How To Live the Christian Life

Written by Ed Allen
Saturday, 06 January 2001 19:00

Ephesians: Christianity for Dummies

?(1) As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. (2) Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. (3) Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. (4) There is one body and one Spirit-- just as you were called to one hope when you were called--(5) one Lord, one faith, one baptism; (6) one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (7) But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. (8) This is why it says: ?When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men.?

(9) (What does ?he ascended? mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? (10) He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) (11) It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, (12) to prepare God?s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up (13) until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (14) Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. (15) Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. (16) From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.?

1. The Christian life begins with a calling from God.
   
   
   • Paul?s experience.
   • Some of your experiences
     • Slow dawning
     • Dramatic/sudden
   • The word ?church?...
   • We are a people who have been called out by God.
   • This sense of calling from God changes everything.
     • Like going to third world country for the first time
     • Like falling in love.
   • Today...
     • Urge you in strongest possible terms -- remember your calling, live in light of it
     • Maybe some of you never heard God?s call
       • Can?t control it
       • Listen, seek, ask, knock, remain open
     • This is like Jesus? call on our lives -- radical challenge
     • Live a life worthy of that call.
   
   
   
2. The Christian life is lived in unity.
   
   
   • One writer summarized the ethical teaching of the New Testament like this: ?Most of the vices in the New Testament ethical instruction are sins that disrupt community, and most of the virtues are those that promote community.?
   • This is why we place so much emphasis on community at Gateway. It is the very heart of God?s call on our lives.
   • This unity is lived out by a concentrated focus on building relationships with other believers whom God has gathered around us.
   • How?
     • Humility = (thought life) lowliness of mind
     • Gentleness = (action) robust restraint, measured and disciplined self-effacement, strong softness
     • Patience = Chrysostom said: ?to have a wide, big soul?
     • Bearing with = putting up with ?one another? occurs 40 times in Paul?s letters
     • Make every effort = strenuously strain
       • ?To keep? suggests we already have it
       • Won?t just happen. Must work at it
   • This unity is all-encompassing... One body ...
   • We are not individual dots radiating around a central point (like planets around sun). We are a mass moving together toward a common goal like the water in a stream and Jesus is both the current that drives us and the ocean toward which we are moving.
   
   
   
3. The Christian life is a life of individual service to others with whom you are united.
   
   
   • Unity does not diminish individuality or lessen individual responsibility.
   • God works in each one of us and each of us must offer the fruit of his work in us to others.
   • Specifically, God gives each of us spiritual gifts.
     • Sometimes natural outgrowth of personality
     • Sometimes quite apart from personality (like shy person who is teacher)
     • Sometimes completely unexpected and supernatural
   • Explanation of Ephesians 4:8-9

     Ephesians 4:8-9

     ?(8) This is why it says: ?When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men.? (9) (What does ?he ascended? mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions??

     • May be based on Christian hymn inspired by Psalm 68:18

       Psalm 68:18

       ?(18) When you ascended on high, you led captives in your train; you received gifts from men, even from the rebellious-- that you, O LORD God, might dwell there.?

     • Connects this hymn to Jesus
     • Jesus came to earth (lower earthly regions)
   • Then gives list of gifts, specifically leader-gifts. His purpose is not to list ways God works but to give us the reason for this work
     • God?s activity in our lives is for others.
     • God works in us so that all might be served.
     • That?s why at Gateway we want to make it difficult for people to sit on the sidelines.
       • Cheating yourself, others, God
       • Result of mutual service being rendered is everybody is built up

         Ephesians 4:12

         (12) to prepare God?s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up?

   • In fact, skip down to verse 15 and we find what one author called a summary of the Christian life. ?Truthing in love, we grow up into Jesus.

     Ephesians 4:15

     ?(15) Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.?

   
   
   
4. The Christian life, lived appropriately, promotes corporate unity and maturity and results in corporate stability and growth.
   
   
   • Unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God
     • We all want unity, but we want it without the cost to our own ego. Can?t have it.
   • Maturity defined as being together all that Christ is
     • Image of the body -- we are his hands, feet, etc.
   • Results in stability
     • If you?re anything like me, you feel tossed about sometimes.
     • These things come as a by-product of responding to call of God, pursuing unity and serving.

John, John and Dave were doing woodwork. I heard John say several times ?measure twice, cut once.? As I watched these guys work, I realized why I have had such limited success in woodworking. I am NOT careful. I wanted to run too quickly to get to the result, to the end product, without being careful in the preparation. I wanted to shortcut the work to get to the results.

You CAN?T do it. Christian life results in unity, maturity, stability and growth. But these come as by-products of us walking the walk of faith, living the life of followership.

So what is this life? The Christian life begins with a calling from God. The Christian life is lived in unity -- unity that must be doggedly chosen and pursued. The Christian life is a life of individual service to others, serving out of what God has deposited in our lives.

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