Walk Worthy of Your Calling | Ephesians Part 4 | Elder Sheldon Dillingham
Ephesians 4:1 (NASB20)
"Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,”
“Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; In the morning he devours the prey, And in the evening he divides the spoils.” (Genesis 49:27 NASB 2020)
Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house; and he would drag away men and women and put them in prison. (Acts 8:3–4, NASB 2020)
Now as he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; 4 and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” 5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, (Acts 9:3–5, NASB 2020)
Christ is our head, and The Head will always move to protect His body!!
...he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the
sons of Israel (Acts 9:15, NASB 2020)
9 But Saul, who was also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit... (Acts 13:9 NASB 2020)
When God called Paul, Paul changed his own name to match the mission of his life.
… I died to the Law, so that I might live for God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me… (Galatians 2:19-20, NASB 2020)
What God has called us, is now the identity we are to take on.
His body:
Now you are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it (1 Corinthians 12:27, NASB 2020)
Sons of God:
For you are all sons and daughters of God through faith in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:26, NASB 2020)
Heirs with Christ:
The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if childre, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ (Romans 8:16-17, NASB 2020)
Those who have received power:
but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you (Acts 1:8, NASB 2020)
Those who can do ALL things:
I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13, NASB 2020)
We walk worthy of the mission for our lives, by aligning how we view ourselves, with how God views us.
Wakling in love is easy now because it’s not just something we do, it’s who we are!
“with all humility [forsaking self-righteousness], and gentleness [maintaining self-control], with patience, bearing with one another in [unselfish] love.” Ephesians 4:2 AMP
Ephesians 4:3 (NKJV) endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. • We are unshakable, and we carry peace into every situation
Ephesians 4:4-6 (NKJV) 4 [There is] one body and one Spirit, just as 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] above all, and through all, and in you all.
The Holy Spirit is speaking to all of us.
Ephesians 4:7 (NKJV) But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
Now, you have limitless capacity, and it was given to you freely (you didn’t have to earn anything)!!
Ephesians 4:8-16 (NKJV) 8 Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.” 9 (Now this, “He ascended”--what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) 11 And He Himself gave
some [to be] apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,
He freed us, and gave us GIFTS!
He gave us the Holy Spirit as a down-payment of our inheritance
And He gave us the 5-fold ministry gifts:
Apostles (lay a firm foundation from the cornerstone of Christ, found things in unreached places, and appoint leadership inside of the church)
Prophets (speak edification, exhortation, and consolation to the body)
Evangelists (bring more people into the church)
Pastors (protect members of the flock, discipline goats [the stubborn], and remove wolves [those who try to lure the sheep to the edges of the boundaries])
Teachers (to share revelation and clarity to the church on how to execute the life of God in Christ, and lay hold of the promises of the Kingdom)
These gifts were given for a reason:
Equipping us for the work of the ministry
Those in the pulpit serve you, so you can serve others!
To build us up
To bring unity in the church
To help us think, speak, and act like Christ
To keep us from being deceived
Ephesians 4:15-16 (NKJV) 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ-- 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
The more knit together we are, the more our lives are abundantly supplied
Taking on more, demands that each of us do our share (more hands can lift heavier weight)
“speaking the truth in live”
If our motive is love, the intent behind what we’re saying to will be to benefit the person we’re talking to
The truth:
does not shift based on the circumstance
encourages (uplifts) the person it is being delivered to!!
Ephesians 4:17-19 (NKJV) 17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; 19 who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
If negative things hit our lives, and we don’t confront the spiritual root, we are trying to mentally process our way to victory
We change this by renewing our minds to the Word
This is what baptism looks like - so much exposure to the life of God in Christ, that it becomes more real to us than what our natural senses are telling us is true
He only teaches us the truth
“you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”
We have to put it on, and that makes winning 100% our choice!!
Ephesians 4:25 (NKJV) Therefore, putting away lying, “[Let] each one [of you] speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another.
Lies are always rooted in selfishness
Ephesians 4:26-27 (NKJV) 26 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil.
What we do with anger either leads to sin, or to the right actions
Resolve issues with the truth as quickly as possible
Don’t let things stretch to tomorrow
Be direct AND loving in your speaking
Ephesians 4:28 (NKJV) Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with [his] hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.
We don’t take from others for our benefit, we build things that benefit others, and we give it to them freely
Ephesians 4:29-32 (NKJV) 29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
The right words will be a reminder of God’s supernatural ability, His power, and His favor at work in their lives
If it reminds you of your past failures, it’s the enemy, and you’re to reject it!!
We only speak and expect winning
We’ve been called - how are we responding to it?
