A Man of Service
Shows up
Equipped
Rooted
Valuable (appreciation of character)
Integrity
Caring
Engaged
As we
allow God to break the mold in our lives so that we can be reshaped, remolded,
renewed until He is pleased with who we are. Often it seems like everything we
do it fall short and goes wrong. In this season of life it has been a common theme
when talking to other men and women that we are trying to do the right things
in life, but lately feel like we fall short. What God has been speaking to me
about and what I have been working on the past 6 months is being a man of God
that Serves no matter what I am doing or where I am, this has not been an easy
task and feel like some days I am starting all over. I pray as this has
encouraged, challenged, and convicted me, that is would do the same for you.
All
Paul’s writings are very similar and a trend in all his writings is in the
beginning chapters Paul’s main focus is on doctrinal truths of the Gospel (sin,
Redemption, grace, forgiveness, ). The Latter part of his letters focus’ on
direction for our lives (more practical), and how we are to present ourselves
and act as followers of Christ. For a
lot of us we know the doctrinal truths in scripture, and it is very easy to get
caught up in doctrine and even religious practices, and miss out on the
practical ways we can truly reflect Christ in every aspect of our lives. As Jeremiah 18, we will become another vessel
that God is pleased with, and can reshape us as needed. Christians have not had
a great reputation according to the world.
If you take away our doctrinal truths, and religious practices, does our
everyday life look any different than the world? Jesus came not to abolish the
law as it says in Matthew 5:17, but to fulfill it. To bring life to the law and
life into our lives.
Ephesians
4:1-6 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a
manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all
humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in
love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of
peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were
called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one
baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in
all.
Paul implores us to walk in a
manner that is worthy of the calling which you have been called. Paul does not
say when you get called, but walk in the manner of which God has already called
you to. This is not something new, and not something that just a few of us are
called to, but all of us. God calls us to Show up prepared, prepared to run the
race, be the man God has and is calling you to be. You wouldn’t do out for
football with no pads, and not wearing shoes? Calling us to be humble, I love
how the dictionary describes being humble, “a deep sense of one's (moral)
littleness”. God has called us to walk modestly, not a know it all that can do
no wrong perspective. To be humble, gentle not only outwardly but having a
gentle spirit (inwardly). I know I catch myself saying what is right just
because I know it is the right thing to say, but deep down inside I am full of
selfish thoughts, and feelings, because my spirit is not fed and equipped with
the things that are pleasing to God, it is full of things that are pleasing to
my flesh.
Paul writes patience, I mean really
I am patient; I can deal with things at hand. I looked up the definition of
patience and the one word that it uses to describe patience is longsuffering.
Really, not deal with the small things that only last a little while? Long
suffering really hit home for me. I find myself over time when I am tired and
worn out wanting to just give up and give into the flesh. It is the “what is in
it for me”, and “what you are doing makes me want to just through in the towel
and walk away”. I am not going to lie this has been something the enemy always
temps me with when I am tired and down.
We are called to show Christ love
in everything that we do as Christ example shows us throughout scripture. It is
a hard thing to love when we feel someone doesn’t deserve it, but think do we
deserve the love that we are given each day? We need to be diligent as Paul
writes to preserve unity of the Spirit and bond of peace. This is not something
that is just going to preserve itself; it is a precious and beautiful thing
that we need to take care of each and every day. Paul continues to talk about
oneness. We are to have one, One Lord, One faith, one baptism, one God. Luke
writes in Luke 16:13 – 15 “ "No servant can serve two masters;
for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted
to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth." Now the
Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and
were scoffing at Him. And He said to them, "You are those who
justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for
that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God.” One master not two. From experience it takes
a lot more work to serve two masters and live a hypocritical life than it is to
serve one.
Ephesians
4:7-13a But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure
of Christ's gift. Therefore it says, "When He ascended on high,
He led captive a host of captives, And He gave gifts to men."(Now
this expression, "He ascended," what does it
mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the
earth? He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the
heavens, so that He might fill all things.) And He gave some as apostles,
and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and
some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the
saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of
Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the
knowledge of the Son of God,
God is
continually equipping us for the works of service and building up the body of
Christ. God’s had a unique calling on each of our lives, not everyone is called
to be a pastor, evangelize, or to teach as our full time jobs, but He is
calling us to do these things for service and building up the body of Christ.
It is not written that this is for Monday through Friday 9 to 5, it is all the
time and in everything that we do. I am not a preacher, but I am preaching from
God’s word right now. I am not a teaching, but I am teaching, I am not an
evangelist but could be evangelizing to someone. God is calling us to be
equipped to build up the Body. Calling us to encourage and build each other up
in love. Having unity of the faith, we need to work together and not have
division between us.
“And of
the Knowledge of the Son of God”. The Greek work used to Knowledge that is used
in verse 13 is Epígnōsis, Epígnōsis is defined my Thayer’s as precise and
correct knowledge, and is used in the new testament for things ethical and
divine. There is nowhere in the Bible
where it says you have to read your Bible every day, and I struggle with
getting into the word each day. Paul writes this because he sees the importance
of knowing what is right and wrong according God, not the world. You can be
smart, but if it is not the truth, or real it is not a valuable tool to be
equipped with.
Ephesians
4:13a-16 to a mature man, to the measure of the stature
which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are
no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by
every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful
scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in
all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from
whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint
supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes
the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
We are
no longer Children we are Men, not only men, but mature men. God has called us
to be rooted in our lives and in our faith. Not to be tossed around and carried
away by every new religious fad. Paul describes a mature man as one who is full
on Christ. The Greek word used for Mature in Verse 13 is Téleios, which
is also translated as perfect. Thayer’s defines Téleios - that
which is perfect, consummate human integrity and virtue of men. God is calling
us to live a life of integrity. Who are you when no one is looking, who are you
outside of your Church community? Are you the same, or different?
Ephesians
4:17-23 So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk
no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their
mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life
of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of
their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves
over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with
greediness. But you did not learn Christ in this way, if
indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in
Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the
old self , which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of
deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
Valuation
is the appreciation of worth or character. We all screw up, and will continue
to sin, no one is perfect. There were and still are many days were I wonder how
I am supposed to have good character. Come on God, I mean you know all, and I
am far from perfect. God continually over the past six months has answered, “I
know keep persevering” For me Character and integrity go hand in hand. Living a
life of integrity does not mean, live a perfect life. It means you are
consistent, open and honest about all aspects of your life. A Man of Character
does the same thing. He is the same consistent, and owns up to whatever wrong,
or miss takes he has made. That is Character, being truthful and honest about
everything. Owning up to our sins, and continuing to seeking and finding true
repentance.
Laying aside fleshly desires. Paul describes
true repentance, that when you lay aside your fleshly desires, and when you do
this you will be renewed in the spirit of your mind. L. M. Grant‘ Comments Since
the ungodly mind is set against God, the understanding is darkened so that,
though naturally intelligent or even brilliant, such people are unable to
discern facts that are transparently clear to a believer (v.19). For so
many years this is how I was. I am intelligent, at least enough to get by, or
ahead in the world. But I was so entrapped by my fleshly desires that the
simplest of things I would ignore, and have trouble doing. Trust me you can ask
my wife, I was pretty irresponsible, with a lot of things, ok most things.
Earlier I mentioned no longer being like children and you here often out in
public, “being married to my husband is like having another child”. There was a
time that this was me. I was the foolish Child, and instead of my wife being a
partner, someone I lived life with carrying each other’s burdens, she had to
act like my mother. Are you a Child or a
Man of God?
I know most of us have heard this
over and over from Pastor Michael, but it is so true, and something I keep in
perspective each day. “Which Dog are you doing to feed? Whatever dog you feed
the most will always win” What dog are you feed regularly and what dog is being
starved to death?? There are many times we feel beat up and feel like we are
under attack and that it is too much to carry this burden, but are we feeding
ourselves spiritually? Are we “working out” to strengthen ourselves? Like
working out it is always hard to get into a routine, and at first we feel like
we do not have the strength and/or time. Over time it becomes easier and easier
and we get stronger and stronger to the point that no matter how hard the work
out, we can handle it.
Ephesians
4:24-25 and put on the new self , which in the
likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the
truth. Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each
one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one
another.
We
always try to live a life of Integrity. Putting on the new self, righteous,
holy, and truth I am all for and as followers of Christ is something we all
strive towards, our only weakness as believers is what verse 25 says, “Lay
aside”, we fail to lay aside all earthly ways and desires. The Greek word used
in Verse 24 for Put, is endýō and is used the
majority of the time to describe putting on Clothes, to clothes oneself. Thayer
defines the word endýō “ to sink into”, something that we don’t just own, and
sometimes wear, but to sink into the new self completely, to be clothed by His
righteousness only. When reading this verse and meditating on it, the one thing
that always comes into my head is how are you clothed? Are you wearing clothes
of the world? Are you wearing the New Clothes in which God sacrificed His son
just for you and me? If so, are you only wearing to new clothes, or are you
keeping the “Old” (worldly) clothes on underneath? No matter what you have on
the outside, if the inside (or underneath) is filthy it will eventually start
to stink, and what was once something you hide it will be brought to the light.
L.M.
Grant wrote, “True liberty leads one to willingly take the lowest place so
eternal blessing may result” in his commentary of Ephesians 4:25. Living a life
of integrity not only blesses us but others around us. This is only obtained through
liberation of our fleshly desires. L.M. Grant also writes, “Lying is a common
practice of the ungodly” As men of Integrity our lives need to line up with
God’s, and only allow the truth to proceed through our words and actions.
Ephesians 4:26-32 Be angry,
and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your
anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity. He who steals
must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands
what is good, so that he will have something to share with
one who has need. Let no unwholesome word proceed from your
mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification
according to the need of the moment, so that it will give
grace to those who hear. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God,
by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 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, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just
as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
Be angry
but do not sin, is that possible? I know that majority of the time when I get
angry I rarely make good decisions, and typically say the wrong words, and give
the devil an opportunity to get the best of me, which in the end hurts those
who I love most. We want to lift up those who we love, not bring them down.
Using words of kindness instead of words of anger is always easier said than
done. One word can break, wound, and kill a relationship and a person that we
love in one second, and take a thousand kind words and days, months, years to
heal the wounds. The Greek word for sin
used in verse 26 is Hamartánō and one
definition defines Hamartánō “to miss or wander from the path of the up
righteous and honor. How often we wander or miss walking the path in which God
has called us to walk. We are easily distracted from the direction the
potential that God see’s in us.
God
has called has called us to be kind to one another, forgiving one another as
Christ has forgiven us. What we do unto others should be the same as what
Christ has done and continues to do for us. It makes me think of all the things
that Christ has done for me; forgives, provides, teaches, guides, and strengthens
and much, much more. This is what God is
calling us to do as scripture says “do unto others as you would wants others to
do unto you” We all selfishly love to be served, but not always wanting to
serve others. But that is what Christ has done and continues to do for us each
and every day, and we are striving to be Christ-Like.
The
word engage is most often used to describe two sides going head
to head in battle as the front lines meet.
Watching any battle scene in a war movie the two sides running straight
towards each other holding nothing back always puts you on the edge of your
seat. You always want one side, or maybe even one character to win or even
survive. Most of the time we want to see
this because of what that side or person stands for. Take William Wallace, he
was fighting for freedom, freedom from a corrupt kingdom. He fought for what was
right, and not for the sinful ways in which the rulers of Scotland.
In the
movie we see a character Robert the Bruce who was in between both sides
fighting for the king or fighting for what he knows to be right in his heart. He
betrays Wallace for worldly things, land, money, power. As we break the mold
from what the world holds important, and begin to lead our church and family to
seek what God desires, we too have to be on the front line, fighting for what
is right. Like Robert the Bruce, to never be on the wrong side ever again. We
have all found ourselves of the wrong side, and at the time we thought it was
better for us and therefore right. Each day we strive to fight for what is
right and pleases God, not ourselves or others, it is for His Glory not ours. Christ
Sacrificed everything for us, and if we are supposed to be like Christ, we too
have to be willing to sacrifice every.
