Thoughts From Ephesians 5 - Part 1

 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.   Eph. 5:3-5

        I've been watching a medieval show on TV which I don't want to mention the name because Christians probably shouldn't watch it, but it has great truths to glean from it. Recently, the queen doesn't want to be forced into an arranged marriage and doesn't want her son to marry a certain woman so in the fashion of the "Dark ages" when the crown and church were the joint powers to be reckoned with, she empowers the "church" to meet out judgement on sinners and her prospective husband and daughter-in-law are imprisoned for their sins. The problem is that the church then imprisons her because the queen is the worst of sinners. 

       The point is, if we were to be judged for our sins, we would all be found guilty. I've never done a Catholic confessional, but I've seen the dramatized versions. They always start out, "Father forgive me for I have sinned. I've had impure thoughts." That's an easy one to confess because we all do. That's sort of like when you call on someone to pray, they always start out, "Dear God, thank you for this day." It's like getting warmed up. Yet Paul says that sexual immorality and impurity which in the sermon on the mount both violate the 7th commandment, is not to be found among God's people. Fortunately, we don't have to be imprisoned for our sins, Jesus took the punishment and "there is therefore now no condemnation", however, shouldn't we be living differently now? The answer is yes. People have described our new state as not being sinless but sinning less. Our lusts, conversations, desires for more and more wealth should continually be tamed. Just like we said with anger, we shouldn't be known as angry people. Likewise, we should never be described as impure, immoral, crude, greedy people, but rather God-fearing and thankful people.

         Two guys at work are best friends so much so that they joke about being in love. The Olympics were on and I sent them this picture about their relationship

   They laughed and thought it was funny and shows them that even though I'm a Christian, I can relate and have a good time with them. However, this is what Paul is warning against. This is impurity and sexual immorality and coarse joking. I'm laughing at something God hates. I don't want to be known for this. Hey, I'm not sinless but I want to sin less. Lord help me. What about you?

Thoughts From Ephesians 4 - Part 9

 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.  Eph.4:30-5:2

               In this passage I see three ways to become more Christ-like or three ways to stop sinning and live a life that God would be proud of. First is to allow the Holy Spirit, who we've been given at salvation and is with us until we pass through the gates of Heaven, to transform us. The Sheep and Goats parable in Matthew is so often misunderstood especially by Catholics who claim salvation is faith plus works. When we stand before the Lord someday and He appears to judge whether we pass through the pearly gates or go to Hell, it appears from the parable that He judges what we do. My contention is that He already has separated us into two categories - sheep (saved) and goats (damned). You don't have to be head butted by a goat to know it's a goat. It's clearly a goat before it does anything. We were goats until the Holy Spirit came inside and now, we are a new creation - sheep, and sheep act like sheep. We are born again of the Holy Spirit, transformed from goats to sheep. My friend, Alex, who lived in the country said that every day as he would drive by a goat herd, he would lay on his horn. He said all the young goats would instantly fall over on their sides and play dead. The older ones didn't because they had matured out of that. I know I'm mixing metaphors with sheep and goats, but you catch my drift. We will change our behavior automatically as we mature in Christ.

          That is intrinsic growth, but what can we practically do to change? Secondly Paul says don't grieve the Holy Spirit by our actions. Growing up, I would occasionally do things that would be reported to my parents. Once I got a job to distribute flyers to doors advertising a sale at the local department store. I was given 500 and I would get 2 cents for everyone I passed out. That was an easy $10, so I thought. Have you ever trick- or- treated? 100 houses is quite a feat, and I soon realized that 500 houses would be a major undertaking. Being the sinful lad I was, I started leaving 3 or 4 flyers at each house. Someone called and reported it to the department store (who does that? God always kept me on a short leash) and called my dad who was grieved by my behavior. The last thing I wanted to do was grieve my dad. I wanted him to be proud of me. I'd like to say I was honest from then on, but this helped me to increase in honesty. We should want our Heavenly Father to be proud of us and not grieve Him with our sins.

        Lastly, just as in the parable of the unforgiving debtor, if we truly realize God's grace and mercy to us, if we really understand His forgiveness, if we grasp His love for us, to not show grace and mercy to others, to hold contempt, anger, rage against someone without offering forgiveness, to withhold love from the undeserving, shows that we just don't get it. As we understand the gospel, to not act like Christ is shameful. There is a Curb Your Enthusiasm episode where Larry holds open the door to the doctor's office out of courtesy to the person behind him, and then the ensuing fight with the person who signs in before him, so Larry has to wait. The comedy is that we deep down know that if we are shown courtesy, it is only right to return that courtesy. Likewise, after all that Christ has done for us, it is only right to return that goodness.

         Let's continue to become more like Jesus. Two steps forward, one step backward day by day, week by week, month by month, year by year.

Thoughts From Ephesians 4 - Part 8

  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.  Eph. 4:29

 

           This was our family vacation trip verse. We had all the kids memorize it and quote it before we left home. We had our four kids aged 7,10,12, and 14 memorize it because 11-hour trips in the conversion van to Florida would bring out the worst in them. My kids made me a one-point Calvinist - I was convinced of the total depravity of man. We would sit at the restaurant table, which none of them could agree on which restaurant to go to, and have them take turns going around the table and say one nice thing about their siblings and they couldn't do it. It would end up being, "His breath doesn't smell as bad as it usually does", or something like that. Anyone with kids, especially boys, probably can relate. We would have them wear rubber bands around their wrists and every time they said something that cut another person down, they would have to snap their own wrists.

         Fortunately, it was just a phase, and they don't do that anymore, but it illustrates an inherent flaw in all of us that we need to learn how do delete or at least suppress if we want to be Christ-like. Our default mode or sin nature is to tear people down verbally to build ourselves up. As I've said before, repentance is turning from worshipping ourselves to worshipping God. Part of worshipping self is making sure that the king, me, is not threatened, so we put down people that threaten our superiority. Isn't it amazing that when a small group of people get together, they start cutting down the people that aren't there. Anytime we notice ourselves doing that we need to "snap ourselves" and reverse the direction of the conversation. Say something that builds that person up and then say to someone in the group, "And I see that quality in you, too." Pretty soon everyone will be crying and hugging because saying something that builds a person up is so foreign to us.

         When I came to Memphis, after a tough closing of my 37-year practice, I was pretty beat down. The Doctor in charge of the program kept complementing me on what a good doctor I was, what a role model I was, how much everyone loved me, and how much they wanted me here. Every time I got one of those calls or texts, I would nearly or more than nearly break down in tears because I needed it so badly. Frankly, once I signed the contract, the building up words are much less (was I manipulated, ha) but I still go back to those as life-giving words. How many people will you run into today that are craving life-giving words. Take this verse to heart and build someone up today.

Thoughts From Ephesians 4 - Part 7

  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. Eph. 4:28

        The second part of this verse tells us deep truths about working. First of all, we must work. Living at home in your parents' basement playing video games isn't acceptable (unless you are making money doing it) Long-term collecting unemployment isn't acceptable. Begging and stealing aren't acceptable. I helped out at a food ministry where people would come in and get free food supplies once a month. I was part of the counseling group. We would take them in another room, share the gospel and ask if they had any prayer requests and pray with them. I finally quit because half the prayer requests were that their unemployment would get extended or they would qualify for disability. As John Crist would say, "I a'int prayin' for that."

        Secondly, we work not only so we can meet our needs and our families' needs, but we also work to have enough to share with others who are in need. My financial planner says I could retire and live well off my/our retirement plan. Ignoring the fact that I still enjoy my work and feel like it is my ministry, and I'm "doing something useful with my hands" (delivered 5 babies last night) - working enables us to give over $50,000/year to Christian ministries, not to mention $60,000/year to the government to make my country run. If I quit working, both those numbers probably drop by %75. Working enables me to share in a significant way with those who need help.

        Lastly, one comment about capitalism vs. socialism or big government. I believe technically the Bible teaches capitalism or as I understand it, if you encourage and facilitate businesses and individuals to get rich, this opens up more opportunities for people to get jobs and work and not be lazy. Also, the wealthy would be generous and support the less fortunate so that the government doesn't have to. Big government teaches people are taxed proportionately to their wealth and then the government meets poor people's needs. The problem with this is that it doesn't encourage working or award hard working. It doesn't encourage selfless giving or sharing - you just let the government do it. 

      I said the Bible technically leans to capitalism, but practically big government is probably more effective because of the sinfulness of man and the allure of money. Studies show that the more one makes, the less he proportionately gives. Because of man's sin nature, the poor's needs would go unmet in pure capitalism and that's why big government fulfills the "social justice" pleas and commands in the Bible. In other words, God commanded us to take care of the poor, widows, orphans, aliens in our midst but we don't so the government has to. I know it's an unpopular view in the MAGA/ right leaning/Republican environment of the Church but nevertheless I believe it's true.

Thoughts From Ephesians 4 - Part 6

  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. Eph. 4:28

        Initially this verse jumps out at us as a New Testament reiteration of the 8th Commandment. All of the 10 commandments are re-given in the New Testament except the 4th - to keep the Sabbath.

1. Do not worship other gods - 1Cor.8:6, 1 Tim. 2:5

2. Do not make idols - 1 John 5:21

3. Do not misuse the name of the Lord - 1Tim. 6:1

5. Honor your father and mother - Eph. 6:1-2

6. Do not murder - Rom. 13:9, 1 Pet. 4:15

7. Do not commit adultery - 1Cor. 6:9-10

9. Don't give false testimony - Rev. 21:8

10. Don't covet - Col. 3:5

          The Law is usually divided into two parts; love God (1-4) and love your neighbor (5-10). If you are taking from your neighbor what belongs to him, that is stealing and if we do it, we are showing that we consider ourselves more important than that person, a clear violation of love. But how should we react if it's done to us? Partly with short lived righteous indignation against evil as we saw in the previous verses, the normal reaction to living in a sinful world. It should make us long for a Heavenly country where sin doesn't exist. One of the ways that we can let anger quickly dissipate is by remembering that it is technically impossible to steal from us because we don't own anything - it all belongs to God. Our treasures are being "stored up in Heaven where moth and rust don't corrupt and where thieves don't break in and steal." When people steal, they are stealing from God and rather than be angry, we should pity them because Paul says in 1 Cor.6:10 that God will judge them and they won't be in Heaven. People object to God being a vengeful God, but if not for that, it would be hard to keep from becoming a hateful, angry person. Now we can focus on love and forgiveness, grace and mercy.

         The second part of this verse has so many ramifications that I think I'll wait until tomorrow to cover it. Ponder it in the meantime.

Thoughts From Ephesians 4 - Part 5

 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26 “In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. Eph. 4:25-26

         Paul starts out with "therefore" and I believe that he is going to relate the next series of thought to the fact that since we are no longer slaves to Satan, self, sin but rather slaves to Christ, here is how slaves of Christ should behave. My grandson, who does not conform to the cloning of middle-schoolers, was somewhat ostracized in public school and occasionally bullied. This led his parents to finding a private school that attracts students that don't fit into the collective mold. They have certain mottos that they say at the beginning of every school assembly. They are:

• trustworthiness: to act in a manner that makes one worthy of trust and confidence
• truthfulness: to be honest about things and feelings with oneself and others
• active listening: to listen with the intention of understanding what the speaker intends to communicate
• no put-downs: to never use words, actions, or body language that degrade, humiliate, or dishonor others
• personal best: to do one’s best given the circumstances and available resources
• Along with this, they are encouraged to wear the school colors though they don't have a school uniform per se. In other words, if you are to belong to this school body, this is how you should behave. If we belong to Christ, Paul is about to tell us, this is how we should look.
•          Paul starts out with truthfulness. As believers we should be able to say, like Christopher Reeve in Superman, "Lois, I never lie." Jesus said, I am the way, the truth..." Satan is said to be the father of lies in John 8. God's word, the Bible, is said to be truth. If we are going to represent Him, we can't spread falsehood. Make sure that every fact that you post or repost or like on social media is true. If you find out it isn't consider blocking that person because you don't know in the future if you can trust what they post.
•          Secondly, he says that anger is to be monitored closely. He doesn't say that being angry is a sin which somewhat surprises me. There appears to be a righteous anger like Jesus had in the temple. He was angry especially at "religious people", as we recently talked about, feeding spiritual babies toxic food. I'm forever wanting to give my grandchildren ice cream before their 1st birthday because they would love it so much. My children tell me, no, they can't have dairy products until they are 12 months, so I wait. I'm pretty sure my kids would be angry with me if I did and they would be justified. But then what does Paul say? "Don't let the sun go down on it." What does he mean? We quite often use this verse in marriage as a principle saying that if you get in a fight with your spouse, settle it soon - don't let it stew. However, it probably isn't talking about marriage because rarely is it righteous anger. Fights in marriage usually stem from selfishness and pride no matter how much we try to convince ourselves that we are righteously indignant. Paul is saying that although someone is hurting the body of Christ and we confront it, afterward, don't let that anger marinate. Don't become an angry person. Boy are there a lot of Christians out there currently that I would consider angry people. They aren't wearing "the school uniform."
•           So, don't be a spreader of falsehood and don't be an angry person. I'm pretty sure he is talking about Christians on Twitter and Facebook 2000 years before they even existed. See how relevant the Bible is!

Thoughts From Ephesians 4 - Part 4

 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. 18 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. 19 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.20 That, however, is not the way of life you learned 21 when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 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; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Eph. 4:17-24

          If God is so great, if the gospel is good news, if we get the opportunity to live forever in Heaven, why doesn't everyone accept that offer? Paul gets at that here. To surrender to Christ means to give up control of their lives and autonomy or control or freedom to make one's own choices is built in all of us in our nature. I was going to say sin nature but didn't the serpent appeal to that in Eve, even before sin?

       I'm unashamedly pro-life. I'd like to say that it's a rational decision based on the fact that I saw 20 babies a day for 37 years in my office with an ultrasound, moving punching stretching making breathing movements with a beating heart, and I know they were alive. Being a former fetus, they were me. To me, ending those pregnancies would be taking a life. That's why I vote Republican, even when the choices aren't good, because I have yet to meet a pro-life democrat candidate. I recently posted on Facebook a response to why anyone would vote for Trump the racist (even though I didn't but wrote in a truly pro-life candidate), and stated why I would. A person responded that she too is pro-life, but she sees women's rights as paramount. I didn't respond because I'm not going to hijack someone's post to get in an argument that no one will win on Facebook, but can you see what Paul is saying here? The desire for freedom or autonomy makes someone think that's more important than the life of a helpless, innocent baby. That is the definition of "futility of thinking." And people's hearts are so hardened you can't even reason with them. You can't tell them, but half those babies are women - what about their rights. You can't show them a video of a baby being sucked out of the mom's womb. Nothing will change their minds. They have lost all sensitivity.

       Likewise with the gospel. Leading a youth group, when one teen started drifting away in both their attendance and their orthodox beliefs like the Bible is the word of God and as true today as it was 2000 years ago, the reason for the drifting was sensuality. They desired to go against God's authority in areas of sexuality and do what their flesh and "freedom" (Eph.2 tells us that the unsaved aren't free but controlled by Satan) tells them to do.

       Bob Dylan, who once claimed to be a Christian but was a fraud, wrote "You gotta' serve someone. It might be the Devil, it might be the Lord but you gotta' serve someone." I've been watching Game of Thrones (fast forwarding through the nudity and sex scenes and there are a lot) and the Dragon Queen, in her path to obtaining the Iron throne, is going through city by city freeing enslaved people by killing off the tyrannical leaders that are enslaving them and saying, "You are now free, you can go, do, be whoever and whatever and wherever you want to be." What do the throngs do? They all bow down to her and pledge to serve and follow her. You see, Hollywood knows Bob Dylan's song is true. What she is doing is a picture of what God has done except He is good and I sense she is just as evil as all the ones she deposed. God has defeated the Devil who has us enslaved and made us free. Out of gratitude for that, our natural response is, "I want to serve You." The problem is that Satan has put us in chains that appeal to what's inside of us - desires and lusts, and mankind can't see the chains but think they are free. This is why Salvation requires the Holy Spirit intervening and opening their eyes to see the chains and futility of their thinking.

      Let's pray for revival, a move of the Holy spirit to open mankind's eyes to the beauty of following and serving Christ and the reality of their enslavement by Satan.