Episode 124 - Celebrating Our Unity
Who We Are In Jesus - A Study In Ephesians
Ephesians 4:1-10
As this great New Testament letter turns from the doctrinal to the practical…Let’s read Ephesians 4:1-10.
After 3 chapters of learning who we are as the loved, called, and chosen children of God’s family…
After 3 chapters of seeing all we have in Christ – His Presence, Power, Spirit, and Love in abundance.
Now, therefore – Paul implores the church at Ephesus to live out their faith – to put it all into practice – to, as he says, walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called – you, as in, all of you, corporately, not as individuals, but as the collective Body of Christ, locally,
You, walk out your calling in a worthy manner. What does that look like?
As a local church, display:
1. Humility – similar to his words to the Philippian church in 2:1-4
2. Gentleness
3. With Patience
4. Bearing with one another in Love (getting along; Love is overarching)
5. Eager to maintain the Unity of the Spirit
a. Unity is focused on what we have in common; not our differences
b. Instead of sowing discord – Proverbs 6:16-19
6. In the Bond (uniting principle / ligament) of Peace – Matthew 5:9 – Blessed are the Peacemakers!
What is this Unity? What does it entail? How do we understand unity?
Unity majors on the majors:
1. One Body – The fellowship of Believers – a local congregation
2. One Spirit – The Holy Spirit who activates our fellowship through saving us and indwelling us
3. One Hope – The Glorious Future He promises us – Our abundant life – Now & Forever
4. One Lord – Christ Jesus, to whom we all belong – The Head of the church! Acts 4:12
5. One Faith – Our singular commitment to Christ – Ephesians 2:8-9
6. One Baptism – The outward sign of our salvation and our alignment with His church
7. Finally, One God – Our Heavenly Father, over all
With this in common, there is nothing that should divide us. There is much room for gentle, agreeable disagreement, within a family that lives and loves under this umbrella.
This word is for a plural body – a corporate ‘we’, if you will, but in verse 7 he begins to picture the diversity of our individual gifting within this united body:
Verse 7 – But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
We’ll see the incredible impact of how these individual gifts beautifully fit us together, as we continue next week in verses 11-16. The impact can be, and should be astounding – for us, and to the watching world around us!
Let’s close with verses 8-10
These verses speak of the remarkable activity of the Lord Jesus who came from Heaven to Earth, lived, died, rose, and ascended back to Heaven to rule and reign over his universe.
1. Heaven to Earth – Incarnation
2. Life on Earth to the underworld after his death
3. Simply, his life and burial
Regardless, it means He has taken the initiative to come to us, conquering sin and death and making it possible for us to be His, with all the incredible attributes as a child of God, and as a Body of Christ!
This preeminent one, the true Master of the Universe, is the one who chooses to give gifts to His children. He is the One we worship. Do you know Him? Are you serving Him? Are you united with a Body of Believers?
Other podcasts from Woodpile Ministries:
Rings To Tags - w/ Isaac & Amanda Wood - Marriage. Family. Home. God's Way.
Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rings-to-tags/id1634856692
