Gifts- Paid In Full!

Gifts- Paid In Full! Ephesians 4:1-16NKJ

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 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.

7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 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, 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 word, “Therefore” found in verse 1, marks transition from doctrine to duty, principle to practice, position to behavior. Notice the word “walk” in verse one; walk is frequently used in the NT to refer to daily conduct.

Every believer is given one or more gifts of grace, for their mutual help. The first step in obtaining any gift from the Lord is humility. Those that decide to do their own thing, and go their own way, pave their own road to disaster. For every Christian there is a “walk.”

Ephesians 4:1NLT Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.

Called by God… Wow.

Ephesians 4:2NLT Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.

The word “humble” isn’t found in the Greek vocabulary of Paul’s day. Therefore, we can reason that Christians coined this word.

Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 5:3NKJ Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are ‘those’ who know they need Jesus’ help.

Ephesians 4:3NLT Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.

The Spirit of God bestows ‘oneness’ of all true believers. This peace is like a Spiritual cord that surrounds every believer, and keeps us together.

I Corinthians 6:17NKJ But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.

Philippians 1:27NKJ Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel,

Ephesians 4:4-6NLT For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. 5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all.

In these verses of scripture, Paul lists the particular area of oneness: One body, One Spirit, One glorious hope for the future, One Lord, One faith, One baptism, One God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all.

God’s grace and love bring everything into perfect unity. (We share eternity together.)

Ephesians 4:7NLT However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ.

‘His giving’ has nothing to do with what we have done. Every believer has unique spiritual gifts that God gives as He wills.

Ephesians 4:8NLT That is why the Scriptures say, “When he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his people.”