In Ephesians 4:1(NLT), the Apostle Paul said, “Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.” One of the reasons that this verse should stick to our bones is because of the condition Paul was in. He had been imprisoned for spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He was under duress, in bondage, and his situation wasn’t pretty. Yet, he considered the move of God’s Word more urgent and important than the hardships of his imprisonment. He did not allow his condition to diminish the power of Christ in him. And it was with this power that he begged the people of God to live their lives honorably before the Lord. He wanted them to be confident that the fire of God that burns within us can’t be extinguished. Paul wanted God’s people to live with the authority, love, and power of Christ. This is such a timely message for those of us living today.
It is easy to zoom in on the harshness of Paul’s imprisonment and get stuck there. This is what humans do when they don’t see through spiritual eyes and hear through spiritual ears. They become stuck in the physical reality of what’s happening around them or what’s happening to them, and they do not see beyond it. This was not the state of Paul’s consciousness. He had his eyes on what God was preparing for the future and that is where you and I should be focusing our attention right now.
A person cannot face the pressures and suffering that Paul endured without the supernatural courage, faith, and strength that comes from the Holy Spirit. Paul was Spirit-filled. He was led by the Spirit and under the Spirit’s influence as he wrote to the church at Ephesus. He was showing us that no matter our circumstances or conditions, no matter how things may appear, if we trust God, He will saturate us with His power and grace. He did it for Paul, and He will do it for us.
Through Paul, God warned that some people’s minds had become full of darkness and they had wandered far from Him. They closed their minds and hardened their hearts towards Him, and this was totally against God’s Plan and Will for their lives. They were not helping and ministering to one another; therefore, their actions were not representative of the message Jesus Christ preached. He preached unity among the people of God. Ephesians 4:16 tells us that as the body of Christ, we are to function in such a way that each part does its own brand of Christ-inspired work. Each part works together to help the other parts, so that the whole body is strong, healthy, and full of love.
This message of unity in Christ is extremely important to God’s Will and Plan. There can be no question that unity among God’s people must be achieved to move His agenda forward in the earth. Through the Apostle Paul, Heavenly Father delivered His instruction and direction for achieving unity among His children. Not only did God give us His definitive Word on the subject, but He has given us individuals with excellent spiritual gifts to instruct us. They are ordained by God to sharpen us and equip us to operate, not singularly, but as the body of Christ, moving together collectively and in unity.
That’s God’s goal, and in order to move in the way He wants, we must learn more about Jesus Christ and stop going back to vain and ‘baby’s milk’ teachings. We must become spiritually mature in Christ. Ephesians 4:14-15(NLT) says, “14 Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.”
Unity of the faith among His kids is God’s objective. From the very beginning, He made unity a byproduct of love’s operating system, and this unity requires that we cultivate a mindset of “We” instead of “Me.” Look around, it’s evident we’re still a long way from the unity in Christ that God has purposed for His people. One of the main things getting in our way is selfishness. Selfishness is unity’s greatest opponent.
Selfishness describes a person that is devoted to caring only for themselves and only looking out for their own interest and welfare. We see this mentality a lot with individuals that have a fear about lack. Survival mechanisms kick in and they put themselves in front of the line in every respect continually, with little thought of others. I personally know of believers that have been in the faith for many years, and I’ve watched as some of them have done this with little regard for veteran saints, small children, or those physically disabled or challenged in some way. Make no mistake, there is a huge price to pay for this. Selfishness is one of the reasons why our blessings continue to be blocked. It is a flat-out refusal to obey God’s Word when it comes to giving and being a blessing to others.
Many of our friends and family members come to a stage in life where they decide to downsize. Sadly, they don’t look at it as an opportunity to give and be a blessing, and they will not give away one thing. Instead, every belonging they no longer have room for has a price tag. I’ve known many people that purge clothes and other home-goods each year, but rather than donating these things to charity or giving to those in their faith communities, they either take it to consignment shops or try to sell it online. Understandably, there are instances where this is a very necessary thing, but we will never, ever be placed at a disadvantage for giving out of the abundance of our hearts. We are commanded by the Lord Jesus Christ to take care of each other in this way. Giving should not be a secondary reflex. It should be the first thought on our minds. Acts 20:35 tells us that our Master Jesus said that it’s better to give than to receive. This is not a suggestion, it’s a lesson in Godliness.
Unity requires us to have a change of heart and mind. God is a Righteous Judge, and He will judge us according to our flexibility to His Will and our willingness to change and align our motives and actions with those of Jesus Christ. He tells us in Jeremiah 17:10(NIV), “I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.” God is righteous and perfect. He doesn’t change, neither does His Word. We can’t hide our selfishness from Him.
It’s important for us to hold ourselves under a microscope about this, because God is doing a new thing in the earth. For too long, our blessings have been blocked and some of us have blamed it on everything except the divisive thoughts that rule our minds and the selfish heart that has governed our actions far too long. God desires to do so much more in our lives. There are new connections to be made, new ideas and opportunities slated to come our way. Let’s get on board with the message of unity within the body of Christ. Let’s give where we can, be kind to one another, and love each other better. Jesus Christ is coming back for a people that is loving, generous, fearless, faith-filled, and bold in the power of the Holy Spirit. God is watching, so make sure you’re in that number.●
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Are You Going to Be in That Number?”, written by Reverend Fran Mack, edited by Kim Times for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2020. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.