Better Together

Ephesians 4:1 HCSB

1 Therefore I, the prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received,

Paul says therefore having established the Gospel in the first 3 chapters. He also refers to himself as a prisoner of the Lord. The Gospel has cost Paul to be in prison but Paul identifies not with the physical prison but with the Lord. His identity that he is a prisoner of the Lord.

I urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have recieved.

Once we grasp the Gospel. Once we understand what Jesus has done for us. Once we grasp that he took our place that he died on the cross that we deserved to die on. He says once you get this. He says I urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have recieved.

Ephesians 4:2–3 HCSB

2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, accepting one another in love, 3 diligently keeping the unity of the Spirit with the peace that binds us.

What does this walk look like?

Humility: assessing or valuing oneself appropriately especially when it comes to our sinfulness and God’s righteousness

Jackie Steerman

Gentleness: Power under control

Darryl Peck

Patience: Long-tempered the ability to endure discomfort without fighting back

Jan Catlett

Accepting/bear: to endure discomfort on someone else’s behalf

Diligently keeping: means to be eager to maintain or guard the unity of the Spirit. This is a verb. That means it takes action. It takes work to stay healthy. It takes work to maintain the unity of the Spirit.

The enemy wants to destroy marriages, homes, families, churches, and friends. It takes action to keep the unity of the Spirit.

Ephesians 4:4–6 HCSB

4 There is one body and one Spirit —just as you were called to one hope at your calling— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.

7 things that unite true Christians together

One body

Refers to the church. When you are saved you become a member of the body of Christ the church. This is the church in the large sense but also means the local church as well.

One Spirit

The same Holy Spirit dwells in each believer. They were perhaps struggling with what to believe and Paul clarifies and says One Spirit and that is the Holy Spirit

One hope of your calling

Jesus is coming back and we all long for and hope for the return of Christ

One Lord

Jesus is Lord who died for us and rose again and is returning one day for us.

One faith

Our faith is in Jesus alone

One baptism

The baptism of the Spirit at conversion. Some argued over who baptized them and here he says only One baptism unites us

One God and Father

God is over all and working through all and in all. One God and Father

It is not transforming generations that transform communities that draw us together. It is not the children in this community.

Yes these are two of the things we take seriously but it is One body, One Spirit, One hope of your calling, One Lord, One faith, One baptism, One God and Father

Unity not uniformity:

Ephesians 4:7–11 HCSB

7 Now grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of the Messiah’s gift. 8 For it says: When He ascended on high, He took prisoners into captivity; He gave gifts to people. 9 But what does “He ascended” mean except that He descended to the lower parts of the earth? 10 The One who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things. 11 And He personally gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers,

Teach here...

Ephesians 4:12–13 HCSB

12 for the training of the saints in the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into a mature man with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness.

Ephesians 4:14–16 HCSB

14 Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit. 15 But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into Him who is the head —Christ. 16 From Him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building up itself in love by the proper working of each individual part.