аЯрЁБс>ўџ ўџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџ§џџџўџџџўџџџўџџџўџџџ  !"#$%&'()*+,-./0123456789:;<=>?@ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ[\џџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџRoot EntryџџџџџџџџВZЄ žбЄРOЙ2КдSФШэЩ @CONTENTSџџџџ ВCompObjџџџџџџџџџџџџVSPELLINGџџџџџџџџџџџџ˜ўџџџўџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџ2hЂЄЦШ  „ † ЦШ„Nкj’т.TVаА%ќ2ў2ZCЪJ\р\paвp| ~dƒ’Š“”””šд ФЄЦЄШЄЪЄЬЄЮЄаЄвЄдЄќќќќќќќќќќќќќќќќќќќќќќќќќќќќќќќќќќќќќќќќќќќќќќќќдд(2‚"'(Š  л)л @ЗS З1 jЄЎњ,DRTА%И%H4N4ZCЪJр\ю\ц^є^>_N_њ`aвpоp|| ~Њ~dƒrƒ’*’f–l–šš>šBšr›z›тžъžд р дЄіъіиТиТиТиТиіъіДіиіъіЈіЈіЈіъіъіъіъіъіъіъіъіъіъіъі  " "  "рŒ"  "рŒ"   "  "  ИхчdTSHџџџџєхчdTSH "№Tе " ttдЄІдЄЈ(3ъчdONTTimes New RomanџhQ " " "ЄјУі ф ,,K K–L?HP DeskJet 830C/832CœАCя€ъ od,,LetterDINU"PŒ$2Ц PSMTJ@HP DeskJet 830C/832CInputBinUPPERRESDLLUniresDLLPSAlignmentFileHPF880ALPSHelpFileHPFDJ200OrientationPORTRAITPaperSizeLETTERResolutionr300x300PMPlainNormalColorMediaTypeSTANDARDColorModeColor24PQNormalHPHTDLLNameHPFIMG50$˜$$˜$(winspoolHP DeskJet 830C/832CLPT1:Fџџџ"\В"€‘"бV"i"№` "№``""A."@џџџ"\В"№љ"бV"i"№` "№``"."Eph4-1-16.wps""иp"иpp (" )" is differnt, different but also necessary,we can be a powerful machineone.finely tuned (to the SPirit) Spirit lean, mean, So, Walk in Unity!when you leaveu4:: 4:1: 4:5: Yy As a briўџ џџџџВZЄ žбЄРOЙ2КQuill96 Story Group Classџџџџє9Вqdle - giving equal vayЙ2КyЙ2КyЙ2КЙ2КїyЙ2КћЙ2К§yЙ2КЙ2Кb yЙ2Кe ‹Й2КеyЙ2КиЙ2К3yЙ2К3Й2КБMyЙ2КМMЙ2КаMyЙ2КоMЙ2КЇ;yЙ2КЋ;Й2КТ=yЙ2КХ=Й2КSEyЙ2К^EЙ2КrEyЙ2К€E of the New Testament. Ephesians 4 is a  Call to Action. For believers, Paul is cCHNKWKS ВјџџџџTEXTTEXTдЂFDPPFDPPІFDPCFDPCЈSTSHSTSHЊSTSHSTSHЊ2SYIDSYIDPЊSGP SGP dЊINK INK hЊBTEPPLC lЊBTECPLC „ЊFONTFONTœЊ<STRSPLC иЊ:PRNTWNPRЋГFRAMFRAMХЏˆTITLTITLMАDOP DOP iА"(2‚"'(Š  л)л @ЗS ЗHarvest Thursday small group Bible study text notes Ephesians 4:1-16 6-1-09 Open with prayer Pass out the  manuscript study background from Intervarsity. Just for a little background on what we re doing here. If you are not familiar with manuscript study methodology, this might give you some brief background to what we are doing here. Honestly, I don t do my personal Bible study with this method. Although, I have to admit, it is a very simplistic method of pulling from the text exactly what the writer has intended for us. Literary styles such as word repetition often times reveal an underlying theme that with a quick read through you might miss. I think we are all so accustomed to simply reading the paragraph descriptions that are added in our Bibles, that we simply  accept them and read on. Getting away from the usual or traditional line, paragraph and chapter breaks allows us to come to our OWN conclusion, rather than simply accepting the thoughts from a specific commentary or footnote writer as our own. Read the NIV text page 6 line 11 (after  Amen ) - through page 7 line 13 (ending with  Christ ) and discuss recurring themes, repeated words, word counts, etc in our manuscript study This is one of the most studied, yet most ignored epistle of Paul. The prevailing theme is of  Unity in the body of Christ. Who is the body of Christ? Does it include just believers attending Harvest? How about our sister church, CC, or the Baptists (who encourage water baptism and  membership ,) or Pres, Meth, Luth with all their  confirmations , rituals, and legalistic structure? Paul is instructing us that if we are believers of Christ, that we should be in unity, and that division of the body of the Christ pleases Satan. Unity = oneness in the body. This expands well beyond the man-made walls of a sanctuary. Does this mean we need to rally together and have a unity march amongst all the different denominations in Lafayette? Not at all. Of course we have our doctrinal differences, but our love for Christ and desire to be more like Him should be shared. However, Christians are NOT to agree on false doctrine. Ephesians is pretty typical of Paul s letters. It starts out with a lot of doctrine and ends up with application. If you look systematically at the book, it s easy to see some clear breaking points. The first 3 chapters of Ephesians are very much doctrine, while chapters 4-6 are application or practical. Ephesians 3 ends with prayer and  Amen. As a brief review of last week s study, let s consider a simple word that failed to make the editors cut in the NIV for chapter 4:  Therefore. I think this is important because this is a pivotal point in the book of Ephesians. Anytime we read  therefore - We need to understand what it is  there for ? (lost in NIV) 4:1: Ephesians 4 opens with  Therefore . Five times in the book of Ephesians, Paul uses the word  walk. This second half of the book (chapters 4-6) are divided into 4 points: We are to walk in: 4:1-16 = unity (our discussion tonight) 4:17-5:18 = purity 5:19-6:9 = harmony 6:10-end = victory The walk is based on what Paul has written earlier (ie chp. 1-3), the doctrine, or the Good News. Therefore ties the doctrine of the first three chapters with the application of the final three chapters of Paul s letter. Fittingly, it falls right in the middle - giving equal value to doctrine and life application. Chuck Missler refers to the book of Ephesians as: the  high water mark of the New Testament. Ephesians 4 is a  Call to Action. For believers, Paul is challenging them to walk the walk. We hear the phrase  walking out our faith. This is exactly what Christ expects of us and Paul is exhorting the church body at Ephesus to do the same. Going back to Chapter 1 verse 3, we see Paul already stressing the importance of  unity . This ties together nicely with the beginning of chapter 4 and the  application or  walking it out now. We see in chapter 1 verse 5, you were dead in sin yet you were predestined by his grace to spend eternity with Him. For us to  walk, first we have to recognize where we were  seated when Christ met us right where we were. We learn to understand where we are seated in Christ before we can walk. (= doctrine) Understanding that it s not what we do to deserve his love and grace is the first critical step. That first baby step is a huge leap for mankind. The basic doctrine of Ephesians 1-3 is so necessary before walking in Ephesians 4-6. We need to understand the doctrine where we are seated. 4:2  walk with lowliness and meekness. This is a result of freedom from a works oriented Christianity. It s not about how much you study your Bible. It s not about your Bible knowledge. It s not about attendance numbers, not about your declaration or devotion. It s not about how often, or how lofty your prayers are. Everything is because of HIS love. His Goodness. His grace. Not because of our spirituality. That s where we get in the way - we allow our ritual habits to somehow make us think we re on a different level of spirituality than others in the body. Dare I say that this is somewhat analogous to the religion of Catholicism. Sure we are all at different stages in our walk, but the ground at the foot of the cross is level.  Lowliness and meekness In Mathew 11, Jesus said, in his only autobiographical statement on his personality,  I am meek and lowly. If we desire to be more Christ-like, then we will desire to walk with lowliness, meekness, and long suffering (=exceeding patience). How many of you struggle with  patience ? I know I sure do. Pride? Yea, I think we all do to a certain extent. Our flesh continues to get in the way of the task God has set out for us. If in everything, we give thanks and glory to the One whom we are truly accountable to, and who has given us everything that is good (Rom 11:36); further,  but, if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1Jn 1:9) We are told to  walk in unity. (unity = one = One) There is no spiritual ladder - I m not one rung above so and so, or so and so is more spiritual than I. We re not to  create unity, rather simply  maintain it. Here in Ephesians 4 we read that there is one baptism. (my apologies to the Baptists) That is baptism by the Holy Spirit.  Membership, what s the purpose? We are one body in Christ as believers. Membership causes separation. Sharing in the body of Christ should never be separated or divided by doctrinal differences or issues - baptism, communion, faith statements being in complete agreement. We don t create unity - we already ARE one as a body of Christ. When we confess our sins, repent and turn to Christ as our personal savior, we are sealed by the Spirit. It s a done deal as far as I m concerned. Now, that doesn t mean that we can sin for the sake of grace. No, what it means is that God will never allow anyone to steal us away from Him. Paul devotes much of Romans 8 to precisely this. Not demons or angels, not the power of hell, none of creation. No, nothing can separate us from the love that God has shown us through His Son. (Rom 8:38-39) We are His possession and He is a jealous God. He gave us his promise that he will never give us more than we can handle (temptation.) Now does that mean once saved, always saved? Absolutely not. We still have free will. We can still decide to turn away from God. The word  repent has an interesting definition when used in most contexts of the Bible - it means that we  turn away from , or turn 180* and start walking the other way. Sadly, when someone chooses to  reject God, that s exactly what they are doing& turning 180* from Him and going in the wrong direction. So repenting is somewhat equivalent to rejecting. When we repent from our sins, we are rejecting them - pushing them away, turning 180* from them and running for the door so to speak. Jesus is  the door . So what do we make of water baptism if the  one baptism that Paul speaks of here in verse 5 is that of the baptism of the Holy Spirit? Today, you have denominations that put huge emphasis on membership, confirmations and yes, even water baptism. Some sprinkle, some by immersion. John the Baptist  dunked new believers in the Jordan river. {Quick aside on  living water & & Still today, water is a vital element for life to exist. Without water, none of us could survive. When Christ met the Samaritan woman at the well, He offered her  living water . Still today, much of Israel and the middle east is littered with small hand dug wells. It was more common in Christ s days on earth to have collection areas/ponds or cisterns if you will to collect the rain water, run-off, and snow melt from the mountains. In an arid climate, these  reservoirs , or cisterns, would hold water literally for weeks and the water would become very stagnant. This was referred to as  dead water and was to be used as a last resort. Water that flowed in  streams abundantly was, and still is today, referred to as  living water . Moving water of the Jordan river was John s choice of baptism. How appropriate, that Christ gives us  living water and we are to be  continually filled by his Holy Spirit.} What about before John, and before Christ s earthly ministry? When did baptism in water become an accepted, if not required, practice? Moses, (back in Numbers) began baptisms in the temple practices to  cleanse those entering the temple from their sins. This very much pointed toward Christ, as did the sacrifices and other practices of the temple. After Christ came to this earth and was crucified on the cross, His sacrifice was once and for all .. His blood cleansed and redeemed us. The water baptism that we experience today is a public emblem of what has happened spiritually in our lives. This memorializes the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and becomes an outward expression of our faith. Ritual baptism is by water and is symbolic of the  real baptism by which believers are actually made one as read here in Ephesians 4 and again in 1 Cor 12:13. Is water baptism required for salvation? Absolutely not. Now some denominations will lead you to believe this, and it s simply not true. Take for instance an invalid on his/her death bed: Physically, baptism by immersion may not be an option. When they ask Christ into their heart and receive the Holy Spirit, they are sealed at that point. Again, it s a done deal. Now what do you say to the wayward teenager or prodigal son who says, he ll wait and accept Christ later in his life? First off, you don t determine your own destiny. When you walk out the door of your house, you don t know if there might be an insane man on a random drive by shooting spree; or if the truck headed down the street lost its brakes and plows right over you. You could be a victim of a drunk driver who crosses the center line on your way home tonight. You don t control your destiny. Don t wait! You re not cheating God out of anything, you re cheating yourself out of sharing in His richest blessings. Why put yourself through that? This earth and our lifetime spent here are just a twinkling of the eye in God s infinite time. Eternity is a very, very, very, VERY long time. Don t put off making a decision to follow Christ with all your heart, mind ,soul and strength. As believers, we already recognize the importance of the salvation message, but it s equally important to SHARE the Good News! We are ALL called to do that! Even though there is  unity , there is: 4: 7:  But = diversity. Verse seven begins with the word  but. Generally, this is a change in direction for the text by the author and is used to emphasize something that is decidedly contrary to the previous statement. Not contrary in the effect that it negates the previous statement, but that it supports it through showing another side. The diversity is found in the gifts that Christ has given each of us. Like a body (1Cor 12), one body has several parts. Each serve a necessary and unique function to maintain the unity of the body (whether humanly or in the church body.) Being one body in the Spirit, Paul leads right into spiritual gifts. We EACH have at least one gift. That is Biblical! 1 Cor 12:4-1, Romans 12, and as we read here in Ephesians 4. You have a gift! So now what? What does this all mean to me? Wouldn t the next logical question as a believer be how to identify your gift? Since we know that we EACH have gifts, how do we know what they are? How do I know what gift so and so has, or for that matter, what gift Christ has given me? It s pretty simple I think. If you look at how a person  reacts to a particular situation. A family s house burns down, a missionary comes to visit, or in more simplistic analogy: say, when a child spills a glass of water. Each of us, as believers, reacts differently. We shouldn t be offended, or even surprised when a believer reacts differently. Let s say that my 7 y/o son, AJ, comes running into the room with a large glass of water. He trips and falls, breaking the glass, spilling water everywhere. One person may react by telling him:  Son, you need to slow down, hold the glass with two hands, and be more careful. Another may rush to the scene and smother him with hugs and find out if he s alright and begin to console him. Another may immediately get a dustpan and mop and clean up the broken glass and clean up the spilled water. See, each of us may react differently to the very same situation. In the previous illustration, one may have the gift of teaching, one, the gift of kindness, yet another, the gift of servitude. We each have individual gifts. Likewise, different churches/denominations have gifts as well. Our home church seems very much a missions church, reaching out to the community in which we live. We tend to reach out to the  lost sheep - those that may not fit the  mold or feel welcomed at some other churches in town. Not condemning other churches, mind you, simply each using their gift. So see, we have  unity but also  diversity . 4:8: Psalm 68:18 - On the cross, Christ gave up his life. For three days, he descended into hell (Hades). The evildoers were seeking a miraculous sign and Christ responded to them with  Just as Jonah& .three days and three nights. Luke 11:29-32. A bit later, in Luke 16, we read that Hell was divided into two parts. (Luke 16:22-23) The story of the rich man & the slave Lazarus. Remember him looking across the chasm and asking Abraham to have the slave Lazarus dip his finger in water and come to him& .Abraham replied that it is not possible. From this text, it s obvious that these two men were in two distinct parts/sides of hell -- a bad side, and a good side& Hades, and Paradise (if you will). This paradise, we is referred to as Abraham s bosom. Remember on the cross that Jesus turned to the thief next to him and said that  today you will join me in Paradise. Now this seems to be the subject of much debate amongst some theologians and folks much smarter than me. I certainly don t claim authority or ultimate knowledge of the subject, but, here s my take on this passage for what it s worth. (Mind you, some of those more scholarly folks within the Calvary Chapel movement specifically, seem to agree.) Old testament believers did not go directly to heaven because Jesus had not yet died for their sins. Sounds simple enough for me. So then, where did they go? This was the purpose for Abraham s bosom. 4:8: In verse 8 of Ephesians 4, Jesus went and preached to them. He then ushered them into heaven. Currently  Abraham s bosom is  closed for business. We don t think about having to  endure there, rather, meeting Christ in much the same way that the thief on the cross did. When we as believers die, we go straight to heaven. 4:9:  earthly regions = see your NIV footnote =  the depths of the earth. You can debate what this means precisely, meaning that He descended to our  earth , or the  tomb , or to  Hades. Keep in mind, that this, especially in the context of Ephesians 4, should NOT be reason for division, but remind us of the lesson on unity. I think the bottom line is this: At the end of the millennial kingdom - all of the  unbelievers will be resurrected at the great white throne judgment. IF their name is not in the Book of Life, at that point, they will be cast into the lake of fire, Gahanna, for eternity. 4:12: built up = edified = perfected (I like this,  perfected ) You come to church on Sunday morning, or corporate prayer on Wednesday nights, or to small groups to be  built up. Built up to do what? To go back to your daily grind? To go back to our earthly ways? Not a chance! Our ministry is OUTSIDE these walls. How we  walk daily is OUR light to this world. How we act at work, drive on the road, shop at the local grocery store, treat our spouse and family, is our daily ministry. Our spiritual gifts are like a muscle that needs to be  worked. We need to exercise our gifts regularly. So we need to use our gifts every day, not just within the body. I don t think gifts are limited to the three lists we find here in Ephesians 4, or in Romans 12, or even in 1Cor 12. The lists are not entirely the same, I ll encourage you study that out for yourselves in your own time, but suffice to say, these lists are a  sample not a  limit of Christ s love for us in sharing with us His gifts. When determining a  gift , first we have to look at how Jesus lived. Is the supposed gift one that Jesus or those in the first church would have enacted or employed? For instance, I could think I have a  gift of being a race car driver. Granted it s a talent entrusted to me by God, but I don t really see it as a  gift because I don t see Christ doing that. What I DO see Christ and others in the first church of the book of Acts such as Paul doing, is sharing the Good News (ie evangelizing, teaching, etc) while WORKING. That s right. When determining if a specific gift is indeed a  gift for the edification of the body, first look at how do you see Jesus using this  gift . Look seriously at the church in the book of Acts. Did the apostles teach it as a gift? How do you reach out in love to others around you? Are you showing God s  agape love in your walk? 4:13:  Unity. Do you see the recurring theme here? Can Paul make it ANY more obvious? Jesus not only gave us gifts - he gave us  apostles . Apostles are those  called to service. 1.) God appointed Jesus as an apostle Hebrews 3 -- only 1 apostle 2.) Jesus appointed his 12 -- from that point on, this is closed 3.) Holy Spirit continued appointments: Paul, Barnabas, Timothy. These were all guys who were  called This is the difference between an  apostle and a  disciple. Disciples yearn to learn. Apostles were called or  designated by The higher authority. (God himself, Christ, and the Holy Spirit). We are all to be disciples of Christ, not necessarily apostles. The awesomely gifted evangelist, Billy Graham will undoubtedly be considered one of the greatest evangelists of the modern church age, yet I don t think we should consider him an apostle. In fact, if you asked him, I m sure in his own words, he would deny that and say that he is merely a disciple and is following God s will in his life. 4:15: Speak the truth in love (from the pulpit, from ministry leadership, from the head of your dining room table.) Love and truth are needed to go hand in hand. Speak of love with truth. If a message of love is given but lacks the whole truth, you may get a warm fuzzy feeling inside, but there s no truth to make it stick. This is a serious problem with the emerging church movement. The  Gospel Light message: preaching sermonettes and hence creating Christianettes. What happened to preaching the WHOLE Bible? There IS sin, there IS a hell, you DO reap what you sow. Likewise, you have to present the truth with love. If you just shove fire and brimstone messages each week to your co-worker, you re highly unlikely to win them over to the Lord, or even get them to pay much attention to the  rest of the Good News message you are trying to bring them. 4:16: We each fit like a puzzle piece - each others gift is necessary - We were not all created with the very same gift. Much like the parts of the body, or the parts of a race engine, each part is different, but also necessary. Without a piston, the connecting rod connects, (or joins,) the crankshaft to nothing, so no power is produced. When properly assembled and working cohesively as one unit, (unity), we can be one finely tuned (to the Spirit) lean, mean, powerful machine. So, walk in unity! in the first church of the book of Acts We are all cato be disciples of Christ, we are not not apostles.called or . (God himself, Christ, and the Holy