Bible Studies

Five Ways God Calls Us to Unity

12/4/2022

Read Ephesians 4:1-6

If you have followed along in my look at Ephesians, you will have noticed a theme by now. Paul was trying to instill in the Gentile converts at Ephesus who they now were in Christ. He was also trying (in a not-so-subtle way) to remind the Jewish converts that because of Christ, the promises given to the Jews also now belonged to the Gentiles. This, of course, could lead to friction. So, since Ephesians chapter one, he has expounded on who they are in Christ and the importance of unity within the body of Christ (aka - the church).

In today's verses, Paul urges the Ephesians to walk in a worthy manner befitting their calling (their new life) to salvation. I think the church as a whole needs to take this to heart. So how do we "walk in unity" with our fellow believers when so many have differing opinions on Scripture and what it says? In today's verses, Paul explains how.

Five Ways God Shows Us How to Walk
In Unity With Each Other

Walk in Humility - The KJV uses the word "lowliness". In other words we are to have a humble opinion of ourselves. The Greek word used is tapeinophrosynē and means "a deep sense of one's moral littleness."

Walk in Gentleness - The Greek word used is praotēs and means "meekness". In today's culture, meekness is not considered a virture, but in the ancient world those who were meek were considered very virtuous. For example, a meek person is one who is guided by God's Spirit and able to accept God's ability to direct events in their lives. Meekness is not a resignation to fate, or a passive submission to life events (there is no virtue in that), but it is more of an ability to see the "larger picture" and is therefore an active and deliberate choice to accept God's sovereignty over all aspects of an individual's life.

Walk in Longsuffering - Longsuffering is an excellent word choice in the KJV because it means patience. This isn't just in reference to someone's personality traits that rub us the wrong way. To practice patience also means that we need to recognize that every individual's spiritual journey is different. Everyone has at some point met that person who insists you are wrong about your beliefs. They question why you go to a certain church and they have "dug in their heels" about what they believe (even if it is contrary to Scripture) to the point where they are more annoying than a mosquito. But what we need to realize and remember when dealing with difficult people, is that God deals with each of us in different ways. What you learned twenty years ago in your walk with God, may take someone else a longer time to learn and accept. But we all get there eventually. We just have to trust the Holy Spirit, who resides in everyone who has accepted Jesus as Saviour, to lead us into all truth, which Scripture has promised He will do (John 16:13). But, that leads us to the next point on keeping unity.

Bearing With One Another in Love - No, this does not mean "putting up with each other". The original Greek uses the word anechō and is translated as "forebear" which means, "to hold up, to sustain, to bear, to endure." In other words, we need to help each other stand firm in our faith in Jesus Christ. So if you see your brother or sister in Christ falling away, or perhaps they have been deceived and are listening to false doctrines like the prosperity gospel for example, don't stand idly by and watch them falter or be deceived, rush in, help them to continue to stand firm on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Help them grow in their faith.

Endeavour to keep unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace - I love the word used for "bond" in Greek. It is syndesmos and it means "that which binds together, a band, a bond." It is the Holy Spirit that unites us. It is the Holy Spirit that gives us peace and because we all share in the same Holy Spirit, we are "banded" together as one. Think about that for a minute! There is no other unity like this on earth in which people are capable of sharing equally. We have different talents, we come in different colours, shapes and sizes, we are some poor and some rich, but it is the Holy Spirit alone that unites us as brother and sister in Christ when we accept Jesus as our Saviour. This peace should be something we all cherish and go out of our way to keep unified.

And so Paul reminds the Ephesians once again (and us) how truly united we are in Christ, with the following words:

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all (Ephesians 4:4-6, NKJV).

As we celebrate the birth of Christ this Christmas season, let us rejoice together that we are united as one because of Him.

4 Comments

The Mystery of Christ

11/28/2022

7 Comments

Read Ephesians 3:1-21

In Ephesians three, Paul talks about a "mystery" which was revealed to him and the other apostles and prophets of that time that was hidden from the "sons of men" (children of Israel) that went before them. The mystery, of course, was that the Gentiles (all those who weren't Jewish) would now, because of Christ, be partakers in the same blessings God had promised the Jews (Ephesians 3:6-7). In Ephesians chapter two, Paul goes into great detail on what that unity for humanity now meant.

7 Comments

How Jesus Unites Humanity

11/14/2022

4 Comments

Read Ephesians 2:11-18

In my last post, we learned through Paul's letter to the Ephesians who we are in Christ and that trying to "work" our way into heaven is futile, for our salvation is secured through faith and God's grace alone, not by works.

4 Comments

Why Your Good Works Won't Save You

11/6/2022

5 Comments

Read Ephesians 2:1-10

As we continue our study of Ephesians, we come across a passage most Christians know by heart. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). But first, a little background on the Ephesians and why Paul was spending so much time instilling in them the knowledge that they are loved by God and saved.

5 Comments

The Real Meaning of Spiritual Wisdom

10/30/2022

0 Comments

Read Ephesians 1:15-23

I don't know about you, but I have often asked God for wisdom many times in my life. So that I may understand the "right" decision to make in a situation or how to approach someone with the right words that won't leave them angry or offended. But have you ever noticed what Paul prayed for regarding the people of Ephesus? After assuring them of the many blessings they had in Christ, he followed that up with how he prayed for them, and it is an example we can all take to heart.

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Why God's Grace is Amazing

10/16/2022

3 Comments

Read Ephesians 1:7-14

Last week I began a new study in Ephesians, and we started with the Four Spiritual Blessings God Gives Us. This week I would like to look at four more blessings we receive from God because of Jesus.

We have redemption through Jesus' blood.
We have the forgiveness of sins.
We have an inheritance.
We have been sealed with the Holy Spirit.

What a mighty God we serve! He has blessed us with so much, so let's examine the four blessings above.

3 Comments

Four Spiritual Blessings God Gives Us

10/9/2022

6 Comments

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the
heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him
before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy
and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us
to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to
the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His
grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
Ephesians 1:3-6, NKJV

NOTE: THIS WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED IN 2016 AND I AM REPOSTING IT AGAIN.

Have you ever noticed how much about us is packed into the opening verses of Ephesians? Just look at what we are and have in Christ:

We have been blessed with every spiritual blessing.
We were chosen before the foundation of the world.
We were adopted by Jesus as sons (and daughters).
We are accepted because Jesus made us beloved.

Can you even begin to fathom such great love or mercy? We don't deserve it, but it is offered to all freely. So let's break these verses down.

6 Comments

Are You Building on a Firm Foundation?

9/26/2022

4 Comments

Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall. (Matthew 7:24-27, NKJV)

Today, we look at the final words in Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.

This sermon is vital for a Christian to read because it shows us how to live as Jesus did. He covered everything: blessings, the Law (and how he fulfilled it), murder, adultery, marriage, oath-taking, going the extra mile for someone, loving our enemies, how to pray, praying for our enemies, fasting, money, worry, judging others, taking the narrow path and more. His ideas were, at the time, extraordinary and unique. They still are. Can you imagine any government that, instead of going to war, would sit down and pray for their enemies? What a world we would live in if we all followed Jesus. May His Kingdom come!

4 Comments

Are You Using God for Personal Gain?

9/18/2022

2 Comments

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Matthew 7:7-12, NKJV

The above verse is one (of many) that prosperity teachers use to enforce the false belief that if we keep asking God for what we want, He'll give it to us because He gives good things to those who ask. Unfortunately, the dollar signs in their eyes make it hard for prosperity teachers to see the truths in this verse. So what was Jesus really saying?

2 Comments

Are You Judgmental or Discerning?

9/11/2022

0 Comments

Read Matthew 7:1-6

I think these verses on judging others in Matthew 7:1-6 are probably the hardest for Christians to tackle. Because whether we realize it or not, we always make snap judgments about people in one form or another. I once went into a jewellery store to buy my daughter a fancy present for Christmas. Three things you need to know first before I tell this story:

I dress comfortably - t-shirts and pants (never, ever will you see me in a dress or skirt).
I NEVER buy brand-name clothing (I don't see the appeal in paying big bucks for clothes because it's made by "whoever").
I am overweight because I have a disease that has disfigured and disabled me.

At the time, I used a walker to get around (I need a wheelchair now). When I stepped into that jewellery store, every person in the store turned to look at me. I mean, really, look at me. They looked me up and down and decided en masse that I was not worthy of their time. They judged me by my looks. They assumed I had no money to spend. I wasn't dressed appropriately for their "fine" establishment, and I certainly didn't fit the part of someone with money to spend. But I did have money to spend, yet no one in the store offered to help me or even said hello. Five sales clerks turned away from me as if I wasn't there. I felt like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman.

And as Julia said, "They made a big mistake. Big. Huge." I went shopping somewhere else. Clearly, they judged me based on their standards. So these verses today got me wondering. How often do Christians do the same thing? John 7:24 says, "Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment." That means we are to have discernment.

Discernment enables us to listen to our "Spidey senses" if we meet someone and feel immediately uncomfortable or unsafe. Discernment helps us when listening to a preacher who says something contrary to Scripture. Discernment does not create division or hatred. Discernment is listening to the Holy Spirit and acting accordingly. It is not hateful, spiteful, arrogant or pushy as judging someone can be.

But judging is when we try to force our views, expectations or opinions on someone else. Instead of judging by God's standards, we judge by our own standards and preferences, which often leads to disagreements within the church. This is not discernment. This is judging.

As I discussed in previous posts, the Pharisees were religious leaders. In his parables and sermons, Jesus liked to use them as examples of how not to behave. They judged people by the law's letter, not the spirit, and so they judged others based on their own behaviour and beliefs. But Jesus said in Matthew 7:2, and I'm paraphrasing here, "Don't judge people at all. Because if you judge people the way the Pharisees do, you will be judged with the same severity." Jesus' intent is seen by his use of the words "speck" and "plank" in Matthew 7:3-4. Judgmental people are arrogant, prideful, foolish and spiteful. They lack discernment. They can't see a person for who they really are. They may, like the Pharisees, "know" the Scriptures inside out, but they don't know how to "live" them.

An excellent example is a parable Jesus told of the Pharisee and the tax collector who went to the Temple to pray.

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Unlocking God's Word

Five Ways God Calls Us to Unity

Read Ephesians 4:1-6

Five Ways God Shows Us How to Walk
In Unity With Each Other

The Mystery of Christ

Read Ephesians 3:1-21

How Jesus Unites Humanity

Read Ephesians 2:11-18

Why Your Good Works Won't Save You

Read Ephesians 2:1-10

The Real Meaning of Spiritual Wisdom

Read Ephesians 1:15-23

Why God's Grace is Amazing

Read Ephesians 1:7-14

Four Spiritual Blessings God Gives Us

Are You Building on a Firm Foundation?

Are You Using God for Personal Gain?

Are You Judgmental or Discerning?

Read Matthew 7:1-6

Archives

Categories

​Unlocking God's Word

Read Ephesians 4:1-6

Five Ways God Shows Us How to WalkIn Unity With Each Other​

Read Ephesians 3:1-21

Read Ephesians 2:11-18

Read Ephesians 2:1-10

Read Ephesians 1:15-23

Read Ephesians 1:7-14

Read Matthew 7:1-6

Archives

Categories

Unlocking God's Word

Five Ways God Shows Us How to Walk
In Unity With Each Other