September 7, 2025 • 30 mins
From behind prison walls, Paul's voice rises with unwavering conviction, not about his chains but about the bond that holds believers together. In this powerful journey through Ephesians 4, we step into a Roman cell where stone walls and iron shackles cannot contain the liberating truth of unity in Christ.
The apostle's words cut through centuries to challenge us today: What does it mean to "walk worthy of the calling you have received"? With remarkable clarity, Paul outlines the markers of a life aligned with Christ's purposes—humility instead of pride, gentleness instead of harshness, patience that bears with others in love. He reveals the profound spiritual reality that unites us: one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father over all.
This isn't abstract theology but practical transformation. Paul guides us through the journey from spiritual infancy—tossed by every wind of teaching—to mature believers who speak truth wrapped in love. His prison-penned wisdom addresses real-life challenges: handling anger without sinning, exchanging theft for generous work, replacing destructive words with grace-filled speech, and choosing forgiveness over bitterness. Even as his own wrists bear the weight of chains, Paul reminds us that in Christ, we've been set free to live differently—to put off the old self and clothe ourselves with the new, created to reflect God's own righteousness and holiness. Join us in this intimate encounter with Scripture that transcends time, where an imprisoned apostle shows us what freedom truly means. Will you carry these words beyond your listening and into your walk with Christ today?
Music Credit: "Thank You!" by JOYSPRING
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
In the Field Audio Bible (05:23):
Today, we remain in that dim Roman
cell beside the chained apostle.
The stoned walls hold the samechill.
The iron shackles still bite athis wrist, yet Paul's gaze is
fixed somewhere far beyond thesewalls, as if he sees a horizon.
(05:46):
No prison can block His voice.
Low but unwavering carries theweight of a shepherd guiding his
flock, calling them to walktogether in step.
(06:10):
In Ephesians 4, Paul speaks notof his own suffering, but of
the unity we are called to, notof the chains around his body,
but the bond that holds the bodyof Christ together.
He urges us to live in a wayworthy of this calling, marked
by humility, gentleness andpatience.
These are not distant virtueson a page.
(06:31):
They are the living signs of apeople who belong to Christ.
Listen closely.
The imprisoned apostle pointsus toward a higher walk, not as
scattered believers, but as onebody, joined in love and
anchored in truth.
He warns us not to be tossed byevery wind of false teaching,
(06:55):
but to grow into maturity untilthe whole body reflects the
fullness of Christ.
Here, in the quiet shadow ofhis chains, paul reminds us we
are one and we are meant tostand as one.
(07:16):
Today, my friend, the cell ismuch the same as when you last
sat with me, though the lightthat filters through the narrow
opening above has shifted withthe turning of the seasons.
Rome's air is heavy this morning, thick, with the scent of damp
stone and the faint, bitter tangof the rusted iron that holds
(07:39):
me.
The walls drip in places wherethe night's chill lingers
longest and each slow dropechoes like the ticking of a
clock.
I cannot see, I do not know thehour, but I know the one who
holds time in his hand.
(07:59):
The chains are still here,biting at my wrist, cold against
my skin, but they are no longerstrangers to me.
I have learned the weight ofthem.
They rattle softly when I shiftto adjust the parchment on my
(08:21):
knee, and in their sound I amreminded.
These chains bind my flesh, butthey do not bind my spirit.
Christ is my freedom.
Even here you sit close as youdid before, your back against
(08:43):
the same wall that bears myshadow.
You've brought no questionsthis time, only quiet.
I can see it in your eyes.
You have been thinking much onwhat we last spoke of.
The mystery revealed theboundless love of Christ that
(09:05):
surpasses knowledge.
The fullness of God poured intofrail vessels like you and me.
That truth is still alive in metoo.
It has not faded.
It will not fade.
I dip the reed once more intothe ink and draw it steady over
(09:26):
the parchment.
The scrape of its tip is sharp.
In this stillness, mycompanions, those who serve as
my hands when my chains are tooheavy, are near.
Tychicus waits patiently readyto carry this letter.
When it is done, Luke is hereas well, his keen eyes observing
(09:51):
every word, every pause.
The guard leans against the farwall, his armor dull in the dim
light.
I cannot tell if he listens orif he pretends not to hear, but
the truth has a way of seepinginto ears that do not wish to
(10:12):
receive it.
And so I continue.
My brother, my sister, you mustknow this.
What I am about to write flowsfrom what I have already said.
The love of Christ is notmerely to be known, it is to be
(10:33):
lived.
That mystery we spoke of, thatunity of Jew and Gentile into
one body, that glorioushousehold of faith.
It is not an idea to be admiredfrom a distance.
It is a calling, a walk, a wayof life.
(10:55):
I pause lifting my eyes to thatpale shaft of light.
The dust swirls within it,caught in unseen currents of air
.
Even here, beauty exists.
If you look long enough.
My heart stirs, not for myfreedom, but for yours, you and
(11:20):
all those in Ephesus, and allwho will ever call on the name
of the Lord.
You have been called by Godhimself.
Not merely rescued, not simplyforgiven.
You have been summoned to livein a way worthy of his name.
I lean closer to you, loweringmy voice as though to share a
(11:46):
secret, though it is a truth forall.
This is no light thing.
The walk is not easy.
It is not marked by the loud orthe proud, but by the quiet
strength of humility, by thesteady hand of gentleness, by
the long breath of patience and,above all, by the binding cord
(12:12):
of love, the love that bearswith one another, that guards
unity as a treasure, thatrefuses to let the body of
Christ to be torn apart, body ofChrist to be torn apart.
I can feel the urgency rise inme.
My voice carries now, fillingthe small space.
The guard shifts his weight andLuke's pen moves faster to keep
(12:38):
pace this unity we have beengiven.
It is not fragile, no, it isstrong, for it is forged by the
Spirit himself, but it must bekept.
It must be guarded.
One body, one spirit, one hope,one Lord.
(13:00):
One Lord, one faith, onebaptism, one God and Father of
all, who is over all and throughall and in all.
As I speak, the cell seemslarger, as if these walls are no
(13:22):
longer my boundaries.
I can almost see the faces ofthose in Ephesus, the merchants
by the harbor, the mothers withtheir children, the elders who
have stood through trial, and Ican see you too, standing among
them.
You are the body, and withoutyou, this body is not whole.
(13:47):
My hand slows on the parchment.
The words ahead will speak ofgrowth, of maturity, of truth
spoken in love for this body.
The church cannot remain aschildren, swayed and tossed by
every wind of teaching, deceivedby the cunning of men.
I turn to you once more, doingits work so that the whole body
(14:13):
builds itself up in love.
I turn to you once more.
(14:34):
Do you see?
I ask softly.
This unity is not mine to keep,it is not yours alone, it
belongs to all who call him Lord, and it must be guarded, lived,
and cherished.
(14:55):
The ink dries as the last lineof the section is set upon my
parchment.
The guard exhales, perhaps inrelief that my speaking has
ended, or perhaps in somethingdeeper he cannot name.
Tychicus nods slightly, asthough he too has been stirred.
(15:15):
The chains remain, the wallsremain, but there is a sense
that heaven itself has leanednear to listen.
There is a sense that heavenitself has leaned near to listen
.
And so, my friend, as you sithere beside me in the shadows of
(15:37):
Rome.
Know this what I write is notborn of theory, but of the life
we share in Christ.
The calling is great, the roadis narrow, but the one who
called you walks it with you.
Let us continue together.
Now let's take a moment to quietour hearts and listen to the
(15:59):
word itself.
Let these words sink deep intoyour spirit, bringing comfort,
conviction and encouragement,whether you're sitting in a
quiet place or out in the world.
Allow Scripture to meet youright where you are.
I hope you have your favoritecup of tea or coffee.
Sit back, relax and let's stepinto the sacred text of the
(16:39):
Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians4.
The Epistle of Paul to theEphesians 4.
I, therefore, the prisoner inthe Lord, beg you to lead a life
worthy of the calling to whichyou have been called, with all
humility and gentleness, withpatience, bearing with one
another in love, making everyeffort to maintain the unity of
(17:03):
the Spirit in the bond of peace.
There is one body and oneSpirit, just as you were called
to one hope of your calling, oneLord, one faith, one baptism,
one God and Father of all, whois above all and through all and
(17:25):
in all.
But each of us was given graceaccording to the measure of
Christ's gift.
Therefore, it is said, when heascended on high, he made
captivity itself a captive.
He gave gifts to his people.
When it says he ascended, whatdoes it mean?
(17:47):
But that he had also descendedinto the lower parts of the
earth.
He who descended is the sameone who ascended far above all
the heavens so that he mightfill all things, the gifts he
gave.
Were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some
(18:08):
evangelists, some pastors andteachers, to equip the saints
for the work of ministry, forbuilding up the body of Christ.
Until all of us come to theunity of the faith and of the
knowledge of the Son of God, tomaturity, maturity to the
measure of the full stature ofChrist.
We must no longer be children,tossed to and fro and blown
(18:35):
about by every wind of doctrine,by people's trickery, by their
craftiness and deceitfulscheming, but, speaking the
truth in love.
We must grow up in every wayinto him, who is the head, into
Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by
(18:56):
every ligament which it isequipped as each part is working
properly, promotes the body'sgrowth and building itself up in
love.
Now, this I affirm and insist onin the Lord, you must no longer
live as the Gentiles live, inthe futility of their minds.
(19:17):
They are darkened in theirunderstanding, alienated from
the life of God.
Because of their ignorance andhardness of heart, they have
lost all sensitivity and haveabandoned themselves to
immorality, greedy to practiceevery kind of impurity.
That is not the way you learnedChrist, for surely you have
(19:43):
heard about him and were taughtin him as truth is.
In Jesus, you were taught toput away your former way of life
, your old self, corrupt anddeluded by its lust, and to be
renewed in the spirit of yourminds and to clothe yourselves
with the new self, createdaccording to the likeness of God
(20:05):
, in true righteousness andholiness.
So then, put away falsehood.
Let all of us speak the truthto our neighbors, for we are
members of one another.
Be angry, but do not sin.
Do not let the sun go down onyour anger and do not make room
for the devil.
(20:26):
Thieves must give up stealing.
Rather, let them labor and workhonestly with their own hands,
so as to have something to sharewith the needy.
Let no evil talk come out ofyour mouths, but only what is
useful for building up as thereis need, so that your words may
(20:48):
give grace to those who hear anddo not grieve.
The Holy Spirit of God, withwhich you were marked with a
seal for the day of redemption,put away from you all bitterness
and wrath and anger andwrangling and slander, together
(21:08):
with all malice, and be kind toone another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another as God andChrist has forgiven you.
The oil lamp burns low now, itssmall flame bending and
(21:33):
straightening in the faint draftthat creeps beneath the cell
door.
Shadows reach long fingersacross the floor, wrapping
themselves around the iron ringsfixed in the stone.
The guard has gone quiet.
His eyes have closed, though Ican tell he still listens.
(21:54):
Titchica sits with his back tothe wall, head bowed, as if the
weight of these words ispressing into him as surely as
the cold of the stone pressesinto his skin.
The parchment before me isnearly filled.
The ink, dark and certain, hascaptured what the Spirit has
(22:22):
placed in my heart.
My chains shift when I move myhands.
Two short clinks, sharp in thestillness, and yet I feel
lighter than I did when we began.
For though the letter bears mywords, it carries his truth, and
(22:44):
his truth is never bound.
I look at you.
You've been here with methrough it all, through the
remembering of our calling,through the urging toward unity,
through the challenge to growin maturity and love, and I
wonder how will you walk whenyou leave this place?
You see, the unity I wrote ofis not forged in comfort.
(23:06):
It is proven in the press ofreal life, when pride would
rather be heard than listen,when impatience would rather
move on than wait, when truthfeels easier to soften than to
speak in love.
I urge you, as I urged thebelievers in Ephesus live a life
(23:29):
worthy of the calling you havereceived.
Be completely humble and gentle, be patient, bearing with one
another in love.
Outside, the city of Rome stirs.
Somewhere above, the clatter ofa cartwheel rings against the
(23:52):
stone street.
Life moves on beyond thesewalls, but the words written
here will go farther than anyroad in this city can reach.
They will outlast the empire.
So, my friend, ask yourself, amI guarding the unity of the
Spirit in my relationships, oram I allowing small divisions to
(24:15):
grow?
Do my words build up othersaccording to their needs, as
Paul wrote, so that it maybenefit those who listen?
Have I put off the old selfwith its corrupt desires and put
on the new self, created to belike God in true righteousness
and holiness?
(24:37):
When I speak the truth, is itclothed in love or is it
sharpened with self-interest?
Remember, unity is not simplythe absence of conflict, it is
the active presence of love.
Growth in Christ is notmeasured by how much we know,
but by how deeply we reflect himin the way we live.
(25:00):
Speak and forgive, For be kindand compassionate to one another
, forgiving each other, just asin Christ God forgave you.
It is not a suggestion, it isthe very heartbeat of the gospel
lived out.
(25:22):
The lamp flickers one last timebefore the flame steadies.
I lay down the reed pen,flexing my fingers to ease the
ache.
The letter will soon be on itsway, carried in the hands of one
who has walked beside me andwho loves the church as I do.
(25:42):
The chains clink again as Ishift, but I smile, for the
words are free now, and so isthe truth they carry.
I pray you will carry them too,not as a memory of a visit to a
prison cell, but as the livingbreath of God guiding your steps
(26:04):
in the days to come.
Go then, walk worthy of yourcalling.
Guard the unity given by theSpirit, speak the truth in love
and in every part of your lifelet Christ be seen.
Thank you for joining me todayas we journey through the
(26:27):
Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians4.
I pray that you carry thesereflections with you into your
day, into your week, and thatyou find strength in knowing God
is with you in every trial,every temptation, and every step
of obedience.
If this time in God's Word hasencouraged you, take a moment to
(26:51):
share it with someone who mightneed it.
And be sure to join me nexttime as we continue walking
through the scriptures, learning, growing, and staying faithful
in the field of life.
Until next time, may you findpeace in the quiet, trust in
God's call, and rest in Hisunchanging love.
(27:13):
This is In the Field Audio Bible, where we Listen to the Bible
One Chapter at a Time.
Today, we remain in that dim Roman
cell beside the chained apostle.
The stoned walls hold the samechill.
The iron shackles still bite athis wrist, yet Paul's gaze is
fixed somewhere far beyond thesewalls, as if he sees a horizon.
(05:46):
No prison can block His voice.
Low but unwavering carries theweight of a shepherd guiding his
flock, calling them to walktogether in step.
(06:10):
In Ephesians 4, Paul speaks notof his own suffering, but of
the unity we are called to, notof the chains around his body,
but the bond that holds the bodyof Christ together.
He urges us to live in a wayworthy of this calling, marked
by humility, gentleness andpatience.
These are not distant virtueson a page.
(06:31):
They are the living signs of apeople who belong to Christ.
Listen closely.
The imprisoned apostle pointsus toward a higher walk, not as
scattered believers, but as onebody, joined in love and
anchored in truth.
He warns us not to be tossed byevery wind of false teaching,
(06:55):
but to grow into maturity untilthe whole body reflects the
fullness of Christ.
Here, in the quiet shadow ofhis chains, paul reminds us we
are one and we are meant tostand as one.
(07:16):
Today, my friend, the cell ismuch the same as when you last
sat with me, though the lightthat filters through the narrow
opening above has shifted withthe turning of the seasons.
Rome's air is heavy this morning, thick, with the scent of damp
stone and the faint, bitter tangof the rusted iron that holds
(07:39):
me.
The walls drip in places wherethe night's chill lingers
longest and each slow dropechoes like the ticking of a
clock.
I cannot see, I do not know thehour, but I know the one who
holds time in his hand.
(07:59):
The chains are still here,biting at my wrist, cold against
my skin, but they are no longerstrangers to me.
I have learned the weight ofthem.
They rattle softly when I shiftto adjust the parchment on my
(08:21):
knee, and in their sound I amreminded.
These chains bind my flesh, butthey do not bind my spirit.
Christ is my freedom.
Even here you sit close as youdid before, your back against
(08:43):
the same wall that bears myshadow.
You've brought no questionsthis time, only quiet.
I can see it in your eyes.
You have been thinking much onwhat we last spoke of.
The mystery revealed theboundless love of Christ that
(09:05):
surpasses knowledge.
The fullness of God poured intofrail vessels like you and me.
That truth is still alive in metoo.
It has not faded.
It will not fade.
I dip the reed once more intothe ink and draw it steady over
(09:26):
the parchment.
The scrape of its tip is sharp.
In this stillness, mycompanions, those who serve as
my hands when my chains are tooheavy, are near.
Tychicus waits patiently readyto carry this letter.
When it is done, Luke is hereas well, his keen eyes observing
(09:51):
every word, every pause.
The guard leans against the farwall, his armor dull in the dim
light.
I cannot tell if he listens orif he pretends not to hear, but
the truth has a way of seepinginto ears that do not wish to
(10:12):
receive it.
And so I continue.
My brother, my sister, you mustknow this.
What I am about to write flowsfrom what I have already said.
The love of Christ is notmerely to be known, it is to be
(10:33):
lived.
That mystery we spoke of, thatunity of Jew and Gentile into
one body, that glorioushousehold of faith.
It is not an idea to be admiredfrom a distance.
It is a calling, a walk, a wayof life.
(10:55):
I pause lifting my eyes to thatpale shaft of light.
The dust swirls within it,caught in unseen currents of air
.
Even here, beauty exists.
If you look long enough.
My heart stirs, not for myfreedom, but for yours, you and
(11:20):
all those in Ephesus, and allwho will ever call on the name
of the Lord.
You have been called by Godhimself.
Not merely rescued, not simplyforgiven.
You have been summoned to livein a way worthy of his name.
I lean closer to you, loweringmy voice as though to share a
(11:46):
secret, though it is a truth forall.
This is no light thing.
The walk is not easy.
It is not marked by the loud orthe proud, but by the quiet
strength of humility, by thesteady hand of gentleness, by
the long breath of patience and,above all, by the binding cord
(12:12):
of love, the love that bearswith one another, that guards
unity as a treasure, thatrefuses to let the body of
Christ to be torn apart, body ofChrist to be torn apart.
I can feel the urgency rise inme.
My voice carries now, fillingthe small space.
The guard shifts his weight andLuke's pen moves faster to keep
(12:38):
pace this unity we have beengiven.
It is not fragile, no, it isstrong, for it is forged by the
Spirit himself, but it must bekept.
It must be guarded.
One body, one spirit, one hope,one Lord.
(13:00):
One Lord, one faith, onebaptism, one God and Father of
all, who is over all and throughall and in all.
As I speak, the cell seemslarger, as if these walls are no
(13:22):
longer my boundaries.
I can almost see the faces ofthose in Ephesus, the merchants
by the harbor, the mothers withtheir children, the elders who
have stood through trial, and Ican see you too, standing among
them.
You are the body, and withoutyou, this body is not whole.
(13:47):
My hand slows on the parchment.
The words ahead will speak ofgrowth, of maturity, of truth
spoken in love for this body.
The church cannot remain aschildren, swayed and tossed by
every wind of teaching, deceivedby the cunning of men.
I turn to you once more, doingits work so that the whole body
(14:13):
builds itself up in love.
I turn to you once more.
(14:34):
Do you see?
I ask softly.
This unity is not mine to keep,it is not yours alone, it
belongs to all who call him Lord, and it must be guarded, lived,
and cherished.
(14:55):
The ink dries as the last lineof the section is set upon my
parchment.
The guard exhales, perhaps inrelief that my speaking has
ended, or perhaps in somethingdeeper he cannot name.
Tychicus nods slightly, asthough he too has been stirred.
(15:15):
The chains remain, the wallsremain, but there is a sense
that heaven itself has leanednear to listen.
There is a sense that heavenitself has leaned near to listen
.
And so, my friend, as you sithere beside me in the shadows of
(15:37):
Rome.
Know this what I write is notborn of theory, but of the life
we share in Christ.
The calling is great, the roadis narrow, but the one who
called you walks it with you.
Let us continue together.
Now let's take a moment to quietour hearts and listen to the
(15:59):
word itself.
Let these words sink deep intoyour spirit, bringing comfort,
conviction and encouragement,whether you're sitting in a
quiet place or out in the world.
Allow Scripture to meet youright where you are.
I hope you have your favoritecup of tea or coffee.
Sit back, relax and let's stepinto the sacred text of the
(16:39):
Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians4.
The Epistle of Paul to theEphesians 4.
I, therefore, the prisoner inthe Lord, beg you to lead a life
worthy of the calling to whichyou have been called, with all
humility and gentleness, withpatience, bearing with one
another in love, making everyeffort to maintain the unity of
(17:03):
the Spirit in the bond of peace.
There is one body and oneSpirit, just as you were called
to one hope of your calling, oneLord, one faith, one baptism,
one God and Father of all, whois above all and through all and
(17:25):
in all.
But each of us was given graceaccording to the measure of
Christ's gift.
Therefore, it is said, when heascended on high, he made
captivity itself a captive.
He gave gifts to his people.
When it says he ascended, whatdoes it mean?
(17:47):
But that he had also descendedinto the lower parts of the
earth.
He who descended is the sameone who ascended far above all
the heavens so that he mightfill all things, the gifts he
gave.
Were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some
(18:08):
evangelists, some pastors andteachers, to equip the saints
for the work of ministry, forbuilding up the body of Christ.
Until all of us come to theunity of the faith and of the
knowledge of the Son of God, tomaturity, maturity to the
measure of the full stature ofChrist.
We must no longer be children,tossed to and fro and blown
(18:35):
about by every wind of doctrine,by people's trickery, by their
craftiness and deceitfulscheming, but, speaking the
truth in love.
We must grow up in every wayinto him, who is the head, into
Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by
(18:56):
every ligament which it isequipped as each part is working
properly, promotes the body'sgrowth and building itself up in
love.
Now, this I affirm and insist onin the Lord, you must no longer
live as the Gentiles live, inthe futility of their minds.
(19:17):
They are darkened in theirunderstanding, alienated from
the life of God.
Because of their ignorance andhardness of heart, they have
lost all sensitivity and haveabandoned themselves to
immorality, greedy to practiceevery kind of impurity.
That is not the way you learnedChrist, for surely you have
(19:43):
heard about him and were taughtin him as truth is.
In Jesus, you were taught toput away your former way of life
, your old self, corrupt anddeluded by its lust, and to be
renewed in the spirit of yourminds and to clothe yourselves
with the new self, createdaccording to the likeness of God
(20:05):
, in true righteousness andholiness.
So then, put away falsehood.
Let all of us speak the truthto our neighbors, for we are
members of one another.
Be angry, but do not sin.
Do not let the sun go down onyour anger and do not make room
for the devil.
(20:26):
Thieves must give up stealing.
Rather, let them labor and workhonestly with their own hands,
so as to have something to sharewith the needy.
Let no evil talk come out ofyour mouths, but only what is
useful for building up as thereis need, so that your words may
(20:48):
give grace to those who hear anddo not grieve.
The Holy Spirit of God, withwhich you were marked with a
seal for the day of redemption,put away from you all bitterness
and wrath and anger andwrangling and slander, together
(21:08):
with all malice, and be kind toone another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another as God andChrist has forgiven you.
The oil lamp burns low now, itssmall flame bending and
(21:33):
straightening in the faint draftthat creeps beneath the cell
door.
Shadows reach long fingersacross the floor, wrapping
themselves around the iron ringsfixed in the stone.
The guard has gone quiet.
His eyes have closed, though Ican tell he still listens.
(21:54):
Titchica sits with his back tothe wall, head bowed, as if the
weight of these words ispressing into him as surely as
the cold of the stone pressesinto his skin.
The parchment before me isnearly filled.
The ink, dark and certain, hascaptured what the Spirit has
(22:22):
placed in my heart.
My chains shift when I move myhands.
Two short clinks, sharp in thestillness, and yet I feel
lighter than I did when we began.
For though the letter bears mywords, it carries his truth, and
(22:44):
his truth is never bound.
I look at you.
You've been here with methrough it all, through the
remembering of our calling,through the urging toward unity,
through the challenge to growin maturity and love, and I
wonder how will you walk whenyou leave this place?
You see, the unity I wrote ofis not forged in comfort.
(23:06):
It is proven in the press ofreal life, when pride would
rather be heard than listen,when impatience would rather
move on than wait, when truthfeels easier to soften than to
speak in love.
I urge you, as I urged thebelievers in Ephesus live a life
(23:29):
worthy of the calling you havereceived.
Be completely humble and gentle, be patient, bearing with one
another in love.
Outside, the city of Rome stirs.
Somewhere above, the clatter ofa cartwheel rings against the
(23:52):
stone street.
Life moves on beyond thesewalls, but the words written
here will go farther than anyroad in this city can reach.
They will outlast the empire.
So, my friend, ask yourself, amI guarding the unity of the
Spirit in my relationships, oram I allowing small divisions to
(24:15):
grow?
Do my words build up othersaccording to their needs, as
Paul wrote, so that it maybenefit those who listen?
Have I put off the old selfwith its corrupt desires and put
on the new self, created to belike God in true righteousness
and holiness?
(24:37):
When I speak the truth, is itclothed in love or is it
sharpened with self-interest?
Remember, unity is not simplythe absence of conflict, it is
the active presence of love.
Growth in Christ is notmeasured by how much we know,
but by how deeply we reflect himin the way we live.
(25:00):
Speak and forgive, For be kindand compassionate to one another
, forgiving each other, just asin Christ God forgave you.
It is not a suggestion, it isthe very heartbeat of the gospel
lived out.
(25:22):
The lamp flickers one last timebefore the flame steadies.
I lay down the reed pen,flexing my fingers to ease the
ache.
The letter will soon be on itsway, carried in the hands of one
who has walked beside me andwho loves the church as I do.
(25:42):
The chains clink again as Ishift, but I smile, for the
words are free now, and so isthe truth they carry.
I pray you will carry them too,not as a memory of a visit to a
prison cell, but as the livingbreath of God guiding your steps
(26:04):
in the days to come.
Go then, walk worthy of yourcalling.
Guard the unity given by theSpirit, speak the truth in love
and in every part of your lifelet Christ be seen.
Thank you for joining me todayas we journey through the
(26:27):
Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians4.
I pray that you carry thesereflections with you into your
day, into your week, and thatyou find strength in knowing God
is with you in every trial,every temptation, and every step
of obedience.
If this time in God's Word hasencouraged you, take a moment to
(26:51):
share it with someone who mightneed it.
And be sure to join me nexttime as we continue walking
through the scriptures, learning, growing, and staying faithful
in the field of life.
Until next time, may you findpeace in the quiet, trust in
God's call, and rest in Hisunchanging love.
(27:13):
This is In the Field Audio Bible, where we Listen to the Bible
One Chapter at a Time.
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