SHOWCASING YOUR CHRISTIAN FAITH- PART I
In our series on A Pathway to
Christian Living, we have been studying the letter of the Apostle Paul to
the Ephesian believers. We have divided this letter into three sections: Our
position in Christ Ch (1:1-3:21). We looked at how God chose us from
the foundation of this world and adopted us into His family through Christ
Jesus our Lord. He raised us with Christ and seated us in the heavenly realms
(2:6).
We discovered that Christ had
reconciled both Jews and Gentiles and made them one in God’s big family by
breaking down the wall of hostility that existed between these two groups. So,
we can approach our heavenly father through faith with freedom and confidence.
We learned that prayer strengthens our inner being and lets us experience God’s
deep love for us.
All this is God’s doing for us, and
we can do nothing to earn salvation except to trust and rest in His redemptive
work completely. It doesn’t mean we have nothing else to do except wait for
Christ to return to the earth and take us to heaven. While we await His return,
we have work to do. That’s what the following chapters talk about. It is Our
Life in the World (Ch 4:1-6:9).
Our Christian living consists of
maintaining the right relationships. They are our relationship with God,
ourselves, one another in the body of Christ (the Church), and the world.
Today, we will learn how we relate with our brothers and sisters in the body of
Christ. What qualities will we exhibit when we fellowship with our fellow
believers? What helps us to maintain healthy and meaningful relationships in
the Church and the world? Ephesians 4:1-6
Paul addressed the prejudice of
many Jewish believers against the Gentile believers in the Church. They thought
the Gentile believers should not call themselves followers of the Messiah
unless they were first circumcised and obedient to the law of Moses. Jews
considered themselves as superior to the Gentiles. However, Paul taught them
that they should view the Gentile believers as their brothers in Christ, as
members of God’s family on an equal footing.
The truth we must grasp is that
Jesus transcends all our cultural barriers and prejudices. The Apostle Paul called out to the Ephesian believers not
just to sit idle in their position of being seated with Christ in the heavenly
places but to live in the world a life worthy of the calling they have
received. In contemporary language, Paul might say, Showcase Your
Christian Faith.
The verb showcasing means to
exhibit or display. It is to show the best qualities or parts of something. When
we showcase our Christian faith, we fully view our core inner christian virtues
of love, mercy, humility, Patience, gentleness, and forgiveness for the word to
see. Paul shows four ways to showcase your Christian faith in Ephesians
4:1-6.
Vs.1-2, “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.” Pause and reflect on what Paul is saying! He
is urging us to walk in a manner worthy of the calling we have been called.
That walking landed Paul in prison. When we decide to walk as Christians in
this world, we, too, might end up in prison, but it is worth it. Paul
encourages us to showcase four Christ-like qualities in these verses.
1.
You showcase your Christian faith through humility.
Vs. 2. “Be completely humble and
gentle.” These Christ-like core values are countercultural during Paul’s time
and even more so in our times. Let’s talk about them one by one—first, humility.
The dictionary definition of humility is a modest or low view of one’s own
importance. Our culture admires proud people who show confidence in their
ability and put others down. It looks down on or disregards the humble, saying
they are weak and incompetent. But the scriptures teach us differently.
We learned in James, “God opposes
the proud but shows favor to the humble grace to the humble.” (James 4:6). God
will exalt the humble (Lk 18:14). If you want to see humility and learn to walk
in humility, look Jesus our savior.
Philippians 2:5-11, “In your
relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who,
being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be
used to his advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very
nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a
man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross!
Therefore,
God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every
name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth
and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to
the glory of God the Father.” If Jesus Christ, the son of God, humbled himself,
how about us?
As the world perceives, meekness is
not a weakness. It is the strength of God’s people. James 4:10, “Humble
yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” Do you want to grow in
wisdom and God to care for you? Be humble. (Prov 11:2, Isaiah 66:2). God
doesn’t require much from you. Micah 6:8, “He has shown you, O mortal, what is
good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and, to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with your God.”
In this world, people boast and brag
about what they have and can do. But God’s children are called to walk on the
narrow path of the cross and the crucified, which will lead to heaven. Living
humbly before God, the Creator and the Ruler of all things, will prepare you to
live joyfully under God’s mighty hand, providing all you need and sustaining
you in times of trouble.
2.
You showcase your Christian faith through gentleness.
We showcase our Christian faith by
being completely humble and gentle. Humility and gentleness go hand in hand.
Humble people are often gentle; gentleness helps us to walk and remain humble.
We don’t frequently see humble and gentle people; they are rare, but when we do
find them, it is refreshing to be around them, and we would be wise to learn
from them.
What is the opposite of Gentleness?
Rudeness, disrespectfulness, aggressiveness, brutality, crudeness, vulgarity,
etc. Gentleness is defined in the dictionary as “the quality of being kind,
tender, or mild-mannered, softness.” Over two thousand years ago, the Apostle
Paul predicted that there would be difficult times in the end times.
II Tim 3:1-5, “People will be lovers
of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their
parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without
self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited,
lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God having a form of godliness but
denying its power.”
Are we seeing these kinds of people
these days? What does that indicate? Given the Lord’s imminent return, how will
we live as Christians? First of all, as Paul would say, we would have nothing
to do with such arrogant and rude people. Col 3:12, “Therefore, as God’s chosen
people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness,
humility, gentleness, and patience.” The scriptures talk a lot about
gentleness:
“Let your gentleness be evident to
all, (Phi 4:5). Titus 3:2, “to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate,
and always to be gentle toward everyone.” “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but
a harsh word stirs up anger.” Pro 15:1. “Gentle words are a tree of life; a
deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.” Pro 15:4. There is so much conflict in
this world. Dealing gently with others brings peace, demonstrating that we are
followers of Christ. If you want to be completely humble and gentle, learn from
Jesus, who is humble and gentle at heart. Matt 11:29.
How are we to exhibit humility and
gentleness? Stop bragging and boasting about your greatness. Instead, let
someone else praise you. If you are given to anger, restrain yourself from
speaking or acting rashly. We will look at the other two virtues of Patience
and bearing one another in love next week. For now, let’s go out and be
completely humble and gentle.
