July 25, 2024 • 19 mins
What if the church wasn't just an option, but a divine gift with a profound purpose? Tune in as we unravel Ephesians 4:4-7, highlighting the church's essential role in God's plan and its mission to glorify Jesus through unity. Discover how the concepts of one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, and one baptism are foundational to fostering unity among believers. We'll also debunk common misconceptions about baptism, explaining its true role in assuring our faith and its deeper spiritual significance.
In the second segment, we shift our focus to the extraordinary gifts bestowed upon each believer. Drawing from Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12, we emphasize the importance of recognizing and utilizing spiritual gifts within the Christian community. Listen as we share practical examples and scriptural references that illustrate how to serve according to your God-given talents, without waiting for formal acknowledgment. We close with a powerful prayer for boldness and empowerment, encouraging every listener to step out in faith and live out their divine calling, experiencing the joy that comes from serving others. This episode is a heartfelt invitation to align your actions with God's will and witness the transformation in your life and community.
Please visit www.chosenbydesign.net for more information on Pastor Harry’s new book, "Chosen By Design - God’s Purpose for Your Life."
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello, welcome again to the Takeaway.
I'm your host, pastor HarryBehrens, and in today's episode
we're going to be looking atEphesians, chapter 4, verses 4-7
, and continue the teaching ofunity from our last episode.
Now, before we dive in, I wantto invite you to share any
questions or feedback you mayhave by using the Text Us link
in the episode description or byvisiting us on our website at
(00:21):
thetakeawayfaith.
Your input is invaluable inshaping our future episodes and
we are committed to creatingcontent that supports your
spiritual growth.
So please let us know yourthoughts, as we would love to
hear from you Now as we begin.
We have seen that the church ispart of God's divine plan, which
was once a mystery but is nowrevealed.
Christ gave the apostles todisclose the mystery and we are
(00:45):
responsible as believers toparticipate in it.
God didn't simply plan thechurch as an option for us.
It is a gift for his Son.
It goes beyond the structure asit represents his desire to
give us the Son so that Jesusmay be glorified in and through
us.
We are the earthlyrepresentation of Christ in this
world, and living accordinglypleases the Father and brings us
.
We are the earthlyrepresentation of Christ in this
(01:05):
world and living accordinglypleases the Father and brings us
the fullness of the Lord's joy.
This is a unique relationshipand, as I mentioned in our last
episode, god has equipped uswith everything we need to
experience that joy and live alife that glorifies him.
He hasn't left us to figure itout independently, but has
provided detailed instructionsto make it easy and attainable
for us to live the life he hasdesigned for us.
(01:26):
Now, in these following fewverses, we will disclose some of
the gifts that he has bestowedon the church for this new life
that we now have in Jesus.
There's no reason for us to failas believers.
As Jesus said, we could ask foranything in his name and that
he would give it to us if weapplied it properly Not for
(01:46):
selfish gain, but to live a lifeunited with him and other
believers who glorify the Fatherin heaven.
When we do that, he promisesthat there is no way we can fail
or lack anything.
John 14, 13-14,.
(02:14):
Whatever you ask in my, whereyou've asked for something but
never received it.
In these moments, it's commonfor people to reinterpret
Scripture to align with theirexperiences, which is dangerous
and unwise.
It's important to firstreevaluate ourselves in light of
scripture to see if we may havemisunderstood something.
Often we ask for things in away that is not aligned with the
(02:37):
word, simply because we don'tfully comprehend what we're
asking for.
James 4.3, you ask and do notreceive, because you ask,
wrongly, to spend it on yourpassions.
So as we learn to separate ourpassions from God's will, we
will better understand how toapproach God and ask him for
(02:59):
anything that will furtherglorify him and bring joy to us.
When you realize that theFather's glory is the ultimate
goal, you will begin to applythe teachings of Scripture
appropriately.
Looking at the following verses, we see that they will apply to
using spiritual gifts, and whenyou apply them to glorify our
Father in heaven, you willexperience a godly power unlike
(03:19):
any you have ever seen before.
Remember this if God hascreated all things for his glory
, done all things for his glory,created all things for his
glory, done all things for hisglory, said all things for his
glory and redeemed us for hisglory, then you could be sure of
this he cannot and will notdeny his own glory, because that
would go against his nature.
So when your motive is toglorify God, he will, as Jesus
(03:42):
said, and must answer yourprayer lest he denies his own
glory.
So we must evaluate whether ornot what we ask for truly
glorifies him or us.
Ephesians 4, 4-6.
There is one body and one spirit, just as you were called to the
one hope that belongs to yourcall.
One Lord, one faith, onebaptism, one God and Father of
(04:05):
all church.
1 Corinthians 12, 12.
For just as the body is one andhas many members and all the
members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with
Christ.
Now, one spirit is the HolySpirit that we all share and is
(04:27):
God's spirit.
So if we have God's spirit inus, we are one in him, the one
hope.
That hope is that we will betaken out of this world and into
the presence of Christ Jesus,who is our one Lord.
It's all about him.
We have nothing and can donothing without him.
John 15, 5.
I am the vine, you are thebranches.
(04:48):
Whoever abides in me and I inhim, he it is that bears much
fruit, for apart from me, youcan do nothing.
Now, the one faith is what welearn in the apostles' doctrine.
It prevents division when wehave the correct substance, it
creates adhesion.
Acts 2.42,.
And they devoted themselves tothe apostles' teachings and the
(05:11):
fellowship, to the breaking ofbread and the prayers.
The one baptism is the baptismof the Holy Spirit.
Water baptism reflects what hasalready occurred.
1 Peter 3.21,ism, whichcorresponds to this, now saves
you, not asa removal of dirtfrom the body, but as an appeal
to God for a good consciencethrough the resurrection of
(05:33):
Jesus Christ.
Now, many people misunderstandbaptism, as they think the act
of it actually does something tocleanse their soul.
That couldn't be further fromthe truth.
As we see here in 1 Peter, itis for your conscience that you
get baptized.
Why else would you do it?
Unless Jesus was indeed yourLord and you desire to follow
after him, unless you think theact of it saves you or
(05:54):
regenerates you?
But again, that is not the case.
It is meant to assure you ofthe faith that you have placed
in him.
On the other hand, on the otherend of the spectrum, though, are
those who have never beenbaptized because they understand
that the act itself doesn'tsave, or at least they think so.
The problem with that is itwill leave you doubting whether
your conversion was genuine.
(06:14):
It is the first command ourLord gives us after believing in
him and repenting of our sins.
So how can you call him Lordwhen you haven't even taken the
first step in following him?
So many people skip this andstruggle on their walk with the
Lord because any other form ofobedience is only partial
without following the first step.
(06:36):
If you haven't been baptized,you are not an obedient follower
of Christ.
There is nothing you can do orsay to convince me otherwise.
So before going any further andtrying to figure out how to
live a spirit-filled life, getbaptized.
Then come back and start whereyou were supposed to from the
beginning Acts 2, chapter 2,verses 38.
(06:57):
And Peter said to them repentand be baptized, every one of
you in the name of Jesus Christ,for the forgiveness of the Holy
Spirit is not talking aboutsalvation that took place when
you believed, but it talks aboutthe very thing we are getting
ready to move into here inEphesians, chapter 4, the gifts
(07:19):
of the Spirit.
If you want the Spirit to giftyou for effective ministry, you
must be obedient in the firststep.
Don't tell me you can't bebaptized because you don't
belong to a church, it'swintertime or whatever else.
If you can take a bath, thenyou can get baptized.
Find a believer and ask them tobaptize you.
It doesn't require a pastor ora church leader to do this.
(07:41):
It requires a genuine believerin Christ to guide you through
the process.
And that's it.
As far as the water, if youknow someone who can baptize you
, they probably know a place youcan use.
A bathtub is sufficient ifnothing else is available.
Let's look at Acts 8, 36 to 38.
And as they were going alongthe road, they came to some
(08:01):
water and the eunuch said see,here is water.
What prevents me from beingbaptized?
And he commanded the chariot tostop and they both went down
into the water, philip and theeunuch, and he baptized him.
Now we don't know what body ofwater they stopped at, but it
could have been a giant mudpuddle.
For all we know.
The point is, it doesn't matter.
(08:22):
There's no holy water or someblessing that needs to be made
for this to take place.
It is for your conscience, andthat's it.
So find a believer and a bodyof water and get baptized.
I promise you you're not goingto regret it.
Now, to finish, verse 6,.
Paul says we have one God andFather of all, over all, through
(08:43):
all and in all.
Over, through and in all, godis in control of everything, and
one day he will arrive to puteverything in its place and make
all good again.
Now there's nothing that isoutside of his control.
That's what Paul has beengetting at since chapter 1.
God has decreed everything,from choosing, adopting
(09:07):
foreknowledge, predestination,all of it.
God is in everything we gothrough, every bad thing, every
good thing, god is in it.
Every choice we make, god is init.
Nothing, not one molecule, isout of place or out of sight
from God.
He didn't just wind this worldup and let it go to see what
would happen.
He is in over and workingthrough all things as he reigns
(09:31):
over all.
That has been the theme fromchapter one and throughout
Paul's letters.
That is the God we serve, andwhen he says he has you in his
hands, he literally means he hasyou.
Colossians 1, 16 to 17.
For by him all things werecreated, in heaven and on earth,
visible and invisible, whetherthrones or dominions, or rulers
(09:56):
or authorities, or dominions orrulers or authorities.
All things were created throughhim and for him, and he is
before all things, and in himall things hold together.
Now you might think at thispoint that your choices are your
choices, and you make themfreely, but do you?
What choice have you ever madethat wasn't influenced by
(10:18):
something in your life?
We are all inclined to make thechoices we do because of the
environment in which we grew upand live, from how our parents
raised us to how the wind blows.
All influence our thoughts anddecisions.
Just think about it.
How often have you changed yourplans because it was raining
outside, too hot or cold orwindy?
It all influences you and Godcontrols all of it, even down to
(10:43):
your belief.
You only believe what you dobecause it was presented to you
and God gave you the ability tosee and hear it.
The truth is, if you had anyfree will, you could remove
yourself from your environmentand make decisions without any
external force.
The problem is that no one cando that except God.
He is the only one with genuinefree will and the ability to
(11:06):
make decisions, or decrees, as Ilike to call them, without any
outside influence whatsoever.
This is how I define free will,and I will always define it
that way.
He is free not only to decidewithout influence from someone
or something else, but he canovercome the laws of nature that
show he is indeed the lawgiver.
(11:26):
They are his laws, made for us,not him, and he is able in
every way to bend them or breakthem as he sees fit.
Examples of this are when Jesuswalked on water, calmed the
storm or turned water into wine,to name a few.
He showed that he was indeedthe one who created these laws,
sustained them and overcame them.
We, however, are bound by theselaws, which makes us slaves.
(11:49):
As we covered in Ephesians,chapter 2, we are either slaves
to this world or to Christ.
Now, have your pick, if you'reable to.
In either case, you are a slave, but to be a slave to Christ
gives you freedoms that only abeliever in Jesus has.
John 8, 36.
So, if the Son sets you free,you will be free, indeed.
(12:10):
Now, again, we don't or cannotmake ourselves free.
It must be the will of God andthe act of God to do it.
Only then will you be free.
Moving on to Ephesians 4.7, butgrace was given to each one of
us according to the measure ofChrist's gift.
Now, when it says but grace, oranother way to say it is
(12:34):
despite that, or, on the otherhand, paul is now moving us from
the subject of unity into theuniqueness of believers, as we
see when he says to each oneEverything Paul said so far was
building up to this point andthe part we play in the plan of
God, which is carried out in theoneness of God which we have
(12:55):
entered into with him.
And now we will see how eachunique individual plays a part
in the unity.
We each have been given ameasure of grace, which is to
say we each have been givensomething unique for us to use
within the body of Christ, whichis our gift.
That gift is for unity, not foryourself to be used to pursue
worldly passions.
God has and has giveneverything to the church, the
(13:18):
body of Christ, which it needsfor life and godliness.
He does that by giving you andme each specific gifts or
talents that benefit the body asa whole.
We will cover this in moredetail in our next episode, but
you need to realize right nowthat you have been made a part
of a unique group of people that, we are told, make up and
(13:38):
operate as one individual.
This in turn glorifies God andbrings joy to us.
Now, unfortunately, manyChristians today either don't
know they have gifts, and ifthey do, what do they do with
them?
Many attend church on a Sundaymorning.
If they're even going and sitthere consuming what's being
given, then they leave never todo anything with what they
(14:00):
receive, to repeat it all overagain the following week.
This is not to be the way it is, as we are called to use our
gifts for each other, and not todo so is a waste of our talent.
If you genuinely know Jesus,you are to equip yourself in a
Bible teaching church to servethe body according to your gift.
Once you start doing that, youwill begin to experience an
(14:21):
unexplainable satisfaction.
This is the beginning of thejoy of the Lord, and there is no
end to how much you canexperience or limit to what he
is willing to give you.
So the question now becomes doyou know what your gift is?
Do you use it for the bodywithout being asked and do you
even care?
Romans 12, 6-8 says having giftsthat defer according to the
(14:44):
grace given to us, let us usethem if prophecy in proportion
to our faith, if service in ourserving, the one who teaches in
his teaching, the one whoexhorts in his exhortation, the
(15:15):
one who contributes in hisgenerosity.
1 to 11, it says However, youwere led.
Therefore, I want you tounderstand that no one speaking
in the Spirit of God ever saysJesus is accursed and no one can
say Jesus is Lord except theHoly Spirit.
Now, there are varieties ofgifts, but the same Spirit.
There are varieties of service,but the same Lord, and there
(15:36):
are varieties of activities, butit is the same God who empowers
them all and everyone.
To each is given themanifestation of the Spirit for
the common good, for to one isgiven, through the Spirit, the
utterance of wisdom and toanother the utterance of
knowledge according to the sameSpirit To another.
Faith by the same Spirit Toanother.
Gifts of healing by the oneSpirit To another, the working
(15:58):
of miracles To another toanother.
Prophecy to another.
The ability to distinguishbetween spirits to another.
Various kinds of tongues toanother to the interpretation of
tongues.
All these are empowered by oneand the same spirit.
Who appoints, who apportions toeach one individually as he
wills.
So gifts should be recognized,confirmed and used for the body.
(16:22):
If you do nothing, this can'thappen.
Acts 6, 2-3.
And the twelve summoned thefull number of the disciples and
said it is not right that weshould give up preaching the
word of God to serve tables.
Therefore, brothers, pick outfrom among you to start using
your gifts, then start.
Don't wait for someone to sayyou are qualified, or join some
(16:53):
class to tell you what your giftis.
If you are a believer who hasbeen baptized, then you have a
gift that is ready to be used.
So start using it.
If it's service, then serve.
If teaching, teach Whatever itis, just do it.
The church will, or should,recognize your gift, not because
you told them, but because theycan't stop you from doing it.
(17:15):
It's their job to equip you tobe as efficient as possible in
using your gift so that you canhave the fullness of Christ's
joy in you.
If your church hinders thisprocess in any way, then you
need to find a place that willallow you to serve and grow.
Let's pray, father.
God, thank you so much for yourword today.
(17:35):
Thank you for this message.
Thank you for the encouragementthat we have to know that you
have given us everything we needfor life and godliness to
produce that which it is youwant us to produce in our life
that we would be fruitful andyou would be glorified, and in
that we would have the joy ofthe Lord.
Father, it's my desire that youwould help our listeners today
(17:59):
use their gifts for the ministrythat you have set before them.
That they would serve and teachand help and do whatever it is,
god, that you want them to do.
That they would just step outin that, in faith, trusting that
you will manifest that in theirlives, not waiting for somebody
to tell them or not thinkingthat they're good enough.
God, I pray that you would justgive them that confidence, that
(18:24):
boldness like Paul had to juststep out and go, and that, if
they're a part of a good,believing church, that the
church leaders would justrecognize the gifting on their
life.
God, I pray that you wouldbless them, that you would
anoint them and empower them forthe work that you have set
before them.
Father, we love you and wethank you In Jesus' name, amen.
(18:46):
I want to thank you for joiningus today and I hope this
message helped you take a stepcloser in your relationship with
Jesus and that you have abetter understanding of just how
much God loves you and wantsyou to know him.
Now, in our next episode, we'regoing to discuss what God did
and gave to the church to equipthe saints.
We will see theirresponsibilities and the outcome
of good stewardship.
(19:06):
Until then, please make sureyou are in a place where you are
being fed and encouraged tolive a life for Christ.
Before we go, I want toencourage you to visit us at
thetakeawayfaith.
On our website, you can sign upto receive email notifications
or send us a text message fromthe link provided in the
description of this episode.
We hope that you would use thispodcast as a resource to help
(19:28):
others and that you would sendus a message, a word of
encouragement or any questionsor comments, as we would love to
hear from you.
God bless and we'll see younext time on the Takeaway.
Hello, welcome again to the Takeaway.
I'm your host, pastor HarryBehrens, and in today's episode
we're going to be looking atEphesians, chapter 4, verses 4-7
, and continue the teaching ofunity from our last episode.
Now, before we dive in, I wantto invite you to share any
questions or feedback you mayhave by using the Text Us link
in the episode description or byvisiting us on our website at
(00:21):
thetakeawayfaith.
Your input is invaluable inshaping our future episodes and
we are committed to creatingcontent that supports your
spiritual growth.
So please let us know yourthoughts, as we would love to
hear from you Now as we begin.
We have seen that the church ispart of God's divine plan, which
was once a mystery but is nowrevealed.
Christ gave the apostles todisclose the mystery and we are
(00:45):
responsible as believers toparticipate in it.
God didn't simply plan thechurch as an option for us.
It is a gift for his Son.
It goes beyond the structure asit represents his desire to
give us the Son so that Jesusmay be glorified in and through
us.
We are the earthlyrepresentation of Christ in this
world, and living accordinglypleases the Father and brings us
.
We are the earthlyrepresentation of Christ in this
(01:05):
world and living accordinglypleases the Father and brings us
the fullness of the Lord's joy.
This is a unique relationshipand, as I mentioned in our last
episode, god has equipped uswith everything we need to
experience that joy and live alife that glorifies him.
He hasn't left us to figure itout independently, but has
provided detailed instructionsto make it easy and attainable
for us to live the life he hasdesigned for us.
(01:26):
Now, in these following fewverses, we will disclose some of
the gifts that he has bestowedon the church for this new life
that we now have in Jesus.
There's no reason for us to failas believers.
As Jesus said, we could ask foranything in his name and that
he would give it to us if weapplied it properly Not for
(01:46):
selfish gain, but to live a lifeunited with him and other
believers who glorify the Fatherin heaven.
When we do that, he promisesthat there is no way we can fail
or lack anything.
John 14, 13-14,.
(02:14):
Whatever you ask in my, whereyou've asked for something but
never received it.
In these moments, it's commonfor people to reinterpret
Scripture to align with theirexperiences, which is dangerous
and unwise.
It's important to firstreevaluate ourselves in light of
scripture to see if we may havemisunderstood something.
Often we ask for things in away that is not aligned with the
(02:37):
word, simply because we don'tfully comprehend what we're
asking for.
James 4.3, you ask and do notreceive, because you ask,
wrongly, to spend it on yourpassions.
So as we learn to separate ourpassions from God's will, we
will better understand how toapproach God and ask him for
(02:59):
anything that will furtherglorify him and bring joy to us.
When you realize that theFather's glory is the ultimate
goal, you will begin to applythe teachings of Scripture
appropriately.
Looking at the following verses, we see that they will apply to
using spiritual gifts, and whenyou apply them to glorify our
Father in heaven, you willexperience a godly power unlike
(03:19):
any you have ever seen before.
Remember this if God hascreated all things for his glory
, done all things for his glory,created all things for his
glory, done all things for hisglory, said all things for his
glory and redeemed us for hisglory, then you could be sure of
this he cannot and will notdeny his own glory, because that
would go against his nature.
So when your motive is toglorify God, he will, as Jesus
(03:42):
said, and must answer yourprayer lest he denies his own
glory.
So we must evaluate whether ornot what we ask for truly
glorifies him or us.
Ephesians 4, 4-6.
There is one body and one spirit, just as you were called to the
one hope that belongs to yourcall.
One Lord, one faith, onebaptism, one God and Father of
(04:05):
all church.
1 Corinthians 12, 12.
For just as the body is one andhas many members and all the
members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with
Christ.
Now, one spirit is the HolySpirit that we all share and is
(04:27):
God's spirit.
So if we have God's spirit inus, we are one in him, the one
hope.
That hope is that we will betaken out of this world and into
the presence of Christ Jesus,who is our one Lord.
It's all about him.
We have nothing and can donothing without him.
John 15, 5.
I am the vine, you are thebranches.
(04:48):
Whoever abides in me and I inhim, he it is that bears much
fruit, for apart from me, youcan do nothing.
Now, the one faith is what welearn in the apostles' doctrine.
It prevents division when wehave the correct substance, it
creates adhesion.
Acts 2.42,.
And they devoted themselves tothe apostles' teachings and the
(05:11):
fellowship, to the breaking ofbread and the prayers.
The one baptism is the baptismof the Holy Spirit.
Water baptism reflects what hasalready occurred.
1 Peter 3.21,ism, whichcorresponds to this, now saves
you, not asa removal of dirtfrom the body, but as an appeal
to God for a good consciencethrough the resurrection of
(05:33):
Jesus Christ.
Now, many people misunderstandbaptism, as they think the act
of it actually does something tocleanse their soul.
That couldn't be further fromthe truth.
As we see here in 1 Peter, itis for your conscience that you
get baptized.
Why else would you do it?
Unless Jesus was indeed yourLord and you desire to follow
after him, unless you think theact of it saves you or
(05:54):
regenerates you?
But again, that is not the case.
It is meant to assure you ofthe faith that you have placed
in him.
On the other hand, on the otherend of the spectrum, though, are
those who have never beenbaptized because they understand
that the act itself doesn'tsave, or at least they think so.
The problem with that is itwill leave you doubting whether
your conversion was genuine.
(06:14):
It is the first command ourLord gives us after believing in
him and repenting of our sins.
So how can you call him Lordwhen you haven't even taken the
first step in following him?
So many people skip this andstruggle on their walk with the
Lord because any other form ofobedience is only partial
without following the first step.
(06:36):
If you haven't been baptized,you are not an obedient follower
of Christ.
There is nothing you can do orsay to convince me otherwise.
So before going any further andtrying to figure out how to
live a spirit-filled life, getbaptized.
Then come back and start whereyou were supposed to from the
beginning Acts 2, chapter 2,verses 38.
(06:57):
And Peter said to them repentand be baptized, every one of
you in the name of Jesus Christ,for the forgiveness of the Holy
Spirit is not talking aboutsalvation that took place when
you believed, but it talks aboutthe very thing we are getting
ready to move into here inEphesians, chapter 4, the gifts
(07:19):
of the Spirit.
If you want the Spirit to giftyou for effective ministry, you
must be obedient in the firststep.
Don't tell me you can't bebaptized because you don't
belong to a church, it'swintertime or whatever else.
If you can take a bath, thenyou can get baptized.
Find a believer and ask them tobaptize you.
It doesn't require a pastor ora church leader to do this.
(07:41):
It requires a genuine believerin Christ to guide you through
the process.
And that's it.
As far as the water, if youknow someone who can baptize you
, they probably know a place youcan use.
A bathtub is sufficient ifnothing else is available.
Let's look at Acts 8, 36 to 38.
And as they were going alongthe road, they came to some
(08:01):
water and the eunuch said see,here is water.
What prevents me from beingbaptized?
And he commanded the chariot tostop and they both went down
into the water, philip and theeunuch, and he baptized him.
Now we don't know what body ofwater they stopped at, but it
could have been a giant mudpuddle.
For all we know.
The point is, it doesn't matter.
(08:22):
There's no holy water or someblessing that needs to be made
for this to take place.
It is for your conscience, andthat's it.
So find a believer and a bodyof water and get baptized.
I promise you you're not goingto regret it.
Now, to finish, verse 6,.
Paul says we have one God andFather of all, over all, through
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all and in all.
Over, through and in all, godis in control of everything, and
one day he will arrive to puteverything in its place and make
all good again.
Now there's nothing that isoutside of his control.
That's what Paul has beengetting at since chapter 1.
God has decreed everything,from choosing, adopting
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foreknowledge, predestination,all of it.
God is in everything we gothrough, every bad thing, every
good thing, god is in it.
Every choice we make, god is init.
Nothing, not one molecule, isout of place or out of sight
from God.
He didn't just wind this worldup and let it go to see what
would happen.
He is in over and workingthrough all things as he reigns
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over all.
That has been the theme fromchapter one and throughout
Paul's letters.
That is the God we serve, andwhen he says he has you in his
hands, he literally means he hasyou.
Colossians 1, 16 to 17.
For by him all things werecreated, in heaven and on earth,
visible and invisible, whetherthrones or dominions, or rulers
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or authorities, or dominions orrulers or authorities.
All things were created throughhim and for him, and he is
before all things, and in himall things hold together.
Now you might think at thispoint that your choices are your
choices, and you make themfreely, but do you?
What choice have you ever madethat wasn't influenced by
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something in your life?
We are all inclined to make thechoices we do because of the
environment in which we grew upand live, from how our parents
raised us to how the wind blows.
All influence our thoughts anddecisions.
Just think about it.
How often have you changed yourplans because it was raining
outside, too hot or cold orwindy?
It all influences you and Godcontrols all of it, even down to
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your belief.
You only believe what you dobecause it was presented to you
and God gave you the ability tosee and hear it.
The truth is, if you had anyfree will, you could remove
yourself from your environmentand make decisions without any
external force.
The problem is that no one cando that except God.
He is the only one with genuinefree will and the ability to
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make decisions, or decrees, as Ilike to call them, without any
outside influence whatsoever.
This is how I define free will,and I will always define it
that way.
He is free not only to decidewithout influence from someone
or something else, but he canovercome the laws of nature that
show he is indeed the lawgiver.
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They are his laws, made for us,not him, and he is able in
every way to bend them or breakthem as he sees fit.
Examples of this are when Jesuswalked on water, calmed the
storm or turned water into wine,to name a few.
He showed that he was indeedthe one who created these laws,
sustained them and overcame them.
We, however, are bound by theselaws, which makes us slaves.
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As we covered in Ephesians,chapter 2, we are either slaves
to this world or to Christ.
Now, have your pick, if you'reable to.
In either case, you are a slave, but to be a slave to Christ
gives you freedoms that only abeliever in Jesus has.
John 8, 36.
So, if the Son sets you free,you will be free, indeed.
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Now, again, we don't or cannotmake ourselves free.
It must be the will of God andthe act of God to do it.
Only then will you be free.
Moving on to Ephesians 4.7, butgrace was given to each one of
us according to the measure ofChrist's gift.
Now, when it says but grace, oranother way to say it is
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despite that, or, on the otherhand, paul is now moving us from
the subject of unity into theuniqueness of believers, as we
see when he says to each oneEverything Paul said so far was
building up to this point andthe part we play in the plan of
God, which is carried out in theoneness of God which we have
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entered into with him.
And now we will see how eachunique individual plays a part
in the unity.
We each have been given ameasure of grace, which is to
say we each have been givensomething unique for us to use
within the body of Christ, whichis our gift.
That gift is for unity, not foryourself to be used to pursue
worldly passions.
God has and has giveneverything to the church, the
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body of Christ, which it needsfor life and godliness.
He does that by giving you andme each specific gifts or
talents that benefit the body asa whole.
We will cover this in moredetail in our next episode, but
you need to realize right nowthat you have been made a part
of a unique group of people that, we are told, make up and
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operate as one individual.
This in turn glorifies God andbrings joy to us.
Now, unfortunately, manyChristians today either don't
know they have gifts, and ifthey do, what do they do with
them?
Many attend church on a Sundaymorning.
If they're even going and sitthere consuming what's being
given, then they leave never todo anything with what they
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receive, to repeat it all overagain the following week.
This is not to be the way it is, as we are called to use our
gifts for each other, and not todo so is a waste of our talent.
If you genuinely know Jesus,you are to equip yourself in a
Bible teaching church to servethe body according to your gift.
Once you start doing that, youwill begin to experience an
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unexplainable satisfaction.
This is the beginning of thejoy of the Lord, and there is no
end to how much you canexperience or limit to what he
is willing to give you.
So the question now becomes doyou know what your gift is?
Do you use it for the bodywithout being asked and do you
even care?
Romans 12, 6-8 says having giftsthat defer according to the
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grace given to us, let us usethem if prophecy in proportion
to our faith, if service in ourserving, the one who teaches in
his teaching, the one whoexhorts in his exhortation, the
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one who contributes in hisgenerosity.
1 to 11, it says However, youwere led.
Therefore, I want you tounderstand that no one speaking
in the Spirit of God ever saysJesus is accursed and no one can
say Jesus is Lord except theHoly Spirit.
Now, there are varieties ofgifts, but the same Spirit.
There are varieties of service,but the same Lord, and there
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are varieties of activities, butit is the same God who empowers
them all and everyone.
To each is given themanifestation of the Spirit for
the common good, for to one isgiven, through the Spirit, the
utterance of wisdom and toanother the utterance of
knowledge according to the sameSpirit To another.
Faith by the same Spirit Toanother.
Gifts of healing by the oneSpirit To another, the working
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of miracles To another toanother.
Prophecy to another.
The ability to distinguishbetween spirits to another.
Various kinds of tongues toanother to the interpretation of
tongues.
All these are empowered by oneand the same spirit.
Who appoints, who apportions toeach one individually as he
wills.
So gifts should be recognized,confirmed and used for the body.
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If you do nothing, this can'thappen.
Acts 6, 2-3.
And the twelve summoned thefull number of the disciples and
said it is not right that weshould give up preaching the
word of God to serve tables.
Therefore, brothers, pick outfrom among you to start using
your gifts, then start.
Don't wait for someone to sayyou are qualified, or join some
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class to tell you what your giftis.
If you are a believer who hasbeen baptized, then you have a
gift that is ready to be used.
So start using it.
If it's service, then serve.
If teaching, teach Whatever itis, just do it.
The church will, or should,recognize your gift, not because
you told them, but because theycan't stop you from doing it.
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It's their job to equip you tobe as efficient as possible in
using your gift so that you canhave the fullness of Christ's
joy in you.
If your church hinders thisprocess in any way, then you
need to find a place that willallow you to serve and grow.
Let's pray, father.
God, thank you so much for yourword today.
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Thank you for this message.
Thank you for the encouragementthat we have to know that you
have given us everything we needfor life and godliness to
produce that which it is youwant us to produce in our life
that we would be fruitful andyou would be glorified, and in
that we would have the joy ofthe Lord.
Father, it's my desire that youwould help our listeners today
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use their gifts for the ministrythat you have set before them.
That they would serve and teachand help and do whatever it is,
god, that you want them to do.
That they would just step outin that, in faith, trusting that
you will manifest that in theirlives, not waiting for somebody
to tell them or not thinkingthat they're good enough.
God, I pray that you would justgive them that confidence, that
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boldness like Paul had to juststep out and go, and that, if
they're a part of a good,believing church, that the
church leaders would justrecognize the gifting on their
life.
God, I pray that you wouldbless them, that you would
anoint them and empower them forthe work that you have set
before them.
Father, we love you and wethank you In Jesus' name, amen.
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I want to thank you for joiningus today and I hope this
message helped you take a stepcloser in your relationship with
Jesus and that you have abetter understanding of just how
much God loves you and wantsyou to know him.
Now, in our next episode, we'regoing to discuss what God did
and gave to the church to equipthe saints.
We will see theirresponsibilities and the outcome
of good stewardship.
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Until then, please make sureyou are in a place where you are
being fed and encouraged tolive a life for Christ.
Before we go, I want toencourage you to visit us at
thetakeawayfaith.
On our website, you can sign upto receive email notifications
or send us a text message fromthe link provided in the
description of this episode.
We hope that you would use thispodcast as a resource to help
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others and that you would sendus a message, a word of
encouragement or any questionsor comments, as we would love to
hear from you.
God bless and we'll see younext time on the Takeaway.
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