The Right Wrapping - Part 2 - How To Live Out Our Spiritual DNA
Written by Ed Allen
Sunday, 12 July 2009 09:00
Today’s Passage: Ephesians 4:1-16
Unity in the Body of Christ
1As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called– 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
7But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8This 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?
10He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) 11It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13until 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.
14Then 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. 15Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16From 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.
The Right Wrapping: First and Foremost we should promote community
- We publicize community with our faith
- Paul starts out his discussion on living out our faith by focusing on our relationships with one another.
- v.4:1 “...live a life worthy of the calling you have received.”
- Our own spiritual advancement and maturing comes in connection with community.
1. Exercising Christ-like Character.
- v.4:2 “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”
2. Exert strenuous effort to keep the unity of the Spirit.
- vv.4:4-6 “4There is one body and one Spirit – just as you were called to one hope when you were called– 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”
3. Using what God does in us and to us to serve others.
- God intends for us to pour the gifts that He pours into our lives into the lives of others.
Using His work in us to serve others.
- “Point-Person Disposition”
- When we are using God’s gifts to primarily serve ourselves, it results in death...
- As the body is built up through works of service, we move toward unity in the faith and knowledge of Christ and become more mature.
- The corporate life of service builds corporate unity and maturity!
- We are not looking to be an end-result but a vessel through which God flows.
- God does not pour Himself into us for our good alone, but for the good of others.
Alternative Missions
- “To be happy” (eg ‘helping you experience the abundance that God has for you.’)
- “Personal transformation” (eg ‘turning irreligious people into fully devoted followers of Christ.’)
God has not called us to just be better people, but to be better servants.