EPHESIANS 5 — “WALK IN LOVE, WALK IN LIGHT, WALK IN WISDOM”

 

EPHESIANS 5 —  “WALK IN LOVE, WALK IN LIGHT, WALK IN WISDOM”

 Ephesians 5 is a powerful call to live differently because we belong to Christ. It moves us from knowing Christ to reflecting Christ in our daily lives.

 “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love…”

— Ephesians 5:1–2

 1. JCRC, WALK IN LOVE — NOT JUST IN MINISTRY

Paul says, “Walk in love.”

For us in JCRC, this means our ministry must never become more important than the people God has entrusted to us.

We can preach.

We can evangelize.

We can go to the nations.

We can organize ministries.

We can serve for many years.

But if we lose love, we can become busy for God while becoming distant from God's heart.

  “Lord, don't allow me to serve Your work while losing Your heart.”

Sometimes the hardest place to practice love is not in the mission field.

It can be inside the church.

When someone disappoints us.

When someone misunderstands us.

When someone does not appreciate our sacrifice.

When someone receives a position we wanted.

When someone makes a mistake.

When someone needs correction.

 Ephesians 5 reminds us:

Our standard is not how people treat us. Our standard is how Christ loved us.

 Before we ask, “Is this person doing right?”

we should also ask:

“Am I responding to this person with the heart of Christ?”

Love does not mean ignoring sin.

Love can correct.

Love can confront.

Love can establish boundaries.

Love can discipline.

But even correction should have the goal of restoration and Christlikeness, not humiliation.

 2. JCRC, WALK IN LIGHT — LET EVERYTHING BE BROUGHT INTO THE LIGHT

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.”
— Ephesians 5:8

 We cannot preach light while secretly protecting darkness.

The light of Christ must touch:

·       our personal lives,

·       our relationships,

·       our finances,

·       our leadership,

·       our motives,

·       our conversations,

·       our decisions,

·       our ministry practices.

  “Lord, search me before I try to correct others.”

This connects strongly with 2 Corinthians 13:5:

“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith.”

Before pointing out another person's weakness:

Let Christ examine me first.

Before correcting another person's attitude:

Let Christ correct my attitude.

Before questioning another person's faithfulness:

Let Christ examine my faithfulness.

Before asking whether others are walking in the light:

Ask whether I am walking in the light.

For JCRC: A healthy church is not a church where nobody makes mistakes.

It is a church where people are willing to bring things into the light, receive correction, repent, forgive, restore, and grow.

Light produces accountability.

And accountability protects the body.

 

3. JCRC, WALK IN WISDOM — BE INTENTIONAL WITH WHAT GOD ENTRUSTED TO US

“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time…”
— Ephesians 5:15–16

Walk carefully.

Not carelessly.

Not impulsively.

Not according to emotion.

Not simply because:

“This is how we have always done it.”

But:

“Lord, what is Your wisdom for this?”

For JCRC, wisdom means: (which we must always practice)

Before making decisions: Pray.

Before speaking: Think.

Before correcting: Understand.

Before committing resources: Count the cost.

Before sending people: Prepare them.

Before entering ministry: Check the heart.

Before accepting a teaching: Test it with Scripture.

Before responding to conflict:   Seek God's wisdom rather than reacting emotionally.

 

“I don't want to be merely active for God. I want to be intentional with what God has entrusted to me.”

 4. JCRC, BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT

“Be filled with the Spirit.”
— Ephesians 5:18

 The answer to ministry pressure is not simply:

“Work harder.”

The answer is:

“Be filled with the Spirit.”

Because we can become:

·       spiritually tired,

·       emotionally tired,

·       ministry tired,

·       people tired,

·       mission tired.

And when we are empty inside, we can still look busy outside.

But God does not want JCRC to operate merely through human strength.

 

“Lord, fill me again before I serve again.”

Before the sermon—

be filled.

Before the mission—

be filled.

Before the meeting—

be filled.

Before correction—

be filled.

Before making decisions—

be filled.

Before confronting someone—

be filled.

Before leading others—

be filled.

We cannot continually pour out if we are unwilling to continually receive from God.

 

5. JCRC, OUR UNITY MUST REFLECT CHRIST

Ephesians 5:21 says:

“Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.”

This is important for a growing church.

There will be different:

·       personalities,

·       opinions,

·       gifts,

·       leadership styles,

·       experiences,

·       ministries,

·       generations.

Unity does not mean everyone thinks exactly the same.

Unity means Christ remains greater than our differences.

 

“I don't have to win every argument. Sometimes I need to protect the relationship and the unity of the body.”

Ask:

Am I building unity or creating division?

Am I protecting the body or protecting my pride?

Am I seeking God's will or simply trying to prove that I am right?

 

6. JCRC, LET OUR MINISTRY LOOK LIKE CHRIST

Paul's ultimate example is Christ.

“Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it.”
— Ephesians 5:25

 

Leadership in God's Kingdom is sacrificial.

It is not:

“What can I get from ministry?”

It is:

“What am I willing to give so that others can grow in Christ?”

Jesus gave Himself.

Paul gave himself.

The early church gave themselves.

Therefore, ministry cannot simply be about:

·       position,

·       title,

·       recognition,

·       authority,

·       platform,

·       appreciation.

·        

 “Lord, make me more concerned about people becoming like Christ than about people recognizing me.”

 LET CHRIST BE SEEN IN JCRC

Not merely through our preaching.

Not merely through our missions.

Not merely through our programs.

But through our character, relationships, love, holiness, humility, unity, and obedience.

 

LET US DECLARE:

 

WE WILL WALK IN LOVE.
WE WILL WALK IN LIGHT.
WE WILL WALK IN WISDOM.
WE WILL BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT.
WE WILL PROTECT UNITY.
WE WILL SERVE SACRIFICIALLY.
WE WILL CARRY THE HEART OF CHRIST.

AND WHEREVER GOD SENDS US,
CHRIST WILL BE SEEN IN US.

 

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PASTORA AGNES – JCRC

Ephesians 4: CALLED TO BE PART OF GOD’S DIVINE BUILDING

 

CALLED TO BE PART OF GOD’S DIVINE BUILDING

Ephesians 4:10–16 (ESV)  “He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things. And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Paul has been revealing throughout the previous chapters of this epistle the Mystery that was hidden in ancient times, but which God has now revealed to His apostles through the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 3:5 (ESV) “which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.”

The mystery is that God accomplished everything in Christ Jesus. He is the life, the way, the resurrection. When we are in Him, through the Spirit of God, we become one with Him. This is the entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven: being in Him. We pass: from death to life, from darkness to light, from a carnal nature to a spiritual nature.

This has eternal implications: we are no longer independent beings. We become members of His body, where He is the head and we are the body.

Ephesians 1:20–23 (ESV) “that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”

When we receive Christ as our Savior, we become part of Him, active members of the work of salvation that God planned from eternity. Salvation is not the end—it is the beginning of a new life with one purpose: to participate in the building of the body of Christ, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

1. JESUS APPOINTS SERVANTS  TO BUILD HIS BODY, following what He did when he was in the flesh, Ephesians 4:11–12 (ESV) “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.”

Christ begins a work of perfecting each one of us through the members of His own body. This work is necessary in every believer. If we are not perfected, we cannot participate in the building.

Matthew 28:19–20 (ESV), “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

2. THE BUILDING OF EACH MEMBER BEGINS WITH KNOWING JESUS CHRIST AND MATURING IN OUR NEW IDENTITY, we must respond as his disciples.  Ephesians 4:13–14 (ESV). “until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood… so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro…”

Ephesians 4:23–24 (ESV) “and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

Each of us is called to go through this process of perfection through the knowledge of Jesus. If we know Him, we will know who we are—our identity, calling, and purpose.

3. THE BUILDING OF EACH MEMBER CONTRIBUTES TO THE BUILDING OF GOD’S COMPLETE WORK, when the disciples obeyed the body start to be build, Ephesians 4:15–16 (ESV), “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ…”

Mar 16:20  And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.

REFLECTION

Being in Christ means living in His body—the Church. We cannot separate what God has united. This unity does not come from human control. It is God who united us by His will and His Spirit. Christ, the head, governs, and we must depend on Him.

Each member is called to be built, to grow, to mature, receiving the growth that comes from God. 1 Corinthians 3:7 (ESV) “So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.”

Each member must decide whether to listen to the voice of the Spirit and allow the perfection that God brings through the Church—the body of Christ.

In JCRC, this growth happens through:

• daily devotionals,
• Equipping
• Experience in CM
• Go to the mission

We must make a personal decision.

1. If we say YES to the Spirit: we will be built,  perfected in God’s love, matured, and become active participants in the building. This is the fulfilment of the Great Commission: becoming disciples who grow and then multiply in others what we have received.

2. If we do NOT respond to the call: we remain spiritual children, easily deceived, affecting the building of the body, instead to give we will demand always from others

Beloved remnant, God has accomplished a perfect work in Christ, and His eternal purpose will be fulfilled. He is the fullness who fills all in all. We must decide whether we will be active participants in His purpose. Ignoring His call is not neutral—it against of his eternal purpose.

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PASTORA ANDREA - JCRC DUBAI

 

EPHESIANS 3 — “YOU ARE PART OF GOD’S ETERNAL PLAN”

 

EPHESIANS 3 —  “YOU ARE PART OF GOD’S ETERNAL PLAN”

 Ephesians 3 speaks deeply about purpose, calling, mission, spiritual strength, and God’s power working through His people.

“According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
— Ephesians 3:11

 

1. YOU ARE NOT AN ACCIDENT—YOU ARE PART OF HIS PLAN

Ephesians 3:6 reveals that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ.

There was a time when you may have felt like an outsider, unqualified, or insignificant.

But God says:

“I have brought you near. You belong to Me, and I have a purpose for your life.”

Your past does not cancel God's purpose.

Your weakness does not cancel God's purpose.

Your limitations do not cancel God's purpose.

You are part of what God is doing.

 

2. GRACE DID NOT ONLY SAVE YOU—GRACE GAVE YOU AN ASSIGNMENT

Paul said:

“I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God.”
— Ephesians 3:7

Paul received grace, and that grace became a calling.

The rhema is:

“What I placed in you is not only for you.”

Your testimony is for someone.

Your experience is for someone.

Your gift is for someone.

Your resources are for someone.

Your calling is connected to God's greater purpose.

Grace received must become grace released.

 

3. DON’T LET YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES MAKE YOU FORGET YOUR CALLING

Paul was suffering and imprisoned, yet he continued to fulfill God's purpose.

“Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you…”
— Ephesians 3:13

Paul's circumstances changed, but God's purpose did not.

Sometimes we think:

“Because I am going through difficulties, maybe God has forgotten me.”

Ephesians 3 says:

The prison did not cancel Paul's calling.

Your difficult season does not necessarily mean your assignment has ended.

What God called you to do is greater than what you are currently going through.

 

4. GOD WILL STRENGTHEN YOU FROM THE INSIDE

Paul prayed:

“That he would grant you… to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man.”
— Ephesians 3:16

The prayer wasn't simply:

“Lord, change their circumstances.”

It was:

“Lord, strengthen them inwardly.”

There are seasons when God changes the situation.

There are also seasons when God changes you in the situation.

The rhema:

“I will give you strength for what I have called you to carry.”

 

5. LET CHRIST BE THE CENTER OF YOUR LIFE

“That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith.”
— Ephesians 3:17

God's purpose is not merely that you accomplish something for Him.

His deeper purpose is that Christ be formed in you.

Before God uses your hands, He wants your heart.

Before He sends you outward, He works inward.

Christ in you must come before ministry through you.

 

6. BE ROOTED IN LOVE, NOT IN CIRCUMSTANCES

“Rooted and grounded in love.”
— Ephesians 3:17

A tree with shallow roots can easily fall when the storm comes.

Likewise, if your faith is rooted only in:

• answered prayers,
• good circumstances,
• financial provision,
• successful ministry,
• people's approval,

your faith can be shaken.

But when you are rooted in Christ's love, you can remain standing even when circumstances change.

Rhema:

“Don't let the storm determine your identity. Let My love be your foundation.”

 

7. GOD IS ABLE TO DO MORE THAN YOU CAN SEE

“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think…”
— Ephesians 3:20

This is perhaps the strongest rhema of the chapter:

GOD IS ABLE.

When you cannot see the way—

God is able.

When the resources seem insufficient—

God is able.

When the assignment seems too big—

God is able.

When you feel inadequate—

God is able.

When you don't know how the promise will be fulfilled—

God is able.

Your faith does not rest on how much you can do.

Your faith rests on how much God can do.

Ephesians 3:21

“Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.”

The plan is His.
The calling is His.
The strength is His.
The power is His.
And the glory is His.

 

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PASTOR NHONG – JCRC SORSOGON