This chapter is kind of like being a kid in a candy store.  There’s so much here to talk about, how do you pick a few?  But, my goal in doing these daily studies is not to give everything there is to give, but to whet your appetite for more.  To give you a taste and let you take the initiative in extra helpings..  so here we go.

VS 1-6, FACT OR FICTION - Maybe you’ve heard before that what we believe affects how we behave.  I think that’s 100% correct.  If we say we believe that smoking is bad for you, but we do it anyway, then we don’t believe it enough to change our behavior.  If we accept it is cold hard fact, then it alters our actions.  While what we believe about Jesus is God is crucial, the reality of our belief is played out in our actions.  We say we love God… do we actually live like it?  If not, then our belief system is not strong enough to change our action system.  One of the big sticking points is pride.  Our spiritual growth can be hindered if we allow stubborn pride to prevent us from honestly reflecting on our lives and allowing genuine faith to reshape our actions.  A deep faith and belief in who Jesus is and what he has done should radically change the way we interact with each other.

VS 11-16, LEADERSHIP ROLES IN CHURCH - God gave at least five types of leaders to the church.  They exist to complete the member’s growth and to equip them to serve.  We spent some time on these roles in May, but I’ll recap them here.

1. Apostle - One sent to pioneer and establish new works and new leaders
2. Prophet - One who speaks forth God’s word to inspire, correct, and motivate
3. Evangelist - One who shares Christ with outsiders and trains others to do so.
4. Pastor - One who shepherds, guides, and guards God’s people as they serve.
5. Teacher - One who trains God’s people in the truth and teaches others to do so.

It is our desire to see all of these roles in place within our church.  Here are some questions I ask myself based on these roles and this passage:

1. What eternally significant growth occurs in the lives of those I lead?
2. Do our people understand that my role is to equip them to serve?
3. How are our followers serving and ministering?
4. Do our people know that involvement in service is essential to growth?
5. Do our people grow spiritually mature as a result of their ministry involvement?
6. Do our people lifestyles reflect Christ’s character?
7. What percentage of our people’s faith and involvement is easily shaken?
8. Do our people build up one another?

The answers to these questions are a key indicator of success.  Numbers matter because every number represents a person.  There are never “too many” people in church.  But numbers do not in and of themselves represent success in a church.  It is questions such as these that reveal if we are achieving what God designed.

VS 17, CAN YOU TELL THE DIFFERENCE - Paul makes a plea here for us to not live like the rest of the world.  What does that mean to you?  Can people look at our lives and honestly discern a difference between those of us with faith in Jesus Christ and those without faith?  What does that look like?

VS 25, TELL IT LIKE IT IS - “let each one speak truth with his neighbor”.  This one’s a killer isn’t it?  We can no longer be honest with each other.  We hint, pull punches, beat around the bush, but seldom are we direct.  This is not an inviation from Paul to be cruel to each other, but to love each other enough (since we are part of the same body) to speak the truth in love.  WHY IS THIS SO HARD?  More churches have been hurt, more friendships damaged than we can imagine simply because we lack the fortitude to speak truth in a timely manner.  My dream is to have a church that gets past this and builds one another up, sometimes through hard love.

YOUR TURN….

Tags: Apostle Paul, Ephesians, Jesus Christ, Leadership