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Ephesians 4:1-16
4:1 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. 4 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. 8 Therefore it says,
“When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,
and he gave gifts to men.”1
9 (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth?2 10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) 11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds3 and teachers,4 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,5 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. 15 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.
[1] 4:8
[2] 4:9
[3] 4:11
[4] 4:11
[5] 4:13
(ESV)
Redeemer exists to celebrate and declare the gospel of God as we grow in knowing and following Jesus Christ.
Good afternoon, everybody. How are you? Good. Fantastic. We're going to be continuing our study in Ephesians.
Jeffrey Heine:We'll be in Ephesians chapter 4 tonight. We've been in this study of Paul's letter to the Ephesians for about 8 or 9 weeks now. And if you haven't had a chance to listen to those sermons, if you're new, I'd encourage you to go back. They are all posted on our website, and I'd encourage you to, to listen through. It's been, it's been a wonderful study of Paul's letter.
Jeffrey Heine:And, and, you know, last week, we we left off with this paragraph from, from chapter 3. I like to read it as we are turning our attention to chapter 4. But it wraps up like this, Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. And Paul could have just wrapped the letter right there, and we would be done with our sermon series.
Jeffrey Heine:But Paul keeps going, so we're gonna keep going. We're gonna start off here in a pretty big transition chapter in this letter. So look with me in Ephesians chapter 4, beginning with verse 1, and let us listen carefully, for this is God's word. I, therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. There is 1 body and 1 spirit, just as you are called to the one hope that belongs to your call.
Jeffrey Heine:One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and father of all, who is overall and through all and in all. The grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore, it says, when he ascended on high, he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men. In saying he ascended, what does it mean, but that he also descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.
Jeffrey Heine:And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors, and the teachers to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 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, 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 and deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 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. The word of the Lord. Thanks to God. Let's pray.
Jeffrey Heine:Father, we come into this place recognizing that you alone are God and that our hearts are restless until they rest in you. So, Jesus, would you meet with us here? Would you speak to us? Spirit, would you lead us to truth in this time that we might trust and love and obey our God with our whole selves. So speak, Lord.
Jeffrey Heine:Your servants, your children are listening. We pray this in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. For centuries, the the Greeks and the Romans worshiped gods and goddesses. The pagan gods had significant influence in the way people live their lives day to day.
Jeffrey Heine:One of the Greek goddesses was Artemis. The Romans would call her Diana. She was worshiped as the goddess of the wilderness and animals. And in one pagan tradition, one story, to atone for a bear that had been killed, An angry Artemis demanded that teenage girls, in one account, spend a day, and some other accounts spend a year living in the temple sanctuary, pretending to be bears. That was to atone for this killing.
Jeffrey Heine:The goddess Artemis was worshiped and adored in Ephesus. She was known as the Lady of Ephesus, and most of the people whom Paul is addressing in this letter would have been personally involved and known as regular worship of Artemis. This pagan worship was primarily based on trying to appease the gods in hopes that they would relent from that ever impulsive anger and would extend power and favor to the worshiper. And these gods and goddesses, they had children, more gods and goddesses. And they were also powerful and also erratic.
Jeffrey Heine:And to be the son or the daughter of a god was to grow up in power and ruthless dominance. And it was for their renown of of terror and strength that these children of the gods were worshiped. Because both their powerful destruction and their powerful protection were mostly based on a whim, and you did not want to anger the gods. So it must have been so strange when the people of Ephesus heard that the God of the Jews, Yahweh, had sent his divine son as a human baby to live and grow up on the earth, and that he grew up and he said things like, the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost. He would say things like, come to me all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Jeffrey Heine:How confusing it must have been to hear that it was foretold before the son even came to be born that he would be oppressed and afflicted, and that he knew that he would be crushed for sins that were not his. How bewildering it must have been for these Ephesians to learn that this son of God willingly came to be like a lamb led to the slaughter. How unbelievable it must have been to hear that this God had humbled himself to the point of becoming obedient to to death, even death on a cross. And all of this, not so he would rescue the righteous, but that he would rescue the enemies of God and to make them the children of God. In the 4th century, the church father, Athanasius, wrote a book entitled The Incarnation of the Word, and in his description of the wild reality of God in the flesh, he said this about Jesus, he became what we are that we might become what he is.
Jeffrey Heine:He became what we are that we might become what he is. And unlike the many pagan gods and goddesses worshiped in Ephesus, Paul came declaring the son of God, who became like us to redeem us in order that we would become like him, that we would be adopted and become the very children of God. Paul knew these Ephesian Christians. He knew their past, their history, and much of his tone and instruction in this letter is in light of that past. Seven times in this letter, Paul addresses the Ephesians and how they used to walk in the past and how they ought to walk now and in the future.
Jeffrey Heine:And Paul uses the word walk as a metaphor, a picture of living. And in the first three chapters, Paul has been laying a foundation of theology. The bulk of what has been happening in chapters 123 is a deep dive into doctrine. In the beginning of chapter 4 verses 1 through 16, our passage today, kind of acts as a bridge into the remainder of this letter, which will predominantly be focused on ethics, how we live. And Paul will address the way in which Christians are called to live in light of the doctrines he's been teaching us.
Jeffrey Heine:And it's important to remember it has to follow this order. We cannot get to faithful obedience until we understand the redemptive and adoptive work of God. Flip the order, and you've got religion. You have Artemis demanding sacrifices, and people act like bears, and the possibility of gaining favor. But as Christians, we are obeying God, not to obtain a relationship, but as a result of a relationship.
Jeffrey Heine:What what we know with our minds, what we believe with our hearts, what we confess with our mouths has to show up in our lives, how we live day to day. But let's not be mistaken. The gospel of Jesus Christ was never intended to be merely inspirational. The ethical instruction which Paul is leading into here is not a response merely to the inspirational life of Jesus. The ethics, the living, this walking is to be lived out of the transformational work of God in your life.
Jeffrey Heine:And that's why Paul took so long, so long to declare the greatness and graciousness of God in those first three chapters. That's why Paul walked us through God's sovereign election, his loving predestination. He walked us through our former state as dead in our sins and our trespasses. That's why he declared the overpowering, overwhelming, overriding love of God in Christ that made you alive. And he gives you a new calling in which to walk.
Jeffrey Heine:We can't get to the ethics, how we must walk, without these doctrines of grace coming first. That's what Paul's given us. In verse 1 of chapter 4, Paul begins with a plea. Look with me at chapter 4 verse 1. I, therefore, a prisoner of the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.
Jeffrey Heine:Now, to to call this opening line of Paul heavy handed, would be a severe understatement. I mean, look at look at what all he's saying here. First, it therefore acknowledges that great prayer that wrapped up chapter 3, this prayer of exaltation and adoration. And it recognizes that everything to come is in light of everything that he's already said and declared. And then Paul references his own imprisonment that's due to the Lord.
Jeffrey Heine:It's due to his obedience to Jesus. In this opening statement, Paul simultaneously is drawing attention to his earned credibility as one who has walked in Christ. And he draws attention to the real sacrifices that can result in being called by God. Paul's urging these Ephesian Christians to walk, to live in a manner worthy of their calling. So what is that calling?
Jeffrey Heine:Earlier in the letter in chapter 1, Paul describes how God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world, before creation itself. The calling that Paul is referencing here is the hope of Christ in our adoption. So Paul says we are to live in a way that correlates, that worthily correlates with our calling of adoption in Jesus. You see, there is no greater calling in all of life than the calling to be a child of God. There's no greater calling.
Jeffrey Heine:In all of life, there's greater than the calling to be a son, a daughter of the living God. The heights of success in whatever field you might find yourself, whatever fame is out there, whatever fortune, notoriety, there's no greater significance, no greater title than that of child of God. Your calling is adoption in Christ. The consequence of that calling, Paul says, is that as a child of God, you must live like a child of God. So we need to know what this worthy manner looks like.
Jeffrey Heine:What what is this way of living that is fitting, considering our calling of adoption? And I wanna head something off really quickly, because if you're like me, and I I would unfortunately guess, at least 4 or 5 of you are, and I'm sorry about that. But but if you're like me, you hear this worthy manner, and you start to think that maybe that worthiness has to do with becoming worthy enough to be called son or daughter, that I have to prove myself worthy somehow. But the worthiness is not about my identity. The worthiness is about the manner in which I'm going to live.
Jeffrey Heine:That that manner, that way is worthy. That way correlates to that high, worthy, amazing, wonderful calling of adoption. It's that high view of that adoption that means that there has to be a high view of our living. That's what is worthy. I will never prove myself enough to receive the calling of child of God, but I received that and you received that before creation was created, when in the heart and mind and will of God, he claimed you.
Jeffrey Heine:What Paul's gonna do in these next 15 verses, he's gonna describe for us what that worthy manner of walking looks like, and he's going to tell us how we can walk in that way. What what do we need to have to to make it and endure? And then the last thing is, to what end? Where are we going? What what are we trying to arrive at?
Jeffrey Heine:So first, what does the worthy manner look like? Look at verse 23. So to walk with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace. Here, Paul describes for us the characteristics of walking in a fitting manner. The characteristics are remarkable, especially for how lowly they are.
Jeffrey Heine:And the Ephesians, those first hearers, would have cringed at the very notion that this high calling, the highest calling in all of creation to be a child of the living God would require such meek virtues. You're a child of this almighty sovereign God, and you're going to be humble and gentle? That doesn't make sense. The consequence of this calling to live humbly, gently, and with patience would have seemed as incongruent to those first Ephesian hearers as it does to us today, because we see in our world a different different view of power. We see in our world everyday examples of people of power living not humbly or gently, but selfishly and even abusively.
Jeffrey Heine:The worlds of politics and entertainment are were bombarded with these headlines of people being called out for their abuse of others, and they were emboldened by their position of power. And so often, our culture's regard for power and lust for power leads to blind eyes being turned, shoulders just being shrugged, and so whats being sufficient responses to keep grasping for more earthly temporal power, no matter the compromise. It should be of no surprise to us then that a non believing world would look at Christians not as the humble, gentle bearers of the good news of Jesus, but as the bearers of self promotion and self preservation. And that is certainly not walking in a manner worthy of our calling. That's not a consequence of calling, that's a compromise of calling.
Jeffrey Heine:And Paul says that the true consequence of calling is to live humble, gentle, patient lives, bearing with one another. Unless we get a wrong view of what that means, sometimes we think bearing with one another, it's when we go side by side like in Braveheart, where we're all holding against this culture in front of us that we are gonna war against and take on. But no, bearing with one another in this passage, that means putting up with one another within the church, within the family of God that we would put up, we would endure one another. He's calling us to endure and put up with one another within the family of God because we are to be eager and zealous for unity in the spirit in the bond of peace. This unity is actually possible because of what God has given us as his children.
Jeffrey Heine:He's given us common and unifying blessings within the family of God, And Paul lists them in verses 4 through 6. Look with me. He says, there is 1 body and 1 spirit just as you are called to the one hope that belongs to your call. 1 Lord, 1 faith, 1 baptism, 1 God and father of all, who is overall and through all and in all. Each one of these gifts in this list are vitally important to our life, walking and following Jesus.
Jeffrey Heine:Each word in this list is important. The repeated one is to remind us of the singular shared binding of God that makes all believers, all believers of Jesus, his children. And then the most important part of each phrase is the thing that God has given us as his unified people, the church, the Spirit, hope, Jesus, faith, baptism, and our father, and the unified universal church of God. That means every Christian from all space and all time, from everywhere. That universal church that we confessed earlier, the holy Catholic church, Catholic there means universal.
Jeffrey Heine:All of these Christians of all time, we've been given the blessings of unifying hope and faith, and ultimately, we are given the triune God himself, Father, Son, and Spirit. Know and believe this. Know and believe this. The deepest needs of your life now and forever, are met in the unifying work of God. That is the grace of Jesus, the love of the Father, and the uniting power of the Spirit.
Jeffrey Heine:To say it another way, everything you could ever ever need or be, you already have and are in Jesus. Those longings, those longings that you have find their rest in Christ alone, And that's why we walk. We walk because of our calling of adoption, And this is how we walk, in humble love and patient peace. And all this is possible because God has brought you to himself, and he has given you himself and given you the church, and he gives you provisions for the walk. He gives you provisions to endure along the way.
Jeffrey Heine:He gives you gifts, and he lists those Paul lists those in verses 7 through 10. So look with me. Verse 7, but grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore, it says, when he ascended on high, he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men. In saying he ascended, what does it mean but that he also descended into the lower regions of the earth?
Jeffrey Heine:He who descended is the one who also ascended, far above all the things that he might fill all things. All right. Now, this section can kind of seem like a pothole in the passage. Right? Just slam into it, get past it.
Jeffrey Heine:Someone asks you, what does it mean? I don't know, but it's deep. It seems important. And it can be a little confusing, because it's tricky to follow all that Paul's trying to communicate here. But if we can hold in our minds that there are people in Ephesus who are lying to these Christians, lying to them about, did Jesus really physically come down in the incarnation?
Jeffrey Heine:Did he really physically go up in the Ascension? And what Paul's firstly trying to communicate here is about Jesus giving gifts to the church. That's what these graces are, gifts that every believer is given gifts to serve and further the work of the church. And so he wants to communicate that and to undergird that truth that Jesus went up and and gave gifts, he looks to Psalm 68 verse 18. When he ascended on high, he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.
Jeffrey Heine:And Paul uses that reference point. But it seems that when he is making this point and talking about the Ascension, he then remembers these lies that are going around. And he wants to address that error. And so that's why he sidebars. You might have brackets around this portion in your Bible.
Jeffrey Heine:And that's because he wants to get to this point in saying, Jesus really did descend in the incarnation. He ascended in the Ascension. He went up. And in doing that, he sent down these blessings, these gifts to every believer. These gifts testify that he did come down and that he did go up.
Jeffrey Heine:So pothole cleared, right? We good? All right. Paul goes on to describe more provisions for the walk. Verse 11, and he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds, and teachers.
Jeffrey Heine:These roles and the individuals who are to faithfully fulfill these roles are gifts from the Lord. And the only way that we will walk in a manner worthy of our calling is if we receive these gifts. These roles listed in verse 11, Jesus giving these roles to the church, And these individuals are given an objective, a mission. And we see it at the start of verse 12, to equip the saints. And in case you haven't picked up on this yet, that's you.
Jeffrey Heine:You're the saints, and you are to be equipped. Equipped for what? You're to be equipped for the work of the ministry, And we often get this mixed up. So often we think in the terms that it's the church leaders who need to be equipped for the work of ministry. But no.
Jeffrey Heine:Paul's saying that the church leaders are to be equipping you for the work of ministry. You are called. You are gifted. You are to be equipped to be ministers, each and every one of you. You have a mission to build up the body of Christ.
Jeffrey Heine:And this is why as a church family here at Redeemer, we affirm that the church is to be a priesthood of all believers. That means that our church is an every member ministry. Everyone who is a member of this church family, every one of you is is is called and every one of you has gifts that Jesus has given you for the good of the church, for the for the building up of the body, and you are to be equipped to put those gifts to use. We are called to walk in a manner worthy of our calling as children of God, and the worthy manner requires humble love and patient peace. And God gives us gifts, provisions, so we can walk in that worthy manner together, building up the body of Christ.
Jeffrey Heine:And now we consider to what end? Where are we going? What is the purpose of this walk? So to take one step back in verse 12, it says that that these roles, that they are there, these ministers are there to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ until we 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, the purpose of this walk, the objective of where we're going, living out this calling as the children of God, is to attain the unity of the faith in the knowledge of the son of God. And if you've been walking with us through this Ephesians study, you might recall back to chapter 1, this is what Paul has been praying all along.
Jeffrey Heine:In Ephesians chapter 1, beginning in verse 15, Paul says this, for this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the father of glory, may give you the spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him. The building up of the body of Christ, the work of the saints, that's you, is for us, the church, to mature to the point where we arrive at the place of unity with all believers and a unity of faith, a unity of complete knowing of Jesus. Paul says that this maturity, this place, has an objective too. Verse 14, so that 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. The work of the saints in the ministry of maturing the body of Christ has the objective to no longer be little children in the faith, being tossed to and fro, carried out by every wind of doctrine, every new book that's published, every controversy in the headlines, that we wouldn't be tossed about like little children who would believe any lie that comes in.
Jeffrey Heine:But instead of lies and deceit, the maturing believers, we build the body. We help others mature in Christ by speaking the truth, not lies. And we are to speak that truth in love. Verse 15. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 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.
Jeffrey Heine:The truth spoken by the saints in love helps the body of Christ grow up, to mature in every way. The church is built up in this love, a love that speaks the truth, all of it, even when we don't want to say it or hear it, because real love tells the complete truth, and real truth and only real truth offers complete love. Each one of you saints needs to be equipped, equipped for the work of this truth telling ministry, for building up the body of Christ by speaking the truth in love. Apostle Paul, he he, in his letters, called the churches in Corinth, Ephesus, Philippi, and Colossae to maturity. He called all of them to grow up.
Jeffrey Heine:And that call comes to each one of us today. But how do we begin? Maybe some of these ideas and concepts are new for you. Maybe you're new to the faith or new to the church, and and the very idea that that you would serve the Lord and obey him, not to try and obtain some relationship or obtain salvation, but that you would follow him and obey him out of that relationship, secured for you by Christ. Maybe it's new for you to hear that you are a saint who is called to minister, each one of you a minister in the body of Christ.
Jeffrey Heine:Maybe that's new to you, and so you wonder, how do you begin to walk in a way that is worthy, a worthy manner that accords with this calling of child? And so I I wanna offer 2 encouragements, 2 recommendations for starting to walk like that. And the first one is this, choose to grow up. Choose to grow up in Jesus. And this is why we preach the gospel every week when we gather here for worship.
Jeffrey Heine:This is why we gather in home groups scattered throughout the city. This is why we have bible studies and mission trips. This is why we serve meals at the homeless shelter. It's why we have workdays in our neighborhoods, prayer gatherings, talk backs, new to Redeemer dinners, common meals, college ministry. All of these things are discipleship.
Jeffrey Heine:It's all growing up in Jesus. That's what discipleship is, growing up in Jesus and helping others to grow up in Jesus. Everything that we do at Redeemer Community Church ought to be an opportunity to grow in Christ and build up the body in love. Nothing, not one moment should be wasted. Everything is a chance to grow up in Jesus and to help others grow up too.
Jeffrey Heine:It's all discipleship. And I know that me saying this might make some of you uncomfortable or feel guilty, because I just listed a bunch of stuff that we do as a church family, and maybe you have participated in very, very few, or none of them at all. And it can feel overwhelming. And it can feel overwhelming, especially when you think about your busy schedule and all of the commitments that you have. And I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but today kind of begins the drumbeat of the holiday busyness that will carry us through all the way to the new year.
Jeffrey Heine:And if you haven't already today, at some point tonight, you are going to think about all you have to do this week, and you're gonna start wondering how you're gonna get it all done. And here's something I would like for you to do. I'd like for you to take take your mind to that place of thinking about all of those commitments, not just holiday commitments, but work commitments, friend commitments, community commitments, all the things that you have. Often, we try to make church that place where you leave those things at the door and you come in with an empty mind so you can worship. I don't think that that really, first, works, or secondly, is all that helpful, because I think that Jesus wants to deal with those things.
Jeffrey Heine:And so I'd like for you to think about that calendar. Think about all that you have going on, all of those commitments that you have in your life. And if you will, permit me as a shepherd and a teacher. Permit me to challenge you into kind of sub challenge ways here. In the first way, cut things from your calendar.
Jeffrey Heine:Pray about it. Talk with trusted believers, and have difficult conversations with your spouse or your kids or your friends or your parents or your boss. Cut things from the calendar. And the second thing, double down on everything that remains. Really commit.
Jeffrey Heine:And I'm not even saying do more church things. I'm saying if you are committed to something, see it as discipleship. See it as an opportunity to grow in Christ and to help others grow in Christ. See it as a time of worship. A time for sharing your faith.
Jeffrey Heine:If you are committed to a semester, or you're about to be committed to a semester of softball practices and softball games, then those relationships need to be your place of ministry as a saint who speaks the truth in love. Don't waste a moment. So those challenges, to cut some things from your calendar and then to double down on whatever remains, to be fully committed, and to see it as a chance for worship and evangelism and growing in Jesus, and to do that on purpose as a saint who ministers. So if that was the first way, to choose to grow up, the second way is this. 2nd way to begin walking in a manner worthy of our calling is to commit to a faith community, become a committed church member.
Jeffrey Heine:And let me say, it does not have to be Redeemer Community Church, but it has to be somewhere. And and I if you need suggestions, I have a list of more than 20 beautiful, wonderful, Christ honoring, Christ preaching churches in this city of Birmingham, and I'd be happy to talk with you about those churches. And that is not a joke. It is on my desk right now. You need membership, and the church needs you, because Jesus has given you gifts to minister, and you need to be about that ministry.
Jeffrey Heine:You need to be a part of that covenant life together of community, worship, learning, service, and making disciples. We're not supposed to go on and on and on dating and engaged, but to commit. And some of you are in a long engagement with Redeemer Community Church, and we need to settle down. And if it's not here, it has to be somewhere. And this is how we start looking like our redeemer, Jesus, who is ever humble and patient with us, who puts up with us even when we don't wanna grow up, a redeemer who speaks the truth in love even when we don't wanna hear it.
Jeffrey Heine:When Paul came and he preached the gospel in Ephesus, We read in Acts 19 that the faith of these new believers, these men and women, started walking in a manner worthy of their calling, worthy of their calling as sons and daughters of the living God. And it began to disrupt and disturb the city of Ephesus. Not because they started picketing the the pagan temples, not not because they were signing petitions or trying to start a revolution to overthrow the government, no. They turned the city upside down because they simply stopped buying the idols of Artemis. It started to disrupt and compromise the very economy of the city.
Jeffrey Heine:You see, their worthy manner of walking led them to walk away from sin, and the culture around them began to take notice because of the way in which they lived. Why did they stop worshiping the Lady of Ephesus? Because they had met the Son of Man, the Son of God, who redeems and restores and makes enemies the children of God. Walking in a manner worthy of your calling will lead you to walk in ways and to places that you would otherwise not go. But you are not your own.
Jeffrey Heine:You have been bought with a price, and you are not alone. You have been given the blessing of the family of God and the gifts to endure the walk. And now, you are called to live like the child of God you are. Let's pray. God, help us now to respond to the truth of your word.
Jeffrey Heine:Let any error that I have spoken be forgotten and fall away. God, in this time, we need your help. So, Spirit, move among us. Give us the experience of the presence of the living God in this very moment, that we would trust, obey, and love Jesus all the more. We pray this in the name of Christ, our king.
Jeffrey Heine:Amen.