Worthy of our calling.

Ephesians 4:1–6 NKJV

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

I don’t want to beat a dead horse, yet Paul was continually addressing the subject of unity. and this evening I believe that although we are headed in the right direction, we are not yet at our destination.

Here in Ephesians four, Paul breaks down the reasoning for unity.

To start with he says that we should walk worth y of the calling. Now I spoke of the calling this morning, yet Paul says that we should work worthy of it. That means we should live in such a way that we do not bring shame to God.

Here, Paul provides five things that will ensure we live worthy of the call of God upon our lives.

I. Lowliness

This comes from an odd Greek word (tapeinophrosynē) meaning to have a humble view of one’s self.

Paul is saying that humility is vital for the Christian.

1 Peter 5:5 NKJV

Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”

Humility should be common among the church.

God said He will resist the proud.

II. Gentleness

Meekness toward God is that disposition of spirit in which we accept His dealings with us as good, and therefore without disputing or resisting. In the OT, the meek are those wholly relying on God rather than their own strength to defend against injustice. Thus, meekness toward evil people means knowing God is permitting the injuries they inflict, that He is using them to purify His elect, and that He will deliver His elect in His time.

Isaiah 41:17 NKJV

“The poor and needy seek water, but there is none, Their tongues fail for thirst. I, the Lord, will hear them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.

Gentleness or meekness is the opposite to self-assertiveness and self-interest. It stems from trust in God's goodness and control over the situation. The gentle person is not occupied with self at all. This is a work of the Holy Spirit, not of the human will (Gal 5:23). The fruits of the Spirit

III. Longsuffering

This long-suffering means patience. Or, according to Thayers Greek Lexicon, 1. patience, endurance, constancy, steadfastness, perseverance; especially as shown in bearing troubles and ills.

Why? Because God fights for us.

Isaiah 57:15 KJV 1900

For thus saith the high and lofty One That inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, With him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

Isaiah 54:17 NKJV

No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their righteousness is from Me,” Says the Lord.

IV. Bearing one another.

This literally means to bear another up, or to lift up.

It implies that we should be there to encourage one another.

Galatians 6:2 NKJV

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

It means that we care for other Christians.

We must lift each other up. This world is difficult, mean, and painful. The church must be a place of healing.

As believers we should be nurses. God is the physician, but we should be there to tend to the wounds. To compassionately and tenderly tend to the needs of others.

I know that for some it is more natural than others. Yet, we are all called to act out the love of God.

V. Working to keep unity.

The Bible uses the word endeavoring, this implies that it is work. We must be willing to labor to keep unity.

Tom Rainer listed 14 things that cause dis unity on the church.

1. Gossip.

Church members talk about one another instead of talking to one another. Paul calls church members who gossip people “filled with all unrighteousness” (Romans 1:29, HCSB).

2. Actions cloaked in darkness.

I recently heard of a church personnel committee and a few church staff members who worked in darkness to fire a pastor without ever meeting with him first or giving him reasons for his dismissal. Then they refused to respond to church members who were asking questions.

3. Failure to confront church bullies.

Some church members seek power in a church they can’t get elsewhere. They are devious and dangerous. They must be courageously confronted.

4. Self-serving church members.

Some church members insist on getting their way for everything from worship style to the order of the worship service. Biblical church membership, however, is selfless and more concerned about others.

5. Lack of prayer.

A church that does not pray together is likely to fragment into special interest groups.

6. Fear of confrontation.

Too many church members would rather sweep problems under the rug than deal with them. I know of one church where two deacons were known to be having affairs. No one wanted to deal with it.

7. Adopting the hypercritical spirit of culture.

This reality is especially true in blogs and social media. I’ve seen many pastors attacked publicly on Twitter and Facebook.

8. Low expectations.

Many churches have no clear guidelines on what it means to be a part of the body of Christ. If you expect little from members, that’s exactly what you’ll get. And some of them will use their idle time to gossip, criticize, and tear down.

9. No church discipline.

The majority of churches with which I have familiarity have no process for church discipline, or they have a process in place in theory only.

10. Churches known more for what they are against rather than what they are for.

This negativity becomes pervasive in the congregation and destroys church unity.

11. Fear of losing members.

I am familiar with one church plagued by a spirit of divisiveness by one particular member. No members have confronted him because they don’t want to lose one of the biggest givers in the church.

12. Failure to be evangelistic.

I have never known a church member who is both evangelistic and divisive.

13. Power groups.

Sometimes the bullies in the church get allies to form power groups. They may be informal groups, or they can be formal groups like elders, deacons, staff, or personnel committees.

14. The silent and fearful majority.

One church member said it is not always good to know the truth. Such a statement is unbiblical and symptomatic of members who let evil exist because they are afraid to confront it.