The Real Story of My Life
My Life–part 1
Feb. 17, 2013
Ephesians 4:1-16
DAY 1
Eph. 4:1 As a prisoner of the Lord, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.
1. Where does your mind go with living a life worthy of the calling…?
___ Guilt?
___ Shame?
___ Pressure?
___ Other?
2. If you had one of the first three answers checked, I have good news for you. Paul didn’t mean for your mind to go in any of those directions! The key phrase is, “calling you have received.” That “calling” came through the gospel of Christ! Where does your mind go with “gospel of Christ?”
3. Larry Crabb wrote: “I might mention in passing that my acceptability in Christ is no warrant for careless living. Scripture also teaches that I am accountable to God for how I live. If I understand accountability, but not acceptability, I will live under pressure to behave well in order to be accepted. If I understand acceptability, but not accountability, I may become casually indifferent to sinful living. When I understand first my acceptability and then my accountability, I will be constrained to please the One who died for me, fearful that I might grieve Him, not wanting to, because I love Him.”
a. What first strikes you about the comparison of acceptability and accountability?
b. Which “comes first?”
c. Which of the two, acceptability or accountability, to you tend to emphasize in your life? What result can you expect from your choice? (Look back at Crabb’s quote for a hint).
4. Living a life worthy of the gospel of Christ should not engender guilt, shame or pressure. It should evoke gratitude (for acceptability) and drive (not pressure) for greater holiness! What strikes you about that statement?
5. Ask God for His help in the “first acceptability, then accountability” equation–living a life worthy…
DAY 2
Yesterday, we looked at the high calling we Christians share: to live a life worthy of the gospel.
Colossians 1:9 And so, from the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 to lead a life worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. 11 May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.
1. Paul picks up on the same theme, “to lead a life worthy of the Lord….”
“Worthy.” This Greek word means “of equal weight.” We are to live in a way “equal” to God’s standards of holiness.
2. Paul adds three ways this may be exhibited, in verse 10. What are they?
a.
b.
c.
3. “Fully pleasing to Him…”
You likely grew up with a strong desire to please someone: father, mother, teacher, coach, etc. That may have been an impossible task!
What does it mean to you that YOU could actually please the Lord?!
4. “Bearing fruit in every good work…”
Have you considered, that “every” good work bears fruit, whether or not you see it, in “real time?” How would that help you “live a life worthy of the Lord?”
5. “Increasing in the knowledge of God.”
Living a life worthy of God is not just about your “daily life” and obedience. It’s also about relationship with God. How high a priority is developing your relationship with God, to you?
6. Of the items from today’s devotional, what stands out to you most?
7. Is there an action step for you?
8. Prayer
DAY 3
We looked at Ephesians 4:1, “…to lead a life worthy of the calling you have received.” The next two verses give further indication of what it means to live a life worthy of our calling…
Ephesians 4:2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
1. The first quality is “completely humble.” What is the difference between someone who is “humble” and someone who is “completely humble?”
2. The second quality is “gentleness.” The root Greek word (“prautetos”) means “meek.” “Meekness” is NOT “weakness.” Meekness is the POWER to not be rude, harsh, pushy, controlling or pushing oneself forward. Which of these items tends to seep out of you?
3. The third quality is “patient.” (“Makrothymias”). It is the quality that never gives up. It just keeps enduring. It is the power of “self-restraint” when you want to “give someone a piece of your mind.”
4. The fourth quality is “bearing with one another in love.”
a. Forbearing” means “sustaining one another” in life’s tribulations, even when the tribulation is your brother! This quality is needed when we run up against someone’s weaknesses. We tend to get critical and petty. How would the idea of “sustaining” someone help your attitude?
b. What is the difference between “bearing one another,” and bearing with one another?
c. What does the “with” imply? Which of the other qualities we studied today would help you to “bear with…?”
5. Which of these qualities is strongest in you? Which is weakest?
6. Pray that God would use your strengths and build your weaknesses.
DAY 4
Ephesians 4:2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
The four qualities we looked at yesterday are to be used to “lead a life worthy of the Lord” (verse 1) AND to make unity possible in the church (verse 3).
How does unity “happen?”
1. How does unity “start?” Who initiates unity?
2. Who is to “keep” unity?
3. What human element is needed “to keep the unity of the Spirit?”
4. Is “church” an individual “sport” or a team “sport?”
5. How would Eph. 4:3 affect your approach to “church?”
6. Are you a “peace-maker?” Is unity in your church a priority with you, something for which you would “make every effort?”
7. All of us are prone to be “dividers,” rather than unifiers.
a. Ways I divide:
___ Gossip
___ Grumble
___ Give a bad report about someone
___ Murmur
___ Lie / deceive
___ Question someone; raise suspicions
___ Other: _____________________________________________
b. How I can be a “unifier” this week?
DAY 5
Ephesians 4:12 to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
1. Church is not just a nice Christian “club” where we have good relationships. We are also “missional,” we have a mission to reach the unreached and build the broken!
2. The pastor’s job is to “prepare God’s people for works of service…”
Who does the ministry, you or the pastor?
3. What is the result of your service to be? Below, are some of the results. Fill in your thoughts about each one.
a. “so that the body of Christ may be built up…”
b. “until we all reach unity of the faith…”
c. “unity…in the knowledge of the Son of God…”
d. “become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”
Ephesians 4:16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
4. You have a role to play in the mission of the church. When you serve, you add to its love and growth.
5. God wants to tell a story with your life. The big pieces are pieces we’ve studied this week: (1) living a life worthy or our calling, (2) treating people with kindness, (3) making every effort to promote unity in your church, and (4) playing a role in the mission of the church to enable its growth.
6. Will you grab hold of these things, or will you coast through life? You’ve been given high privilege and high responsibility! Will you fritter them away?
7. Finish this week asking God to make you committed to His calling for you.