UNITY IN THE BODY OF CHRIST
Greetings in the name of Jesus:
In Ephesians 4: Paul begins his message to the church there by saying "as a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you recall, one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." It is this phrase from Scripture and this point that I need to make to you today.
God has chosen us to be Christ's representatives on earth, and in the light of this truth Paul's word to the church at Ephesus challenges them and us to live lives that are worthy of the calling we have been given. Then calling is a awesome privilege of being called Christ's very own. The whole idea of this calling includes how we live our lives out; not as the old men and women that we were before we came to Christ, but as a brand new creature. This includes being humble, gentle, patient, understanding, and peaceful. Each one of these traits are given to us not as a gift to be thrown out into the world and rejected by the world, but as a gift that we should give to one another first of all. It is simply the fact that we are called to live this kind of life out in our relationship with one another in Christ that demonstrates to the world around us how to live in peace, love, and unity.
If we stop and think about it we can easily remember the words found in a letter from Paul in
1 Corinthians 12: 12-13 where he speaks about Christ's body complementing one another by enjoying the many different ways that we can connect through their different gifts and viewpoints which can help the church as it does God's work. No one is ever going to be perfect here on earth. So we must accept and love other Christians in spite of their faults, just as they accept and love us in spite of our faults. When we see the false and fellow believers we should be patient and gentle. Is there someone whose actions are personality really annoy you? Rather than dwelling on that person's weakness or looking one faults we need to be praying for them. Actually we need to be doing more than just praying, we need to spend time together with them and see if we can learn from them from their point of view so that we can build up a unity between us and the power of God's Spirit. These begin to be important roles because God leads but we have to be willing to be led and to do our part in keeping unity and peace within the body. I have often wondered why it is as Christians we tend to huddle within our own small groups, and within a church building that has a particular name, creed, or doctrine attached to it instead of proclaiming Christ in a full and complete way. All believers in Christ belong to one body; all are united under one head, Christ himself. Each believer has God-given abilities that can strengthen the whole body. You are special ability may seem small or it may seem large, but it is yours to use in God's service. Ask God to use your unique gifts to contribute to the strength and the health of the body of believers.
My friends it is time for the church to begin to realize again that God is over all things. He is through all and in all, this shows his active presence in the world and the lives of believers. Any view of God that violates either his transcendence or his eminence does not paint a true picture of God. The way the church is operating today does not paint a true picture of God, or of God's message given to this world. It is time for us to open up to one another and receive the gifts and the diversities of spirit that God gives to us to use in showing this world water is to be a part of God's kingdom. We are called to do this not just for God, but for the love of one another in the name of Jesus. May you richly bless God through your life in him.
THE UNWORTHY SERVANT
In Ephesians 4: Paul begins his message to the church there by saying "as a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you recall, one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." It is this phrase from Scripture and this point that I need to make to you today.
God has chosen us to be Christ's representatives on earth, and in the light of this truth Paul's word to the church at Ephesus challenges them and us to live lives that are worthy of the calling we have been given. Then calling is a awesome privilege of being called Christ's very own. The whole idea of this calling includes how we live our lives out; not as the old men and women that we were before we came to Christ, but as a brand new creature. This includes being humble, gentle, patient, understanding, and peaceful. Each one of these traits are given to us not as a gift to be thrown out into the world and rejected by the world, but as a gift that we should give to one another first of all. It is simply the fact that we are called to live this kind of life out in our relationship with one another in Christ that demonstrates to the world around us how to live in peace, love, and unity.
If we stop and think about it we can easily remember the words found in a letter from Paul in
1 Corinthians 12: 12-13 where he speaks about Christ's body complementing one another by enjoying the many different ways that we can connect through their different gifts and viewpoints which can help the church as it does God's work. No one is ever going to be perfect here on earth. So we must accept and love other Christians in spite of their faults, just as they accept and love us in spite of our faults. When we see the false and fellow believers we should be patient and gentle. Is there someone whose actions are personality really annoy you? Rather than dwelling on that person's weakness or looking one faults we need to be praying for them. Actually we need to be doing more than just praying, we need to spend time together with them and see if we can learn from them from their point of view so that we can build up a unity between us and the power of God's Spirit. These begin to be important roles because God leads but we have to be willing to be led and to do our part in keeping unity and peace within the body. I have often wondered why it is as Christians we tend to huddle within our own small groups, and within a church building that has a particular name, creed, or doctrine attached to it instead of proclaiming Christ in a full and complete way. All believers in Christ belong to one body; all are united under one head, Christ himself. Each believer has God-given abilities that can strengthen the whole body. You are special ability may seem small or it may seem large, but it is yours to use in God's service. Ask God to use your unique gifts to contribute to the strength and the health of the body of believers.
My friends it is time for the church to begin to realize again that God is over all things. He is through all and in all, this shows his active presence in the world and the lives of believers. Any view of God that violates either his transcendence or his eminence does not paint a true picture of God. The way the church is operating today does not paint a true picture of God, or of God's message given to this world. It is time for us to open up to one another and receive the gifts and the diversities of spirit that God gives to us to use in showing this world water is to be a part of God's kingdom. We are called to do this not just for God, but for the love of one another in the name of Jesus. May you richly bless God through your life in him.
THE UNWORTHY SERVANT
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