The Book of Ephesians
Chapter 4
Article IV
Recap
In the past three articles, you were asked to mark up your Bible as we examined 16 spiritual blessings that we, as believers, have in Christ, as listed in the first three chapters of Ephesians. What we are going to do now is take those spiritual blessings, and what we now know of them, and apply them to the practical aspects of our lives. This article will be a study of chapter 4 of the Book of Ephesians. While this chapter has some doctrinal statements in the first part of the chapter, it ends by giving practical instruction for believers.
To begin this chapter of study, let's again look at our key scripture verse for the Book of Ephesians.
Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ
KJV
As a short recap – and a foundation for this article's teaching, we have seen that we, as believers in Christ, have been chosen before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before Christ. We have been called by Christ with a plan and purpose. As His sons and daughters, we are now part of the family of God. Christ is our head, and we are His body. We are the Body of Christ - a member of God's family. As a part of God's family, His plan and purpose for us is to serve Him while we serve others with a heart of humility and love.
We belong to God
As we begin Eph 4:1 the Apostle Paul portrays himself as a prisoner for the Lord.
Eph 4:1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.
In essence, the apostle is saying that he, nor any other believer in Christ, belong to themself. He told the believers at the Church at Corinth that they belonged to God. As a prisoner for God, the Apostle Paul is telling us the same things. We belong to God. What was for the churches in the 1st century, applies to us, as believers, today as well. We are no longer our own, because we belong to God; as such, we have the privilege of being a part of His kingdom. With that privilege however, comes responsibility. In essence, just as the Apostle Paul was a prisoner for the Lord, we too are God’s servants here on earth. Some versions even go so far as to say we are slaves for the Lord. I
f you recall from the 1st article of this series, it was brought out that Ephesus was the slave capital of the world. It was there that slave traders bought and sold slaves and then they were sent off to other parts of the world. Slaves were a common sight in Ephesus and throughout Asia Minor. So when the Apostle Paul used the word “slave” or even "prisoner" for the Lord, it was a description that all believers in Ephesus could understand. As such, he was making a point that our live's no longer belongs to us. We now belong to God. The Lord is the one who owns us - He is our Master who tells us what to do. The natural tendency when reading this is to think "I’m nobody’s slave." You must remember, however, you will be somebodies slave - either a slave to God or a slave to Satan. By default, you serve the god of this world – which is Satan. Remember, Adam and Eve gave up their authority to Satan. God, however, sent His Son Jesus to set you free from being a slave to Satan. Now, as believers in Christ, you belong to God. We don't, however, belong to a cruel slave owner, like those who are caught in Satan’s web. We belong to a loving God who wants nothing but the best for those who serve Him. God created us to be the best, to do the best, and to make a positive influence in this world.
Unity, peace, and Truth
Living in unity
We are required to live together in unity in the Body of Christ. Our unity comes, first of all, by believing in the Truth - the Truths of the Word of God. As a reminder, the first three chapters of Ephesians are filled with doctrinal truths of the Word of God. So, within the bounds of that Truth - we need to purpose to make peace, by the power of the Holy Spirit that lives within us so we can live in unity.
Peace keepers and peace makers
We can either be peace keepers or peace makers. There is a difference. A peace keeper is one who will keep peace at any and all costs. A peace keeper is afraid to make waves – even if it means compromising with the Truth. They are willing to sacrifice themselves, and often others, for the sake of not having someone get angry at him or her. A peace maker, on the other hand, is willing to stand up for what is right, even in the face of opposition, even if it means someone gets angry, which often is the case. While momentary division may occur, the heart of a peace maker is always to ultimately bring peace, living in and under the Truth. The Apostle Paul could have written to the Church at Ephesus and just said "make every effort to keep unity in spite of the divisions that are going on in the Church." He could have said "make every effort to keep peace even if it means compromising what is Truth – after all unity is #1." No, having Truth was the most important - Truth is #1. We must all strive first of all for Truth, and then work toward peace so we can walk in unity.
Jesus was a peace maker
Jesus was a peace maker not a peace keeper. He came to bring peace to the world, but He first came to bring Truth. When He confronted the money changers in the temple, His temper rose in fuery, turning over tables and calling those who were violating the Scriptures “a brood of vipers.” “Truth” always has to take precedence. If you base your premise on Truth, then you can work toward peace. You will then have a solid base for unity.
Reuniting Christians under the umbrella of Truth
We’ve learned about the division within the Body of Christ in the city of Ephesus during the 1st century A.D. with the last three articles of this series. The Christian Church was divided between true believers trusting in the life, physical death and resurrection of Christ, and the Gnostic believers who believed in a "special kind of knowledge" which claimed was the means to their eternal salvation. There were also Judaizers who, as new Jewish believers, wanted the old laws added to their Christian faith. All of them claimed to be Christian – so who was right? The Apostle Paul reminded them what they once learned about Jesus – why He came, and the promises that came with that belief and the importance of following Him were the Truth. His letter was reiterating what he had earlier taught them when he spent three years in Ephesus at the Hall of Tyrannus. Paul was trying to reunite Christians under the umbrella of true doctrine so that all could live in unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. The same is true today. We have so many denominations as well as Christian cults out there – all claiming to be Christian. Each denomination claims to have THE Truth. In addition, each cult claims to be Christian and they says they have THE Truth. Who is right?
What is truth?
Let me ask you this question! What do you suppose Jesus would say is Truth? What would the Apostles Paul, John, Peter, and the others, whom Jesus appointed to spreading the Truth - say is Truth? Truth is the Word of God, and the Word of God is a living organism of Truth. This Truth came from the mouth of God as He inspired each of His writers, under the power of the Holy Spirit, to write down Truth. God's Truth has never been watered down, nor has it been changed from the time it was written. There have been no extra books added nor have any been taken away. While the language and the syntax has been changed in the translations, your Bible is still your source of Truth.
Study the Scriptures daily
As God’s slaves or servants, belonging to the Body of Christ, you need to know what your Master is saying to you. You need to study, understand, and know your Bible. The Berean church, consisting of Jewish believers, as listed in the Book of Acts, studied the Scriptures daily. They even went so far as to challenge the Apostle Paul to make sure what he wrote was the Truth.
Acts 17:11 “They received the message with great eagerness and examined the scripture every day to see if what Paul said was true. NIV
So then, how did the Jewish believers in Berea challenge the Apostle Paul to prove what he told them were true? They examined the Torah - the Tanakh (the Old Testament - Genesis through Malachi) daily of the prophesies of their Messiah. They critcally examined the Scripures daily. This was no small task. Book by book, word by word, the believers at Berea examined the Scriptures so they could know the Truth. It should be no different today. It is good for us to question what is Truth. It is of the utmost importance that the Church stay on track with the Truth. As the Church, we not only have the Old Testament Scriptures to examine, we have the New Testament writings as well. We need to study the Scriptures daily to find Truth. We can't just take what is preached on Sunday as Truth. It is important to know that any church leader, regardless of the size of their following is not beyond scrutiny. We have a right to examine Truth. We also have a right to question anything questionable from the pulpit. Questioning is okay, as long as it is done in a heart of love with an earnest concern for Truth. Any good leader, or leaders, will welcome your honest questions. If they are good solid leaders, they will then point you right back to the Word of God. If they don't, something is wrong. If they lead you to tradition, opinions, ideas, philosophies, or ideaologies, or other thoughts, those leaders are not worthy of your trust. Go to someone who knows the Word of God so that they can help you discover the Truth from the Word of God.
All Scripture must support other Scripture
Sadly, error is all around us. We, therefore, need to know the Word of God to confront any and all error. Remember, scripture will always be supported by other scripture. Whenever you read something, especially out of its context, and you struggle to make a doctrine out of it, or may not understand it, spend some time to research it out. If necessary, put it on a shelf until God can reveal its truth, or else, go to someone you trust to help you work through it. Remember, scripture always has to be supported by scripture. It must never violate any other part of the Word of God. The book of Revelation tells us that out of the mouth of 2-3 witnesses – in other words, you need at least 2-3 other scripture verses or passages that support what you just read. And it must NEVER violate the WHOLE of the rest of scripture.
No one has any new revelation of Truth. The writings of God have been around for 2000-3500 years. Do you really think that someone can come along and discover something new in the Scriptures. The Scriptures have already been researched thousands upon thousands of times. Any time you hear of a "new revelation of truth," just know that it is simply a repeat of an old thought that was part of a doctrinal error from past generations.
The power and unity of "one"
Continuing on, the Apostle Paul was trying to reunite Christians in Ephesus under the umbrella of true doctrine so that they all could live in unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Here, again, he was counter attacking the heresy of Gnosticism that had crept into Ephesus. (Refer to article #1 of this series.)
Eph 4:4 There is one body and one Spirit- just as you were called to one hope when you were called
Eph 4:5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism
Eph 4:6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
One Body
The Apostle Paul was saying that the believers at Ephesus were all part of “one body,” meaning the Body of Christ. There was to be no division among them. It is the same today -you and I are called to be part of that same Body of Christ. We all belong together as "one" in the Body of Christ.
"One" Spirit
God's Holy Spirit is not divided nor is there more than "one" Holy Spirit. There is "one" Holy Spirit who indwells us all – individually and corporately. There is no other.
One" hope of the Gospel
We were all called to "one" hope of the Gospel, meaning there is no other Gospel other than that of Christ’s physical life, death, and bodily resurrection. Jesus came in the flesh to die for the sins of mankind. In that, the apostle was pointing out that the Gospel of Gnosticism, which so many believers in Ephesus had adhered to was false. It as a heresy!
"One" faith
Our trust and faith must be in Christ and what He has done for us. In that, there is only "one" faith - there is no other. Again, the apostle was making a point that faith in the Gospel of Gnosticism was false. Christians are united in "one" faith in Jesus Christ.
"One" baptism
There is “One" baptism into Christ. The apostle was not speaking of water baptism in this context. Water baptism is simply an outward expression of an inward belief. That inward belief is the receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. At that point, the Holy Spirit enters into the spirit of the one who just accepted Christ. So, "one" baptism is the baptism of being identified with Christ as a part of His body.
"One" Lord"
Because we are baptized into Christ as "one," we are all to to serve Him as "one" Lord. As Lord, Christ is our master and our owner. Remember, we were bought with a price - that being the shed blood of Jesus. He asks us to surrender ourselves unto Him as Lord.
God and Father of all
As we are baptized as "one" into the Body of Christ, surrendered to Him as Lord, all in "one" faith, having the "one" hope of the Gospel of Christ, we are all under the umbrella of God. As such, we have the privilege of belonging to the Kingdom of God. With that privilege comes all of the blessings and benefits that is bestowed as the sons and daughters of our God and Father of all.
1 Corinthians 12:12-13 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body-whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free-and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
Galatians 3:26-27 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
Spiritual identification
The Apostle Paul was emphasizing that when a person comes to believe in Jesus Christ, he or she is baptized into the Body of Christ. We are all spiritually identified as "one" in the Body of Christ. As such, we are commanded to live as "One" – not divided, but working together. (More will be discussed on spiritual identification in article #5).
Public identification
Then, as an act of our inward belief and being obedient to Christ's demands, we publicly identify ourselves back with Him by being immersed in water baptism. We have now announced to all that we belong to Christ. In the 1st century, this kind of news spread fast. Upon being publicly water baptized, the new believer was then associated (identified) with Christ in that community. Thus this ritual of water baptism is a separate baptism that follows the "oneness" baptism into Christ.
It is important to know that water baptism has nothing to do with eternal salvation. If belief is not present, the outward act of water baptism simply then becomes an act of works because the spiritual identification has not taken place. Fortunately, most churches preach salvation by faith in Christ; however, there are still churches today that teach that water baptism is the entrance into eternal salvation. Other churches will even preach that water baptism is the entrance into their church. While being water baptized may be required for individual membership into a particular church or denomination, it must be remembered, that according to the Word of God, it is the belief in Christ that is the entrance into eternal salvation with Christ - not water baptism.
Gifts and callings
The Apostle Paul now diverts his attention to gifts and callings within the Body of Christ, meaning the Church-at-large. We have learned in past three articles, that according to the Word of God, each one of us have been chosen before the foundation of the world with gifts and callings to fulfill God's plan and purpose in this earth. The question then arises: "How does one discover the gifts within that God has given us?" Where does one begin to find out what those gifts are? First of all, you will not find any scripture verse in your Bible that will tell you what your gift(s) or calling(s) are. You will also not find anywhere in the Scriptures that will tell you who you should marry, how many children you should have, or what kind of job you should accept. These kinds of decisions are something that you and the Holy Spirit have to work out together. The best rule of thumb, however, is that your gifts and callings begin by finding our what you like to do. What is it that you can do to help others? Each one of us has that “inate ability” to do something that shines out in us. They need to be developed, and we need to trust that the talents you have within are put there by God.
By spending time in the Word and in prayer, you and the Holy Spirit travel a journey of intimacy to learn more about the Lord and yourself. The more you learn, the more God will reveal to you His plans and purposes for you. So then, as you draw closer to Him, your love for Him expounds to desiring to serve Him and others more and more. The Holy Spirit begins to show you ways how you can serve God with the gifts and talents you have? Opportunities begin to open up and it creates an excitement in you to serve. From there it just grows.
Eph 4:7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.
Within the Body of Christ there are many functions – many different offices. Though we are all equal in the sight of God, God has graced us with various gifts and talents (often called functions, offices, or even titles) to be used in the Church. If each one of us has been given grace as Christ apportioned to us, grace then signifies God’s blessings upon us so that we can accomplish what needs to be done in and through us for the Kingdom of God with the gifts and callings He has bestowed upon us. We’ve been graced to serve others with the gifts and callings of the Lord that are operating in our lives.
Eph 4: 8 This is why it says: "When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men."
Eph 4:9-10 (What does "he ascended" mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)
This scripture passage is the manifestation of a prophecy that the Psalmist David prophesied of the ascension of Christ as listed in Psalm 68:18.
Ps 68:18 When you ascended on high, you led captives in your train; you received gifts from men, even from the rebellious--that you, O LORD God, might dwell there. NIV
By scripture, we know that Jesus died and went to hell (hades) for three days before God arose Him from the dead. When Jesus ascended out of hell, however, He led the captives out - meaning those Old Testament Jewish saints who loved God. Jesus led them out triumphantly like a conquering king on to glory. Jesus, as the triumphant king, led them out, and by doing so, defeated death, sin, and the curse was conquered. As, or after Jesus ascended, gifts were then given to those who would become a part of His body, meaning the Body of Christ on earth to serve Him as the conquering king.
Eph 4:11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,
Eph 4:12 to prepare God's people for works of service…
Eph 4:13 until 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.
Within 40 days of Jesus’ ascension, Pentecost came and the Church had begun. These gifts and callings that Jesus bestowed upon the Body of Christ were needed in the Church. The apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, who are simply servants, became necessary gifts and callings to train the Body of Christ to serve and further the Kingdom of God. These gifts and callings have often been referred to in some religious circles as the “five fold” ministry gifts. While this scripture passage only mentions a portion of the gifts given by Christ to His body, these particular gifts are primarily used to train the Body of Christ. Most of these gifts are "front" leadership gifts. It is important to know that whether we are called to be leaders within the Church or do behind the scenes ministry, we all are called to humbly serve one another as we serve the Lord together in the Body of Christ. As such, we all need to mature in our “One” faith in Christ, walking in unity – the unity of the true Gospel as the Apostle Paul has previously stated, and that everyone come to the full measure of what God had designed individually for us.
Living in the Truths of the Word of God
Eph 4:14 Then 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.
There is so much winds of doctrine supported by the cunning and craftiness of men in the Church at large. As has been noted in these articles, the cunning and craftiness of men have been around 2000 years ago and is still is around today. The best way to counteract these kinds of error is to search for Truth. We must all grow up in our Christian faith following the Truths of the Gospel of Christ.
Eph 4:15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Him (meaning Jesus) who is the Head, that is, Christ.
Eph 4:16 From 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.
As each part (meaning each one of us) do our job – our work for the Kingdom, the work of the Kingdom of God get's accomplished. We all have a job to do for the Gospel of Christ. Remember, God created us for good works – to serve one another in love. We are called to further the Gospel of Christ to this world with the gifts and callings that God has instilled within each one of us.
Eph 4:17 So 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.
Eph 4:18 They 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.
Eph 4:19 Having 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.
Going back to article #1, we learned about the lives of the Gentiles in Ephesus 2000 years ago. Not only were they polytheistic in their beliefs, meaning they worshipped many gods especially that of the goddess Diana, their idol worship consisted of sexual immorality. Their religious temple housed prostitutes who gave sex to anyone who, in the name of idol worship to the gods, gave money to satisfy their lustful lower nature and desires. The brothels down by the harbor wharf were full of the same kind of sexual immorality. Homosexuality, as well, was openly accepted, and infidelity in marriage was common. Is it any different today? While we don’t have churches with prostitutes in them, we all have our own gods of pleasure. Sexual promiscuity and perversion is still strong among us today. Sex among the young is at a all-time high, sex outside of marriage is widely accepted - even within the Church, and homosexuality has now been called an “alternative lifestyle,” and again, widely accepted. Where are we any better today? The Apostle Paul is telling the Christians in Ephesus who came out of the Gentilianism lifestyle to "stop it." He said – "don’t live like them anymore. That kind of lifestyle is behind you. The Gentiles (unbelievers) are separated from the life of God because of their ignorance and hardening of their hearts." "You," he writes, "are not like them anymore. They have given themselves over to sensuality to indulge in every kind of impurity, lusting after their lower nature. They are slaves of the devil."
The apostle is standing firm to point out that this kind of lifstyle is no longer a part of their life. The same is true for us today. As Christians, we must no longer live like those in the world. Our life is in God – not in the world. We are a part of the Kingdom of God. We are not ignorant of the sin in the world because we have the Holy Spirit in us and the Word of God to show and reveal Truth. As much as this kind of living is widely accepted, even within Church-going people today, we know that that kind of lifestyle is not of God. The lower nature and indulges of our flesh ben no longer be a part of our lives. We belong to God. We’ve been set free from the bondages of sin. As a result, we are now free to serve God. We’ve been delivered from that kind of lifestyle.
Eph 4:20 You, however, did not come to know Christ that way.
Eph 4:21 Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.
Eph 4:22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;
Eph 4:23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds;
Eph 4:24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Learning from the past
Let me ask you something that may seem like an unrelated question: Why do we study history? Is it to learn about what dead people did? No, it’s about learning from these dead people. It’s about learning from these people successes and failures. We study history so we hopefully can gain from their successes and don’t repeat the same mistakes over and over again. The sad part is, man doesn't learn from history. He keeps repeating the same mistakes over and over again, but each time with just a little different twist. The same is true with the Bible. God gave us His Word to learn from and to follow. He gave us apostles to give us the Word that came directly from God, as was inspired by the Holy Spirit. Those gifts and callings they had from God were meant to serve the Body of Christ in Truth in their generation. It was given so that new generations of believers after them could served those around them and then pass it on to future generations as well. This kind of learning was meant to continue through generations of time. God created within man the inate desire to find Him; however, down through the centuries,man doesn't want to follow after God's instructed ways, but he continues to try to reach Him, or other gods, in his own way. Look at church history (we should all know about church history) and then take a look to see how man keeps trying to create his own religion – finding his own way to God.
Isn't it sadly amazing that these writings of the Apostle Paul to the Ephesian Christians was written less then 30 years after the death of Christ, and during this short time, the heresy of Gnostics were already active in people trying to reach God by a special kind of knowledge instead of the blood of Jesus Christ. Then to add insult to injury, by the middle of the 2nd century A.D. there were more Gnostics in the Church in the Western Roman Empire than those who believed in the physical life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. That was only around 100 years since Jesus died on the cross. It took strong measures within leaders within the Church to rid itself of this kind of heresy. Then, by the 4th century another kind of cultic belief of Arianism was overtaking the Church. Arianism did not believe in the Trinity, meaning God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – the 3 in 1. Again, it took strong measures of the Church to stop that kind of heresy to continue. By the 6th century A.D. the Church had gotten so corrupted that it caused the world to enter into what became known as the Dark Ages. That continued until around 1000 A.D when 1/3 of Europe was killed of the bubonic/phneumonic plague followed by another 100 years of the Peasantry wars fighting for equality and independence. While the Church continued to remain corrupt, Europe entered into the Renaissance period where individuals began to come out of hiding. It took Martin Luther and the Reformation (1517 A.D.) to bring the Church into submission to the things of God again. From there new changes occured within the Church to begin the process of putting the Church back in line under the foundation of God. Sadly, man doesn’t change. He keeps trying to find God on his own terms. He just keeps repeating the same mistakes over and over again. Why is it that we can't learn from the mistakes of others. Instead, we just keep repeating them. God gave us THE Truth – and His Truth is His Word.
So back to the subject at hand, the Apostle Paul is telling the Church to put off their old nature – let it go. Get rid of it.
Speaking forth Truth
Eph 4:25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.
We must all stand up for the truths of the Gospel of Christ– put off falsehood and speak truthfully to those around us – The Complete Jewish Bible says it this way! Eph 4:25 Therefore, stripping off falsehood, (all those false doctrines that were being spread around)…let everyone speak truth with his neighbor, because we are intimately related to each other as parts of a body.
Neighbor means other believers
As believers together, we are all a part of the Body of Christ – One Body of Christ. The Truths of God's Word doesn't change - it is our Truth – and we must never deviate from it.
Dealing with anger
Eph 4:26 "In your anger do not sin" Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,
First of all, let's keep this verse in the context of the surrounding verses around. This is referring to our relationship between believers. The apostle is not telling us that we shouldn’t get angry at our Christian brother or sister, because there are times when anger is appropriate, if it is justified. It's how you handles your anger that becomes important. The Jewish Bible says it in a way that speaks it clearly: Eph 2:26 Be angry, but don’t sin – don’t let the sun go down before you have dealt with the cause of your anger.
While this scripture verse is commonly used as principle for marriage relationship, it applies to all relationships in life with other believers. It even applies to our relationship with unbelievers. Man has a real tendency to get angry at those who believe differently than he does - those who carry different doctrinal beliefs. While we must stand for the Truths of the Gospel, we must also guard our hearts (and theirs) to not push unbelievers away from the Truth. This is good practical living advice. It not only applied to the Church at Ephesus 2000 years ago, it applies to us in the Church today. What was going on in the mind of man then still going on in our minds today.
Eph 4:27 and do not give the devil a foothold.
Anger to the point of wanting revenge, damages you more than anyone. If you let anger continue, it will eat away in you like a cancer. Man's imagination will conjure all kinds of things that probably are not even true, or at least a twisted means of truth. Man's mind then imagines all kinds of scenarios to getting even. And guess what - the person you are angry may not even know you are angry. Guess who is the hurting one? Guess who is the one losing out on sleep? Guess who is the one getting ulcers? Anger that allows you to continue after the sun has gone down does nothing but rob you of sleep and turn you into a bitter person. "Deal with it."
Under most anger is hurt. It is important that you get to the root of that hurt. When you do, you can look at the hurt in a more objective manner. If necessary, go to that person so who hurt you. Do so with the purpose of rebuilding back that relationship. If that person does not respond in a manner which brings back unity between the two of you, just know that you have done your responsibility before God. You have done your part. Then forgive them anyway, and go on with life. Say what Jesus said on the cross to His Father..."Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing." When you do, that anger and hurt will turn to pity and then compassion. You are then free to love them in spite of their actions.
Be free to give to others
Eph 4:28 He 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.
Stealing was probably an issue within the Church at Ephesus, as well as Ephesus in general. The Jewish Bible says – “Thief – stop stealing. If you as a believer, or even an unbeliever, allows the devil to get a foothold in your life, the devil will do anything and everything e can to get you to surcumb to your old ways. The Gentiles, as unbelievers, were nothing but puppets for the devil's use. We need to be reminded that we, as Christians, have the Holy Spirit in us to teach and guide us, giving us power to overcome such temptations. Remember, the unbelieving lifestyle was our old life – we’ve now been set free to live a life of righteousness in God. As such, we must make an honest living by our own efforts. When we do, we can then share with those in need.
The heart of a thief is generally greed – what can he gain for himself. The heart of a believer, however, was designed for him or her to work honestly for a living is to meet personal needs and then give the rest with those in need. That was the heart of Jesus’ gospel over and over again. We are all part of one body - serving one another.
Speak the Truth in love
Eph 4:29 Do 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.
Our bodies are vessels for the master’s use. And our mouths is to be used to build up the Body of Christ. The Jewish Bible says – Eph 4:29 Let no harmful language come from your mouth, only good words that are helpful in meeting the need, words that will benefit those who hear them. While we speak the Truth in love, we edify the Body of Christ. We need to ask ourselves - "What is it that will build up a person - to build them up to help them become all that God has called them to be? We are a body working together for the good of the body. We can be encouragers when someone does something right and good. We can also be there when someone is down. We can be there to pray for someone in need. We can be there to give a helping hand. Remember, we are One body – joined together. When one part of the body suffers, the whole body suffers. We are all here together for the common good and goal of building the Kingdom of God. When we build up each other, we are also building up the Kingdom of God.
If we do not do the things above, this next verse tells us that we will grieve the Holy Spirit within us.
Do not grieve the Holy Spirit
Eph 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
As believers in Christ, we belong to the Body of Christ. We've been bought with a price - the shed blood of God's dear Son, Jesus. We do not belong to ourselves any longer, we belong to God. As such, God has put a spiritual stamp on us as His property until the day of our final redemption when we become complete in Him. When we grieve the Holy Spirit within us by shameful actions unbecoming a believer in Christ, we are grieving God. Remember, God created us to be "the best us." Our place in Him was planned before the foundation of this world. As such, it gave God great pleasure to create us as His. We are all Christ's body, working together for one common purpose, one common goal. Now let it be our good pleasure to do our best for God. Don’t let God down. Don't grieve His Spirit within us.
Eph 4:31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.
How you treat others only shows your true relationship with God. Don't allow the devil to take over your life. When you follow in the ways of the Lord, you will...
Live in forgiveness
Eph 4:32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you. NIV
Kindness, compassion and forgiveness should be a way of life for believer. We are one body, serving one purpose. Let us love on one another, because we all belong to each other. As Christ's body, we all belong together as one. In addition, let us forgive each other – don’t let that sun go down on your anger – regardless of other's ideocycrasies - regardless of the one you are angry at. Remember, you’ve got ideocycrasies too that probably irritate them as well. How much better it is to say "I am sorry." Get back into harmony – into unity with your brother and sister in the Lord. We all belong to Christ – we are His – "one" body of Christ working together for the "one" purpose of the Kingdom of God. Let’s just work together - united as "one" under the umbrella of Truth.