Why Ephesians 4 Model?

We are a nation founded on religious principles that made righteousness a part of our morality. Righteousness is not a natural state of mankind. It is learned. We learn righteousness from only one source. We learn righteousness from the Word of God.

Infants when they are born are beautiful and precious in our eyes. We have great delight and joy over their entrance into our lives. But Infants do not serve others they are served. Infants do not share with others they take what they need/want and reject what they do not. Infants are self centered though they are not yet self-aware.

We train our children to be less selfish, more aware of their surroundings and those with whom they will share their lives.

Thus the purpose of this Website: The Word Of God teaches us and transforms us from the naturally self-centered child to the God-centered mature adult. This is the Ephesians 4 Model.

For more on the Ephesians 4 Model: click here: Eph. 4:11-16

Ephesians 4 Model

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The Call

January 11, 2024

The Call – From August 2015

I believe we are all called to a specific work by the Lord. I recognize that not every believer has accepted this as true. It is my hope that as I have opportunity to examine the idea in the scriptures more, that I will be able to express the idea in a way that will encourage more and more believers to pursue the call that is upon their lives.

I know folks who have been in the church but have not embraced the idea that God has a specific work for them to accomplish. They are convinced that as long as they do good, tithe, attend Sunday service they have done all they need to do. Let me encourage you to consider: The Call to Prayer: in your Sunday worship, pray! In your Sunday evening celebrations pray! In your Monday after-glow services pray! In your Tuesday evening bible studies pray! In your Wednesday prayer meetings pray! In your Thursday anointing services pray! In your Friday Joy night services pray! In your Saturday Contemporary Praise and Worship pray! In corporate gatherings, in your secret closet, pray! Keep on praying until the Lord shows you what he has called you to.

While I know that not every day of the week everyone is in a church service. These were remembrances of the types of services that I used to participate in at several different churches as I was growing in Christ.

Once I got married and began raising a family and working full-time the amount of time that I was actually attending these various types of services changed as well. One thing never changed is my personal prayer time. I was continually seeking guidance from the Lord about what he would have me to do.

Continued January 11, 2024

There was a brief period of time where I struggled to maintain the time in prayer that I had become so accustomed to. It occurred at a time that I could least afford to not be in prayer, and it showed in many ways. Financial struggles, family health concerns, and uncertainties about what else is going to go wrong seemed to occupy my thoughts more than the gift of prayer.

Fortunately, we have a God who knows our weaknesses and he knows how to sustain us and encourage us. I was surrounded by brothers in Christ who kept me in prayer and encouraged me. My soul was desperate for God to do something in our family and prayer once again became the focal point. My prayer time helped me to readjust my focus from the cares of this world that were disturbing my peace to place my focus on the God who gives peace even in the midst of storms.

What a joy it is to know that even when I cannot change the circumstances of my life, I know a God who can see me through those troubling times as I continually come to him in prayer.

It was during the time of seeking God to know the call upon my life that I clearly heard a quiet voice say to me “I know your thoughts”. From that quiet revelation I realized that God is more intimate with my thoughts than I am of his. He knows how much I desire to be used by him. He also knows my inadequacies. He knows my faults and failures. From those 4 soft words I was able to quiet my anxious spirit regarding why I was not being used by God more, as I felt I should be.

I know that I am called to be a help to my pastor. That has been a constant ever since I was born again and began to work in the church at whatever task the pastor needed. As a help sometimes that meant being ready to preach a Sunday or Sunday night message. As a help, sometimes that meant going to visit the sick and sing and pray for them.

I think in the back of my mind I equated being called by God with something greater than what I was doing. But when that quiet voice spoke those 4 words, it was like a whole volume of understanding was imparted. I do not need to strive for objectives that I think are the work of God, I need to be in constant prayer with him. I need to be available for him to give me the next step, the next message, the next task. I may never hear the audible voice of God again, but I am certain that he hears my prayers, and he knows my heart. He knows that I love him. God knows I am grateful for the wonderful changes he has brought into my life. I can trust him to use me as he sees fit.

But none of this clarity would have been mine without a constant seeking to know God’s will for my life.

Let me encourage you to stay in prayer before our God until he makes it plain to you what the “call” upon your life is. And if he has shown you the call upon your life stay focused regardless of how long it takes to be manifest in your life.

Paul admonishes believers to “pray without ceasing” 1Thessalonians 5:17 The call to prayer is the ultimate privilege that we can experience on this side of heaven.

The Church's One Foundation Jesus Christ Our Lord

walk in love, just as Christ also loved you

One more opening thought

Bear One Another's Burdens

January 16, 2024

It is believed that Simon of Cyrene was a black man. The color of his skin is of little significance to the Father, nor is it of significance to the admonition of the scripture. It is, however, just the image that we children of God ought to hold in our thoughts as we consider the scripture from Galatians 6:2 "Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ."

Jesus had been whipped mercilessly with a cruel whip called the cat of nine tails. This tool of torture was designed to inflict as much pain as possible as it ripped gouges of flesh from Jesus’ body. So that by morning when Jesus was forced to carry his cross to the place of execution his body was weakened by the whippings of the night before. Jesus stumbled and fell beneath the weight of the cross. It is not difficult to conceive the agony of the night before. We can readily see that in his weakened state he would stumble and fall. Jesus had completely divested himself of his authority and power. He had laid aside his honor and glory. He had placed it all at the feet of our heavenly Father as he left the throne room of Almighty God, he humbled himself to become obedient to the will of the Father, even the death on the cross.

This same Jesus who has the authority to speak to the winds and the waves and they obeyed his words; this same Jesus who spoke to the fig tree and it withered and died at his word; this same Jesus who could have summoned ten thousand legions of angels; allowed himself to be mocked, spat upon, whipped till the blood poured from his body, now stumbled under the weight of the cross. Jesus endured, suffered all of this, and death on the cross not for any wrong of his own, but to satisfy the sin-debt that we owe.

The Apostle Paul writes to the believers in Rome, “when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. God demonstrated his love for us in that while we were yet sinners, he sent his son in the form of sinful man to satisfy the debt of sin that we owe. Jesus bore for us the full weight of God’s wrath against sin. Through Jesus’ death on the cross we were reconciled with God. (Ro 5:10) We can now call upon the name of the Lord to be saved from our sins. Jesus bore the wrath of God that we could not.

None of us will ever be called upon to bear the sins of the lost. None of us will be called upon to reconcile the ungodly by a cruel death on the cross. But like Simon of Cyrene, we may be compelled to help ease the burden of another. Unlike Simon it will not be fear of the Roman whip or sword that will compel us. We will be compelled by our love for the Lord and those for whom he died. What then is the “law of Christ” that Paul writes of in Galatians 6:2?

I especially like the way James relates it: “You do well when you really fulfill the royal law found in scripture, Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Ja 2:8) Another view from Romans says, “Love does no wrong to a neighbor, therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” (Ro 13:10) The apostle John notes, “If anyone says, I love God and hates his brother, he is a liar, for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. (1 Jo 4:20 ESV) Selah

My prayer is you will enjoy and benefit from your time in the Word of God and these few words of encouragement and hope.

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Have you ever wanted to memorize scriptures to lead a soul to Christ? Let me share this 8 Steps to Commitment to Christ

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