Unity, Calling, and Spiritual Warfare in Ephesians
Summary
### Summary
Today, we delve into the letter written by Paul to the Ephesians, a letter that is both theologically profound and practically instructive. This letter was written to the church in Ephesus, a major city in the Roman Empire, located in what is now Turkey. The primary purpose of this letter is to strengthen the faith of believers by providing deep insights and practical instructions on how to live a life that reflects their faith.
Paul emphasizes the importance of unity within the church, a theme that is recurrent throughout his writings. Unity is not about everyone agreeing on everything but about how we handle our differences. Paul uses the example of the enmity between Jews and Gentiles, which Christ has abolished, creating one unified body of believers. This unity is crucial for the church to function as the body of Christ, where each member has a unique role and calling.
Paul also addresses the issue of circumcision, a significant point of contention between Jewish Christians and Gentile converts. He argues that Gentiles do not need to follow Jewish customs to be part of the Christian community. This was a major step in breaking down barriers and fostering unity among believers.
The letter also talks about the mystery of the gospel, which is that Gentiles are co-heirs with Jews in the promises of Christ. This was a radical idea at the time and emphasized that the gospel is for everyone, regardless of their background.
Paul then moves on to discuss the practical aspects of living a Christian life. He urges believers to live a life worthy of their calling, emphasizing that everyone has a calling, not just preachers or church leaders. Each person's calling is equally important, and we should strive to live in a way that supports our calling.
Paul also talks about the spiritual blessings that believers receive. These blessings are not the same for everyone, but they all come together to glorify God. The church, as the body of Christ, is held together by every supporting ligament, growing and building itself up in love.
In the latter part of the letter, Paul discusses the concept of spiritual warfare. He emphasizes the need to put on the whole armor of God to stand against the devil's schemes. This armor includes the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. Each piece of armor is essential for protecting ourselves and fighting against evil.
Paul concludes by reiterating the importance of living a life that reflects our faith. Our conduct should be consistent with our beliefs, not just on Sundays but every day of the week. This consistency is what demonstrates who we represent and brings glory to God.
### Key Takeaways
1. Unity in Diversity: Unity in the church does not mean uniformity. We do not have to agree on everything to be unified. The key is how we handle our differences. Are we disagreeable, or do we maintain a spirit of unity despite our disagreements? This unity is crucial for the church to function as one body in Christ. [09:02]
2. Breaking Down Barriers: Paul addresses the significant issue of circumcision, arguing that Gentiles do not need to follow Jewish customs to be part of the Christian community. This was a major step in breaking down barriers and fostering unity among believers. It reminds us that the gospel is for everyone, regardless of their background. [07:48]
3. Living a Worthy Life: Paul urges believers to live a life worthy of their calling. This calling is not limited to preachers or church leaders; everyone has a calling, and each one is equally important. We should strive to live in a way that supports our calling, whatever it may be. [29:19]
4. Spiritual Warfare: Paul emphasizes the need to put on the whole armor of God to stand against the devil's schemes. This armor includes the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. Each piece is essential for protecting ourselves and fighting against evil. [37:08]
5. Consistent Conduct: Our conduct should be consistent with our beliefs, not just on Sundays but every day of the week. This consistency is what demonstrates who we represent and brings glory to God. How we live our daily lives is a testament to our faith and our commitment to Christ. [37:49]
### Youtube Chapters
[0:00] - Welcome
[02:38] - Purpose of Ephesians
[04:23] - Unity in Christ
[07:48] - Breaking Down Barriers
[09:02] - True Unity
[16:58] - Handling Disagreements
[23:18] - Living a Worthy Life
[29:19] - Everyone's Calling
[33:22] - Spiritual Warfare
[37:08] - Armor of God
[37:49] - Consistent Conduct
[38:26] - Conclusion
Study Guide
### Bible Study Discussion Guide
#### Bible Reading
1. Ephesians 2:14-16
2. Ephesians 3:6
3. Ephesians 6:10-11
#### Observation Questions
1. What does Paul mean by "the dividing wall of hostility" in Ephesians 2:14-16? How did Christ abolish it? [04:23]
2. According to Ephesians 3:6, what is the "mystery" that Paul reveals about the Gentiles? [07:48]
3. What are the components of the "whole armor of God" mentioned in Ephesians 6:10-11? [33:22]
#### Interpretation Questions
1. Why was it significant for Paul to address the issue of circumcision among Gentile converts? How did this help in breaking down barriers within the early church? [07:48]
2. How does Paul’s emphasis on unity in Ephesians 2:14-16 challenge the way we handle disagreements within the church today? [09:02]
3. What does it mean to "live a life worthy of the calling" as mentioned in Ephesians 4:1? How can this be applied to different roles within the church? [23:18]
#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a recent disagreement you had within the church. How did you handle it? What steps can you take to ensure that future disagreements are handled in a spirit of unity? [09:02]
2. Paul talks about the importance of breaking down barriers. Are there any cultural or traditional barriers in your church that need to be addressed to foster greater unity? How can you contribute to this process? [07:48]
3. Consider your own calling. What specific actions can you take this week to live a life worthy of that calling? How can you support others in their callings? [23:18]
4. The concept of spiritual warfare is crucial in Paul’s letter. What are some practical ways you can "put on the whole armor of God" in your daily life? [33:22]
5. Consistency in conduct is emphasized by Paul. How can you ensure that your behavior aligns with your faith not just on Sundays but throughout the week? Identify one area where you can improve. [37:49]
6. Think about the spiritual blessings you have received. How can you use these blessings to glorify God and support the church community? [18:31]
7. How can you actively promote unity within your small group or church community? What specific actions can you take to build up the body of Christ in love? [20:46]
Devotional
Day 1: Unity in Diversity
Unity in the church does not mean uniformity. We do not have to agree on everything to be unified. The key is how we handle our differences. Are we disagreeable, or do we maintain a spirit of unity despite our disagreements? This unity is crucial for the church to function as one body in Christ. [09:02]
Ephesians 4:2-3 (ESV): "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: Think of a recent disagreement you had with a fellow believer. How can you approach this person with humility and gentleness to foster unity despite your differences?
Day 2: Breaking Down Barriers
Paul addresses the significant issue of circumcision, arguing that Gentiles do not need to follow Jewish customs to be part of the Christian community. This was a major step in breaking down barriers and fostering unity among believers. It reminds us that the gospel is for everyone, regardless of their background. [07:48]
Ephesians 2:14-15 (ESV): "For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace."
Reflection: Identify a cultural or social barrier that you see within your church community. How can you take a step towards breaking down this barrier and fostering unity?
Day 3: Living a Worthy Life
Paul urges believers to live a life worthy of their calling. This calling is not limited to preachers or church leaders; everyone has a calling, and each one is equally important. We should strive to live in a way that supports our calling, whatever it may be. [29:19]
Ephesians 4:1 (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."
Reflection: Reflect on your unique calling. What specific actions can you take today to live in a manner worthy of this calling?
Day 4: Spiritual Warfare
Paul emphasizes the need to put on the whole armor of God to stand against the devil's schemes. This armor includes the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. Each piece is essential for protecting ourselves and fighting against evil. [37:08]
Ephesians 6:11-13 (ESV): "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm."
Reflection: Which piece of the armor of God do you feel you need to strengthen in your life? How can you begin to do that today?
Day 5: Consistent Conduct
Our conduct should be consistent with our beliefs, not just on Sundays but every day of the week. This consistency is what demonstrates who we represent and brings glory to God. How we live our daily lives is a testament to our faith and our commitment to Christ. [37:49]
Ephesians 5:8-10 (ESV): "For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord."
Reflection: Examine your daily routine. What is one habit you can change or adopt to ensure your conduct aligns with your faith throughout the week?
Quotes
### Quotes for Outreach
1. "You cannot fight evil unless you understand that you got to have spirit. It's a spiritual warfare. It's a spiritual warfare. You got to understand that. That's what it's about. Okay? So part of what it's talking about, that, okay? Conclusion, the book of Ephesians is a powerful letter that provides profound theological insights, but also tells you how to live a daily life. How to live a daily life. Okay? It emphasizes unity. We talked about the mystery of the gospel in the sense that there's no separation between Gentiles and Jews anymore. It talks about the spiritual blessings. Spiritual blessings, we talked about that. Okay? The church as the body of Christ. We're all one. We're all one. And the conduct, expected of Christians, how we're supposed to live. You can't come to church on Sunday and say one thing and then walk out on Monday and do something different. How you conduct yourself is what you do every day. What you do every day, no matter what the circumstances are. That's what we do to conduct." [37:08]
2. "Not in the devil, but you believe that there is a devil. Just like there is good, there's bad. Just like there's evil, there's good. And if you don't know evil, then how are you going to fight? You cannot fight evil if you don't know what it is. That's reality. So you've got to have this armor that will allow you to fight. You can fight the devil. You have to have this armor in order to fight the devil. Okay. What is this armor? Stand firm in with the belt of truth. Belt of truth, buckle around your waist. We talked about earlier. Truth. Everything is truth. Okay? All right. And then bread's plate of righteousness. Bread's plate of righteousness. We're all working toward righteousness. We're not there yet. Some of us aren't there yet. But we want to have that as a part. Now, what does the bread's plate protect? What does it protect? The heart. Thank you, doctor. Protects the heart. Protects the heart. Okay? All right. And what did David say? David said he wanted a clean heart. When you have a clean heart, you have righteousness. You become righteous. So you want to have this armor around you to protect your heart. Okay? Then it says what? Shield of faith. Shield of faith. Know it full well that no matter what, nothing's going to get through. Nothing's going to get through. Shield of faith. Okay?" [33:58]
3. "We still have unity. Okay? But sometimes when people get married, they have the same kind of issue comes up. Some people say, you know, that the woman and the man has got to always agree, and if they don't agree, then the man's always going to be the one that's right. But that's not what the Bible says, not what the Bible teaches. Okay? Because you can disagree, it doesn't matter how you're out of the disagreement, right? And what Paul is trying to say is that the things that were people keeping separate were things like ordination, like circumcision. Right? Right. It was not something that's supposed to divide, that Christ came and removed that division, came and removed that division, so that we can be unified." [10:01]
4. "Okay, so let's get started here. And the lesson objective is to review the letter written by Paul. We all agree that Paul pretty much wrote this letter. Okay, so we're going to review that today. Okay, our scripture. Someone want to read that for us, please? Amen. Amen. Okay, let's talk about this a minute because there's some books of the Bible that are more law-driven, you know, what you should do, what you shouldn't do, kind of a deal. Some of them are more history, you know, what happened and why. And today, this is more about how we are to live, how we are to live, practical ways of how to live. Okay, but I like the part that says what? It says to equip his people for works of service, works of service. And we've talked about it before. It's what we do. Now, we don't get saved by what we do, but we demonstrate our faith and our love by what we do. Okay, so Ecclesiastes. Ephesians talks about how we are to live, how do we equip ourselves to do that, reaching unity in the faith." [02:38]
5. "We all have a calling. Everyone has a calling. Everyone has a call. And everyone's calling is just as important as everybody else's call. So don't let anybody tell you that they're calling more important than your call. That's not what Paul said. And I'm glad that he didn't tell me what the caller was because if he told me what the caller was, I'd say, I got that. You ain't got it. But that's not what he said, not what he said. We all have a calling. But we all ought to live a life that supports that calling, whatever it is." [29:19]
### Quotes for Members
1. "Okay. And that, what I like to say is that you and I are going to agree on almost 90, 95% of everything. Okay. But that 5% or 10% we disagree, we disagree. Now, we have a choice. We can let that 5% or 10% where we disagree override everything else that we agree and become disagreeable. Or we can say the 5% or 10% is just, that's all it is. 90% is more important. And we concentrate on what we agree on and not concentrate on what we disagree on. And sometimes people get hung up on that. People get hung up on that. Okay. Yeah. And I think that we need to be careful. And I think Paul was saying that he's looking for unity. Not necessarily people agreeing on everything, but looking for unity. Unity to the church is very important because it's one body. One body. He talks about it in the Corinthians." [16:58]
2. "Okay. All right. Good. Good, good comments. Now, I have a question for each one of us. Each one of us. Including me. Have you been called? Have you been called? Good question. Have you been called? Huh? She said she thinks so. Have you been called? Huh? She said, what? Maybe. I see that. Huh? Ah, good question. Called to what? It doesn't say. It says to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. It didn't say what the calling was. The preacher has no more calling than you got. I need to say that again. The preacher has. He has no more calling than you have. Do you understand that? Because see, preachers will, some preachers, not, not all. Some preachers will say, you know, I got a calling to preach so I could do this. Which is okay. I don't have a problem with that. But, precious may have a calling to sing and precious may bring somebody to Christ much quicker than I would because they like music. Right?" [27:23]
3. "That's a good question. See, again, the problem is that we read one verse and we run with that one verse. What does Paul say about gifts? Paul says somebody has a gift of giving. Somebody has a gift of administration. Somebody has a gift of leadership. He lists all those gifts. So we can't just look at one verse. And run with that one verse. You got to look at the totality, totality. And he says that all, all come together to glorify God. Now, some people are very good at cleaning. Okay. Now, my wife is one. My wife will tell me to do something and I'll do it. And then she come right behind me and redo it. Because I didn't do it good enough. Okay. Okay. Now. Now, let's think about that. Somebody's got to clean this church. Right? So if everybody was a pastor, everybody was an apostle, and nobody had a gift of cleaning this church, we'd have a problem. Right? We'd have a problem. Okay. Some people don't like cleaning. But other people, they like it. You know? And that's okay. We all got something. We all got something. Right? And that's why. Then I just want to say, that what you said. That you are what—worthy of the calling, whatever it is. Be the best that you can at whatever you think you're supposed to be doing. Whatever it is. We all agree. As long as we all do it together, then it works. It works. As long as I don't think I'm better than you, then be okay. When I start thinking I'm better than you, you got a problem. Unity goes away." [30:53]
4. "Okay. And your other question was? Okay, yeah. They were primarily Gentiles. Okay. Primarily Gentiles, but there were also Jews there because the Jews have been dispersed throughout the area because in 70 AD, the Romans destroyed the Jewish temple. And so they didn't separate it and went different ways. All right. So when they went different ways, they took the Christianity with them, the religion with them. All right. So they still were worshiping in synagogue and things like that. Okay. The question was then, if someone was a non-Jew want to become a Christian, what did they have to do in order to do that? Okay. And a lot, a lot of the talk at that time was that they had to accept the Jewish tradition, accept whatever the Jews did before they had to accept that circumcision was one of those things. It was the primary thing. All right. And Paul and Barnabas discussed that. They went back to the church council and the church council agreed that Gentiles did not need to be circumcised. And James wrote a letter to the church council saying that. And from that point forward, then that was a distinction that was no longer necessary." [12:36]
5. "Okay. And Paul emphasizes unity. We've talked about that on more than one occasion. Unity. Unity is very important in the church and something that we are missing sometimes. Okay. And last but not least, encourage believers. Live out their faith in daily life. What we do daily demonstrates who we represent. Okay. All right. Main thing, we'll go through the things today. Unity in Christ. Someone want to read that? Ephesians 2, 14 to 16. Okay. A couple of questions. I'll tell you. What's the, what's the enmity? What is the enmity? What is the enmity? And I'll give you a clue. I'll give you a clue. Read Genesis. Read the book of Genesis. You find that there was a prophecy made in Genesis. What was that prophecy? Prophecy. In between man and Satan. Right. Okay. Let me talk about the fact that you cannot read one part of the Bible without going back and looking at other parts and see that it makes sense. You know, it doesn't separate. What is it? Go to Genesis. We talked about Christ. Christ talks about Christ coming. Okay. Prophesize Christ coming. And here, Paul is saying Christ is coming. The prophecy has been fulfilled. Okay. All right. First. Second, it talks about the division between the two groups. Who are the two groups? Who are the two groups? Gentiles and Jews. Gentiles and Jews are two groups. And he says what? It tore the barrier. Tore down the barrier so that there was no separation between the two. Okay. And he also talks about what? He talks about dividing this wall of hostility to create one body. One body of Christ. That's a unity. That's what Paul starts with. One, not two, not three, not four, but one." [04:23]
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