{Ephesians 4:1-5:2}
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[a] says:
“When he ascended on high,
he led captives in his train
and gave gifts to men.”[b]
9(What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions[c]? 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.
17So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.
20You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. 21Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
25Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26“In your anger do not sin”[d]: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27and do not give the devil a foothold. 28He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.
29Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
1Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
I don’t know about you, but when I was growing up, one of the best trilogies, by far, was Disney’s the Mighty Ducks (D3 was a little lame, but still). In one of the earlier movies, Emilio Estevez decided that in order to take his team from a bunch of good individual players to a working unit, he was going to tie a rope around them and make them skate as one. They fall, Goldberg farts, but they eventually get it.
In Ephesians 4, Paul really starts to build on this theme of working together. Having started in chapter 2 about Gentiles and Jews being one in Christ, Paul starts to drive the point home, really throughout chapters 4, 5 and even some of 6. See, here’s the thing: encouraging each other, sharing the truth in love, building each other up as believers is really important. If we don’t work together, we aren’t going to get anywhere.
Take some time to read the Scripture again. Read it slowly, but as you read, think of the people that you’re going to hang out with this weekend at church. Think of as many people as you can; think of their names, ages, families, etc. As you think of them, know that these are the people that we are called to bear with in love (v. 2). They are the people we are called to become mature with (v. 13), build up in love (v. 16), speak the truth to (v. 25), etc.
Here’s something you can take with you this weekend: before you say something, ask “Is this going to build up those who hear it?” If not, shut up. Forgive when wronged, and live a life of LOVE, not hate, rage, anger or bitterness. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in what you say and do, and ask God to prepare your heart before you go.
Bless the Lord! Bless each other!