Living Out Our Commitment to Christ

Devotional

Day 1: Commitment vs. Living It Out

Making a commitment to Jesus is a momentary decision, but living it out requires a lifetime of growth and maturity. Just as marriage vows are easy to say but challenging to live, our spiritual journey demands continuous effort and dedication. Many Christians find themselves stuck in the early stages of spiritual maturity, much like toddlers who need constant guidance and support. The journey to spiritual maturity is often uncomfortable, much like the physical changes of puberty, but it is essential for our growth.

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians emphasizes the importance of moving from understanding the gospel story to living it out in our daily lives. This transition requires embracing humility, gentleness, and patience, and striving to live a life worthy of our calling. True spiritual maturity involves putting away falsehood, anger, and bitterness, and embracing kindness, forgiveness, and unity. Comfort is the enemy of maturity, and we must be willing to step out of our comfort zones to grow in Christ. [00:48]

Ephesians 4:1-3 (ESV): "I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you find yourself holding back from surrendering to Jesus? What would surrendering this area to Him actually look like in terms of daily habits?

Day 2: Unity and Diversity in the Body of Christ

While we are called to unity, we are also uniquely gifted individuals. The five-fold ministry—apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers—was given to equip the saints for the work of ministry until we all reach unity in faith and maturity in Christ. These gifts are not for self-promotion but for the edification of the church. Unity in the church is crucial, but it doesn't mean uniformity; we are all unique individuals with different gifts given by God to build up the body of Christ.

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians emphasizes the importance of unity and maturity in the body of Christ. We are called to live a life worthy of our calling, embracing humility, gentleness, and patience. The journey to spiritual maturity is often uncomfortable, but it is essential for our growth. We must learn to appreciate and utilize the diverse gifts within the church to build each other up and advance the kingdom of God. [10:11]

Ephesians 4:11-13 (ESV): "And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ."

Reflection: How can you use your unique gifts to serve and build up your church community this week?

Day 3: Speaking the Truth in Love

Balancing truth and love is essential for spiritual maturity. Jesus exemplified this balance when He defended the woman caught in adultery but also instructed her to "go and sin no more." We must learn to speak the truth with compassion and conviction. Speaking the truth in love involves addressing issues and conflicts within the church community with a heart of compassion and a desire for reconciliation.

True spiritual maturity involves putting away falsehood, anger, and bitterness, and embracing kindness, forgiveness, and unity. Comfort is the enemy of maturity, and we must be willing to step out of our comfort zones to grow in Christ. We must learn to speak the truth with compassion and conviction, balancing conviction with compassion, and the necessity of community in our spiritual growth. [19:56]

Ephesians 4:15-16 (ESV): "Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love."

Reflection: Think of a recent conflict or issue within your church community. How can you address it with both truth and love, seeking reconciliation and unity?

Day 4: The Importance of Community

Spiritual growth cannot happen in isolation. Just as a coal removed from the fire loses its heat, a Christian separated from the church community will struggle to maintain spiritual fervor. We need each other to grow and thrive in our faith. The journey to spiritual maturity is often uncomfortable, but it is essential for our growth. We must learn to appreciate and utilize the diverse gifts within the church to build each other up and advance the kingdom of God.

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians emphasizes the importance of unity and maturity in the body of Christ. We are called to live a life worthy of our calling, embracing humility, gentleness, and patience. True spiritual maturity involves putting away falsehood, anger, and bitterness, and embracing kindness, forgiveness, and unity. Comfort is the enemy of maturity, and we must be willing to step out of our comfort zones to grow in Christ. [28:19]

Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV): "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."

Reflection: How can you actively engage with your church community this week to encourage and support one another in your spiritual growth?

Day 5: Letting Go of Bitterness and Anger

Holding onto bitterness and anger burdens us and grieves the Holy Spirit. True maturity involves forgiving others and letting go of these negative emotions, thereby lifting the weight off our shoulders and walking in freedom. The journey to spiritual maturity is often uncomfortable, but it is essential for our growth. We must learn to appreciate and utilize the diverse gifts within the church to build each other up and advance the kingdom of God.

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians emphasizes the importance of unity and maturity in the body of Christ. We are called to live a life worthy of our calling, embracing humility, gentleness, and patience. True spiritual maturity involves putting away falsehood, anger, and bitterness, and embracing kindness, forgiveness, and unity. Comfort is the enemy of maturity, and we must be willing to step out of our comfort zones to grow in Christ. [31:47]

Ephesians 4:31-32 (ESV): "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."

Reflection: Think of someone in your life you need to forgive. Can you ask God to help you begin to extend His love and forgiveness to them today?

Sermon Summary

### Summary

In today's sermon, we explored the profound difference between making a commitment and living it out, particularly in our relationship with Jesus. Just as marriage vows are easy to say but challenging to live out, our commitment to Christ requires a lifetime of growth and maturity. We delved into the book of Ephesians, focusing on the transition from understanding the gospel story to living it out in our daily lives. The journey to spiritual maturity is often uncomfortable, much like the physical changes of puberty, but it is essential for our growth.

We discussed a survey revealing that 88% of Christians remain in the toddler stage of spiritual maturity, highlighting the need for deeper growth. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians emphasizes the importance of unity and maturity in the body of Christ. We are called to live a life worthy of our calling, embracing humility, gentleness, and patience. Unity in the church is crucial, but it doesn't mean uniformity; we are all unique individuals with different gifts given by God to build up the body of Christ.

The five-fold ministry—apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers—was given to equip the saints for the work of ministry until we all reach unity in faith and maturity in Christ. These gifts are not for self-promotion but for the edification of the church. We also touched on the importance of speaking the truth in love, balancing conviction with compassion, and the necessity of community in our spiritual growth.

Finally, we addressed the dangers of reverting to old ways and the importance of living a life of righteousness and holiness. True spiritual maturity involves putting away falsehood, anger, and bitterness, and embracing kindness, forgiveness, and unity. Comfort is the enemy of maturity, and we must be willing to step out of our comfort zones to grow in Christ.

###

Key Takeaways

1. fold ministry equips us for the work of the ministry, emphasizing that our gifts are for the edification of the church, not for self-promotion. [10:11]
3. Speaking the Truth in Love: Balancing truth and love is essential for spiritual maturity. Jesus exemplified this balance when He defended the woman caught in adultery but also instructed her to "go and sin no more." We must learn to speak the truth with compassion and conviction.

4. The Importance of Community: Spiritual growth cannot happen in isolation. Just as a coal removed from the fire loses its heat, a Christian separated from the church community will struggle to maintain spiritual fervor. We need each other to grow and thrive in our faith.

5. Letting Go of Bitterness and Anger: Holding onto bitterness and anger burdens us and grieves the Holy Spirit. True maturity involves forgiving others and letting go of these negative emotions, thereby lifting the weight off our shoulders and walking in freedom.

### [10:11]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:48] - Commitment vs. Living It Out
[01:20] - Survey on Spiritual Maturity
[01:50] - Journey Through Ephesians
[02:25] - Boys Night Out and Puberty
[03:48] - Physical vs. Spiritual Maturity
[04:28] - Paul's Letter to the Corinthians
[05:33] - Survey on Church Purpose
[06:37] - Mission vs. Consumer Mindset
[07:04] - Living a Life Worthy of the Calling
[08:04] - Response to God's Gift
[09:07] - Unity in the Body of Christ
[10:11] - Unique Gifts and the Five-Fold Ministry
[12:16] - Apostolic Gifting
[13:29] - Prophets and Evangelists
[14:41] - Pastors and Teachers
[15:23] - Equipping the Saints
[16:00] - Unity and Maturity
[17:00] - Essentials and Non-Essentials
[18:57] - Speaking the Truth in Love
[20:49] - Comfort is the Enemy of Maturity
[21:17] - Every Member is a Minister
[23:27] - Callousness and Spiritual Numbness
[24:35] - Religion vs. Relationship
[26:22] - Church is Who You Are
[27:20] - The Story of Dwight Moody
[28:19] - The Importance of Community
[30:00] - Forgiving and Letting Go
[31:47] - Putting Away Bitterness and Anger

Bible Study Guide

Observation Questions

According to Ephesians 4:1-3, what qualities does Paul urge believers to exhibit in their walk with Christ?
In the sermon, what percentage of Christians were found to be in the toddler stage of spiritual maturity according to the survey mentioned? [01:20]
What are the five roles mentioned in Ephesians 4:11, and what is their purpose according to the passage?
How does the story of Dwight Moody and the coal illustrate the importance of community in spiritual growth? [27:20]

Interpretation Questions

What does it mean to "walk in a manner worthy of the calling" as described in Ephesians 4:1? How can this be practically applied in daily life?
The sermon mentions that "comfort is the enemy of maturity." How does this concept relate to the process of spiritual growth and maturity? [04:59]
How does Paul’s instruction to "speak the truth in love" (Ephesians 4:15) balance the need for both conviction and compassion in our interactions with others? [19:56]
In what ways does the diversity of gifts within the church (Ephesians 4:11-13) contribute to the unity and maturity of the body of Christ?

Application Questions

Reflect on your own spiritual journey. Are there areas where you feel you are still in the "toddler stage" of spiritual maturity? What steps can you take to grow in these areas? [01:20]
How can you actively contribute to the unity of your church community while embracing the diversity of gifts and perspectives? [10:11]
Think of a recent situation where you had to speak the truth to someone. How did you balance truth and love in that conversation? What could you do differently next time? [19:56]
Identify a specific way you can step out of your comfort zone this week to grow in your faith. How can you ensure that this action leads to spiritual maturity? [04:59]
Is there someone in your life you need to forgive to let go of bitterness and anger? What practical steps can you take to begin this process of forgiveness? [31:47]
How can you better integrate into your church community to ensure you are not isolating yourself? What specific actions can you take to be more involved? [27:20]
Reflect on the gifts God has given you. How can you use these gifts to serve and build up the body of Christ in your local church? [14:41]

Sermon Clips

### Quotes for Outreach

1. "Talking the talk is easier than walking the walk. When Juliet and I got married, the pastor that was officiating our ceremony turned, looked me right in the face and said, Max, will you take Juliet to be your wife? And in that moment, I looked Juliet right in the eyes and I said, I do. Commitment took me about a second to say, but it has taken me the past eight years to try to walk out that commitment that I made." [00:00] (60 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

2. "Growing up into maturity is not comfortable. There's some changes that need to take place that can be very uncomfortable for us to navigate. The problem is that physically, you cannot stop your body from growing into maturity. Your body is going to do what it does. But, spiritually, you can stop your body from growing into maturity. You can stop yourself from reaching a mature place in Christ." [03:48] (31 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

3. "The truth is that comfort is the enemy of maturity. You cannot be comfortable and mature at the same time. There was a survey done by a guy named Wynn Arn. He surveyed a thousand churches and he asked the question on the survey that says, why does the church, why does the church exist? He gave them two options. The first is the church exists to reach the world for Jesus." [05:33] (25 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

4. "In church, we talk a lot about having faith in God. Do you have faith in God? Have faith in God. Put your faith in God. But also don't forget, God has faith in you. If God didn't, he would not have given you gifts. He would not have called you to minister on his behalf. God has faith in you. It says to equip the saints for the work of the ministry. That word equip means preparing, perfecting, bringing to a condition of fitness." [15:23] (31 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

5. "Church is not something that you attend. Church is who you are. And there's a whole lot of people that, especially kind of post pandemic, that would say things like, I don't need the church. I don't need anybody. I'm good. It's just me and God. It's just me and God. You know what the translation of that is? I don't want to be accountable to anyone. I want to do my own thing whenever I want, however I want, and nobody can tell me otherwise." [26:22] (25 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

### Quotes for Members

1. "When he got the results back, he was surprised to discover that 88% of Christians had not yet advanced past the toddler stage of spiritual maturity. We're looking at Ephesians and going on a journey, exegetical journey through the book of Ephesians so that you can become mature in Christ. The first half of Ephesians is chapters one through three. That's the gospel story. This is what you should think. The second half is what you do as a result." [01:20] (32 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

2. "Christians who remain spiritual infants will not reach the world for Jesus. They will not live missionally minded because they are consumed with themselves. The truth is that children look for someone else who can take care of them, but it is mature adults who look around for others that they can bless and take care of. We need to discover how to grow up into maturity despite the fact that it's uncomfortable." [06:37] (30 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

3. "Unity and maturity go hand in hand. Maturity develops when you are in unity with others who are different than you because it can get uncomfortable. I remember when Juliet and I first started the church and we met a great couple that walked into our church and they said, I love Elan Church. It is so diverse. I love that there's so many different kinds of people in this church. I love the diversity. I'm all about it." [16:00] (26 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

4. "Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up. A big part of maturity is learning how to speak the truth in love. There's a whole lot of different spectrums of Christians in the world today. On this side, I'll call it Christians that are all truth and no love. They boldly proclaim the word of God. Praise God for that. But the tone is harsh. It's angry. It's mean. It's angry. It's religious. On the other end of the spectrum, you can have Christians that are all love and no truth." [18:57] (31 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

5. "What grieves the Holy Spirit is what they talked about in this passage, which is not living in unity with one another, but also going back to the life you used to live. It grieves the Holy Spirit. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another. Tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. That word put away from is the word Iroh, which means to lift up, to take away, or to remove." [31:09] (32 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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Transcript

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