Devotional for the Family of God – 1
Ephesians 4:1–3 (ESV): I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Good morning family of God.
As you can surmise from the passage, Paul is in prison and even though confined, feels a strong sense of responsibility to continue to instruct his readers as to how to live. He use this context, “walk in a manner worthy of the calling…”
Calling is an interesting word with a double implication in this context. The first idea for calling would clearly be the call to salvation provided by Jesus. The second implication calls into view what Paul has been speaking to from the beginning of the book of Ephesians and that is the union between the individual reader and the over arching progression and development of the Body of Christ, which is in plain terms, the local church.
Our calling into the function of the church…please don’t hear what I didn’t say. I didn’t say our attendance at a weekend service. Sundays are an excellent gathering, fellowship and equipping time, but that is only a fraction of the function of the church. The church is the engine through which the kingdom of God is being built. Many make the assumption that the church is the kingdom….NO!
The earth is the kingdom of God, people are the kingdom of God and it belongs to Jesus. He purchased it at the cross, and he plans to redeem it and transform it. If you believe that attending services is the extent of God’s kingdom building ventures, then we have a major problem.
The churches are doing great, but the world is taking a nose dive. What about the rest of God’s kingdom? Are we to be involved in that? Should we be sitting around waiting for the return of Jesus, holding up and making the best of a bad situation? Or is there a plan that God has, a person by person transformation of the world?
Identifying your place is important. Whether big or small, the role you play takes the entire initiative of King Jesus down the road further. Learning to live in a connected way is paramount to kingdom success.
Walking worthy, according to Paul has in it: humility, gentleness, patience and love. If you believe regarding the church that you can take or leave it, you have to figure out how to get rewired into God’s plan. Because God’s plan is all about the church, because the church is the kingdom engine and the Holy Spirit is the fuel.
Walking worthy is taking into consideration the high price paid by Jesus and the worthy involvement with the kingdom building venture Jesus came to start…might I add…for you.
In a time like we live, there is disunity and unequal living conditions that are surfacing and creates very intense pain and suffering. Our communities are crying out for change and rightfully so. Change that is congruent with the kingdom of God is what is important. The answer is a ground level movement on the part of the church to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Equality will not be found in making laws, because the evil in people’s heart will not have changed. Unity is the answer, not equality. Equality will come after unity is established. According to Paul, where does unity come from? Read it, it is in verse three, say it out loud! Its right there, “We ought to be eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit.”
When you are filled with the Holy Spirit you will be a unifying agent of God, period.
All of that old sinful stuff will be washed away in the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. He will lead you to repent of ever believing anything but the value God places on all human life. You will see the world completely different than the oppression you grew up with, whether you were the one oppressing or being oppressed. Both will be washed away by the love of God.
Ask God right now to release you from prejudice. Ask God right now to forgive any history of discrimination or building a life upon resentment and bitterness of being oppressed, it all has to go! God has more for you. He has a life of power. But that power and pursuit of unity can’t exist inside a heart filled with hate. Go to the Lord and ask him to make you new and fresh, he will, he loves to.
Lord, today is a powerful turning point for me, I lay down my resentment and bitterness in the name of Jesus. I will love everyone the way you love everyone Lord. I confess my sin. I believe that you are taking from me right now all that old demon teaching and replacing those old lies with the truth of love, praise your name Lord Jesus. You have the power to do it and I believe it.
Tell someone what God is doing in your heart. Let it be a testimony to the power of Jesus and get busy in the kingdom building role God has given to you. If you don’t know what you are supposed to do, get on the equipping train of your church and find out. Any church worth their weight in dirt will have a way for you to find out.
Devotional for the Family of God – 2
[Perhaps today, with so many short sentences you should take a minute and contemplate what is being said, because there is more to the short sentence than what is simply being said.]
Ephesians 4:4–7 (ESV): There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
…I don’t want to be white anymore.
My skin color of choice you ask?
One
I want to be the perfect shade of one. No more sunburn or skin cancer. (Have had a couple of those)
Revelation 21:3–4 (ESV): And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
All the former things are gone. Won’t that be a sight!?
What a day that will be, right? The pure kingdom of God is coming and in it, the curse will be lifted and you and I will never be the same.
God gives to us a small taste of that day with the indwelling Holy Spirit. We get to taste a bit of heaven now, if we will have it. You have heard it before and I am going to say it again. The fruit of the Holy Spirit is the actual culture of heaven come to earth. The way that people relate to each other there is perfectly seen in the fruit of the Holy Spirit. When we get there it is going to be amazing.
Jesus wants you to have that now. He wants us to be one. Inside the body of Christ we are one.
We are unified. [That is simply another shade of one]
Check this out, we are going to have the same skin color as the Father and Jesus, listen to this…
John 17:22–23 (ESV): The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.
When each of us came to Jesus recognizing our need to be forgiven for our sins we were blessed to receive salvation. Inside salvation is healing and restoration, but not only that.
We also received our heavenly citizenship. Our new identity is not of this world. Our identity is with God. We became…
One.
As a believer in Jesus our place in this world has changed into an image bearer of God. He wants the world to see…one.
How do I know this?
John 13:35 (ESV): By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.
[don’t miss the “one” in that verse.]
I don’t expect that the world understands our new skin color, but I do expect that you understand it. I expect you to celebrate it and safeguard it. I expect you to promote it and lead others to it.
Thank you Lord for so many family members who are one. Open up our eyes to see who we are and who we used to be. Helps us all to let go of the dead and dying ways of this world. Give us courage to grasp in faith the truth of your blessings. Help us make them real today in a world hungry for that truth.
Devotional for the Family of God – 3
Ephesians 4:8–10 (ESV): Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.” 9 (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? 10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)
Sometimes these verses get misconstrued and misunderstood. If you understand the nature of Jesus, what he came to earth to do and his love for people, these verses will make sense. Also, if you know him as the way maker and the victor, then you can celebrate that he brings the bounty to those he loves. [that’s us, btw]
Let’s break it down.
We can look into John 20 and see what we are looking for. We know that Jesus ascended to the Father and the place I believe he did that was in the middle of Resurrection day. In the morning he appears to Mary declaring to her not to touch him because he had not ascended to the Father. Later, in the evening he appears to the disciples. What did he do during the day? I believe the answer to that question is the passage we are studying.
How exciting it must have been for those who were already dead and in the clutches of Sheol, (which is the place of the dead, or the abode of the dead) who believed in God and followed the Old Testament commands to see Jesus walk into Sheol and take those who were being held there to heaven.
Sheol is highlighted by Jesus in the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. One was in Abraham’s bosom, paradise and the other in torment, both were in Sheol. I believe when Jesus ascended, He took those who had been waiting for the arrival of the Messiah to heaven to be with God forever.
This is a beautiful picture of how Jesus has led each of us from our captivity too. He descended to the lower region, which is earth and set all of us free from the clutches of sin and ultimately death.
Some scholars offer an interesting idea that the captives are actually a whole bunch of devils who are being chained up and prepared for judgment. I believe there is some truth in all of these, although the timing has to be worked out.
Here is the main thing to hang onto if you know Jesus.
He wins.
The lower elohim thought they won. They thought they had put Jesus to his death which would have given the world to them, as man’s sin brought about the dominion of the world given to devils.
God surprised the devils as they thought they had won, they lost everything when Jesus rose from the dead. That was God’s plan all along and they couldn’t see it until it was too late. Praise God!
What I love about the win of Jesus is that he becomes the one who fills all things. His love is spread abroad! The picture here is very exciting indeed. The text seems to infer that the universe is thought of. All of the heavens will be filled with Jesus. The earth, the cosmos and spiritual heaven will be filled with Jesus. Who is going to take the name of Jesus to the far reaches of the universe if what’s out there doesn’t already know who he is? Maybe we will. Maybe we will take our redemption story across the galaxies.
Jesus descended to the low reaches of earth to save you and set you free. Are you free? Is there anything yet holding on to you trying to drag you down? In the power of Jesus, shake that thing off, it has no power over you if you believe in the power of Jesus. Point at it and declare it dead!
This whole passage is undergirded by the topic of gifts. Jesus gave gifts to people. How amazing, we live on earth with gifts Jesus gave to us. He is the rightful heir to the throne. He has given power and authority to you. He has given form and function to you. The enemy who once stood tall with blessing and favor has been cast out, and God has given you the gifts that once belonged to him. You are royalty! Let’s rise up and take our place.
Lord, thank you for the anointing given to all of us. I think about king Saul, how you moved your anointing from Saul to David. You set up an everlasting kingdom through your blessing and anointing on king David’s life. You have done the same with us. Lord, we receive your best, because that is who you are. We praise your name! Thank you.
Devotional for the Family of God – 4
Ephesians 4:11–14 (ESV): And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
So why all the hub bub? What’s the deal with ascending – descending – captives…?
Jesus wins! Not simply the win though. Jesus has a plan.
Jesus came to earth to restore Eden, what man destroyed through sin. Make no mistake, the devil didn’t destroy anything. He isn’t responsible for our sorrow, we are. He was given permission to have dominion only after we sinned.
The work of Jesus conquered the sin that man brought into this world and the devil who used man’s sin as legal grounds to take control. In doing so, Jesus restores the process where by God can have what he wants, and that is to dwell with man.
The ascending, descending is a one verse encapsulation of that mighty work of Jesus. We could expound for months and even years on the daily work of Jesus as he battled against evil forces and demonstrates the heart of the Father. Also, it is important to understand that there are entities beyond our understanding that the Bible gives glimpses of, that are cohorts of satan, who are working against the Lord. They are defeated! They have lost! Their days are numbered.
Here, let me show you an astonishing glimpse the Bible gives to us:
Psalm 82:1 (ESV): “God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment…”
Job 1:6–7 (ESV): “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. 7 The Lord said to Satan, ‘From where have you come?’ Satan answered the Lord and said, ‘From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.’”
Satan was not and has not been working alone.
The point of the ascending and descending is preparatory work done by Jesus to set the stage for our success. That success described in verses 13 and 14 can only be accomplished if we follow the plan that Jesus has established for us all.
It is sad to me that in our day so many ministry leaders have opted for a different plan. Their plans is for pastors to take over the role of the 5 gifts Jesus gave to the church. Somewhere along the way, someone came to the conclusion that apostles, prophets and evangelists are no longer needed.
I say “someone” because God certainly didn’t. The scripture does not say these are obsolete. Most scholars say that once the Holy Bible was canonized (compiled and authorized) the apostle, prophet and evangelist are no longer needed. Only the pastor/teacher is needed.
We will talk more about this, suffice to say that the warning in verse 14 regarding deceitful schemes by the evil cohort to water down the system Jesus put into place has been realized because we no longer believe verse 11.
Have you been taught that when the Bible was canonized the working of the gifts and especially the apostle and prophet are obsolete, no longer necessary? That’s like saying once I have the directions to build a dresser from Ikea, I no longer need the tools to construct it.
These gifts that Jesus gave to the church are for operation and governance, that is, staying in compliance with the manufacturer’s standards. The Word gives us the Gospel and the guidelines and the Holy Spirit works through us with the gifts, all of them, for the construction of the kingdom.
Lord, help us to understand what you have done. Jesus, this all goes back to you and our faith in what you said. Lord, please let the veil of deceitful schemes fall from us so that we can be mature, lacking nothing. Let there be unity and peace as we pursue you. Help us God, please, to embrace without fear everything that you have said for us to be and do.
Feeling stout hearted this morning? Ready for a little test? Try praying this:
Lord I am all about pastors and teachers, but today…
- Jesus, I receive an apostolic gift from you today, activate it in accordance with your will.
- Jesus, I receive a prophetic gift from you today, activate it in accordance with your will.
- Jesus, I receive an evangelistic gift from you today, activate it in accordance with your will.
Could you do that? Did your “belief system” allow you to mean it? What if, simply what if, your belief system is standing in the way of a powerful outpouring of God through you into others? What if God is about to break the container that you have placed him in?
I think he wants a bigger container for now.
Devotional for the Family of God – 5
Ephesians 4:15–16 (ESV): Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
Why would I ask you to do such a thing? Pray for apostolic, prophetic or evangelist anointing? These wonderful gifts accomplish the desire of the Holy Spirit that Paul is speaking about. These gifts and the other two as well, (pastor/teacher) enable us to put into practice the truth of the Bible. These gifts are completely necessary.
Without them we would be left with worshipping the Bible, which some do. They spend their life trying to learn more and more about the Bible, without putting into practice what they are learning. From the day they became a christian, they have not changed, their life is not transforming. This kind of person worships a way of life and knowledge.
It is so sad, because the knowledge they pursue is indeed truth, but has not been put into life changing practice. How close a person can come to knowing about Jesus and not know him is scary. To settle this, a person can have a conversation with Jesus and ask him to make the knowledge come to life as they yield to the Holy Spirit and let him work on their life.
No matter how much knowledge of the Bible you have, are you growing? And I am not asking if you are growing in responsibility or title, I am asking if you are changing on the inside? Do you see a loving longing to be joined together in humble Christlikeness with others? That is exactly what Paul is speaking about.
The 5 gifts he mentioned in verse 11 create that environment. All of them are necessary. All of the gifts work together to bring forth the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Paul uses the term, joints working together. This is an excellent picture of how we all work together.
I have been changing in these last 10 years. To keep peace amongst so many varying opinions on the gifts and the role of the Holy Spirit in our day, I used to believe that it doesn’t matter what you call anything regarding the Holy Spirit. We can simply do our thing and he will do his. He will work behind the scene to accomplish the will of the Father. This was a mistake and I am glad I have left that behind along time ago.
Do you know of any where in Scripture where that is taught, let alone even suggested as a way to do anything regarding God? “Don’t recognize and honor God, just do what you want to do and God will work behind the scenes to accomplish his will.” Is the Holy Spirit God or not? Is he the guide and the teacher, or not?
“Ok guide, do your thing, but I am not going to actively call out to you or acknowledge what you came to do.” “Helper, thank you for helping, even though I don’t know what you are doing and can’t openly acknowledge you because I don’t want to offend people who reject you.”
Friends…hug the Holy Spirit this morning! Surrender to him and ask him what he wants in the way of honor and recognition. There has never been a more meek and humble person on earth than the Spirit of Jesus Christ. He will never force himself on you and you can spend your life missing him if you do not approach him in humility, honoring him.
You will absolutely have to lean in and want to hear.
He will promote 100% what the Father and Jesus have already declared to be. The Holy Spirit will use the same terminology, same Bible, He will speak the words of Scripture, and he will develop a love for the Bible first and foremost in your life. That is his language.
If you truly want to become a strong Christian, it will come from the Holy Spirit through scripture. The only other alternative, which really isn’t an alternative, its just that some people do it mistakenly, is to try to learn as much as you can about the Bible.
The Holy Spirit is highly relational. He wants a relationship with you. You have to not want a relationship with him to not have one. There has never been a more gentle, patient, loving and understanding person on earth, ever! He initiates and you respond.
The Holy Spirit takes the scripture and runs you through it like water through a coffee filter. You are the water and the grounds are the Bible. The heat is the Holy Spirit. (Sorry my cold brew friends, according to my illustration the Holy Spirit doesn’t work in you at all, my suggestion is to go directly to pour over, it even sounds holy – LOL)
Whatever container that the coffee is drank from is the gift intended to be poured out. The coffee is simply poured out and more is made. The gifts of verse 11 are simply the container, a dispenser of the Holy Spirit. The gifts are all named by the Holy Spirit and needed according to the needs of people so that they can be built up into Christlikeness.
You never knew that coffee was so spiritual did you, lol.
Lord, help us. We are so easily distracted from the truth of your word. We want to honor you. So, today I ask for a fresh outpouring of who you are on us so that we can once again fellowship with depth and fervor. We long for you Jesus, we esteem you Holy Spirit, Spirit of Jesus Christ as our Guide and Helper. We honor you and ask you to do what you came to do in us, each of us. These things I ask in the name of Jesus who sent you in the Father’s will. Amen
Blessings
Pastor D
