"Answer the Call"

It is a high privilege to be saved by grace. Salvation comes with responsibilities. We have a calling to live up to. What we do or don’t do is a reflection on Christ…good or bad.

Paul wrote this letter to a young church set in the heart of a pagan society. Ephesus was a thriving commercial center, but in order for the church to thrive, its members needed to know how to live, how to stand apart as different and yet still be able to influence their society.

Paul covers a broad spectrum of conduct and relationships.

Every part of our life is a part of our calling. He tells us to be imitators of Christ, which is something we can’t do on our own. Paul lets us know we are not alone, we have the Holy Spirit in our inner being, and we have protection of the full armor of God. It’s up to us, however, to use what we’ve been given. Paul’s letter instructs us on how to do that.

Scripture: Ephesians 4:1-3 Unity in the body of Christ

I, therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,  2  with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,  3  eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (ESV)

(NLT) Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.  2  Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.  3  Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, Binding yourselves together with peace.

Paul wrote this letter long ago, but it still applies today. God’s word never changes. Amen? He’s writing to the Jews and Gentiles, who were once divided, from a Roman prison to the church of Ephesus. And he begins this letter with doctrine before he gets to the duty.

-Correct duty is followed by correct doctrine.

Ch 1 Paul tells us about the Spiritual Blessings, (what we have in Christ) He prays for the church to have Spiritual Wisdom.

Ch.2 Paul lets them know they are made alive in Christ. (Who we are) They was once dead because of their disobedience and many sins. The scripture says Christ united them into one. And He reconciled both groups to God by means of His death on the cross, which brought peace to the Jews and the Gentiles.

Ch.3 Paul lets them in on the mysterious plan of God for the Gentiles (what we are to believe) The plan/mystery is that through the gospel both Jew & Gentiles are heirs of Christ because they both are part of one body, they can enjoy blessings and inheritance available to them in Christ. We all have been called to display God’s wisdom and to glorify Him. We are His chosen people.

1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.

Eph 3:21 summarizes the calling. That God would be glorified through the church (us) and through Christ Jesus for all generations forever and ever. So, if the church is going to thrive and our calling is to display God’s glory and He be glorified, then we must walk in unity (by the way we walk/or live our lives), and there’s a particular way to do it.

And so, in this letter Paul tells us how we are to conduct ourselves and how to have healthy relationships and be unified.
Starting here in Ch. 4:1 Paul starts by telling us he’s a prisoner for the Lord…. although he was literally in prison because of his faith-walk. He doesn’t even acknowledge it, he’s not having a pity party-trying to get anybody to feel sorry for him, talking about “the man trying to keep a brotha down” He remains faithful to God and what God has called him to do. 

So, he says, “a prisoner for the Lord…” perhaps he said that first to let us know that being a follower of Christ is not a “cake walk”, but it is a “faith walk,” and it will cost you. -Be out of your comfort zone- Be Stretched-Lose some people-Being lied on and talked about-Being Ridiculed-Mistreated

What does Paul do next? He “urges” (Another translation uses the word “begs” in place of “urge”) so Paul says I urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which You have been called. (You here is plural- talking to us the church-the body of Christ)

Urge: Strongly encourage…. Beg: to earnestly ask

Walk: To pursue a course of action or way of life; conduct oneself:

BEHAVE

Worthy: Having or showing the desirable qualities in a particular sphere(calling) desirable: worth seeking or doing something advantageous-beneficial-wise In other words, Paul is saying I strongly encourage, or I earnestly ask you to behave or conduct yourself in these desirable qualities…. (vs. 2-3)

We as Christians we are charged to live our lives in such a way that God is glorified in all that we do and say, Amen. Your walk or your calling is not the ways of the world. We’re saved, but don’t live or act like or conduct ourselves as Christians…We want to keep walking around in clothes that don’t fit. They don’t fit and you know they don’t fit, but you’ve gotten comfortable squeezing in clothes of lack-defeat-confusion-depression- strife-division-jealousy-envy-doubt-low self-esteem-addiction-fear….

I Use to: Forget Everything And Run. Now I’ve gotten better at: Facing Everything And Rising…I can do ALL things in Christ, who
gives me strength!! I had to take a long look at myself, had a talk with me. I do that a lot…anybody else?? But I had to Regurgitate the Word of God….

Let me tell you what that word means—-It says to “bring” (swallowed food) — The word–My daily bread…so it says to bring up again to the mouth… 2. repeat(information) without analyzing or comprehending it.

God, I don’t know or understand what you’re doing or why I’m like this or feeling like this…etc. So, I started speaking the Word….

—In Isaiah 43:26 He tells us to put Him in remembrance of His word.

—2 Timothy 1:7 God has not given me the spirit of fear, but of power-love and a sound mind

—-Joshua 1 Be strong and courageous and do not fear

—Job 22:22 to accept instruction from His mouth and lay up his words in our hearts

—1 Samuel 30:6 His word tells us that David encouraged or strengthened himself in the Lord, sometimes we have to encourage ourselves—There’s a song–Encourage Yourself–Speak Over Yourself in the Lord—No matter how you feel—Speak the word and you will be healed!!!! Amen!!!–Amen!!

Ok, so here in verses 2-3 Paul lets us know there are 6 pieces of tailored- made garments on the rack available for us to put on so that —the body of Christ will be unified and God will be glorified.

These new tailor-made garments/suits=new attitude-new walk-new mannerism will allow us to Walk in Unity- If we as Christians are all walking around in “clothes that don’t fit”-there is no unity in the body of Christ and God gets no glory in disunity. Amen?

These tailor-made garments are FREE!! …. Jesus paid for it all at the cash register of the CROSS, He paid with His credit=BLOOD and HIS LIFE!! We didn’t have to go shop for the material or go get fitted…Jesus knows our measurements and He took care of all that for us!! All we must do is take them off the rack and put them on….

We have to take off the old to put on the new….so take off them old grave clothes…. the ones that’s too tight…Can’t go back to the former things-old things have passed away, …. behold God has made all things new. New walk – New identity. You are identified by the way you walk-talk-live- conduct yourself.

Now you are to walk worthy of the calling to which you have been called. And the calling is to glorify God. by which the way we live or walk. God is glorified when the church/body of Christ is unified. We have been called to something great and glorious.

So, again, we have 6 tailor-made outfits…. that will enable us to Walk Worthy of the Calling-Be Unified, so that God will be Glorified.

-Be Humble-Humility comes from the Latin word Humilis-which literally mean low or having a low view of one’s own importance.

In Phil. 2:3-4 Paul says: Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. (4) Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

Phil. 2:5-8, Paul gives us a supreme example of humility in Christ Jesus. Though He was God, He made himself nothing…Though He had the right to rule, he became a servant…. Though HE was immortal, He humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on the cross for me and you.

Here in Eph 4:2 Paul calls us to have this same attitude of humility that Christ had in Phil. 2.

So, I ask you, is that how you view yourself? As unworthy of attention? As a servant of others? Do you view yourself as less important than anyone else?

Or are you like Tupac and gotta have all eyes on you? If you’re walking in humility, then you don’t expect recognition or repayment ALL the time.

Be Gentle-Gentleness comes from the Greek word Praotes- which means gentle or meek. Often times in English when we think of someone who is gentle or meek, we equate it to them being weak. But Praotes does not imply weakness it actually implies great strength being withheld.

Let’s look at the root. In Greek, the root of Praotes is Praus, which is the word used for tamed beast/animal like a lion or a
bear, which has been trained until it is completely under control. So, a tamed man, or a gentle man, is the person who is under control.

As we all know, no one can do this completely. There’s only one who could be COMPLETELY GENTLE. And that is Jesus, in fact Jesus uses the word gentle of himself in Matt. 11:29 “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

Now would any of us call Christ weak!? Absolutely NOT!! Christ was God in human form, The LION of Judah!!

Just because you’re meek, doesn’t mean you’re weak. Gentleness is power restrained. So, someone who is gentle can still use force and get angry under the right circumstances.

Even Jesus got angry, right? We all remember when he cleared out the temple. So, it’s not said because you are walking in gentleness you won’t ever get angry, it means getting angry at the right time, in the right measure, and for the right reason. Eph. 4:26 says in your anger, do not sin. So, there are times to be angry, and if you are gentle, you will know when to be angry- 

James 1:19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to
become angry.

Be Patient-Greek word Makrothymia-Calmness in the face of suffering or adversity. Good-natured tolerance.

God was patient:(1 Peter 3:20) Says “God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built.” God was getting ready to destroy the whole earth!

So, think of walking in patience or being patient in the form of you being a dynamite. A dynamite is packed with power and has the ability to explode and destroy. God has given has us power along with dominion and authority, but it’s all about how we use that power. Now a dynamite can have a short fuse or a long fuse.

You have no patience. Impatient-quickly irritated or provoked The short fuse dynamite explodes rather quickly. It’s on and poppin  24/7. You stay ready to pop off at any given moment. I mean, you just blow up over anything.

And the long fuse dynamite is patient, have self-control and is not easily provoked. Now we know there are times when people will try to provoke you, get a reaction out of you. But if you’re walking in patience/long-suffering you won’t be so quick to react. (Remember James 1:19-be slow to become angry)

God’s patience with us is the perfect example of having a long fuse. Bear With One Another In Love-Put up with one another’s short comings, faults in love Colossians 3:13 

“Bear with each other and forgive one another, if any of you have a grievance against someone forgive them as the Lord forgave you.”

Love-Agape Love–unconditional, no strings attached, unending. Paul describes this kind of love in more detail in 1
Corinth.13. It’s the kind of love God has for us, it’s the kind of love Jesus Christ demonstrated on the cross for us while were sinners.

Loving someone with Agape love means that nothing he or she do will make us seek anything but the highest good in them. Though they may insult us, mistreat us, we will feel nothing but kindness toward them. It’s the ability to love the unlovable-those who hate to you-lie on you-steal from you and to love those who don’t want your love. So, this is not an emotional love…this love is bound to the will of a person. It’s the kind of love that loves a person when all your emotions tell you to hate them. 

(1 Corinth 13:4-8a tells us what Love is:)

This Agape love will allow Christians to walk in Unity and glorify God. Amen Unity In Spirit-Is a way of saying that we are all one in the Spirit. We all as Christians have the Spirit and that is the Holy Spirit that dwells on the inside of us. So, if we’re in disunity, which is contrary to the Holy Spirit, then we are divided. Amen. 

Eph 4:3 says to be eager-or be diligent-be intentional in maintaining the unity of the Spirit. Joined-connected Bond In Peace-Peace with others begin with peace with God. If you are not at peace with God, you are not going to be at peace with others. When the peace of God rules in our hearts is when unity with one another is built. 

(Col. 3:15) “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” 

(Romans 12:18) “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”

Closing:

To have access to your tailor-made garments, you must have a relationship with our Lord, and Savior Jesus Christ-You must accept Him as your personal Lord and Savior….

Do you have a relationship, do you know God, the Father? Jesus said if you know my Father, then you know Me.

God, The Father…. also known as Jehovah which is the covenant (PROMISE) keeping name of God. It is used with compound words that describe something of His character. Jehovah implies relationship. He is Jehovah to those who have a relationship with Him. If you don’t have a relationship with Him, then you don’t know Him and if you don’t know Him, then you don’t know Him to be:

*Jehovah Jireh-The Lord who Provides
*Jehovah Rapha-The Lord who Heals
*Jehovah Nissi-The Lord Is My Banner
*Jehovah Shalomi-The Lord of Peace
*Jehovah Elohim-The Lord of Lords
*Jehovah Rohi-The Lord our Shepherd
*Jehovah Shammah-The Lord is There
*Jehovah M’Kaddesh – The Lord who Sanctifies
*Jehovah Tsidkenu -The Lord of Righteousness
*El Elyon-The Most High
*El Roi – God who sees me
*El Shaddai – God Almighty
*El Gigbhor – Mighty God
*El Olam -The Everlasting God

Savior – Messiah – Emmanuel – Redeemer – Our Rock – Our Strength – Our Refuge – Wonderful Counselor – Our Way Maker–Our Miracle Worker – Our Promise Keeper – Lily in the Valley–Bright and Morning Star – Present Help – Bread of Life – Light in Darkness – Hope – Deliverer – HE IS MY ALL & ALL

I, like Paul urge us to Walk worthy of the calling to which we have been called.

Be Humble…Be Gentle…Be Patient…. Bear With One Another In Love…Unified in the Spirit…Bonded with Peace.

Walking always has the purpose of arriving at a destination. And the destination we are walking toward is UNITY. If the body of Christ is unified, then God be glorified.

Amen-God Bless You