Community

Recap

Book of James Authored by the same name, who was half brother to Jesus

Talked about the Hebrew word Debar having multiple meanings:Word, and Thing

We spoke about how small things, can control larger things - like the bitt in a horses mouth, a rudder controls a ship or a tongue controls our entire body. If we could control our tongue, we could walk perfectly before the Lord.

The duality of praising our heavenly father, while cursing our brothers whom we can see

We spoke about accountability, having full understanding that our words have the power to speak life or death

Background

Today we’ll be coming from the epistle (letter) of Ephesians authored by the Apostle Paul during his first imprisonment. The letter in some translations is written to the Greeks at Ephesus, however, some documents omit the Ephesians in isolation, leading scholars to believe it was written to the Saints in general. Paul spent two year in Ephesus building the church, but had to leave because of growing friction between Paul and the silver smith that made their lively hood creating silver idols to various Gods. This was a letter of encouragement and instructions on everything relational from Husbands and wives, children, slaves and masters, and even church as a whole

Unity of Community

God assigned roles and responsibilities to equip the Saints for the effective work of the ministry.

Unity does not look like uniformity - Ephesians 4:15 “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,”

Christian Living

Ephesians 4:17–24 “Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

Communication Among Believers

“Any law that uplifts human personalty is just, Any law that degrades human personality is unjust” Dr King

Ephesians 4:25–31 “Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.”