Jesus’ Only Program: Walk Worthy “We have not ceased to pray for you…that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord.” Colossians 1:9-10 Ephesians 4:1-2 Don’t read today’s Scripture and study until you read Ephesians 1-3. I thought maybe an opening line like that would get your attention on a Wednesday. Now whether you actually read Ephesians 1-3 today is up to you. My point is that you can’t really fulfill the instructions for Christian duty in chapters 4-6 until you have the proper doctrinal understanding of the Church that Paul lays out in chapters 1-3. In the Bible, doctrine always precedes and under girds duty. We can’t act like the Church until we know what the Church is and what god wants us to do. We’ve talked about the establishment of the church and the spiritual power Jesus had delegated to it. Now we’ll study the spiritual practice or duty of the Church, drawing on classic passages in Ephesians 4-5. When Paul tells us in 4:1 to “walk in a manner worthy of [your] calling,” he refers to what he’s just written. Our calling is that we’re saved by the sovereign work for God’s grace, equipped to do good works (1:4-6; 2:8-10), and formed into a new body. That’s a high calling, and we need to live up to it. The idea of the word worthy is equivalence or equal weight. That is, make sure your conduct is equal to your call. Don’t let your theology outrun your practice. Let the doctrine in your head translate into duty in your heart. So let’s see what’s involved in walking worthy of our calling. Humility simply means you recognize that you aren’t the only one in god’s program called the Church. the opposite of humility is thinking more highly of yourself than you ought (Romans 12:3). To walk with gentleness or meekness means that your spirit is in check. Meekness in the Bible means “strength under control,” like a horse tamed to the saddle. Patience is a perfect partner for gentleness, because it means to practice self-restraint rather than to retaliate. Forbearance is that quality you want others to show toward you when you’ve messed up, so Paul says just reciprocate the favor. If these qualities make you think of Jesus Christ, you’re getting the idea! That’s why you are called to be Christ-like. Posted by David Coleman of The DC Ministry “Sharing The Gospel.”
Posted on: Sun, 19 Oct 2014 12:30:02 +0000
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