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Ephesians 4

• The unity of the Church is only possible if there
  is a corresponding life change of all participants

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The Worthy Walk

• 1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord,
• entreat you to walk in a manner
• worthy of the calling
• with which you have been called,
• 2 with all humility and gentleness,
• with patience,
• showing forbearance to one another in love,
• 3 being diligent
• to preserve the unity of the Spirit
• in the bond of peace.

3
Cause of the Worthy Walk

• 4 There is one body
• and one Spirit,
• just as also you were called in one hope of your
  calling
• 5 one Lord,
• one faith,
• one baptism,
• 6 one God and Father of all
• who is over all and through all and in all.

4
Christs Right to Give Gifts

• 8 Therefore it says,
• "When He ascended on high,
• He led captive a host of captives,
• And He gave gifts to men."
• 9 (Now this expression,
• "He ascended,"
• what does it mean
• except that He also had descended
• into the lower parts of the earth?
• 10 He who descended is Himself
• also He who ascended
• far above all the heavens,
• that He might fill all things.)

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Purpose of the Gifts
Special Gifts Apostles Prophets Evangelists Pasto
rs Teachers
Speaking Gifts Prophecy Teaching Exhortation Word
of Wisdom and Knowledge
Gifts of Service Service, Helps Leadership,
administration Giving, Mercy Discerning of
spirits, Faith Hospitality
Sign Gifts Tongues, Interpretation of Tongues,
Miracles, Healing
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Apostles Gods special emissaries

• NAS Acts 242 And they were continually devoting
  themselves to the apostles' teaching
• NAS 2 Corinthians 1212 The signs of a true
  apostle were performed among you with all
  perseverance, by signs and wonders and miracles.
• NAS Hebrews 23 how shall we escape if we neglect
  so great a salvation? After it was at the first
  spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us
  by those who heard, God also bearing witness with
  them, both by signs and wonders and by various
  miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit
  according to His own will.

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Explanation of Heb 23-4
Gospel was First spoken by Jesus
Do we need signs and wonders today? No, because
FAITH is the acceptance of and dependence upon
the already confirmed evidence of Gods promises
of mercy Seeking more signs today comes from a
doubting spirit unwilling to accept the evidence
of confirmation already given!
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Overview of the Letter to the Ephesians
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The Gifts of Christ to the Whole Church

• 11 And He gave some as apostles,
• and some as prophets,
• and some as evangelists,
• and some as pastors and teachers,

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Church Age Strategy
Foundation Jesus Christ Chief
Cornerstone Apostles and Prophets
NAS Eph 220 having been built upon the
foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ
Jesus Himself being the corner stone
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Church Leadership Focus

• 12 for the equipping of the saints
• for the work of service,
• to the building up of 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 a mature man,
• to the measure of the stature
• which belongs to the fullness of Christ.

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4th result of Gods Priority in Church

• 14 As a result,
• we are no longer to be children,
• tossed here and there by waves,
• and carried about by every wind of doctrine,
• by the trickery of men,
• by craftiness in deceitful scheming

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5TH Result of Gods Priority in Church

• 15but speaking the truth in love,
• we are to grow up in all aspects into Him,
• who is the head, even Christ,

14
Review Results of Gods Plan Leaders function
is to train members for service and edification

• Unity
• Knowledge/Wisdom
• Maturity like Christ
• Stability from being deceived
• Communication resulting in Christlikeness

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The Power of Gods Pattern
16 from whom the whole body, being fitted
and held together by that which every joint
supplies, according to the proper working
of each individual part, causes the
growth of the body for the building up
of itself in love.
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The Walk of the Old Man

• 17 This I say therefore,
• and affirm together with the Lord,
• that you walk
• no longer just as the Gentiles also walk,
• in the futility of their mind,
• 18 being darkened in their understanding,
• excluded from the life of God,
• because of the ignorance that is in them,
• because of the hardness of their heart
• and they, having become callous,
• have given themselves over to sensuality,
• for the practice of every kind of impurity
  with greediness.

NAS 2 Corinthians 517 Therefore if any man is in
Christ, he is a new creature the old things
passed away behold, new things have NAS
Galatians 220 "I have been crucified with
Christ and it is no longer I who live, but
Christ lives in me and the life which I now live
in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God,
who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me.
For the time already past is sufficient for you
to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles,
having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts,
drunkenness, carousals, drinking parties and
abominable idolatries. And in all this, they are
surprised that you do not run with them into the
same excess of dissipation, and they malign you
1 Peter 43-4
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The Walk of the New Self

• 20 But you did not learn Christ in this way,
• 21 if indeed you have heard Him
• and have been taught in Him,
• just as truth is in Jesus,

18
Delivered from the Old Self
To demonstrate transformation of New Life Paul
uses three aor. infinitives to describe what we
learn from Him directly we have laid aside,
have been renewed, have put on

• 22 that, in reference to your former manner of
  life,
• you lay aside the old self,
• which is being corrupted
• in accordance with the lusts of deceit,

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Become the New Self

• 23 and that you be renewed
• in the spirit of your mind,
• 24 and put on the new self,
• which in the likeness of God has been created
• in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

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1st Change From Lying to Speaking Truth
NAS Romans 613 and do not go on presenting the
members of your body to sin as instruments of
unrighteousness but present yourselves to God as
those alive from the dead, and your members as
instruments of righteousness to God.

• 25 Therefore, laying aside falsehood,
• speak truth,
• each one of you,
• with his neighbor,
• for we are members of one another.

The only reliable evidence of being saved is not
past experience, but present life reflecting
Christ, The one who says, I have come to know
Him and does not keep His commandments, is a
liar and the truth is not in him 1 Jn 24
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2nd Change From unrighteous anger to righteous

• 26 Be angry,
• and yet do not sin
• do not let the sun go down on your anger,
• 27 and do not give the devil an opportunity.

Romans 1217 Do not repay anyone evil for evil.
Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of
everybody. 18 If it is possible, as far as it
depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19
Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room
for God's wrath, for it is written "It is mine
to avenge I will repay," says the Lord. 20 On
the contrary "If your enemy is hungry, feed him
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In
doing this, you will heap burning coals on his
head." 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but
overcome evil with good.
NIV Colossians 38 But now you must rid
yourselves of all such things as these anger,
rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from
your lips.
NAS 2 Corinthians 211 in order that no advantage
be taken of us by Satan for we are not ignorant
of his schemes.
NLT Galatians 520 idolatry, participation in
demonic activities, hostility, quarreling,
jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition,
divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong
except those in your own little group,
NAS Proverbs 1518 A hot-tempered man stirs up
strife, But the slow to anger pacifies contention.
James 119 My dear brothers, take note of this
Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak
and slow to become angry, 20 for man's anger does
not bring about the righteous life that God
desires.
NIV 1 Timothy 37 He must also have a good
reputation with outsiders, so that he will not
fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap. NIV
1 Peter 58 Be self-controlled and alert. Your
enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion
looking for someone to devour.
NLT Ecclesiastes 79 Don't be quick-tempered, for
anger is the friend of fools.
NIV Proverbs 2224 Do not make friends with a
hot-tempered man, do not associate with one
easily angered,
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3rd Change From stealing to sharing

• 28 Let him who steals steal no longer
• but rather let him labor,
• performing with his own hands what is good,
• in order that he may have something
• to share with him who has need.

• Motive for work is two-fold
• Respect from outsiders and not being dependent
  upon others (1 and 2 Thess)
• Caring for others and communal well-being (text)
• What a change the thief is to become a
  philanthropist! Only God can do this!
• NIV Acts 2034 You yourselves know that these
  hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the
  needs of my companions. 35 In everything I did, I
  showed you that by this kind of hard work we must
  help the weak, remembering the words the Lord
  Jesus himself said 'It is more blessed to give
  than to receive.'"

Early Christian literature interpreted the
Christian work ethicWork hard so that you can
live from your own means for every idle man
lives from what his hands can steal
Ps-Phocylides 153-54 NIV 1 Thessalonians 411
Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to
mind your own business and to work with your
hands, just as we told you, 12 so that your daily
life may win the respect of outsiders and so that
you will not be dependent on anybody.
In a slave driven or underprivileged society
stealing is often a common practice NIV Romans
139 The commandments, "Do not commit adultery,"
"Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet,"
and whatever other commandment there may be, are
summed up in this one rule "Love your neighbor
as yourself."
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4th Change From unwholesome words to wholesome
words
NIV James 36 The tongue also is a fire, a world
of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts
the whole person, sets the whole course of his
life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and
creatures of the sea are being tamed and have
been tamed by man, 8 but no man can tame the
tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly
poison.
NAS Colossians 38 But now you also, put them all
aside anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive
speech from your mouth.

• 29 Let no unwholesome word proceed from your
  mouth,
• but only such a word as is good for edification
• according to the need of the moment,
• that it may give grace to those who hear.

NAS Matthew 1234 "You brood of vipers, how can
you, being evil, speak what is good? For the
mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.
NAS Psalm 1413 Set a guard, O LORD, over my
mouth Keep watch over the door of my lips.
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Speaking and Relationship to the Spirit

• 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God,
• by whom you were sealed for the day of
  redemption.

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From natural vices to Supernatural Virtues

• 31 Let all bitterness
• and wrath
• and anger
• and clamor
• and slander be put away from you,
• along with all malice.

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Supernatural virtues to live out

• 32 And be kind to one another,
• tender-hearted,
• forgiving each other,
• just as God
• in Christ also has forgiven you.