Living As Disciples Of Christ

Ephesians 1:15-17 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, 16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; 17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him

Opening: It literally brought tears to my eyes. On Sunday September 21 there was a memorial service for our brother in Christ Charlie Kirk at the State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona. Charlie’s widow Erika Kirk walked out on stage. There were over 200,000 people in attendance. When she got to the podium (which was surrounded by bullet proof glass) Erika could have said anything – it was unscripted. She could have called for conservatives to rise up and strike back at the liberals which have for so long called Bible believers “Facists, homophobes, Islamophobes, misogynists” and so on. Now the CEO of Turning Point, she could have said things that could have brought about riots in the streets of America.

She didn’t.

Her first words were “God bless all of you”. God. Not a curse word. Not hate. Love. She quoted Isaiah 6:8, saying it was Charlie’s favorite verse:

I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”

She also quoted Jesus. Her words were:

“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do. That man – that young man – I forgive him”. Tears ran down her face. She continued, “I forgive him, because of what Christ did, and it’s what Charlie would do. The answer to hate is not hate. The answer we know, from the Gospel, is love, and always love. Love for our enemies, and love for those who persecute us.”

Though many liberal commentators mocked what she did, she did exactly what Jesus told her to do. The Bible says:

Romans 12:21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

It would be so easy to be overcome with evil. To see these mockers of all races make fun of a good Christian man’s death. True Christians have always been mocked. Members of the early Church did not call themselves “Christian” (Greek christianos). It was a term of derision that was pinned to believers by the unbelievers in Antioche (Acts 11:26).

The devil’s children gave believers in Jesus the title “Christian”. Early believers simply called themselves “disciples” or “saints” – those consecrated to God. “Christianos” means “of the party of Christ”.

In every fiber of my flesh I want to take each mocker, each foolish satanic jester, and make them pay. But here’s the thing:

Ephesians 1:15 Wherefore I also, after I HEARD of your faith in the Lord Jesus

When the Apostle Paul wrote these words while imprisoned in Rome (A.D. 60-62) for preaching the Gospel of Christ. The Christian – the follower of the Christ – has “faith in the Lord Jesus”. When you are saved, you are only saved if Jesus is your LORD. You cannot be saved if Jesus is not your Lord. The Apostle preached:

Romans 10:9 (ESV) because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

He is LORD. There is no salvation apart from that. He is LORD.

The leper knelt before Jesus, saying “LORD, if You will, You can make me clean” (Matthew 8:2).
The Disciples, tossed about in the midst of a storm, told Jesus “Save us, LORD, we are perishing” (Matthew 8:25).
The Canaanite woman cried out to Jesus, “Have mercy on me, O LORD, Son of David” (Matthew15:22).
When Thomas saw the rise Christ, he declared “My LORD and my GOD!” (John 20:28).
And Peter preached on Pentecost, “Let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both LORD and Messiah”(Acts 2:36).

Jesus is Lord of His people. He demands that His people live their faith out distinctively different than the lost world. The Church at Ephesus is doing this. Paul again said:

Ephesians 1:15 Wherefore I also, after I HEARD of your FAITH …

If the Church at Ephesus was doing the same thing that the lost world around them is doing, Paul would have never HEARD of their FAITH. There is no internet, no television, no mail service. And yet Paul HEARS of their faith. The Ephesian believers are not conforming to the culture around them. They are not being like the lost.

An unlit candle is absolutely useless in the dark. It does nothing. You don’t see it. You don’t hear it. It has no effect whatsoever!

If Erika had gotten up on stage and called for hell to rain down on that young man, and all those mockers – cowards all – that are hiding behind their keyboards, it would have made absolutely no impression. When flesh begets flesh, there is no power in this. But when she forgave that killer because her LORD said so …. the crowd was stunned.

Ephesians 1:15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints

The Ephesians were living their faith OUT LOUD. Oh Beloved, the devil doesn’t care if you have faith if your faith is as hateful and dark as his disciples have. When Jesus healed the man with the withered hand (Matthew 12:9-13) on the Sabbath, that man rejoiced. But the Bible says those who saw the Master do good:

Matthew 12:14-15 (ESV) … the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him. 15 Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and He healed them all

The pseudo religious crowd, the Pharisees, did not rejoice when Jesus did good. They instead plotted on killing Jesus. Note that “Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there”. Our Lord didn’t linger among the devils, the messengers of Satan. But to those who followed Him as LORD, “He healed them all”.

Christians, we must not be silent. We must stand up loudly, so that the whole world hears, against those that are lost. We must be light, not darkness. And we must DO GOOD to our enemies, as Jesus did good ….. but we do not have to pursue those who wallow in darkness.

Early in His ministry, Jesus went up a mountainside in Galilee (Matthew 5:1-2). This was probably the place which today is called “The Mount of Beatitudes”. Jesus did not chase people, but people came to Him. He spoke to those who called Him Lord. What did He say?

“You are part of the world, no different from the darkness. You are a city like all others, hidden in the valley of human doctrines. Be quiet. Do nothing. Be part of the crowd. Don’t stand out!”

Did He say that? Absolutely not! Jesus calls His people to be distinctively different than the darkness. Jesus said:

Matthew 5:14-16 (ESV) You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

We who are saved are to live OUT LOUD for Jesus. We are not to worry about the darkness. We are to DISPEL the darkness by reflecting the glorious Gospel of Christ in our WORDS and in our ACTIONS. Jesus called us to be loud, to be heard. Not in our flesh, but following His words. Jesus was very clear,

John 14:15 If ye love Me, keep My commandments.

Pastor Don Wilton, talking about Billy Graham, said:

“Billy Graham believed in salvation by faith in Christ alone and walked in obedience to the Lordship of Christ simply because Christ alone is Lord and King. … if we believe in Him, then we obey Him. {Jesus} alone is God.”

We Stand TOGETHER Against The Darkness,
But With Our Fellow Believers

Ephesians 1:15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints

Early believers did not call themselves “Christians”, but “Saints” which means “those set apart by Jesus”. Or “disciples” which meant followers of Christ. The early believers understood that …

We are in a spiritual battle against forces of evil. That “We do not battle against flesh and blood, but against “Rulers, Authorities, and Cosmic Powers over this present darkness, against SPIRITUAL FORCES of evil” (Ephesians 6:12)

The Ephesian believers were able to stand against satanic forces because they had “love unto all the saints”. Believer loved believer. They did what Paul wrote in:

Galatians 6:10 (NKJV) Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.

To “DO GOOD TO ALL … especially to the HOUSEHOLD OF FAITH”. They loved one another. Now, as I sought the Lord to guide me into explaining to you what is this thing we call “Love”, He led me to a very familiar passage, one you are all aware of.

John 3:16-18 (NKJV) For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. [17] “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. [18] “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

We’ll define “LOVE” by what God showed us. Let’s break it out.

Love does not look the other way on evil or wrong. God does not look the other way on the sins of the world. Had He done so, He would have never sent Jesus Christ to this earth to die for our sins. “God GAVE His only Begotten Son”.
Love does good when others do bad. It is visibly good. Jesus went to the Cross not just for a certain group of people, but for the “WORLD”.
Love goes to the individual, and gives the individual a choice. God offers His love to “WHOEVER”. Jesus told us:

Matthew 18:15 (ESV) If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.

This is what God does with us in salvation. He comes to us individually, and convicts us of sinning against Him. He gives us an opportunity to repent, to get on the Biblical page with Him. We are to do the same with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Sadly, we don’t do this. When offended, we do not go to the offender, but run around the Church playing the victim to everyone else. This is not love – it is divisive, and destructive. If you go to the offender privately, and he or she will not hear you, Jesus said “go get others, and take them back with you, “that every charge may be established by the EVIDENCE of two or three witnesses” (Matthew 18:16). The intent is to restore peaceful coexistence within the Church. If all else fails, Jesus said “let that person be to you as a sinner, a lost person” (Matthew 18:17). But listen to me –

Perhaps the fault is YOURS. If it is, then YOU must repent.

It is the Word of God and the Spirit of God that establishes right and wrong – not what we think or feel. Finally, “LOVE” – based on what our God has done,

Love is sacrificial. It is self denying, and God honoring. God did not relish surrendering His Son Jesus to the Cross, but in love offered His Son to all. Jesus did not relish going to the Cross. He prayed three times in Gethsemane that “this cup pass from Me” (Matthew 26:39). Jesus went anyway. As believers, we “turn the other cheek” (Matthew 5:39), taking the pain and shame of the blow, even if unjustified. We love anyway. We do not justify the sin, but we forgive as God forgives.

Paul’s Prayer For The Church

Paul commends the Church at Ephesus for its love, even in the midst of that present darkness. He says:

Ephesians 1:16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;

In the midst of this spiritual warfare, Paul lifted up the Church by being THANKFUL and PRAYERFUL. This should be our attitude. The Bible says:

1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 (NKJV) Rejoice always, [17] pray without ceasing, [18] in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. [19] Do not quench the Spirit.

Paul rejoiced over the Church. He prayed without ceasing for the Church. We come together to REJOICE ALWAYS. We are children of the King. We are New Creatures in Christ. We have access to the Father. We can “PRAY WITHOUT CEASING” because God is there, He is never asleep. We have a salvation we do not deserve, and a love we did not earn. There was a song that I learned from my brother in Christ Andre Crouch. Listen to this:

I don’t know why Jesus loves me,
I don’t know why He cares.
I don’t know why He sacrificed His life,
Oh, but I’m glad. I’m glad He did.

Where would I be if Jesus didn’t love me?
Where would I be if Jesus didn’t care?
Where would I be, if He didn’t sacrifice His life,
Oh, but I’m glad. I’m glad He did.

He left His mighty Throne in glory,
To bring to us redemption’s story,
Then He died, but He rose again, just for me,
Oh and I’m glad, I’m glad He did.
So glad He did.

Paul prayed for the Church:

Ephesians 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him

In the King James, the word “Spirit” is NOT capitalized – and it should be. The word “SPIRIT” is the Greek pneuma, which is used to describe the Holy Spirit (111x), the Holy Ghost (89x), the Spirit of God (13x), the Spirit of Truth (3x), and the Spirit of Christ (2x). In other words, the “SPIRIT” that Paul is praying the Father will give the Church is the Presence of the Holy Spirit.

Now let me clarify this. The Holy Spirit is the active Member of the Godhead in our salvation. When you REPENT and CALL ON JESUS, believing Him as Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit causes you to be BORN AGAIN. Jesus said:

John 3:5-7 (ESV) Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. [6] That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. [7] Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.‘

A Christian is a Christian, a son of God, because that person is born into the Kingdom through the Holy Spirit of God. You are not only “born again” into the Kingdom of God, but you are “sealed” by the Spirit

Ephesians 4:29-30 (ESV) Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. [30] And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

The Holy Spirit indwells the believer. Jesus called Him a “Comforter” or an “Advocate”:

John 14:16-17 (KJV) And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; [17] [Even] the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

The Holy Spirit lives inside of every believer. He made you, and stays with you. HOWEVER, go back to Ephesians 4:29-30 , “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. [30] And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God”

When we get away from the Word of God and begin to follow our own word, a corrupting word, a man centered word, we “GRIEVE THE HOLY SPIRIT”. The Holy Spirit indwells us so that He might teach us about Jesus.

John 14:26 (KJV) But the Comforter, [which is] the Holy Spirit}, whom the Father will send in my name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

That’s what Paul is praying for the Church. Read it again:

Ephesians 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him

The Bible says that we can grieve or quench the Holy Spirit by our sinful actions. The enemy cannot defeat us – but WE can defeat us. When we get away from the written Word, the Bible; when we get away from learning to be like Jesus – the devil rejoices.

The power of the Christian is in Christ, in being like Him, in obeying Him. Sin throttles the Holy Spirit, robbing us of joy in our salvation. We need to focus on being in Christ, IN CHRIST, not in the flesh.

Ephesians 1:18-20 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, 20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,

The Church has “exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe”. The Church focused on Christ cannot be defeated. The Father raised Christ from the dead. The Father set His Son on His right hand. When we believe on His Son, and are subsequently born again, sealed, indwelt, and filled by the Spirit we are bound to a Power unimaginable.

The Church that follows Jesus is HEADED UP by Jesus. And Jesus has a name that is above every Name. The last three verses of this chapter says:

Ephesians 1:21-23 {Jesus is} Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: 22 And {the Father} hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the Head over all things to the Church, 23 Which is His body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all.

There is no one greater than Jesus. The Church submitted to Jesus, the Church that will not grieve nor quench the Spirit (Ephesians 4:30; 1 Thessalonians 5:19) is greater than any enemy that may come against us. When the Church belongs to Jesus, the Church will stand.

May Christ touch your hearts with His Word! Amen.