times aloud, slowly. Share
which word or phrase holds your attention and why. Review the outline. Discuss your
struggle with/how you are learning to live verses 2-3. How is your view of membership
changing? Share what God’s next step is for you and pray together. Prepare for
worship next week by reading chapter three in I Am a Church Member. BONUS: Each
day reflect on Ephesians 3:14-21. What is God prompting in you?