The Church’s Calling:
(Ephesians 4:1)
A) Introduction:
We live at a time that the whole world is in a revolution.
The winds of change are blowing, at hurricane strength, and nobody is escaping it.
As the world has seen last year, with the WTC tragedy, the world’s economy, that seems to prosper, is actually balanced on the verge of collapse
Countries all over the world are debt-ridden.
With everyday’s headlines, with every new terrorist attack, there is more and more evidence that the world is moving from civilization into utter chaos!
Only yesterday an Italian Doctor announced the imminent birth of a “man-made” human, yes, the first cloned baby is to be born into this world.
GE is taken the world over, man tampering with nature!
Our Police is getting executed, violence is escalating!
Clearly there is OPEN REVOLT
Against all Law
Against All Authority
And ultimately against God
And what is our response as the Church?
Is there anything the Church can do in the face of such huge and almost insoluble problems.
Can the church still make any difference?
That is the core question tonight!
Or is it sadly to little to late?
B) Let’s turn to our Scripture reading tonight:
The Book of Ephesians and Chapter 4:
Background of this letter:
We see similar problems, at this time the Roman Empire was shaken by political instability, there was civil unrest, crime, and radical change was starting to happen.
Half the population of the Empire was slaves, and they got traded and sold like cattle.
Only a minority of rich aristocrats was left, the rest of the population of this once mighty empire was living on or under the poverty line.
The Moral decline of the City was well known, it was the Center of worship of the sex-goddess Diana.
The cruelty was extreme, with the Roman Legions, slaughtering any form of civil unrest of rebellion.
Nero was now the Emperor, and his life of decadence was a reflection of the downfall of the total society at the time.
Paul writes from Rome, a prisoner of Caesar, when he wrote this letter to the Ephesians, awaiting the hour that he was to appear before Nero, chained night and day to a Roman Soldier.
He knew of the moral decay, an empire crumbling, of the slave trade, so what would his advice be to the Church of the day facing these huge much similar problems, we are facing today?
Lets read together from Ephesians 4: 1-3
1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
STRIKING WORDS INDEED:
Paul clearly recognizes...
1) The TRUE nature of the church
2) The function of the Church
As he says:
1) Fulfil your calling
2) Obey your orders
3) Don’t deviate form the Divine plan
4) Follow your Lord.
Clearly he says:
1) The Church is NOT a human institution.
2) It is NOT expected to devise it’s own plan, or set it’s own goals
3) It is NOT an independent organization, existing due to the strength of its numbers!
4) IT IS a BODY CALLED INTO A SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD!
5) Paul uses words, like a body Head the Lord Jesus Christ, a Temple for the exclusive habitation and use of a Person who dwells in it, and who has the sole right to do with that temple what He wills, an army Under a King, who has to obey His orders, follow its Commander, if it wants to make any impact.
C) Our reaction compared to God’s plan:
Now if we look around us and see all of the human suffering, injustice and oppression happening, when we see a world cry out in need, ugly with hate, selfishness, and speeding towards chaos We want to do something!
You say what? And we call out let’s get to work, NOW!
Just do something, any thing!
We start to plan strategies, and apply remedies, that only last for the moment, and sometimes do not even help at all, and before we know it the situation is worse, and we wonder why?
Then we are reminded of this much-needed advice:
“Walk worthy of your calling”
You see the one that called us sees life so much more clearly that we can ever do!
He has a plan that will treat the cause (the root) of the problem, and not only the symptoms, like when we tried to come up with the remedies!
D) So when the Church is faithful to its calling it becomes a healing agency in society, able to lift families, neighborhoods, cities, and even nations to the highest level of healthy wholesome living.
Now what is that calling the apostle Paul talks about!
1) The Church is called to REFLECT God’s holiness: (OUR Standing or position)
Ephesians 1 4just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,
The Church is NO afterthought, it was planned before the world was ever made!
Leviticus 20 26And you shall be holy to Me, for I the LORD am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine
What is God’s first concern? First of all not what the Church does, BUT what the Church IS!
BEING must always proceed DOING!
For what we ARE will determine what we DO!
We are separated UNTO God, we are to be different, we are to be an example of morals to the world.
We must reflect the pure character of Jesus
We must reflect the Holiness of our Lord Jesus Christ.
How do we do that:
It has all to do with our standing before God, with our relationship with God, we can not reflect God’s holiness, if we are not in he correct standing before God.
(Example with mirror: Use swivel mirror, and hold Bible above it, when the mirror is facing the congregation, they can not see the Bible, BUT when you starting pointing the mirror to face towards the Bible, the congregation then can see the REFLECTION) (explain that it is the same in our walk with the Lord, if we are not facing Him(in the correct relationship to Him) we willnot be able to reflect Him)
We, the Church are called to be holy and blameless before God, and be unspotted by the world (James 1:27)
2) The Church is called to REVEAL God’s glory: (Our Being, Who an what we are)
Ephesians 1 5having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
Ephesians 1 12that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.
Predestined Chosen Appointed By GOD!
To LIVE for the Praise of His glory! Through our lives his glory will be revealed to the world.
You see the world has a problem, it can not see God, Romans chapter one, tells us all about that, thus the world has NO understanding of God at all, although it is endlessly seeking for the truth, it does not know God and thus Truth!
But the Glory Of God is to reveal Himself, to show the world what He himself is like, so when the works of God and the nature of God are demonstrated through us, through the Church, He is glorified.!
2 Corinthians 4 6For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ
Amplified Bible: 6For God Who said, Let light shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts so as [to beam forth] the Light for the illumination of the knowledge of the majesty and glory of God [as it is manifest in the Person and is revealed] in the face of Jesus Christ (the Messiah).(1)
In our hearts! He lives in us!, He is visible through us!
Ephesians 2 19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
We have to be living proof, that we have had a life-changing encounter with the living God! Through our words, our attitude, and in our deeds, the character of Jesus who lives in us should be revealed!
LISTEN: Before we have done that, NOTHING else we can do, will be effective for God!
(example of Gold Rolex, in closed non-see-through jewelry box first, and then in see-through box: explaining that first the box is empty, unsaved state, then we accept Jesus, and He lives in us, put Rolex in box, close box, Rolex can not be seen. Then change Rolex to see-through box, now able to see the Rolex through the transparent box, ask congregation what has changed? Answer: Totally submitted to God’s plan for your life, consecrated! Explains Luke 9, take up your cross daily, as Paul says in Corinthians he dies daily so that Christ can live in him, and be visible to the world.)
Jesus himself said in Acts 1:8 “you shall be witnesses unto Me”
We will show the world what He is like!
3) The Church is called to be a WITNESS to Christ (what we do)
1 Peter 2 9But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
Proclaim declare go and tell!
Look: First you are… so that you may!
Standing with God (relationship), our being, Christ in us (consecrated), THEN only, comes the doing!
Now comes the great commission:
Matthew 28 19Go therefore[1] and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
Ephesians 4: 2-3: tells us how
Witness in humility, not arrogance, love and accept all, don’t be hypocrites, don’t be in disunity (fighting with each other’s)
Remember: The Church can not exalt the Lord, while it seeks to exalt itself!
The Church does not seek to gain power in the eyes of the world, it already has all the power it will ever need from the Lord who indwells it!
The Church can not save anybody, BUT the Lord of the Church can!
E) In closing tonight:
The supreme mark of the life of Christ in the Church is LOVE!
Love that accepts others as they are, love that is tenderhearted and forgiving, love which heals misunderstandings, tat heals divisions, that heals broken relationships with God, and with man.
How do we reflect God’s holiness: By our love (agape love)
How do we reveal God’s glory: By our love (agape love)
How do we witness to the life-changing reality of Jesus: By our love. (agape love)
In this upside world: The Love and life of Jesus Christ is what men and women need
You, who is the church, has been given , no entrusted with the most revolutionary message the world has eve, and will ever hear! It does not clean the outside, it cleans the inside of man.
Lets start reflecting God’s holiness, reveal God’s glory (Jesus in us and through us), and let’s witness to the world, that yes Jesus has come to clean man and woman on the inside, and we can be the proof of it, by demonstrating CHRISTLIKE love to the world.
That is our purpose.
That is our calling
Lets pray and accept this awesome calling!
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To God all the Glory!
