Ephesians 4:1-13 Picture of Unity March 21, 2013
A well-trained NASCAR pit crew is an excellent analogy of a group of people
working in harmony for the common good. Not everyone gets to be the driver of the race car but a driver is
only as good as his pit crew. After
watching the choreography of over 70 unique maneuvers performed in under 12
seconds, I was greatly impressed by the cooperative spirit and standard of
excellence I observed. Six or seven men
compose the average pit crew. (February 2013 the first woman was hired to work
in the NASCAR pit.) During a pit stop, each member has a specific job that must
be completed quickly and accurately.
The speed with which they slide around
the front of the car to the other side requires finesse not to trip over each
other or the hose of the air wrench. BTW the tire changer is able to remove 5
lug nuts in one second per tire.
The Unity of the Body 4:1-6
The first three chapters of Ephesians
deal with basic doctrine, our riches in Christ. Hope Parks told us last week we
were to sit and be, resting in the knowledge of who we are in Christ. I will post a
link of 3 pages of affirmations on our blog.
http://gastoniawomensevecbs.blogspot.com/
Knowing Who I am In Christ
Knowing Who I am In Christ
Now we must walk. Warren Wiersbe states last three chapters admonish us to
•
Walk in
Unity 4:1-16
•
Walk in
Purity 4:17-32
•
Walk in Love
5:1-20
•
Walk in
Harmony 5:21-6:9
•
Walk in
Victory 6:10-24
Our memory verse advises us the manner
of our walk.
4 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling
to which you have been called,
Why is this important? Someone is
watching; your family and friends; your neighbors and other unchurched people.
Then there are “the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places” Ephesians 3:10
What is
your calling?
God is building one body, one temple
by reconciling Jews and Gentiles to himself. The oneness of believers in Christ
is already a spiritual reality now
we must guard and protect and preserve that unity.
Unity does not mean uniformity. We are
not cloned robots, doing the same job in the same way. Indeed we are all parts
of the body, but we are not all gifted the same. We work together to benefit
and strengthen the Church.
Remember the pit crew. One man fuels
the race car, another carries the tires, yet they need each other and are
member of a team.
Verse 2 in KJV with all
lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love,
Patience, (or forbearance in the KJV) is the ability to endure discomfort without
fighting back, without taking offense at a slight oversight. Bearing
with one another in love, showing tolerance for one another in love. Mercy
and grace should always trump finding fault. (Ephesians 4:2 NASB)
From your
commentary :The
Greek word for bear with means to endure or to put up with, which
seems a very unglamorous virtue, but a virtue it is. Like a muscle that must be
exercised to make it strong, “bearing with one another in love” thrives
on a good workout. Not until we are challenged to love the unlovable, to bear
with one who tries the patience, can Christian character be built and
strengthened. It might be said that difficult relationships or situations are
the essential ingredient—the very building material—that God uses to build the
character of His children.
v.3 We must be eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of
peace. Never a spirit of division.
1
Corinthians 13 Paul instructs the church about
their treatment of each other. Mostly we observe what Not to do!
·
love does not envy or
boast;
·
it is not arrogant
5 or rude.
·
It does not insist on
its own way;
·
it is not irritable or
resentful;
·
6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing,
Would this be something profitable to
read before a business or budget meeting?
4 Love is patient and kind; 6-but rejoices with the truth.
7 Love bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things.
4 There is
·
one body and
·
one Spirit—just as you were called to the
·
one hope that belongs to your call—
·
one Lord,
·
one faith,
·
one baptism, 6
·
one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and
in all.
We are all God's children in the same
family, loving and serving the same Father.
Becoming Christlike 4:7-16
V7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of
Christ's gift.
Our lesson shared several scriptures
listing different gifts. We will focus only in the four Paul lists here. The gifts from Christ come in the form
of gifted people in the Church.
11 And he gave the apostles, the
prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,
Our Theme for Leadership training and
devotions each week has been shepherding; specifically the 23rd
Psalm. The subject leads itself well to CBS since we are admonished to Shepherd
all of our members.
We can tell them about the
love of God in Christ, and we can show His kind of love to them. And God has
gifted each one of us to do so!
Shepherding (pastoring)
suggests the feeding, protection, and guidance of the flock; teaching suggests
nurturing and training in knowledge within a congregation.
12 to equip the saints for the
work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,
equipping,
perfecting katartismós
(a masculine noun) – properly, exact adjustment which describes how
(enables) the individual parts to work together in correct act of preparing things to fulfill their intended purposes,
to function properly.
The Jack Man in the pit crew must position the 35 lb. jack precisely on
a ¾”post and have an excellent sense of timing to know when to drop the car
after the tire changer has finished his job.
What
job has Christ called you to do?
13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge
of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the
fullness of Christ,
Paul does not refer to the doctrine of
"sinless perfection" - but to the state of manhood as compared with
that of childhood - a state of strength, vigor, wisdom, when the full growth
should be attained. Barnes commentary
We are not learning how to do but
how to be. When a person is “in Christ,” he
is destined to become like Him.
Jesus is our best example of service.
Remember the night when Jesus washed the disciples’ feet.
A mature Christian is one who is
willing to serve in a hard demanding place where she may not be appreciated and
may even be ridiculed. Remembering that this life is but a vapor and eternity
is forever, such a person is willing to spend time and effort in service to
God.
“She is willing to work for excellence
without becoming proud, to withstand criticism without becoming bitter, to be
misjudged without becoming defensive, and to withstand suffering without
succumbing to self-pity.” Jerry Lemon
Every believer is given at least one
spiritual gift. This gift is to be used for the unifying and edifying the body
of Christ. What is your gift to edify the body?
These are in addition to the natural
abilities with which we are born. Paul calls Christ the gift giver. Spiritual
gifts given by Christ to serve God and other Christians in such a way that God
is glorified. Our gifts are tools to
build they are not weapons to fight. Christians are not to live in isolation they are all members of the family of God-active
and working members. What would happen if your kidneys stopped working or if
your heart stopped beating? Every part of the body is necessary to its health and
growth.
14 so that we may no longer be
children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of
doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
The sailing vessel lost all power and
was at the mercy of the Atlantic Ocean when the crew of a Coast Guard HC-130
Hercules based out of Elizabeth City, N.C. responded to a distress alert from
the small boat. Feb. 9, 2013.
As Christians we will face conflicting doctrines, even in our churches. The best
way you can effectively guard against being led astray is doing what you are
doing right now: Participating in an in depth bible study; digging into the
Word, searching for answers through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Your Anchor is the WORD of God and Jesus is
the Lighthouse.
15 Rather, speaking the truth in
love, we are to grow up in every way
into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and
held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it
builds itself up in love.
My
pastor used to own his own garage, so if I lock my keys in the car or have a
slow leak in a tire, or get up Sunday morning to a dead battery, I know who to
call for help.
M R De Haan Just as all
the parts of an engine are vital to keep it running, every member of the body
of Christ, the church, is important. Failure to do your part may hinder the
whole body from functioning properly. Your failure to pray may result in loss
of power. Your failure to witness may be the reason that someone doesn't hear
the gospel. Your failure to support your church financially may curtail the
work of evangelism or missions. Your little part, if neglected, can result in
big problems.
The work of every member of the body, however small, is needed. Are you doing your part? —
The work of every member of the body, however small, is needed. Are you doing your part? —
God's perspective of greatness and
success is different from the world's way of looking at things. Recognition and
honor should not be our goals; rather we should seek to honor our heavenly
father by serving in the church for the glory of Christ and the good of the
body.
·
Do you know your
part in the body?
·
How are you
helping the body grow?
·
Are you
practicing love above all?
No matter how skillful you are
carrying out your position make sure it is wrapped in love.
Measurements can be indicators of growth. And
it’s a good idea to measure our spiritual growth. For instance:
·
Do I spend time
reading God’s Word and talking with Him each day?
·
Do I look forward
to fellowshipping with the Lord? What ‘fruit of the Spirit’ is apparent in my
life?
·
Do I talk about
Jesus with people who don't know Him?
·
How am I using my
spiritual gift or gifts?
·
Do I have a
generous and giving spirit?
·
How much better
do I know God today than I did a year ago? These questions are good indicators
of spiritual growth.
·
Have you measured
yourself lately?” Cindy Hess
Kasper, “Measure Me,”
Will
you choose to use your God-given gifts so that the body of Christ will “grow up
in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ”?
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