Scripture: Ephesians 4:17-24 As people who have received spiritual blessings from God (1:3-14), we are called to live our lives worthy of his calling (4:1). As members of the Church, we learn to maintain unity so all believers may be rooted in the truth, speak truth in love, and continue to grow toward Christ (4:1-16). As individual believers, we learn to … Continue reading →
Scripture: Ephesians 4:1-16 A lot have been said about the maturity of believers and of the church. In 4:12 we have the threefold purposes of the church: to equip the saints, to do the work of ministry, and to build up to body of Christ1 Then v. 23 describes the three goals of the church: to reach unity in the faith and … Continue reading →
Scripture: Ephesians 4:1-16 Different people seem to have different images of Christian maturity, so it is important to look at what the Bible says about it. It is also important to realize that this particular passage is talking about corporate identity, the church, rather than about individual believers.1 Earlier Paul has mentioned that that all should maintain unity and work … Continue reading →
So we have the unity of the Spirit; we make every effort to keep the unity through the bond of peace; we understand the spiritual basis of unity; and realizing the gift of Christ, we all serve with diverse roles and positions. But what do we actually do? What are we trying to achieve? What is the ultimate goal of … Continue reading →
Scripture: Ephesians 4:7-13 Believers are given the unity of the Spirit (4:3) and are expected to make every effort to keep it as there is a strong basis for unity (4:4-6). But unity is not to be maintained just for the purpose of our own enjoyment. Rather, it is so that, with the grace of God, every believers can take … Continue reading →
Scripture: Ephesians 4:4-6 Immediately after explaining the spiritual blessings from God (chapters 1 to 3), Paul urges believers to live a life worthy of God’s calling. He starts with a call to keep unity and to live a harmonious life among believers. In doing so, he gives the spiritual basis of the unity already given by God. The basis mentioned … Continue reading →
Scripture: Ephesians 4:1-3 As mentioned in the first article, believers are urged to keep the unity of the Spirit, for in the environment of unity, believers will continue to grow toward maturity. The unity has been established by Christ, but we are to make every effort to keep it.
Continue reading →Scripture: Ephesians 4:1-16 As the Church grows and expands, people with vastly different backgrounds become part of the same Church. On one hand this is a wonderful testimony that believers are one in Christ. On the other hand, conflicts and tensions do arise out of differences. So we see conflicts in the Church in Jerusalem as well as Church outside … Continue reading →
Scripture: Ephesians 2:11-22 God, in his love and mercy, has made us alive while we were spiritually dead. We are his handiwork, a creation that will continue to display of the incomparable riches of his glory. This is a wonderful creation! But while we might be thinking of individual believers, the text continues1 to explain that the topic under discussion … Continue reading →
