008 Spot the difference

Part of a series of studies in Ephesians. See Articles 

What Paul has written to the Christians in Ephesus is full of extraordinarily wonderful news and for us as we read it we are overwhelmed by the changes it makes in our ow lives.

It is impossible to have a more dramatic change than what has happened to us!.  We were dead and have been made alive - by grace we have been saved!  We have been given every blessing in the heavenly realms. We have been adopted, chosen, been initiated into the mystery God himself devised for our eternal benefit.

These radical changes should result in radical changes.   We are not the same people. We are not like people who are still spiritually dead.

It was hard to be told you are dead. This is the result of your transgressions and sins when we read Ephesians 2:1. But are you prepared to tell someone who is not a Christian the description in this chapter?

So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed. (Ephesians 4:17-19)

We don’t want to offend people.  We don’t want to be Bible Bashers, to be holier than thou, to preach down at people because they are actually nice people and we want to maintain our friendship.

If we look honestly we see our friends and neighbours just don’t get it when we tell them about Jesus. There is a dreadful darkness in their thinking. They can’t being themselves to acknowledge the truth that their hearts are hardened.  They aren’t able to be open minded, open heartened.  

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God… For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ (2 Corinthians 4:3-4,7)

The truth is there for them to see - it’s in the Bible. But there is the choice: see that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life or accept the insidious but comfortable lies from the father of lies. The deceiver, Satan, blinds people so they cannot see the truth declared to them by the creation itself. Their minds, their understanding is darkened 

since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 2For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. (Romans 1:19-20)

They are insensitive to the Bible’s message. But have they given themselves over to sensuality and indulge in every kind of impurity? Are they full of greed? When you look around the world you do start to see that this is a description of trends and patterns of behaviour and sometimes we can despair at it and we begin to ask God to rescue our friends, neighbours and family because we know they need help, need rescuing, need saving.

Does it depend on the company you keep on whether you notice this in people but it is true nonetheless?

Before our salvation our thinking was darkened, separated from life who is God.

However, we can’t escape the fact that we are different to them. We have been born again.  We have a new life. We have the Spirit of Jesus always with and in us.

Our thinking has been straightened out. Our understanding has been enlightened by the Spirit. We are now in touch with reality.  When you think and understand things from God’s point of view then you are understanding things the way they really are.

That, however, is not the way of life you learned 21when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:20-24)

Jesus teaching is there in the Bible for us to follow - it is the way of life we have learned. We can see the difference and we want to follow Jesus. We are different to them; we are different now.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here! (2 Corinthians 5:17)

If, as a Christian, you do not learn from Jesus then repent and commit to learning from him every day. How do you do this? Read the Bible, think about the Bible, seek to see Jesus teaching in the Bible and pray for his Holy Spirit to help you apply it to your life.

You will become aware of the temptation to corruption, to be like your unbelieving companions. Your old self, urged on by the devil, will yearn for your old ways, those deceitful desires. Repentance becomes part of a Christian’s life! The Holy Spirit will give you the strength to resist temptation and always provide a way of avoiding yielding to it.

Pay no attention to Satan but be made new in the attitude of your mind. Become the new person you are! You are born again to live the life Jesus would live. Be like God in true righteousness and holiness!

How does this work in practice? Paul gives practical advice.

Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbour, for we are all members of one body. ‘In your anger do not sin’: do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need. (Ephesians 4:25-28)

We live surrounded by lies claiming to be truth so be different. Avoid manipulation, exaggeration, and outright lies. Be as good as your word. Put off falsehood and be known for being truthful, certainly to those with whom you deal and especially with brothers and sisters in Jesus.

Deal with your anger without delay: before the end of the day. Anger so easily leads us to sin and gives the devil an access point to your thinking and behaviour.

This means honest dealings and respect for others and their property. Being a bludger is not suitable for a Christian - work for your keep. Life is more satisfying when you are doing something useful and it gives you the means to share with others who are unable to work as you do.

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (Ephesians 4:29-32)

It’s delightful to sit around and chat with people but we need to take care that the chat does not become so loose that it does more harm than good. Unwholesome talk can merge into gossip or onto topics that encourage deceitful desires.

These times become damaging when bitterness, rage, anger, brawling and slander and malice have their way. These have no place in our new lives in Christ and we can see in the world around us how they solve nothing but do so much harm.

It is so much more delightful when we leave a conversation having been encouraged, built up, needs met and benefiting us all. How lovely to be with kind, compassionate friends who forgive each other.  It’s just like having spent time with Jesus himself.