WALK IN UNITY
Paul is in prison in thes lesson.
Paul spent so much time in prison yet he never stopped praising the
Lord.
If only the Christians of this day and age could be as dedicated as
Paul was.
You would see a lot of mountains being moved.
Praise the Lord.
Ephesians 4:1 says; I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord beseech you
to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called.
Paul is writing to tell them to walk in the ways of the Lord.
For as Jesus walked so should those who Paul had introduced them to
the doctrine of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul preached to the Ephesians on what was expected of them since
they accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
1 Thessalonians 2:12 says; that you would walk worthy of God who
calls you into His own kingdom and glory.
Paul didn't want them to forget all that he had taught them.
He also didn't want them to get discouraged because he was in prison.
He wanted them to continue to grow in the Lord.
Ephesians 4:2 says; With all lowleness and gentleness with long
suffering, bearing with one another in love,
Paul was reminding them that this was how Jesus walked while He was
on the earth.
We, (man), don't act that way naturally.
These qualities must be cultivated, (learned), as we grow in the Lord.
Paul felt the need to remind them that they had to leave the old life
behind and learn to walk in the ways of the Lord pressing on to
the future.
Paul knew that if they didn't work toward glorifying the Lord in all they
did they would get caught up in the ways of the world.
The same is true for us today.
If we don't stay in the word we are opening ourselves up for the
enemy to slip in and draw you away from the Lord.
Philippians 2:5-8 says; Let this mind be in you which was also in
Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, did not concider it
robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation,
Taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of
man.
These verses tell us that God became man.
Because of the way Christ came in the form of man it showed the
humbleness of the Lord and how we as Christians should act.
Our goal is to live and act like Christ Jesus.
All Godly actions come from the renewing of the mind.
So now the question is how do we renew our minds?
The answer is you have to stay in the Word of God.
We spend too little time in Gods Word.
How are we going to make it through the end of days if we don't know
Gods Word?
We need to get back to the basics and start reading the Bible again.
Do you have children at home?
If so when was the last time you sat down around the table and read
the Bible?
If you don't have children at home when was the last time you and
your husband or wife read the Bible together?
Boy, I can tell you this much my husband and I are quilty of not
reading the word together.
Christ was God but He limited Himself while He was on the earth.
He felt the pain we fell.
He felt the heartache we feel.
He felt the loneliness we feel.
Christ had to experience all the feeling that we feel so He could
understand and have compassion for us when we are going
through our trials and trubulations.
Ephesians 4:3 says; Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the
bond of peace.
Paul is conveying to the Ephesians that they had to work together.
To be of one mind, one with Christ.
Without the unity they would be ineffective and unable to increase
the kingdom.
Colossians 3:14 says; But above all these thing put on love, which is
the bond of perfection.
God is love.
In His love for us all things are perfect.
But if we, in turn don't treat others with love than all that Christ did
for us was futile.
Why would anyone want to seek Christ if all we, (those in Christ), do
is argue, fuss, and complain we are doing nothing different than
those who are living for the worldly things?
Ephesians 4:4 says; There is one body and one spirit, just as you
were called in one hope of your calling.
Paul is explaining that the church, (the body of Christ), is in Christ
Jesus.
When we ask Jesus into our hearts and are born again we are of one
spirit.
The Spirit of God is in us with all the promises God promised His child-
ren.
We are all one in the Body of Christ, and individually members of one
another.
Paul is saying that each of us are the church, (body of Christ), but
all in one.
Each one has their part to do in the body.
Jesus is the head.
We have to listen to the head to know where we should be and what
we shold be doing.
We all have our own functions yet working together.
Hebrews 6:6 says; if they fall away, to renew them again to repend-
tance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God,
and put Him to an open shame.
Falling away means deliberate sin a defection from faith.
To renew means to aline them back into the Body of Christ.
To get the word of God back into ones mind.
To get them back on track.
Ephesians 4:5 says; one Lord, one faith, one baptism.
One baptism is referring to the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
When you are baptixed in the Holy Spirit it puts you into the Body of
Christ.
1 Corinthians 12:13 says; For by one Spirit we were all baptized into
one body-whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free-and
have all been made to drink into one Spirit.
This verse here talks about , how the death of Christ Jesus and His
ressurection, the baptism of the Holy Spirit puts all people equal
in Gods eyes.
Ephesians 4:6 says; One God and Father of all who is above all, and
through all and in you all.
You see God split Himself in 3 parts.
God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The scriptures that I used on this lesson are: Ephesians 4:1-6,
1 Thessalonians 2:12, Colossians 3:14, Romans 12:25, 11:36
1 Corinthians 1:13, 12:7, 12:11, 12:13, Jude 1:3, Hebrews 6:6
Psalms 68:18, John 3:13, 20:17, 17:20-26, Philippians 2:5-8
Unless we have the word in us God can only do so much.
We're in the end of days and the word in us is what will get us
through hard times that will come.
What amazes me is that more I read the word the more understanding
of God I gleem and how much He has done for us.
My prayer is that who ever reads these words, the Lord gave me, will
grow in the word and know how great our God is. That you will
get into the word so you will be able to stand firm in the Lord
when the world says there is no hope. That your hope, joy and
love from the Lord and to the Lord will encourage others. Start
today and read these scriptures and come to know your God.
God bless you and your family, may the Lord keep you close to Him.
PRAISE GOD THE FATHER, JESUS OUR SAVIOR, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT
THAT LIVES WITHIN ALL CHRISTIANS.
