This is the second episode in Series 2, and it follows on very closely from the first episode, which I hope many of you will have listened to. Paul gives a practical explanation of how the church works well.

Recap and Background

In the first episode, he focussed mainly on leadership.

Two key verses, which we looked at in some detail, were Ephesians 4: 11 - 12 “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up,”. This is a central idea for Paul. When he talked about the Apostles, he was thinking of the first-generation Apostles who actually met Christ, experienced his resurrection and were called by him to a unique, foundational role. In Ephesians 2:20

Paul said that the church is ‘built on the foundations of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus as the chief cornerstone.’ It is built on the foundation laid in that first generation. Paul is now at the end of that first generation of the life of the Church. The Church started in roughly 30 A.D. and Paul was speaking 30 years later. One or two of the Apostles had died. Many of them were still working. They were becoming older and had travelled to many different places. They laid the foundation of the Church, and that foundation has passed on to us through their writings; the Apostles wrote most of the New Testament books and their immediate associates, or friends, wrote a few others - books like Mark, Luke and Acts.

The Church is built primarily by pastors and teachers, who shepherd local churches; by evangelists who keep the Kingdom growing and drawing people in; and by prophets who hear from God to shape the activity of the churches. That was Paul in the last episode topic. In the modern church, there are people like apostles. They are not exactly in the category of Ephesians 4: 11, because Paul is only thinking of the first generation, but there are people who do very similar things in the Church today, who we sometimes call ‘apostles’. They are under the authority of Scripture, but they can build churches and networks, and plant churches in many different places. God’s church is still on the move 2000 years later.

Living the Christian Life

Now Paul addresses the members. The issue in this episode is the fact that in the early church, as in the church today, some people could join the church by simply saying they believed in Jesus and wanted to join the community and get baptised. They joined the church without a significant change of lifestyle; it is easy to put your hand up in a meeting to say, “I want to follow Jesus”, but it is another thing to live like a Christian. Even in the very early days of the Church in Paul’s ministry, there were people like that. Paul wanted to explain to the church members how radical it is to believe in Jesus and how important it is to see that their lives must change.

There are some things they need to get rid of and other things to take up in their lives and to change their behaviour: change the way they related to people; change the things they said, and change their attitudes. A mature church does not only come from having strong and capable leaders at the front, like those leaders described in Ephesians 4:11, it comes when members of the church have been changed by the work of the Holy Spirit, have got rid of all the rubbish of their old life that they had before they became Christians.

The Former Life

“So, I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed. That, however, is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”

Ephesians 4:17-24, NIV

Paul was being quite radical. He insisted that discipleship meant real change in life. What was wrong with the people in Ephesus who weren’t Christians? What was the difference between them and the Christians who were in the church that Paul is writing to?

He described what it is to be outside of Christ in verses 17 to 19. The starting point was hardening of the heart - an inner resistance to the authority of God over your life through the gospel. That is the root problem of sin. The people did not want to lose their independence to do what they wanted and to live their lives the way they wanted. Their hearts were hardened. They became ignorant; they didn’t know the gospel. So many people don’t really know what the gospel is. They may know something about Christianity. They may consider it to be some rules and regulations and rituals, but how many people really know the gospel? There is ignorance. People are separated from the life of God. That is what Paul described in Ephesians 2 as being ‘dead in your sins’. If you studied Series 1 with us in Word Online, you would remember me talking about Paul describing our problem as being ‘dead in our sins’, separated from the life of God, not connected to God, darkened in our understanding and having futile thinking. It is a powerful description of sin.

Something radical happens when we believe in Christ. Quite recently, I attended a baptism service. Two people were being baptised. The first one was a lady who had experienced abuse as a child; had taken drugs; and had been in casual sexual relationships, until she suddenly heard the gospel and believed. The other person being baptised was a man who came from a wealthy background, had a good education, but had lived a very selfish life at university, focusing on drugs, alcohol and women. His life was empty until he met Christ. Both people have changed substantially. There should be a substantial change in our lives when we come to Christ.

Paul couldn’t bear the idea that people could become a member of the church, but nothing changed. Christ calls us to be totally different people. It is a radical change. It is like changing your clothes - putting things off and taking things on. I remember once being called to a meeting with a member of the Government in the British Parliament in Westminster. In order to enter, I had to take off my ordinary clothes, and put on my smartest suit, carefully prepared, with a smart shirt and a tie. I had to take something off and put something on, to be in a different place. That is what it is like with Christian faith. We take off the old life.

Taking off the Old Life

In the next few verses Paul gives some examples, some key things that were common problems of sin in the Ephesians church, in the early church, and of course, in our churches too.

“Therefore, each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbour, for we are all members of one body. ‘In your anger do not sin.’ Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

Ephesians 4:25-29, NIV

Lying.

I had a friend who wanted to become a Christian. His main problem was that he was an habitual liar. ‘I just couldn’t help it’, he said. All his life he had been telling lies to make money. This was a big battle for him to change and become honest.

Anger

Many people who come to Christian faith, come with a lot of anger and bitterness about things that have happened to them in the past. I remember a friend who had been in the British Army. He came to Christ in his fifties. As we got talking and he entered the Christian journey, it became clear that he had seen a number of his fellow soldiers being killed by terrorist groups in his presence. He told me the story of one man who had been shot by a sniper and had bled to death in his arms. As he was telling me this story, there was so much anger and bitterness. He knew that it was time to forgive and to get rid of his anger.

When you are open to anger and you are an angry person, or you have been involved in angry disputes with people, these can cause tremendous damage. Another friend was telling me of two people who were arguing outside their house recently. The argument got worse and worse and neither person was willing to back down. It got worse until it looked as though they were going to fight to the death. Eventually other people came, and they were separated but so much damage was done by that incident. Neither was willing to acknowledge any responsibility afterwards. This is the way we often live, and you experience that in your own culture, in your own situation – arguments, disputes in families, in the marketplace, in business, on the streets, and issues to do with transport around the city.

So many things to argue about. Yet this is something we must deal with, if we are disciples of Jesus.

Theft

Another issue Paul mentions very specifically is stealing. He was very practical here. Some people steal. I have a friend who wants to follow Christ but is still wrestling with the habit of stealing things from other people. If he goes anywhere and sees some money, he will want to steal it. If he goes to a market, he will want to hide some vegetables or fruit, in his pockets or in his bag. I am still talking to him about this issue. He is still struggling. He has been to prison because of it. Stealing can grip us. For some people listening to the teaching in this episode, you will know that this is the word that is speaking to you. Are you stealing from your family, from the nearby farmer, from the marketplace, from your business, stealing money electronically, or stealing goods as they’re travelling along the road? Paul said this has got to stop. This is not part of the Christian life. Interestingly, he said what replaces it is hard work. Stealing gets us products that are valuable, and stealing often gets us money but there is another way to get the products we need to live: work hard. Paul always taught his disciples to work hard, to make money to support their families and so they could share with other people who were in need. Christianity has a very strong view of work. If we can work, and if there is a job to be done, a place to earn money, we should do that, in all circumstances that are legal and moral. That was Paul’s message, and it is still a message to the church today.

Criticism

Finally, he mentioned negative criticism being replaced by positive conversation. I wonder whether you have noticed how powerful a positive conversation is in developing relationships and building community. There are people in every church who focus on encouraging others, saying, ‘Well done, that was really good.’ ‘I like the way you do this.’ ‘I like the way you speak.’ ‘I like the way you bring up your children.’ ‘I want to encourage you.’ ‘I like the way that you’re following God in your life.’ Isn’t that a powerful thing to do? To use our words to encourage others. I find it wonderful when people do that for me and when I go into church meetings, one of the goals I have in every church meeting, is to not leave that meeting without encouraging at least one other person. That is a goal. It is a habit. It is according to the Word of God, and it builds community and relationships.

The Power of Holy Spirit in Us

“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

Ephesians 4:30-32, NIV

We come back to one of Paul’s favourite themes. This is not just about us trying hard to be better people. This is about the work of the Holy Spirit living within us. The way we can judge whether our actions are pleasing to God or not, according to Paul in this context, is what is going on inside us, because the Holy Spirit is living inside us. Amazingly, Paul says, you can “grieve the Holy Spirit”. That tells us that the Holy Spirit is not just a force or a power. The Holy Spirit is not like electricity which is invisible and powerful and can bless you or hurt you and even kill you, but is not a person. The Holy Spirit is God’s power, but he is a person and lives inside you. Paul said that you can actually “grieve the Holy Spirit”. You can damage that personal relationship with the Holy Spirit by some of your actions. Anger, bitterness, negative words, all the things that we have been talking about in this passage.

This is a very powerful way of describing our relationship with God. A few days ago, someone said to me something quite challenging and negative. I was rather surprised. A few minutes later, they came back to me and said, ‘I need to apologise for that. I think I have been grieving the Holy Spirit. I shouldn’t have said what I said in that way.’ That was very remarkable. That was a very Godly person, fulfilling exactly what this passage says, which is listening to the Holy Spirit. When you feel deeply uncomfortable about what you have done, you know that the Holy Spirit is showing you that you are on the wrong path. Your actions are not good. We know what it is like in human relationships when people are grieved. How grieved is a wife when she finds her husband reading or looking at pornography? How grieved is a child, a daughter, when the mother says that she is ugly, and won’t do well in the world and will never find a husband? How grieved is a son when the father says, ‘You’re not as good as your elder brother, and you are never going to make it in life’? We grieve each other. Something is deeply hurt inside in human relationships. Paul said the Holy Spirit can be grieved too and when he is grieved, we need to quickly sort out the issue that is taking place. This is a very challenging and remarkable passage.

Reflections

First, we need to be clear in our thinking and decide to change if there are things in our lives that are not in accordance with the will of God. Make a decision. Put something off, in order to put something else on. If you need help, speak to a friend, or a pastor, or a family member to help you. Remember that Satanic forces try to make your life ineffective as a Christian, and to get a foothold in your life. The main way that happens is through anger, bitterness and unforgiveness, according to Paul’s teaching here.

One of the main issues that often comes up for Christians, in their life in church, is ongoing anger, bitterness and unforgiveness. We must address this radically. We don’t forgive somebody else because they deserve it, or because they have changed, or because they have apologised. None of those things may take place. We forgive others because Christ first forgave us and he forgave us more than anyone else can do against us, because he forgave us all of our sins and took us away from the possibility of going to an eternal judgment and from being judged by God. With that in mind, when other people damage us and hurt us, which they do, and it is real - and that is important to say - we can forgive, and we need to forgive. Otherwise, we give Satanic forces a foothold in our lives and we become ineffective. It says in the Lord’s Prayer, which you can study in more detail in Word Online - The Life of Jesus, Series 4: ‘Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.’ That is our daily prayer. Forgiving people who have injured you is tremendously important to live an effective Christian life.

Thank you for listening and do come back for the next episode where Paul developed this idea by talking about us imitating Christ and imitating God.