"Urge..."

November 13, 2014

“Urge…”

Blessings folk!

Often in the letters that Paul wrote to Believers he would deal with the Truths (doctrines) of the Kingdom of God, then he would write of the practical applications that arise from these Truths.

So he did to those in Ephesus.

Paul continues with the words “I therefore…”
In light of what we have seen to this point…
A personal moment...

Ephesians 4:1-3
1 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.


Paul urged them.
He reminded them that he was a prisoner for the Lord.
Something about someone who is imprisoned urging us in this manner…

What did he urge?
That they/we walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called.
Called?
Yes.
Often we associate that with a vocational status of “ministry”, but such is wrong.

All that we have seen in Ephesians to this point reveals who we are in the Lord.
Such is the calling to which True Believers have responded.

The next two verses begin to explain.
Note what we are to do.

Bear with one another in love.
We are to love 1Another (remember that?)
We are to bear with 1Another.
The connotation is that we will not always “agree”...we are not “the same”...but we are One.
We are to walk in humility.
We are to walk in gentleness.
We are to eagerly maintain the unity of the Spirit.
We are to walk in the bond of peace.

Love binds us.
Peace is the bond of the Spirit.
We are unified in the Spirit.
We are to maintain this unity.
We do not need to fret and worry about attaining unity.
True Believers are unified in the Spirit by the Spirit...not by our works.
We simply walk in Who we are.

Why the disunity, division, quarrel, bickering, back-biting, gossip, etc. within “the church”?

Because many who profess to be True Believers are not.
They are known by their fruit.

True Believers are unified in the Spirit.
The false believers will never be unified in the Spirit because they have not the Spirit.

Oh, they are religious.
They do “good” deeds.
They talk the talk.
They teach.
They preach.
They look good.
They will also burn for all eternity if they do not repent, confess and truly receive salvation.

Examine yourself to see if you be of the faith...