Ephesians 4

Paul desired that the Ephesians walked worthy of their calling (purpose). This was an example of "1" - the individual's uniqueness, but the sentence continued...

This was an example of "2" - the fellowship (exchange in love) between two individuals according to their uniqueness. Walking worthy meant in humility and love and by the Spirit. Peace was not lack of activity. Peace was like "harmony" which was the coordination between two sources. Peace could be seen as an example of "2" behavior.

This sentence was an example of "3" - the entire community as a whole, as one. The first two sentences of Paul's explanation of the mystery began with a "1-2-3."

This sentence began setting the context for the first half of the Meaning of Life: The Church. Each individual was given direction from the Holy Spirit according to the "gift of Christ." Next, Paul explained in more detail about these "gifts."

Paul referenced Psalm 68:18.

Jesus descended into the "lower parts of the earth" (Abraham's bosom - Luke 16:19-31) and then ascended (at Pentecost) so that He would fill all things, which involved giving gifts to men (via the Holy Spirit). What followed was a very long sentence that was half of the Meaning of Life, in detail.

The Church is given the following gifts via the Holy Spirit:

• apostles,
• prophets,
• evangelists,
• pastors, and
• teachers.

Remember, Paul stated the Church was built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets, which were the first two gifts that Paul mentioned. These five gifts, often referred to as the Five Fold Ministry, were the Positional Spiritual Gifts. Different from the Motivational Spiritual Gifts (Romans 12) and the Manifestational Spiritual Gifts (1 Corinthians 12). Everyone has specific motivational gifts they are in control of and can even use to destruction. These gifts never change for the individual because they are the Being (Mind/Soul) of the individual. Any of the Manifestational Spiritual Gifts are able to be done by anyone who is open to the Holy Spirit because these gifts are initiated by the Holy Spirit. Some people have one of the positional gifts mentioned in verse 11. While the gift requires the Holy Spirit to work through the gift, the person holding a positional gift can initiate the gift. For example, any believer can manifest a prophetic word if they are open to the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit initiates this through the person (Manifestational Spiritual Gift). However, a person with the Positional Spiritual Gift of prophet would be able to intentionally get a prophetic word from God via the Holy Spirit.

Verse 12 was the purpose of the Positional Spiritual Gifts. Notice, verse 11 was an example of a "1" - the individual's uniqueness. Verse 12 gave two examples of a "2" - the fellowship (exchange in love) between two individuals according to their uniqueness. The third part of verse 12 was an example of a "3" - the entire community as a whole, the body of Christ which was the Church. Jesus gave these specific gifts to the Church so that individuals would be matured by serving each other so that the entire Church would be built up. How long would the Church need these gifts?

We need these gifts until the Church is unified, fully matured in knowledge until we are equal to Christ! This was a tough verse until one remembered that if Christ is going to marry the Bride, why would Christ marry someone who was not His equal? This was a general measure from Paul, however, Paul continued to give specific measures.

We will need these gifts until we are no longer acting like children who are unstable when it comes to Doctrine and interactions with deceivers. Verses 13 and 14 were examples of "1" - the individual.

Verse 15 began with our job description in eternity: speaking truth in love.

• First, "speaking" meant words. Words are important.
• Second, truth is a right WHAT with a right HOW/WHY...which creates.
• Third, love is an exchange that is the ultimate in profitability.

Paul went into detail about the importance of love leading to profitability in 1 Corinthians 13. We will spend eternity speaking truth in love to each other. This is the ultimate example of "2" - the fellowship (exchange in love) between two individuals according to their uniqueness. The goal is for all of us growing up into Jesus who is the Head of the Body (Church). Again, this was an example of "3" - the community as a whole.

Paul concluded this Meaning of Life sentence with a "3-2-1," then "1-3-2":

3: "all the body"

2: "fitly framed together and knit together"

1: "which every joint supplieth"

Then, 1: "according to the working in due measure of each several part"

3: "maketh increase of the body unto the building up of itself"

2: "in love"

Half of the Meaning of Life is the Bride/Church, which is the new Jerusalem. The Bride will be made up of all of us who will be in the part of the Body we were designed for, so that we speak the truth in love to the other parts we are joined to, with the overall result being the building up of the Body for eternity.

A lot of people think heaven/the new Jerusalem is a HAVE (possession) or a DO (activity):

• HAVE example: "I can't wait until I have a Cadillac in heaven."
• DO example: "I can't wait until I can play golf every day in heaven."

Some people see church today as the same thing:

• HAVE example: "We have a big building."
• DO example: "I like singing in the choir."

Eternity with Christ is about an ARE, it's about fellowship, sharing, speaking truth in love to each other. Churches today ought to have the same focus. Possessions and activities cannot increase in eternity. Fellowship and love can continually increase in eternity. Love can result in more in eternity because God's mercy will endure. When you give to me and do not expect anything in return, you are owed. If God's mercy ceased in eternity, He would equal this out immediately. However, because God's mercy continues, I would feel compelled to pay you back. If I paid you back according to uniqueness, then something that cost me little would be valued by you as more, especially if God put us together in the Body because our uniquenesses are mutually profitable. My giving you something I valued little and you valued a lot will cause you to give me something you value a lot, and that I value enormously. This exchange could continue into eternity and always result in more.

Paul concluded half of the Meaning of Life in verse 16. Verse 17 began a very powerful contrast with two earlier verses. Verse 17 set the stage: Paul spoke of not making progress in the worldly ways of the unbelievers.

Verse 17 ended with "in the vanity of their mind." Reread from that phrase through verse 18 to get the full effect. Paul stated the cause of unbelievers making progress in the world was the vanity (pride) of their Mind/Soul. The Greek word for understanding in verse 18 was dianoia. It was composed of two Greek words that meant "the channel through which the Mind/Soul operates," which is the conscious brain! The word brain is a relatively new word and was created more than a thousand years after the New Testament was written.

The effects were a darkened conscious brain leading to ignorance, alienated from the life of God, and hardening their heart (which would be an effect). Now look at Ephesians 1:18 which spoke of the benefits of being guided by the Holy Spirit: "having the eyes of your heart/understanding enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints."

The word understanding was also dianoia. The effects of being guided by the Holy Spirit were a conscious brain that worked well: not being ignorant of the hope of God's calling, linked to God to the point of experiencing the riches, and having a heart that was enlightened as an effect. The Mind/Soul and the Holy Spirit need to be in agreement (which is living in the Spirit) and then it needs to come out through the flesh (conscious brain) which is walking in the Spirit.

Paul stated these people were past emotions and gave themselves up to lasciviousness (dirty behavior), and then gave an extreme measure: all uncleanness with greediness. Paul stated that people who made progress (walked) according to the world were past emotions and did all uncleanness to the greatest amount, where the person was always actively looking to do more uncleanness.

Now look at Ephesians 3:20 which was Paul's concluding point about God before he began explaining the mystery in detail in this chapter: "Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us."

Regardless of what we thought or asked (and the emotion involved) God is able through the Holy Spirit to do exceeding abundantly above all that we think or ask. The world works all uncleanness with greediness, while God through the Holy Spirit is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we think or ask.

This showed that all the spiritual benefits we will experience in eternity were available to us now!

Paul blatantly stated the ways of the people walking according to the world were not something that Christ taught people to do. Christ taught the opposite: walking in the Spirit.

Paul contrasted the amount of truth we were taught from Jesus was the same amount that we ought to put away our former sinful life. Notice, Paul stated we should "put away" this old life that we were married to and...

Paul told believers to renew their Mind/Soul. This is done by pursuing growth through embracing the principles of non-contradiction, causality, and contrastive thinking.

Paul told believers to "put on" the new man which was an effect of God flowing through us.

Here was another "1-2-3" example:

1. The individual ought to put away falsehood, so that

2. we exchange with each other (speaking the truth in love) because

3. we are one in the Body of the Bride.

Paul said we could be angry, but we should not sin. Notice, Paul did not say, "don't be angry"...that would have denied our emotions. However, Paul said not to let the sun go down on your wrath. When we sleep, our brain changes: either for the better or the worse. This advice was trying to prevent a person from changing his brain for the worse. Letting your wrath solidify a place in your brain is creating a stronghold for the enemy. Paul covered this in 2 Corinthians 10. A stronghold is a place of resources for the enemy within our territory, which would be giving the devil a place within our brain. Having the enemy in your flesh (conscious brain) can limit your ability to walk in the Spirit which Paul covered in Romans 7.

Paul contrasted stealing with working so that the individual was able to supply to those other parts of the body/church that were in need.

Paul contrasted corrupt speech with our job description in the Bride: speaking the truth in love. We can administer grace unto others. This happens when the Holy Spirit works through us towards another person.

Believers are sealed until the day of redemption (Judgment Day). Then, the body of Christ will no longer be "engaged" to Jesus, but married to Him. Paul concluded this half of the Meaning of Life explanation contrasting the specific actions that ought to be "put away" with the specific actions that we ought to exhibit to each other.

Theme of Chapter 4: Paul presented Half of the Meaning of Life concerning The Bride/Church, which is the new Jerusalem. The Bride will be made up of all of us who will be in the part of the Body we were designed for, so that we speak the truth in love to the other parts we are joined to, with the overall result being the building up of the Body for eternity. Next, Paul covered the other Half of the Meaning of Life.