Ephesians 4

1. Since I am a prisoner of the Lord, I beg you to live lives that are worthy of your high calling.

Has God allowed you to go through a hard time?  Live through it in a way that makes God proud of you.

So that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.  Colossians 1:10

2. Go through life being humble, and patient when you are offended, let it pass, because you love each other.

Some people go through life offended about everything.  Remember that you have done many things to offend other people, so give people the same forgiveness that you need for the things you have done.

A man’s discretion makes him slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook a transgression. Proverbs 19:11

3. Hold yourself back from destroying the oneness of the Spirit and the peace that holds you together.

What shall be given to you, and what more shall be done to you, you deceitful tongue?
Sharp arrows of the warrior, with the burning coals of the broom tree. Psalm 120:3-4

Like a city that is broken into and without walls is a man who has no control over his spirit. Proverbs 25:28

4 - 6

There is one body and one Spirit just as it was to one hope that you were called.
One Lord, one faith, one baptism. One God and Father of us all.  Who is over all, and through all, and all in all.

Different churches may have different ways of showing that they believe these things, but the most important is that we are united in trusting Jesus as the Son of God.

7. But to each one of us Christ has given grace by measure.

The more that we allow God to work in us, the more He gives power and grace to do what we cannot do.

8 – 10

As the Psalm says, “When He rose up on high, He conquered the place that was holding the prisoners, and He gave gifts to men.”

Now, what does He “rose up” mean, if not that He also would have to first come down to this world? He who came down is the same One who also rose up on high above all the heavens in order to fill the universe.

Jesus conquered the devil and set the devil's prisoners free. There are many different ideas about these verses .  But the most important thing is that the devil is defeated and we can be free.

That through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. Hebrews 2:14 – 15

You have ascended on high, You have [rescued] Your captives; You have received gifts [in order to give gifts] among men, even among the rebellious also, that the LORD God may dwell there. Psalm 68:18 

See also 1 Peter 3:19, Colossians 2:15, Romans 6:7-8, Deuteronomy 30:11 – 12, Proverbs 30:4.

11. It is He also who gave some, apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers.

These are the positions that God has created for leaders in the church.  In Corinthians, Paul explains that there are different leaders who have different gifts and they use these gifts in different ways of serving which bring different results.

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. 1 Corinthians 12:4 – 6

12. He gave these gifts to prepare the set-apart ones for the work of serving others and building up the members of the body of Christ.

Gifts are not given to feed our pride.  If you use your gift in a way that makes you look more important than others, then you are using your gift in the wrong way.

13. Until we all come in oneness in faith and knowledge of the Son of God to be fully mature in understanding the measure of Christ's fullness.

God has given us gifts to help us learn what kind of work Jesus is doing inside of us.  He made each one of us different and so we need to learn all we can about our gift before we can start using it.

We are reminded to have self-control when we are using our gifts -this is for those who are mature.

The spirits of prophets are to be under control by the prophets; for God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. 1 Corinthians 14:32-33

14. Let us not be babies blown around and carried by every wind of teaching which men use to turn us away from the path.

If we know how to be balanced in the Scriptures, we will not be blown around by the wind.  When someone says that they know something that know nobody else has ever known before, this needs to be tested. Many people who talk this way have been tested and found to have things in their life which would disqualify them from receiving secret information from the Lord.

15. But let us speak the truth with love and grow up in all things to Christ who is the head of the body.

If you cannot say it with a gentle, genuine love then be quiet.  You may say that someone needs to be told the truth, but maybe they are not ready to hear it from you.  Pray that God will send someone else who they will listen to and mind your own business.

16. It is from Him that the whole body is held together through every muscle which works with each part of the body so that it is held together in love.

We do not think this way, but we need each other to be able to live the Christian life.  There are no such things as Christian loners who can handle everything on their own.

The entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God. Colossians 2:19

17 – 18

This is what I say and testify in the Lord, you must no longer live the way the Gentiles do, with no hope in their minds. Their understanding is dark they are separated from the life of God and do not want to know the truth because their hearts are hard.

We have to teach ourselves to live in a way that shows that we are different from the world.  We are in the world but we are not of the world.

They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. John 17:16

I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. 1 Corinthians 5:9 – 10

19. They do not have normal feelings and have given themselves up to practice any type of immorality which selfishness can suggest.

And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a confused mind, to do those things which are not normal. Romans 1:28

20 – 22

But as for you, that is not what you learned in the school of Christ. That is, if you have really heard His voice and understood the truth that Jesus has taught you.
This means that you put away your old life, and the old man who was destroyed by lies and selfishness.

When the devil accuses you of something, remind yourself that this was your old man, and you are covered by the blood of Jesus, and you are a new creature.

For the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. Revelation 12:10

See also Romans 8:33-39.

23. And you must be made new in the spirit of your mind.

The mind has a spirit.

...be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Romans 12:2

He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is... Romans 8:27

24. Put on the new man who has been created according to God in right living and truly set apart.

We have to make a decision to “put on” this way of life. We have to see ourselves as dead to the world's way of living.

So, the next time we are tested, there will be a fork in the road.  If we choose God's path there will be many good things that come from this.  If we choose the old path there will be only bad things and they will grow out of control like a fire.

One of our most dangerous problems is when we do not see in how many ways we have offended God.  We do not think about how we have broken His laws.  We sometimes see ourselves as people who are not so bad.

If we think this way we are setting ourselves up to fall.  God may have to step back and allow us to do something really stupid so that we can see how much evil we are really capable of.  Like Peter, when he denied Christ, we may have to hit bottom before we can see ourselves as we really are and put to death the old man once and for for all.

Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Romans 6:11

I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. Romans 7:21

And have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him. Colossians 3:10

25. Put away lying each of you must speak truth with his neighbor, because we are members of each other.

“The foot would never lie to the eye.”  John Chrysostom

26. If you are angry do not take it any further or it will become sin.  Do not let the sun go down on your anger.

Abraham Lincoln wrote letters to people that he disagreed with.  He never sent the letters but he was set free from anger by writing these things down and giving them to God. 

If we allow anger to carry over to the next day it will be stronger.  If we get rid of anger today then the devil will have to start his attack all over again and it will not be as strong.

Is your anger controlling you or are you controlling it?

Do not be eager in your heart to be angry, for anger lives in the bosom of fools. Ecclesiastes 7:9

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a hard word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1

27. Do not give territory to the devil.

Things like anger and unforgiveness open the door and allow the devil to have a place to stand in your life.  Evil spirits see this as a gift that has been given to them.  They will not let go of it until they are forced to. 

We can see this when something used in witchcraft brings trouble into a home.  The evil spirits see this as permission to live in that house.  These things must be burned and the territory must be taken back in the name of Jesus.

See also Acts 19:19, Deuteronomy 7:5.

28. If someone has been stealing let them stop and get a job, and they will have something left over to share with others.

There is an evil spirit which has been given permission to teach this man how to steal.  You can steal time from your boss or small things on the job.  The cure for this sickness is to take back the territory from the devil and use a job as a ministry.

29. Do not let evil words come out of your mouth, but say things that are good for building each other up when it is needed, and it will bring grace to those who hear it.

An example of some evil words would be correcting someone, but wounding their spirit while you are saying it.

If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not control his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless. James 1:26

30. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you have been sealed for the day of redemption.

The Holy Spirit is very humble, or He would not be so easily made sad.  John 16:13

31. Let all unkind words anger, arguing and talking behind each other's backs, be put away from you, along with every kind of hating.

Remember that the original language of Titus teaches us that these kind of words are devil words.  This means that when you talk this way you are talking like the devil.

Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not devil-like gossips... Titus 2:3

But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. Colossians 3:8