Where to find it in the Bible

I have been asked several times where to find different things in the Bible.  I compiled this list (although it is not complete) that might helpful.

Abortion

Ps. 139:13-16 – “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.  When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body.  All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

Jer. 1:5 – “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

Acts 17:26 – “From one man he made every nation of men that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.”

Armor of God

Eph. 6:11-18

Assurance of Salvation

John 5:24; 6:37; 10:27-30; 20-31, Rom. 8:16, 31, 35-39; Heb. 13:5; 1 John 5:11-12

Battle of Armageddon

Rev. 14:14-20; 16:16

Beatitudes

Matt. 5:3-12; Luke 6:20-26

Bible Author

2 Tim. 3:14-16 – “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

2 Peter 1:20-21 – “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophets own interpretation.  For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

Creation

Gen. 1-2 – “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth….”

Col. 1:16 – “For by Him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities, all things were created by Him and for Him.”

Dinosaurs

Job 40:15-24 – behemoth (dinosaurs), 41 leviathan (dinosaurs)

Divorce and Remarriage

Deuteronomy 24:1-4, Malachi 2:15-16, Matt. 5:31-32, Luke 16:18

Faith

Rom. 4:3; 10:17, Eph. 2:8-9, Heb. 11, Heb 11:1 – “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”, 6; 12:2, James 1:3-6, 1 Peter 1:7

Fall of Man

Gen. 3

Fruit of the Spirit

Gal. 5:22-23 – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”

Golden Rule

Matt. 7:12; Luke 6:31 – “Do to others as you would have them do to you.”

Hell or Lake of Fire

Daniel 12:2; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 2Thessalonians 1:7-7; Luke 16:24; Matthew 3:12; 5:22; 7:13; 8:12; 13:42, 50; 22:13; 25:46; 18:8-9; Mark 9:48; Luke 3:7, 17; 16:28; Romans 5:9; Revelation 14:11; 19:20; 20:10, 14-15; 21:8, 14

Homosexuality

Gen. 19:1-13; Lev. 18:22-30; 20:13; Romans 1:18-32 – “Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.  They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator – who is forever praised. Amen.  Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts.  Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones.  In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another.  Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion…….” (v24-27). “Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.”(v32). Notice it says those who approve of those who practice such things also deserve death.

1 Cor. 6:9-11; 1 Timothy 1:8-11

Idolatry

Idolatry is anything you put before God.

Col. 3:5 – “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.”

Jesus is the only way

Acts 4:12; John 3:17; 18:24; 10:14-16; 14:6 – “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.’”; Rom. 10:9; Eph. 2:5

Jesus’ appearance after resurrection

Matt. 28; Luke 24; John 20-21; Mark 16; Acts; 1 Cor. 15

Lord’s Prayer

Matt. 6:9-15; Luke 11:1-13

Lord’s Supper

Matt. 26:26-29; Luke 22:19-20; 1 Cor. 11:23-26

Lose Salvation?

John 10::29; Rom 8:38-39; Heb 6:4-8; Eph 1:4; 1 John 5:13 – that you know you have eternal life

Love

John 3:16; 15:9-14; Rom. 5:8; 8:35-39; 1 Cor. 13 (known as the love chapter); 1 John 3:1

Man’s purpose on earth

God created us for His pleasure and our purpose is to glorify Him and have joy in Him and Him in us.  He loves us and He wants us to love Him back.

1 John 4:7-21

Marriage / Premarital Sex

Ex. 20:14; Lev. 20:10; Deu. 22:13-30; Job 31:1, 9-12; Prov. 5:1-23; 6:20-35; 7:1-27; Matt. 5:27-30; Eph 5:5-5; Heb. 13:4 – keep it pure, 1 Cor. 6:8; 1 Thess. 4:1-8; Rev. 21:8

Plan of Salvation

Isaiah 55:7; John 1:12; 3:3; 5:24; Rom. 10:9-10, 13; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5-7; 1 John 5:11-13; Revelation 3:20

Prayer

Ecc. 5:2; Jer. 29:13; Matt. 6:7; Luke 18:1; Rom. 8:26-27; Mark 11:24; James 5:16

Predestination/Chosen/Election

Romans 8:29-30; Eph. 1:3-6, 11; Acts 4:27-28; Matthew 22:1-14; 24:22, 24, 32; John 15:16;

Rev. 17:14

Rapture

1 Cor. 15:51-57; 1 Thess. 4:13-18

Return of Christ

Luke 21:34-36; Acts 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Titus 2:13; 2 Peter 3:8-14; 1 John 3:2-3

Satan’s fall

Isaiah 14:12-15

Saved by grace

Grace is unmerited favor.

Ephesians 2:4-5, 8 – “For it is by grace you have been saved.”

Second Death

Revelation 21:8 – “But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars – their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur.  This is the second death.”

Sovereignty of God

Psalm 103:19; Daniel 4:34-35; Isaiah 40:23; 46:8-11; Romans 10:36

God is:

Omniscient – all knowing, total knowledge

Omnipotent – all powerful

Omnipresence – everywhere present

Immutable – unchangeable

Infinitely holy and righteous

Spiritual Gifts

Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-14; 40, Eph. 4:11-12; 1 Peter 4:10

Tattoos

Leviticus 19:28 – “Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves.  I am the Lord.”

Temptation

1 Corinthians 10:13 - God will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear, but when tempted He will provide a way out for you.

Ten Commandments

Exodus 20:1-26

Testing

Exodus 20:20; Judges 2:21; 1 Peter 1:7

Tribulation Period

Daniel 9:24-27; Revelation 11:2-3; 13:5 – The tribulation period will be 42 months.

Troubles/Suffering

2 Corinthians 4:17 – We should be happy, our troubles are achieving our eternal Glory

2 Corinthians 1:8-11, 12:7-10 – So we will rely on God

1 Thessalonians 3:3 – Trials are God’s plan

James 1:2-4 – So we will be mature

5 reasons God allows suffering –

1.      A Common thing – Job 5:7

2.     Corrective – Ps 119:67

3.     To glorify Christ – John 9:13

4.     Cosmic – Job 1-2

5.     Constructive – Rom 5:3-4

Why did Jesus do miracles?

John 2:11, 11:40 – To reveal His glory

Will Christians be judged?

Romans 8:1 – “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Witchcraft

Exodus 22:18; Deu. 18:10; Micah 5:12; Malachi 3:5; Gal. 5:20; Rev. 21:8; 22:5

Worry

Matthew. 6:25; Psalm 34:10; Phil. 4:19 – God will provide

2 Peter and Jude

2 Peter 1 and Jude 1-2 – Growing in Truth

Principle:  Believers grow in faith and Christ-like virtue by obeying God’s Word.

2 Peter 2 and Jude 3-16 – Contending for Faith

Principle:  Believers can only contend for faith and reject false teaching by knowing God’s Word.

1 Peter 3 and Jude 17-25 – Living for Christ’s Return

Principle:  Living for return of Christ involves preparing other for His arrival.

Peter writes this letter knowing he would die soon.  He died on a cross about 35 years after Jesus ascended to heaven.  He wrote to the same Christians as his first letter.  They were not only in danger of persecution, but in danger of being confused by false teaching.  He taught that in the last days there would be many scoffers not believing that Jesus would return, but that He would come when they least expected it – like a thief in the night.  They were to stand firm in their faith and be on guard so they would not be deceived. 

2 Peter 1

He opens his letter with grace and peace to them, because he wanted them to have more of it through the knowledge of God and of Jesus.  This is a very clear statement of the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Grace means God’s kindness to people who do not deserve it.  It means that God loves and forgives and that He helps and protects His people.  Peace is the opposite of war.  God gives Christians a quiet spirit that is in every part of a person’s life and relationships.  We have peace with God and with each other.  No one can have true peace without grace.

“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by his own glory and goodness.  Through these he has give us his very great and precious promises…” – (2 Peter 1:3-4).  His great and precious promises are:  that we will be delivered from a corrupt world and our evil desires, we are renewed in Him, God dwells in us, He’s made us holy, the glory that is to come, we’re saved by grace, we’re heirs with Christ, He loves us in spite of our failures, He will meet our every need, He will return and many many more.  He has given us everything we need to live a holy life.

Peter describes the character of a Christian.  “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.” – (2 Peter 1:5-7).  Does your faith reflect these virtues?  He wants them to be all the more eager to make their calling and election sure.  If they do these things, they will never fall and will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord. 

He is reminding them to refresh their memory, because he knew he would die soon. – (2 Peter 1:14).  Peter has true knowledge speaking the truth about the power and coming of Jesus Christ, because he and others were eyewitnesses of His majesty.  He was there when Jesus received honor and glory from God in His transfiguration, when a voice came down from heaven and said, “This is my Son, whom I am well pleased.” – (2 Peter 1:16-21).  We have the words of prophets and should pay attention to them.  “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture come about by the prophet’s own interpretation.  For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” – (2 Peter 1:20-21).

How would people tell that you have true knowledge of Jesus Christ?

Can they tell by the fruit in your life?

2 Peter 2

Peter warned the Christians about false teachers.  There will be wide-spread success of these false teachers and many will follow their shameful ways.  They will dispute the truth of God.  They are greedy and will exploit with made up stories.  Several times Peter said that God will punish them severely.   He says that false teachers bring swift destruction from God on themselves. – (2 Peter 2:2-3).  God will punish them.  They offer cheap grace.  God’s grace is costly.

God didn’t even spare wicked angels when they sinned, but sent them to Hell or Tartarus (the very lowest pit). – (2 Peter 2:4; Gen. 6:4; Jude 6).  God brought judgment to the ungodly by sending the flood upon the world, but saved Noah who was a preacher of righteousness and his family. – (2 Peter 2:5; Gen. 6-7).  He punished Sodom and Gomorrah for their sexual immorality.  He turned Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes by raining on them fire and brimstone. – (2 Peter 2:6; Gen. 18-19). 

False teachers satisfy the wicked desires of their bodies.  They do not obey authority, especially God’s authority.  They do what they want.  They pretend to know a lot about God, but know little.  They have no moral standards.  They are greedy and never stop sinning.  They are compared to animals.  God will destroy them. – (2  Peter 2:10-22).

“If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning.  It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them.” – (2 Peter 2:20-21).  This means they were never true children of God.  True believers cannot lose their salvation!  They had no inward new birth and no transformation took place.  They professed to know the Lord, but did not forsake their evil ways.  They never accepted Jesus with a living faith.  This describes many false teachers today.  They think they know Jesus, but were never born again or experienced real salvation.

There were false teachers even in the church.  There are still false teachers in the church today.  So Christians should heed Peter’s warning.  Why are people willing to listen?  It is very sad that many people are willing to listen to false teachings and will follow.  False teachers appeal to the lustful desires of human nature.  They entice people and make promises they can’t keep.  People don’t listen to the truth, because they don’t like what they hear.  People don’t want to hear about Hell.  They think they are good people.  They say the Bible is not true today.  They reason that God is a good God, but Jesus can’t be the only way.  They say that God doesn’t care if they go to church.  They think they deserve to be happy and don’t deserve the wrath of God.

What are you venerable for false teaching because your faith is weak?

How can we avoid being deceived?  Know the Word of God and don’t fall for the lies.  Stay in His Word and pray often.

How do you stand attacks on your faith?

2 Peter 3

Peter is writing this letter as reminders to stimulate wholesome thinking.  He wanted them to remember the words of the prophets and the command of the Lord that in the last days there would be many false teachers. – (2 Peter 3:1-3).  They will ridicule and scoff at the idea that Jesus will return.  A scoffer is one who mocks the truth.  Do you know any scoffers?

When is He coming?  “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends:  With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.  The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness.  He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” – (2 Peter 3:8-9).  Bear in mind that the Lord’s patience means salvation. – (2 Peter 3:15-16).  The Day of the Lord is coming and we need to be prepared.  We should live holy and godly lives as we look forward to His coming. – (2 Peter 3:11-13).  We should make every effort to be found spotless and blameless. – (2 Peter 3:14).  We should be on guard so we won’t be deceived by lawless men and fall from our secure position. – (2 Peter 3:17-18).

Jude

Jude was a brother of Jesus.  His letter is much like Peter’s warning Christians about false teachers and wanted them to look forward to the last days, because God promised to multiply His grace, peace and mercy.

As in Peter Jude reminds us of three lessons of the past.  1) God delivered the Israelites from Egypt, but destroyed those who did not believe; 2) Angels who did not keep their positions of authority were punished; 3) God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah by fire for their sins. – (Jude 5-7).

Jude lists the sins of false teachers.  They pollute their bodies, reject authority, slander celestial beings, speak against what they do not understand, they are like Cain, they are blemishes, feeding only themselves, they are clouds without rain and trees without fruit. – (Jude 8-13).  God’s judgment will come on them and they will be cast into Hell forever.  They are always complaining and finding fault with others.  They are greedy and prideful.  They follow their own desires and boast about themselves. – (Jude 16).  These false teachers will suffer God’s punishment and will be cast into Hell forever.

Do you know anyone like that?

Do you grumble and complain?

Do you blame on others?

Jude gives us advice of how to persevere.  We are to remember what the apostles foretold.  We are to build ourselves up in our most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.  We are to keep ourselves in God’s love as we wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring us to eternal life.  We are to be help weaker believers who doubt. – (Jude 17-22).

Jude ends his letter with four qualities of God:  God’s glory, God’s majesty, God’s power, God’s authority.  He reminds us that God is all powerful now and always.  Now and always emphasizes God’s total and complete command of everything.

Are you prepared for Jesus’ return?

If He comes tonight, where will you go – Heaven or Hell?

How will you discern between truth and lies?

Do you minimize sin in your life?

Do you live afraid of Judgment Day?

How will you help prepare others for His coming?

Don’t be afraid of these attacks on your faith.  Be prepared!

Holy Week

My BSF class is taking a spring break for a week.  I will miss the fellowship with my sisters, but this week however is a special week in history called Holy Week.  This week changed the world. 

Our Savior, Jesus Christ entered Jerusalem knowing He would die for us.  What a sacrifice that was.  He went willing obeying God’s will because He loves us so much.  He died on the cross on what we call Good Friday.  God said the penalty for sin is death.  This paid our debt to God giving all who believe in Him, eternal life in Christ Jesus.  “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:  While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” – (Romans 5:8).  Then three days later He came back to life.  We call this the resurrection.  That was the first Easter.  Scriptures on His death, crucifixion, burial and resurrection are found in Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, and John 19.

The world looks at Easter with egg hunts, brunches, baskets for the children.  We buy Easter flowers and Easter dresses.  More people attend church on Easter than any other Sunday.  This is the Sunday you need to invite someone to church.  If they are not a Christian or a church goer, this is the Sunday they will probably say yes to your invitation.  Maybe they are just waiting for someone to invite them. 

Do we really stop and think how wonderful this day really is?  Without the resurrection we would just have another man-made dead religion.  Think on the meaning of this special week and attempt to say in His presence.  Satan will do everything he can to distract you from its real meaning.  Don’t let the world trap you with meaningless things. 

Jesus was despised and rejected.  We turned our backs on Him.  He was hated and we didn’t care.  Yet He still carried our weaknesses and sin.  Don’t crucify Him again.  Satan’s strategy has always been to distort the truth and separate us from God.  Don’t fall for it!  God’s redemption is simple.  He loves us and died for us.  All we have to do is repent, believe and trust Him; follow His example and be baptized; worship Him; honor Him and the devil will lose all his power over you. 

After He paid for the sin of the world, God’s righteous judgment was satisfied.  He arose victorious.  Death had no hold on Him.  Now, He offers everyone eternal life and perfect peace with God when they are willing to repent and believe in Him.  Have you done that yet?

If you are a Christian, death has no hold on you.  Jesus is coming again to take you to be with Him in glory forever.  On Easter morning shout Hallelujah!  He is risen!  He is risen indeed!

Jesus said, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on His throne. “ – (Revelation 3: 20-21)

Jesus changed the world.  Let Him change your life!

Ephesians 6:10-24

Ephesians 6:10-13 – The Battle

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” – (Eph. 6:10).  How do we do that?  We should trust Him in all things and believe in what He says.  Paul tells us to put on the full Armor of God so when evil comes, we will be able to stand our ground and not be deceived.  We should also study His Word, pray, give Him control and be united with fellow sisters and brothers.

The devil is very crafty and a master of deception.  He is the ruler of the world, the father of lies, a deceiver and a murderer.  He is the enemy!  He’s out to get us on his side and away from God.  We need to be aware and be on-guard so we won’t give in to his deceptions.  He is very good at what he does.  In Gen. 3 he caused Eve to doubt and question God.  In 2 Sam. 11 he distracted David by staying home from battle and when he did, Satan caused him to lust.  In Dan. 4 Satan caused the king to be prideful and praised himself instead of God.  In Matt. 4 he tempted Jesus even using God’s own words.  We should not underestimate the devil.   He’s working very hard to snare people, because he knows he’s running out of time and he knows God will win the ultimate battle.

When we first believed, Jesus came to live inside us and now we are a target for the enemy of God, but Satan was defeated at the cross.  He hates us, because we are Christians.  He schemes for believers and is set to destroy.  There is a battle going on for those who belong to Jesus.  He even tempted Jesus.  God allows him to roam the earth with his demons.  God promises to fully equip us with His presence and resources.  The more we know God and recognize Satan’s work the more we understand Satan schemes. 

Satan has many schemes.  He can cause us to doubt God and His trustworthiness.  He brings false teachings.  If the teaching is slightly truthful, then we think it must be OK.  He makes it hard to live as a Christian.  He hinders the work of the ministry of Jesus working against our efforts for God.  He wants you to live the way the world does with its pleasures, hypocrisies and being independent of God.  He discourages us when we are lonely, have free time, facing death, etc.

Do you doubt God’s love?

Has He asked you to serve, but you say you don’t have time?

Ephesians 6:13-17 – The Battle Armor

Should we fear Satan?  No.  God has given us the full Armor of God for our defense as a weapons against him.  If we use these weapons, he cannot harm us.  These weapons are:

Belt of Truth – Know God’s true Word so you won’t be deceived.  The truth holds us up in battle.

Breastplate of Righteousness – When we receive salvation, we receive the righteousness of God.  It protects us.  None of us are righteous on our own.  We should live and reflect His righteousness.  Right living is a protection for your heart.     

Feet fitted with Readiness – By knowing the Word you can be ready when Satan attacks.  Be ready and willing to share the good news with others.

Shield of Faith – Faith is our trust in God.  Our shield is as big as our trust in God.  If we have faith, we are protected from Satan’s flaming arrows.  How big is your shield?  Do you find your faith is protecting you?

Helmet of Salvation – The enemy wants to destroy your salvation.  Salvation is our hope.  He wants to attack our hope and our mind.  The helmet is the security of our mind. 

Sword of the Spirit – This is the an offensive weapon, God’s Word.  Satan cannot win against God's Holy Word.  Stab those threats with the Word of God! 

Why is the Word of God so powerful?  It’s the revelation of God.  It assures us a win.

Why does the enemy work so hard?  He doesn’t want us to know and believe in the power of God.  He knows he only has a short time before his ultimate defeat.

How can you apply God’s Armor?  Believe, put your faith and trust in Jesus, know His Word, stay in His Word, listen and obey the Holy Spirit, stand firm and don’t be deceived, pray for strength and guidance, pray in all circumstances, pray for others and don’t let Satan get a foothold.  “Submit yourselves, then to God.  Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” – (James 4:7)

Have you accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior?

If you are a Christian, where is your soft spot?  Is it fear, anger, control, being all things to all people?

How are you going to draw on the protection of His Armor?

Is your Belt unbuckled?

Are you living with peace in God?

Who is robbing you of your peace?

Ephesians 6:18-24 – The Battle of Prayer and Platoon

Prayer is the key.  We are to be good soldiers for God.  He is the Commander-in-Chief.  We need to be in prayer.  He saved us because He wants to fellowship with us.  That’s prayer.

“And pray in the Spirit an all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.  With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” – (Eph. 6:18).  How can you pray for someone, if you don’t know them?  We need to be alert to the needs of others so we will know what to pray for.  We also need to be alert to what’s going on around us in the world to pray more effectively.

Paul asks the Ephesians to pray that God would give him the words to speak the gospel and that he speak with boldness and without fear.  We should pray for the same things.  It is very important that we pray!  We can be a witness and plant the seed.  It is the Holy Spirit who convicts.  We need to let God to do His work.  We should pray this for ourselves and other believers.  When we pray, it also changes us making us closer to God and more compassionate toward others.

How willing are you to ask for prayer from others?

How trust worthy are you as you pray for them?

What hinders your prayer life?

Have you prayed and prayed for something and it seems that God is not answering?  Don’t stop praying.  Eph. 6:18 says to keep on praying.  There is no out.  The enemy says, “Well you tried so move on.”  Pray and trust the will of God.  It’s up to God not you.  Don’t give up on your prayer.

Principles:

Believers are never alone in the battle of life.

Believers are fully equipped in Christ to stand firm in the battle of life.

Living in a constant dialogue with God gives perspective and power for the battle of life.

Ephesians 4-6:9

Eph. 4:1-16 – Believers called to Unity

How can you live a life worthy of His calling?  Your conduct should show that Christ has been made alive in your life.  In living such a life you should be humble, gentle, patient, loving, forgiving and keep in unity of the Holy Spirit.  You can do this by doing what Jesus did follow His example.  He was forgiving and loving.  You must keep your eyes on Him.

This would also apply to the church.  We should not be so petty about things and always want our way.  It’s all about Jesus, not you!  We should have organic unity.  Organic means being made of interdependent parts with each having its own gifts - like the human body.  Each part of the body is different, but depends on each other for unity to make up the body.  Another example is the Bible.  It was written by several different writers, but altogether they make up the book known as the Bible.  Another is the church.  We each have different gifts, but altogether we are unified together making the church.

There is hostility toward Christians in the world.  Our selfish desires certainly give the world something to talk about.  God wants to give the world something to talk about, but not about our faults and shortcomings.  In order to do that, the world needs to know who we are and see us living in humility, holiness, and submission.  God wants them to see how much He loves us, how Christ died for our sins, and how He’s living in us.

We all want peace in the world.  Peace comes from Jesus.  Jesus is our peace.  A worthy walk begins in the heart.  We need to have inward attitudes.  “Be humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” – (Eph. 4:2).  This all leads to unity.  In John 17 Jesus prayed for unity.  Christian should be different that those who belong to the world.

Humility is the opposite of pride.  Pride is the first sin.  Sin in general is some form of pride.  Humility begins with self awareness.  Knowing who we are in Christ develops humility.  Living in humility will bring meekness.  It’s power under control.

Patience is longsuffering and can endure discomfort without fighting back and never give in to circumstances.  It’s hanging in there and trusting.

What would the world be saying about you or your church?

How would others describe your church?

How committed are you to living humble, loving and patient?  You can’t do it on your own.

These character traits will lead us to His purposes.

There are seven ways Christians are united:

1 Body – We all share in the body of Christ.  All Christians make up the body called the church which Christ is the head.

1 Spirit – We all receive the same Spirit – the Holy Spirit

1 Hope – We all have 1 hope in Christ and the promise of God of eternal life

1 Lord – there is only 1 Lord and He is the head of the Church

1 Faith – We all have faith in Christ who is our foundation

1 Baptism – We all were baptized in the Spirit when we believed.

1 God and Father – There is only 1 true God

Christ gave different kinds of gifts to us and we give them to the church.

Apostles – Apostles are sent by God to do special work.  They lead by example, they teach, they comfort, they endure hardships, they glorify the church.

Prophets – A prophet is someone who speaks for God.  They warn, direct, encourage, teach, counsel, and bring the Word of God to the people.

Evangelists – An evangelist is someone who seeks to convert others to Christ.

Pastors and Teachers – They teach the Word of God, help us to understand the Word, shepherd the flock, oversee the church, and pray for the members and model Christ.

These gifts make us stronger and build us up.  We expect Pastors to do it all, but it’s the responsibility of every believer.  If you could build up other Christians in your home, church or relationships; you would be encouraging, quick to forgive, be humble, be understanding, would keep their secrets, always be positive and not be judgmental.

Principle:

Christians walk in unity when joined together in humility and love.

Eph. 4:13-14 should be the goal of a Christian.  We would become mature as Christians and no longer be deceived.  We would know the truth and become more like Jesus.  We can avoid being childish by staying in the Word, listen to the Holy Spirit, be thankful in all circumstances, put God in the center of our lives and stay on our knees in prayer.  We can speak the truth allowing the Holy Spirit to guide you.  We can speak the truth in love with humility and not be offensive or judgmental.  We can grow up into Christ in all things by trusting Him in all things, being thankful in all things, praying and staying in His Word.

How would one describe your humility?  We are to be completely humble.

What are you doing to build and maintain unity in your church?

Eph. 4:17-5:20 – Believers called to Holiness

To walk worthy life has to change.  The key is to be different than your old self and it begins with your thinking.  Our old desires have to die.  We need to feed the desire for God and starve any desire outside of Christ.  “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.” – (Rom. 12:2).  God’s plan is we walk in holiness – called sanctification.  We should intentionally engage with the Lord – in His Word, in prayer, in listening to Him, in worship and in service to Him and others.

Eph. 4:17-5:21 tells us what we as Christians should put off and put on:

Verse              Put Off                      

4:23                old self

4:24                falsehoods

4:26-27          in anger do not sin and while in anger do not give the devil a foothold.   Anger is not a sin.  It’s what you do with it.

4:28                stealing

4:29                unwholesome talk

4:30                grieving the Holy Spirit – He will never leave you, but He grieves when you sin.          

4:31                 bitterness, anger, rage, brawling, slander, every form of malice

5:3      `          any hint of sexual immorality or any kind of impurity or greed

5:4                  obscenity, foolish talk, course joking

5:6                  let no one deceive you with empty words

5:11                 have nothing to do with fruitless deeds of darkness

5:15                 living unwise

5:17                 being foolish

5:18                getting drunk with wine

Verse              Put On

4:23                new thinking

4:24                new self

4:25                speaking truthfully

4:28                working and doing something useful so you can share with those in need

4:29                building up others

4:32                kindness, compassion, forgiveness

5:1-2               being imitators of God and live a life of love – As we imitate Him we honor Him.  We say to the world what Jesus did matters.  It says I don’t want you to see me, but Him.

5:4                  thanksgiving

5:9-10             living as children of light and please God

5:11                 exposing deeds of darkness

5:15                 living wisely

5:17                 understanding the Lord’s will

5:18                being filled with the Spirit

5:19-20          speaking in hymns, psalms, make music in your heart and always give thanks

5:21                 submitting to one another out of reverence to Christ

How will you put into practice these things?

If we used these principles in our homes and businesses, we would be setting the right examples for our children and others.  There would be no disrespect and the pride that is so prevalent today.

Principle:

Believers will imitate God’s character to the extent we surrender our minds and hearts to His Spirit and truth.

What do you need to surrender?  Is it bitterness, your tongue, anger, a hint of sexual immorality in your mind or you heart?  Playing out sexual immorality has to go.

How visible is He in you?

Eph. 5:20-6:9 – Believers called to Submission

“Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.  For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.  Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.  Husbands, love you wives, just as Christ love the church and gave himself up for to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word.” – (Eph 5:22-24).  By human nature we want to promote ourselves, but the Holy Spirit enables us to submit.  We are to develop an attitude of submission.  We need to yield to one another out of love.   After all, aren’t we to be followers of Jesus?  He submitted to God to die on the cross.  We are to be humble and not self-seeking.  Paul gives us the order of God to man and man to woman in 1 Cor. 11:3 – “Now I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ.”  This doesn’t mean that a wife should obey her husband as a child would obey his parents or be like a slave to his master.  This is God’s order of authority and submission and is only possible in those who are filled and controlled by the Holy Spirit.  We are trusting God to direct our lives.  Submission does not cancel out equality.  We are all equal in the sight of God.  We as Christians are to submit to other Christians. “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” – Eph. 5:21.

Submission is God’s goal.  We honor and respect Him through our submission.  Submission in marriage is easier when we submit to Christ.  Submission to your husband is honoring the Lord.  Submission to you wife is a form of sacrifice to Christ.  A Christian marriage is a description of the church.

Will you entrust your husband to God?  If you have a Christian husband, thank God for him. 

To teach your children to obey God isn’t easy.  They have little sinful hearts and must be trained to obey.  You should teach that this is a command of the Lord.  Obedience enriches our character. 

Are you a parent that is easy to respect and love?

Do you make this a command hard for them to obey?

How intentional are you in training your child?

How are you as a wife or husband?

Principle:

Our reverence to God displayed in relationships honor God and others.

How is your life giving impressions to others about Jesus?  As we live by the Spirit of God we reflect Him.