Through the New Testament Reading - Mark 9-13
Ephesians 4
Ephesians 4:1-6
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Ephesians 4:15-16
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 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.
Ephesians 4:32
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Day 3 – Key Verses Considered
Ephesians 4:1-6 - Following Jesus transcends all other earthly authority. It is of such high importance, even if you should risk prison to do so, a disciple still should follow. If this writer can resist to the point of incarceration, surely those of us in less oppressive conditions can do everything we can to stay in peace with one another. Jesus gives the power to humbly and gently resist the powers of this world. Jesus will also give us the humility to resist our base and selfish desires that would destroy our community with one another. He is at the centre of our community. We are all equal disciples. He empowers each of us to love and serve all the others. We're all going the same direction, and we all need each other to get there. Jesus is the reason we're all in unity, so let's remain in unity for his sake.
Ephesians 4:15-16 - When we recognize that we need one another in this shared life of Christ, we'll have to start communicating well, and communicating often. The best way to grow in community, knowing and understanding each other, and having one another's needs met is by talking. We need to share, and we need to listen. It's cumbersome, I know, but it's the only way that we will truly be able to work together. This isn't about efficiency, as though we're all part of some assembly line just getting the job done. Our community is about love. We serve each other because we love one another, each putting another's needs before their own. This changes our communication even further. I speak and listen with intention and humility. I submit my needs to be served by the body, and serve the other members in their needs. As we do, we each serve Jesus and are served by Jesus, allowing his passions and desires become our own, and growing stronger together as a single body under his headship. Under him, in him, and for him, we grow effective and true, each of us essential as we accomplish his work of love and grace and justice in the world.
Ephesians 4:32 - Jesus is perfect, but we are not. Though we are all growing and maturing, we still live as imperfect people in an imperfect world. We will hurt each other sometimes. When we are hurt in community, it is in community also that we are healed. Jesus forgave us and redeemed us. Now, in community, we will have opportunity to forgive others. In this act, we have our greatest opportunity to look like Jesus. In every offense, we each can become the body of Christ to one another, ministering forgiveness, and remembering again the forgiveness we've each received. Our kindness and compassion toward one another reflects his. Even in our weakness, and especially in our weakness, the character of Jesus is manifest among us.
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