በኮቪድ-19 እና በዓለም አቀፉ የመላላኪያ አገልግሎት መዛባት ምክንያት ‹ነጻ የታተመ መጽሐፍ አገልግሎታችንን› ለጊዜው አቋርጠናል፡፡
በዚህ ሁኔታ ምክንያት በዚህ ጊዜ መጽሐፎቻችንን ለእናንተ መላክ አንችልም፡፡
ይህ ወረርሽኝ በቅርቡ እንዲያበቃና የፖስታ አገልግሎት እንዲጀምር ጸልዩ፡፡
ይህ ወረርሽኝ በቅርቡ እንዲያበቃና የፖስታ አገልግሎት እንዲጀምር ጸልዩ፡፡
Subject 19 : The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the EPHESIANS
[Chapter 4-3] We Have Put on The Grace of Christ (Ephesians 4:1-16)
(Ephesians 4:1-16)
“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore He says: ‘When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.’ (Now this, ‘He ascended’—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”
How Should We Live Now That We Have Received God’s Blessing?
Picking up the thread from this morning’s sermon, I would like to continue to share the Word of God with you this evening. In this morning service we examined how we have put on the unsearchable riches of God’s grace, and what God has spoken to us. And I would like to spend this evening examining this issue further. The Bible says that God has given us these unsearchable riches of His grace, but what does this really mean? It means that God has not only remitted away all our sins, but He has also made His own people and blessed us to live forever, giving us the right to reign over the Kingdom of Heaven as His children and rule over all the God-created dominion as its masters.
That is why the Apostle Paul said, “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:1-3). We have put on all these unsearchable riches of grace. It’s because Paul also put on this abundant grace of God that he said, “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:1-3).
As the Bible says here, we should indeed walk worthy of the calling with which we were called. And just as the Apostle Paul admonished us here, every Christian should also walk with all lowliness and gentleness, patiently bearing with one another in love according to the Word of God. The Bible says that because we have put on the unsearchable riches of God’s grace and blessings, all of us ought to be humble, gentle, and patient to each other, and bear with one another in love. In other words, it’s because God has given us so much love, blessed us so much, and endured us so gently and patiently that He has commanded us to live out our faith on this earth to be worthy of those who have put on the immeasurable blessings of God.
If we really know that we have received the unsearchable blessings of God, then we ought to live out our faith. If we have indeed received the remission of sins and become God’s people through the gospel of the water and the Spirit, then ultimately this can only mean that we have nothing of our own to boast of—in fact, all that we have are shortcomings, and therefore we are compelled to thank God for His grace and glorify Him. So whatever achievements we make, we always credit God for empowering us, confessing that such achievements are made possible only by God’s power and blessings bestowed on us.
The Lord also told us to be gentle. No one who is truly righteous ever hates another person or tries to hurt and ruin anyone. When God told us to walk with all gentleness, He meant that we ought to treat one another gently and help each other to live a better life. That is why God also commanded us to bear with one another in love (Ephesians 4:2). Although we are full of shortcomings, because the Lord has given us the unsearchable blessings of His grace, we have not only reached our salvation but also received the right to reign over the Kingdom of Heaven and live blessedly forever in all its glory. God clearly told us here in today’s Scripture passage that if we really want to live by faith as His redeemed people, then we ought to bear with one another just as God has endured us, tolerate each other’s mistakes, and appreciate one another in our lives.
Paul reminds us continuously that we have put on the unsearchable riches of God’s grace. We have received so many spiritual blessings from the Lord that we cannot even count them all, and our Lord is saying to all of us, “If you have put on these unsearchable riches of My grace, then walk worthy of My calling.” This is what the Lord is saying to all of us. So we should always live by our faith in the Word of God, remembering that God has given us these unsearchable riches of His grace.
The Apostle Paul is speaking to us the members of God’s Church. The Lord told us to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3). This passage means that as the Lord has saved us from all our sins, we should never break the unity of this salvation. In other words, given the fact that God Himself came to this earth incarnated in the flesh of man and saved us from all the sins of the world through the gospel of the water and the Spirit, we have this duty to defend the cohesiveness of the Kingdom of God. Our Lord clearly told us here not to hate one another or squabble amongst ourselves to succumb to factionalism, but to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. He told us to defend the gospel of the water and the Spirit by faith, and to keep the body of Christ into which the Lord has united us all, never letting it fall apart. Indeed, it’s absolutely imperative for all of us to live by our faith in the gospel of the water and the Spirit that our Lord has given us. And we must bear with one another and help each other, keeping the bond of love, defending our faith, and preserving the unity of the Lord.
Trust in Your Church Leaders Appointed by God and Follow Them by Faith
In Ephesians 4:4-5, Paul spoke about God’s Church and explained what it is, saying, “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism.” This passage makes it clear that God’s Church is the body of Christ. Jesus Christ is the Head of God’s Church. He is the vine and all of us are His branches. God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is the trunk of the vine and we are His branches, and just as the trunk of the vine and its branches are one, God and all of us the members of His body are one. God’s Church is His body. We are the workers of the Kingdom of God and His own people. God the Father had planned to save us in Jesus Christ. And Jesus Christ came to this earth to fulfill this plan of the Father, and He has achieved our salvation through the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Moreover, the Holy Spirit dwells in the hearts of all of us who have received the remission of sins. It’s because we have become one like this that Paul said, “You were called in one hope of your calling” (Ephesians 4:4).
Indeed, as you and I have become members of the Church, God’s own body, we are one with the Holy Spirit dwelling in our hearts. It’s we who constitute the Church, the body of God, and it’s we who have received God’s calling. Because God has called us into the unsearchable riches of His blessings, we are now able to live in one hope. You and I must therefore live by faith, realizing clearly that these unsearchable blessings are waiting us.
It’s absolutely imperative for us to grasp here that Jesus Christ has bestowed these immeasurable riches of His grace on all who believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Just how many blessings has God given us? Of course, it’s possible for us to be disappointed if our wish is not fulfilled. We may even fall into despair, thinking that we are alone to struggle while everyone else is prospering, and feel that we have not received any blessings from God. However, all of us must realize clearly that we will all enjoy every glory in Heaven.
That is why the Apostle Paul spoke about God’s Church here. Today, God is saying to us, “You have received tremendous blessings. The suffering you are enduring now cannot even be compared to the glory that you will enjoy in the future. An indescribably glorious life awaits each and every one of you. You shall live such a glorious life forever. So know that you have received such wonderful blessings, and live your life accordingly by faith.” Indeed, you and I must realize and believe with all our hearts that God has given us immeasurably abundant blessings into our hearts and that we will put on and enjoy them all even more in the future. Of course, it’s absolutely imperative for us to have faith in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, but it’s also imperative for us to have the belief that we will enjoy all the blessings of God some day.
Unless we have such faith and hope, we would end up looking toward only what’s on this earth and let our lives be guided by such earthly things. A life whose hope is placed on earthly things is not the kind of life that God wants us to live. The Lord said that faith, hope, and love will always abide, but the greatest of these is love. Not only do we have faith in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, but we also have faith in the love of God and the hope of living in the Kingdom of Heaven. You and I are living on this earth as those who have received the remission of sins by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, but if we do not look towards the glory that we will enjoy in the Kingdom of Heaven, then we are not really living a Christian life. Every saintly Christian life is led by looking towards the glory that awaits them. That is why we are leading our lives of faith to spread the gospel on this earth. The righteous, in other words, are living to serve the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
Our Faith Came from One Common Source
The Bible says in Ephesians 4:5 that there is “one Lord, one faith, one baptism.” All who believe in the righteousness of God; all who have received the remission of sins by believing in Jesus Christ as their Savior; all who call the Father of Jesus Christ as their own Father and live by this faith; and all who have been remitted from their sins by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit in this present age believe that there is “one Lord, one faith, and one baptism” (Ephesians 4:5). Our Master is Jesus Christ, the Son of God who has saved us from all the sins of the world. He is the very God who has bestowed the blessing of everlasting salvation on us.
Just as the Bible says here, there is only one faith. This means that our faith in the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit is one. There is no other true gospel except this exclusively true gospel. There is also only one faith that can save everyone from sin. The faith that enables us to be saved from all the sins of the world is one, just as we have one common faith in the glory and blessings that we will enjoy in the future. The belief that we have become God’s children is also one. In short, each and every belief that we have came from one common source.
The Scripture passage also says that there is one baptism. The Lord is our Savior who has saved us by coming to this earth, bearing all the sins of the world once and for all by being baptized by John the Baptist, dying on the Cross, and rising from the dead again. Truly, there is only one baptism. Just as there is one faith, so there is really only one baptism. It is on account of this one common faith that we have been washed from all our sins. It is, in other words, only by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit that we have received the remission of our sins.
Is there anyone among us who has received the remission of sins by believing in any other gospel but the gospel of the water and the Spirit? Is it possible for us to receive the remission of sins in different ways, some in this way and others in that way? No, of course not! In God’s Church, only those who believe in the righteousness of Jesus Christ are saved, and there is no other way to reach salvation other than this. This is the fulfillment of the plan of salvation that God the Father had made in Christ even before the foundation of the world.
Having planned to save us from all our sins, God has given us the gospel of salvation, and this gospel is none other than the gospel of the water and the Spirit. It is the gospel of the water and the Spirit that has washed away all our since once and for all with the baptism of Jesus and His blood. Therefore, the faith that enables everyone to be saved is the faith that is placed in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, the one and only gospel of salvation.
The Lord Himself has washed away all our sins by being baptized by John the Baptist on this earth. That is why our faith and salvation have come from one common source. There is one baptism, one Lord, and one faith. There isn’t more than one gospel. There is only one gospel of the water and the Spirit. And we believe in this gospel of the water and the Spirit. We are therefore of God. We are one. All of us are giants of faith who believe in the same gospel of the water and the Spirit. Even though some misguided Christians claim to have received the remission of sins while praying or dreaming, just because they saw God in a dream telling them that He loved them, this does not mean that they have actually received the remission of sins.
Our Faith in the Righteousness of God Must Grow
Let’s read Ephesians 4:13-14 together here: “Till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting.”
That we have come “to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God” (Ephesians 4:13) means that we have received the remission of sins by believing in the Son of God. It’s by believing in this Son of God that we could receive His unsearchable blessings. That’s why the Bible says here that all of us are united in this knowledge to come “to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13). We have become Christ’s own people by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, but now this faith must grow. Indeed, now that we have reached our salvation through the righteousness of Jesus Christ, all our thoughts, knowledge, willpower, and actions must never cease to grow to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Now is the time for our thoughts, hearts, faith, and actions to mature, and this process of growth must continue on until we become fully mature to completely devote ourselves to preaching and serving the genuine gospel.
We should never be content to just receive the remission of sins by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, thinking that this is the end of the matter. Rather, once we receive the remission of sins by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, our faith must grow, our knowledge of Jesus Christ must grow, then our knowledge of the Scripture must grow, and then we must actually live out our faith by dedicating all our lives to the Lord. It is by faith in the righteousness of God that the righteous lead a godly life that’s worthy of their calling. All of us must therefore keep the unity that God has given us, cherishing one another and live in harmony. This is what the Lord saying to us in today’s Scripture passage.
The Apostle Paul also said, “We should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting” (Ephesians 4:14). Now that we have reached the same salvation by faith, we should no longer be children. If we remain immature, we will easily fall into the trickery of men and the Devil’s cunning craftiness of deceit.
Those who do not know the will of God are foolish. Even though some of them may have a high social standing, so long as they are spiritually immature, they are just like a completely clueless child. We must teach them spiritual lessons. And these people must learn about real faith and the Truth from spiritual people like us. As Christ’s own people, we ought to know everything we must know and learn all that we must be learned, so that we can walk properly. It’s absolutely imperative for us to learn what is beneficial to the spreading of the gospel. Since you and I have received countless blessings thanks to the unsearchable love of Christ, it is incumbent on us to realize now how we should live and what is beneficial. If we fail to grasp this, then just as the Word of God warns here, we will end up being “tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting” (Ephesians 4:14). For us not to fall into deception and evil trickery only to be tossed to and fro by the currents of this world and its ethical concepts, our faith in and knowledge of the will of the Lord must grow and mature.
Is there anyone among us attending God’s Church who believes in Jesus only as a matter of religion? Let me rephrase this question in another way: Is there anyone here who attends God’s Church merely to practice a religion, akin to converting to Christianity from another religion? Such people cannot break down their stubbornness. Even though they say that they have been saved from their sins, they are actually still trying to establish their own righteousness as they remain incapable of breaking down their own wills. Some of them even say, “I’ve already lost a great deal from attending God’s Church, yet I am asked to obey again!” It doesn’t matter how old they are; even if they are over 60 years old, so long as their faith in the Word of God is immature, they are no more than little children in spirit. Like a completely illiterate man unable to tell A from B, these people are so clueless that they do not even know where they now belong. They are prone to think that everything is fine since they have a high social standing. But regardless of how high their social standing is, when they come to God’s Church, they are no more than kindergarten students. All such people must learn everything new in God’s Church. Sinners also have so much to learn from the righteous that they can even learn from the kids in the Sunday school of God’s Church.
However, the problem is that some people still hang onto the standards of the world even as they have come into the Church, and they try to rule over everyone else boasting about all the sacrifices they have made, saying, “I’ve given up my birthright as the eldest son in my family, I’ve been estranged from my own family and relatives, and I’ve also had to forego so many relationships, all to come to this Church.” However, such sacrifices are only elementary in God’s Church, not even coming close to the foundation of faith. Out of the unsearchable riches of His blessings, Jesus Christ has given us this most splendid and glorious life as a gift. He has blessed us to live forever, enjoy all His glory and splendor, and reign over the Kingdom of Heaven. Yet despite all these wonderful blessings, if anyone still boasts about the small sacrifices that he has made, this person then is someone who still does not know the immeasurably rich blessings of Christ.
Such people are still found even in God’s Church, and I hope and pray that they would all repent and learn to live a proper life of faith. Since you had all lived out in the world, and when you first receive the remission of sins and came into the Church, you could not help but look at the Church from your own perspectives. However, this is still completely wrong. Our perspective should be informed by such questions as what our God is saying to us, what pleases Him, and what is beneficial to the gospel.
All of us should therefore realize that God has established His Church and appointed its leaders to work as His servants in order to build us into the body of Christ; and God did all these things to perfect each and every saint, bless us all to enter and live in His Kingdom, make us preach the gospel of the water and the Spirit to everyone, and encourage us to serve others.
Let’s turn to Ephesians 4:15-16 here: “Speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”
It’s written here that because we have been saved thanks to the unsearchable love of God, we ought to believe in this love, speak the truth, and let our faith, our knowledge, and our thoughts grow into Christ. All of must grow into the Lord. We must think like Jesus Christ, believe like Jesus Christ, and have the same knowledge that Jesus Christ has. This means that our knowledge and actions ought to mature enough to understand fully the will and perspective of Jesus Christ. And we must live in unity with the will of God the Father, which is to save every soul and unite all things in His Son Jesus Christ.
The Bible Says That Christ Is the Head
Paul said here in Ephesians 4:16 it’s from Christ that “the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.” Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church, just as it’s written here that we ought to “grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love” (Ephesians 4:15-16). This is an extremely important passage.
The Lord clearly told us that we are joined and knitted together by what every joint supplies to form one body. This means that every saint has to be united with God. This is the mystery of God’s Church. The Head of God’s Church is Jesus Christ, and we are the members of His body. Just as the Bible says that the whole body is “joined and knit together by what every joint supplies,” we are indeed joined together. Because I am joined to you and you are joined to me, the whole body of Christ is knitted together by each and every member supporting one another, and this is why we are able to follow the will of God and live in unity with Him to His pleasure. As the body of Jesus Christ grows in this way, it will ultimately cover the whole world with the gospel of the water and the Spirit, and thus fulfill the will of God the Father.
The Apostle Paul also said God’s Church does all these things “for the edifying of itself in love” (Ephesians 4:16). This means that as the members of God’s Church, we are to edify each other in the gospel of the water and the Spirit through our common faith, hold one another, encourage each other with the Truth, guide and lead one another to receive God’s blessings, and share these blessings together in our lives. Like this, God’s Church never does anything that’s self-destructive. If there are any weak members, we ought to empathize with their struggle and lead them; if there are any untrained members, we ought to train them; if there are any members who don’t know the will of the Lord, we ought to teach them what the Lord’s intention is; and if there are any members that are more spiritual than we are, we ought to let them lead us and accept their guidance. In short, all of us ought to help and guide one another. This is why the Lord said that the whole Church is joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, causing growth to the body for the edifying of itself in love. Accordingly, it is absolutely imperative for all of us to faithfully carry out the tasks that have been entrusted to each of us in God’s Church, help one another, take care of the Church, preach the gospel for the body of Christ to grow with even more souls, raise as many workers as possible, and nurture our faith to grow. This is how we edify one another in God’s love so that we would never fall apart. Put differently, it is by our faith that we edify one another as the members of the body of Christ. Whoever believes in the gospel of the water and the Spirit—that is, whoever has received God’s abundant blessings—should never try to bring down God’s Church, but always strive to bring growth and prosperity to the Church. Because we ourselves are parts of this body and its joints, we must help and support one another in our lives. That is how we can fulfill the will of God the Father in the end.
The Apostle Paul is now speaking of the mystery of God’s Church here. God the Father has bestowed unsearchable blessings on the Church, and He has also given these blessings to its members. That is how all the members of God’s Church have received His blessings on account of their faith. God said clearly that it is through His Church that He brings all things together in unity and makes it possible for us to not only reach our salvation from all our sins, but also preach the gospel throughout the whole world, unite ourselves with God, and receive all the unsearchable blessings He has given us.
All of us are the indispensable members of God’s Church. The Bible does not say that just some of us are indispensable while others are unnecessary; rather, it clearly says that all of us are united together to fulfill the will of God. This means that we are absolutely indispensable to one another. All the born-again righteous saints need one another, for God wants to unite all the dominion of His creation together through His Church, and He is doing this work even at this very moment. Having appointed leaders in His Church, our God has made them carry out His work, and He is perfecting all of us His believers. It is inside His Church that God speaks to us and gives us the Word to preach, and it is through His Church that God makes us serve and preach the gospel all over the world. That is why it’s in God’s Church that we are now serving the Lord and following His will.
The Apostle Paul often used the expression “therefore” to explain his teachings in a logical fashion. For instance, he taught us that Jesus Christ has saved us through the gospel of the water and the Spirit, and therefore we must be united with Him. Hence, we believe in the Word of God, and from this faith we can realize that God carries out His work through His Word. We can also realize that God fulfills His will through His Church. And we can see that God has blessed all the members of His Church to have faith in His Word, and He is also nurturing them for this faith to grow. It’s absolutely crucial for us to realize here that God is nurturing us to grow into fully mature people of faith. We don’t just remain the way we were when we first were saved, but we keep on growing in faith. Those behind us also follow in the footsteps of their predecessors of faith to keep on growing. That is why God said so fittingly, “I will bless those who endure heavy persecution for My sake before others. I will bless them on this earth also by a hundredfold.”
God has indeed given us the unsearchable riches of His grace. I believe in this with all my heart, and I thank God for it. I know just how amazing it is that we have put on such exceeding grace to become members of God’s Church, and so I thank Him even more. If I had not believed in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, then I could never have become a member of the Church together with you. This is true not only for myself but also all of you. It’s because we believed in the gospel of the water and the Spirit that we could all become members of God’s Church.
And God made it known to me just how important His Church was, and He made me build it. But God did not allow me to draw just anyone arbitrarily into His Church, but He made me preach the gospel in every detail hundreds and thousands of times to all who were willing to listen, so that I would plant in their hearts the unsearchable grace of the remission of sins that Jesus Christ has brought to us, the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit, and all His countless blessings. That is how we have come to share and preach this gospel, and that is how we have been so blessed.
Anyone who looks down on God’s Church is foolish beyond description. We are the members of the body of Christ abiding in God’s Church, and therefore none of us is ever dispensable. Even though your fellow brothers and sisters may seem not that important to you, that is absolutely not the case. All of us have received precious blessings from God. God has called all of us in the righteousness of Jesus Christ, saved us all on account of our faith, and clothed us all in His abundant love and countless blessings. And God has granted us the privilege to serve Christ on this earth, assigned church offices to us to volunteer our services, and bestowed us with the gifts of the Spirit so that we would all be able to serve God the Father in obedience to His will. That is how wonderfully blessed we all are.
Sometimes I even hear some people saying, “I can just leave here and open my own church.” But such things are uttered out of sheer ignorance. Of course, I am not saying here that you can’t do anything if you leave me. Rather, my point is that we cannot do anything if we depart from the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
The Lord said, “I am the vine, you are the branches” (John 15:5). God’s Church is now spreading the gospel of the water and the Spirit diligently all over the world, but how much time do you think was needed to lay the foundation for this ministry to come about? You have now come into God’s Church and received the remission of your sins just by hearing and believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit with your heart, but to make this possible, countless saints had to devote their lives to build the foundation of faith. This work is far more difficult than laying the groundwork for even the tallest skyscraper, so much so that it can’t even be compared to anything. It’s never so easy but takes a lot of tears and hard work to build the foundation for the gospel of the water and the Spirit to be fully preached, just as the Bible says, “He who continually goes forth weeping,
Bearing seed for sowing,
Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing,
Bringing his sheaves with him” (Psalm 126:6).
Of course, God’s Church is not built just because we shed our tears or work hard. It’s far more indispensable for us to have a leader of faith who believes in the gospel of the water and the Spirit unwaveringly. And this leader must surrender himself to the Word of God. Even though all of us are God’s saints, this does not necessarily mean that all of us are equally God’s servants. After all, there are different degrees to each of our faith, not just to our outwardly shown gifts and talents. But it is very wrong to judge someone by his outside appearance. Rather, we must look into one’s heart and see his faith in the Word of God.
I’m not boasting about myself here, but it is the Lord who has made me serve the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Having raised me as the first leader of the Church, God has made me preach the gospel of the water and the Spirit, testify this gospel to everyone else to see its truthfulness, and build His Church. Likewise, God has also led you here as a member of His Church and made you serve His gospel.
We should never allow ourselves to succumb to spiritual foolishness even while abiding in God’s righteousness. You are extremely fortunate, just as I am so fortunate. How we could have put on such unsearchable riches of God’s grace is beyond our comprehension. We cannot take any credit for this because we were all wretched sinners destined to hell. Therefore, all we can do is trust in God’s righteousness and give all our thanks and glory to Him alone. Words can never describe just how happy and joyful we all are. It doesn’t matter how you have come into God’s Church; regardless of whether you came to the Church by yourself or you were led by someone else, you should realize here how joyous it is that you are now able to abide in God’s Church, serve the gospel together with your fellow saints, and dedicate your time and effort to God’s work. You are now living such a wonderfully blessed life.
In today’s Scripture passage, the Apostle Paul is speaking to none other than you and me, the members of the Church. All these passages in Ephesians are spoken to those who have put on the unsearchable riches of the blessings of Christ. So I am grateful beyond words. And I am also extremely thankful that I have met you and we are now serving the gospel of the water and the Spirit together.
Every God-spoken Word is applicable now and forever, to you and me alike. Just like you and me, the Apostle Paul also believed in the same gospel of the water and the Spirit. That’s why he said that there is “one Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Ephesians 4:5). The disciples of Jesus, such as the Apostles Paul and Peter, never left out the baptism of Jesus from their gospel preaching. It’s just ignorant preachers and clueless theologians who speak of the gospel of Jesus while leaving out His baptism. When we speak of our faith in God’s salvation, we must always speak of the baptism of Jesus without fail. It’s after then that we should speak of Jesus’ blood on the Cross, salvation, everlasting life, and glory and splendor in His Kingdom.
The Kingdom of God that we all yearn and hope for in our hearts will surely be fulfilled right before our eyes when this world ends. So, my fellow believers, I ask you all to have hope for the Kingdom of Heaven. When this time comes, we will never die but live forever happily; there will be no more persecution, no more tears, no more suffering, but only everlasting glory and joy; and God will fulfill this hope of ours without fail. There is absolutely no doubt whatsoever that God will answer all our hopes and desires.
Having risen from the dead, Jesus Christ is now seated at the right hand of God the Father and enjoying all glory and splendor, and He will surely come back to take us away. When that day comes, we too will live forever in the everlasting Kingdom of the Lord; there will be no more suffering nor any pain, but only glory and splendor to enjoy; and we will reign over this Kingdom with all the rights and privileges as its rulers. God has given all of us the same blessings. So let us all remember this and live by faith. Let us engrave in our hearts the immeasurably abundant love of Christ and walk in this love.
All of us should be exceedingly grateful to God for the fact that we have become the same members of the Church as the Apostle Paul. And whoever has not become a member of the Church yet must become one as soon as possible. Everyone in this world must believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. There is one Lord, one faith, and one baptism. Whoever becomes one with the Church will receive not only the same blessings as we have, but also the abundant, unsearchable love of Christ.
The more time goes by, the more we will shine like the sun. Those who have received the remission of sins are like the rising sun, as it is written,
“But the path of the just is like the shining sun,
That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day” (Proverb 4:18). Like the rising sun shining more and more brilliantly, the righteous will ultimately live an evermore glorious life that defies all description. That’s because the righteous have put on the unsearchable grace of Christ and His indescribably abundant love. So we give all our thanks to God, placing all our faith in His righteousness.
Hallelujah!
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