Love that unites

Introduction

The first half of Ephesians Paul tells us kung ano yung ginawa satin ng Diyos. From rags to riches, from curses to blessings, from death to life, from hostility to unity! God has done far more that we could ever think or imagine for his people. And the right response is to praise His glory! But Paul didn’t just stop to calls the believer to praise God in their words, but he begs them to glorify God in their walks.

That’s why Paul, as he turned into the second half of Ephesians sa Chapter 4 verse 1, he is now calling, exhorting us, the Christians to walk worthy, na ipamuhay natin yung buhay natin ng nararapat bilang mga anak ng Diyos na niligtas N’ya.

If we are to respond rightly sa pag kakatawag satin ng Diyos and if we are to grow in unity and maturity bilang Iglesia kung saan ang kaluwalhatian ng Diyos ay nakikita, then we must listen to Paul and earnestly ask the Spirit of the Lord na i enable tayo to walk sa Christlike Character traits na sinabi ni Paul verse 2-3, and that as a church we must walk with all humility - is a attitude of the mind where we think and see ourselves rightly in light of God’s glory.

How do I view God? (Do I fear Him? Am I revereing His Name? Do I see him as Holy? Do I daily admit that He is worthy of everything and I must prioritize Him/Christ morethan anything else?).

How do I view myself? (Am I broken before God because of my sin? Am I dependent on Him daily for His grace and mercy? Am I asking Him to give me strength and wisdom from time to time?). (A humble man sees himself as a beggar, he is broken before God, he is poor in spirit, he undestand that there’s nothing he can bring to the table, he undestand that he is a sinner and apart from the gospel na makakapag ligtas sa kanya na he deserve na condern and ma- destroyed by a Holy God in hell for all eternity. That apart from the Person and the saving work of Christ, wala syang pag-asa. He understand that apart from Christ, na wala s’yang magagawa. That’s why a humble man plead to God just like a tax collector, “God have mercy on me, a sinner.)

How do I view others? (Do you see them as more important than myself? (or sayo parin umiikot yung mundo? na lahat ng tao dapat mag adjust sayo?) Am I thinking about their concern? their interest? their needs? Am I willing to sacrifice as Christ did to meet our needs?)

In the words of Charles swindoll, he said “Quite simply, for the Christian it means putting Christ first, others second, and self last.” That’s the right respond sa grace na na receive natin and eto yung first step if we are to keep the unity of the church.

Second, is that we walk with all gentleness -gentleness ay nakikita sa kilos at pakikitungo ng isang taong may mapagpakumbabang puso. It’s not weakness, but strength under control—choosing to submit power, emotion, and response to God. The gentle defend God, not themselves. They are kind under pressure, firm in truth, and respond to hostility with blessing, love, and trust in God's judgment.

How do I view my strength? (Sinusuko ko ba kay Lord ang emotions, power, at response ko? Ginagamit ko ba ang strength ko para ipagtanggol Siya, hindi ang sarili ko? Marunong ba akong tumahimik kahit may gusto akong patunayan?)

How do I treat others under pressure? (Ako ba ay approachable o kinaiinisan ng mga tao kapag may mali sila? Nakikinig ba ako bago magsalita, lalo na kapag nasasaktan ako? Nakiki-tungo pa rin ba ako ng maayos kahit stressed o pagod?)

How do I reflect Christ in conflict? (Do I bless those who hurt me? Do I entrust judgment to God rather than seek revenge? Am I gentle but firm when standing for truth?). That’s the second step towards unity, we need and we muust walk with all gentleness.

the third step is that, we walks with Patience (na dapat mamuhay tayo ng may mahabang mapasensya) - It means exercising humility and gentleness in the company of disappointing, frustrating, and downright offensive people. It means sticking to something when everything within you and outside of you is pushing you to give in. It is the inner strength to hold back frustration for a long period of time. Being slow to anger.

How do I respond to difficult or slow-growing people? (Madali ba akong mainis o mawalan ng pasensya kapag may taong nakakairita o hindi agad nagbabago? Nagkikimkim ba ako ng sama ng loob o gumaganti?)

Am I trusting God’s timing and justice? (O nagpapadala ako sa emosyon at pinipilit mo yung resulta sa sarili mong paraan? Nag-titiwala ka ba sa mga pangako ng Diyos na s’ya ang kikilos sa tamang panahon?)

Do I reflect God’s patience in my relationships? (Nagpapakita ba ako ng grace at pag-unawa kahit mahirap? Nakikita ba sa akin ang makrothymia—yung mahabang pagtitiis na mga tao ng may pag-asa, hindi bitterness?)

When I think of how can apply, humility, gentleness and patience as we study God’s word, I cannot help but to think yung sinabi ni James 1:19 “Know this, my beloved brothers. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger;”

this verse teaches us how to respond sa salita ng Diyos. Sabi ni James, ‘Be quick to listen’—maging handang makinig sa tinig ng Diyos. ‘Slow to speak’—huwag agad magkomento o mag-react, lalo na kung tinatamaan tayo. ‘Slow to anger’—kasi minsan, nagagalit tayo pag kinokonfront ng Salita ang kasalanan natin.

But that principle can also be applied sa relationships. A humble heart listens, a gentle tongue controls what it says, and a patient spirit avoids reacting in anger. You see, humility, gentleness and patience. Now, we move forward to the 4th Chirstlike characteristic that we ought to imitate, na dapat natin ipamuhay, and that is bearing one another in love. What does it mean to bear one another in love?

As we answer that, I invite you to stand as we read the word of God, we will be reading Ephesians 4:1-3 and 1 Cor.13:1-7.

Ephesians 4:1–3 “Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, exhort you to walk worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

1 Corinthians 13:1–7 “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. Love is patient, love is kind, is not jealous, does not brag, is not puffed up; it does not act unbecomingly, does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered; it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; it bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”