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Hello, welcome again to the Takeaway. I'm your host, pastor Harry Behrens, and in today's episode we're going to be looking at Ephesians, chapter 4, verses 4-7, and continue the teaching of unity from our last episode. Now, before we dive in, I want to invite you to share any questions or feedback you may have by using the Text Us link in the episode description or by visiting us on our website at thetakeawayfaith. Your input is invaluable in shaping our future episodes and we are committed to creating content that supports your spiritual growth. So please let us know your thoughts, as we would love to hear from you Now as we begin.

Speaker 1: 0:35

We have seen that the church is part of God's divine plan, which was once a mystery but is now revealed. Christ gave the apostles to disclose the mystery and we are responsible as believers to participate in it. God didn't simply plan the church as an option for us. It is a gift for his Son. It goes beyond the structure as it represents his desire to give us the Son so that Jesus may be glorified in and through us. We are the earthly representation of Christ in this world, and living accordingly pleases the Father and brings us. We are the earthly representation of Christ in this world and living accordingly pleases the Father and brings us the fullness of the Lord's joy. This is a unique relationship and, as I mentioned in our last episode, god has equipped us with everything we need to experience that joy and live a life that glorifies him. He hasn't left us to figure it out independently, but has provided detailed instructions to make it easy and attainable for us to live the life he has designed for us. Now, in these following few verses, we will disclose some of the gifts that he has bestowed on the church for this new life that we now have in Jesus.

Speaker 1: 1:36

There's no reason for us to fail as believers. As Jesus said, we could ask for anything in his name and that he would give it to us if we applied it properly Not for selfish gain, but to live a life united with him and other believers who glorify the Father in heaven. When we do that, he promises that there is no way we can fail or lack anything. John 14, 13-14,. Whatever you ask in my, where you've asked for something but never received it.

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In these moments, it's common for people to reinterpret Scripture to align with their experiences, which is dangerous and unwise. It's important to first reevaluate ourselves in light of scripture to see if we may have misunderstood something. Often we ask for things in a way that is not aligned with the word, simply because we don't fully comprehend what we're asking for. James 4.3, you ask and do not receive, because you ask, wrongly, to spend it on your passions. So as we learn to separate our passions from God's will, we will better understand how to approach God and ask him for anything that will further glorify him and bring joy to us.

Speaker 1: 3:03

When you realize that the Father's glory is the ultimate goal, you will begin to apply the teachings of Scripture appropriately. Looking at the following verses, we see that they will apply to using spiritual gifts, and when you apply them to glorify our Father in heaven, you will experience a godly power unlike any you have ever seen before. Remember this if God has created all things for his glory, done all things for his glory, created all things for his glory, done all things for his glory, said all things for his glory and redeemed us for his glory, then you could be sure of this he cannot and will not deny his own glory, because that would go against his nature. So when your motive is to glorify God, he will, as Jesus said, and must answer your prayer lest he denies his own glory. So we must evaluate whether or not what we ask for truly glorifies him or us. Ephesians 4, 4-6.

Speaker 1: 3:55

There is one body and one spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call. One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all church. 1 Corinthians 12, 12. For just as the body is one and has many members and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. Now, one spirit is the Holy Spirit that we all share and is God's spirit. So if we have God's spirit in us, we are one in him, the one hope. That hope is that we will be taken 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 do nothing without him. John 15, 5. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me, you can do nothing.

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Now, the one faith is what we learn in the apostles' doctrine. It prevents division when we have the correct substance, it creates adhesion. Acts 2.42,. And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teachings and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. The one baptism is the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Water baptism reflects what has already occurred. 1 Peter 3.21,ism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not asa removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

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Now, many people misunderstand baptism, as they think the act of it actually does something to cleanse their soul. That couldn't be further from the truth. As we see here in 1 Peter, it is for your conscience that you get baptized. Why else would you do it? Unless Jesus was indeed your Lord and you desire to follow after him, unless you think the act of it saves you or regenerates you? But again, that is not the case. It is meant to assure you of the faith that you have placed in him.

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On the other hand, on the other end of the spectrum, though, are those who have never been baptized because they understand that the act itself doesn't save, or at least they think so. The problem with that is it will leave you doubting whether your conversion was genuine. It is the first command our Lord gives us after believing in him and repenting of our sins. So how can you call him Lord when you haven't even taken the first step in following him? So many people skip this and struggle on their walk with the Lord because any other form of obedience is only partial without following the first step.

Speaker 1: 6:36

If you haven't been baptized, you are not an obedient follower of Christ. There is nothing you can do or say to convince me otherwise. So before going any further and trying to figure out how to live a spirit-filled life, get baptized. Then come back and start where you were supposed to from the beginning Acts 2, chapter 2, verses 38. And Peter said to them repent and be baptized, every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of the Holy Spirit is not talking about salvation that took place when you believed, but it talks about the very thing we are getting ready to move into here in Ephesians, chapter 4, the gifts of the Spirit. If you want the Spirit to gift you for effective ministry, you must be obedient in the first step. Don't tell me you can't be baptized because you don't belong to a church, it's wintertime or whatever else. If you can take a bath, then you can get baptized. Find a believer and ask them to baptize you. It doesn't require a pastor or a church leader to do this. It requires a genuine believer in Christ to guide you through the process. And that's it. As far as the water, if you know someone who can baptize you, they probably know a place you can use. A bathtub is sufficient if nothing else is available.

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Let's look at Acts 8, 36 to 38. And as they were going along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said see, here is water. What prevents me from being baptized? And he commanded the chariot to stop and they both went down into the water, philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. Now we don't know what body of water they stopped at, but it could have been a giant mud puddle. For all we know. The point is, it doesn't matter. There's no holy water or some blessing that needs to be made for this to take place. It is for your conscience, and that's it. So find a believer and a body of water and get baptized. I promise you you're not going to regret it.

Speaker 1: 8:36

Now, to finish, verse 6,. Paul says we have one God and Father of all, over all, through all and in all. Over, through and in all, god is in control of everything, and one day he will arrive to put everything in its place and make all good again. Now there's nothing that is outside of his control. That's what Paul has been getting at since chapter 1. God has decreed everything, from choosing, adopting foreknowledge, predestination, all of it. God is in everything we go through, every bad thing, every good thing, god is in it. Every choice we make, god is in it. Nothing, not one molecule, is out of place or out of sight from God. He didn't just wind this world up and let it go to see what would happen. He is in over and working through all things as he reigns over all. That has been the theme from chapter one and throughout Paul's letters. That is the God we serve, and when he says he has you in his hands, he literally means he has you.

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Colossians 1, 16 to 17. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions, or rulers or authorities, or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through him and for him, and he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Now you might think at this point that your choices are your choices, and you make them freely, but do you? What choice have you ever made that wasn't influenced by something in your life?

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We are all inclined to make the choices we do because of the environment in which we grew up and live, from how our parents raised us to how the wind blows. All influence our thoughts and decisions. Just think about it. How often have you changed your plans because it was raining outside, too hot or cold or windy? It all influences you and God controls all of it, even down to your belief. You only believe what you do because it was presented to you and God gave you the ability to see and hear it.

Speaker 1: 10:51

The truth is, if you had any free will, you could remove yourself from your environment and make decisions without any external force. The problem is that no one can do that except God. He is the only one with genuine free will and the ability to make decisions, or decrees, as I like 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 decide without influence from someone or something else, but he can overcome the laws of nature that show he is indeed the lawgiver. They are his laws, made for us, not him, and he is able in every way to bend them or break them as he sees fit. Examples of this are when Jesus walked on water, calmed the storm or turned water into wine, to name a few. He showed that he was indeed the one who created these laws, sustained them and overcame them.

Speaker 1: 11:46

We, however, are bound by these laws, which makes us slaves. As we covered in Ephesians, chapter 2, we are either slaves to this world or to Christ. Now, have your pick, if you're able to. In either case, you are a slave, but to be a slave to Christ gives you freedoms that only a believer in Jesus has. John 8, 36. So, if the Son sets you free, you will be free, indeed. Now, again, we don't or cannot make ourselves free. It must be the will of God and the act of God to do it. Only then will you be free.

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Moving on to Ephesians 4.7, but grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. Now, when it says but grace, or another way to say it is despite that, or, on the other hand, paul is now moving us from the subject of unity into the uniqueness of believers, as we see when he says to each one Everything Paul said so far was building up to this point and the part we play in the plan of God, which is carried out in the oneness of God which we have entered into with him. And now we will see how each unique individual plays a part in the unity. We each have been given a measure of grace, which is to say we each have been given something unique for us to use within the body of Christ, which is our gift. That gift is for unity, not for yourself to be used to pursue worldly passions. God has and has given everything to the church, the body of Christ, which it needs for life and godliness. He does that by giving you and me each specific gifts or talents that benefit the body as a whole. We will cover this in more detail in our next episode, but you need to realize right now that you have been made a part of a unique group of people that, we are told, make up and operate as one individual. This in turn glorifies God and brings joy to us.

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Now, unfortunately, many Christians today either don't know they have gifts, and if they do, what do they do with them? Many attend church on a Sunday morning. If they're even going and sit there consuming what's being given, then they leave never to do anything with what they receive, to repeat it all over again 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 to do so is a waste of our talent. If you genuinely know Jesus, you are to equip yourself in a Bible teaching church to serve the body according to your gift. Once you start doing that, you will begin to experience an unexplainable satisfaction. This is the beginning of the joy of the Lord, and there is no end to how much you can experience or limit to what he is willing to give you. So the question now becomes do you know what your gift is? Do you use it for the body without being asked and do you even care?

Speaker 1: 14:39

Romans 12, 6-8 says having gifts that defer according to the grace given to us, let us use them if prophecy in proportion to our faith, if service in our serving, the one who teaches in his teaching, the one who exhorts in his exhortation, the one who contributes in his generosity. 1 to 11, it says However, you were led. Therefore, I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says Jesus is accursed and no one can say Jesus is Lord except the Holy Spirit. Now, there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are varieties of service, but the same Lord, and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all and everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good, for to one is given, through the Spirit, the utterance of wisdom and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit To another. Faith by the same Spirit To another. Gifts of healing by the one Spirit To another, the working of miracles To another to another. Prophecy to another. The ability to distinguish between spirits to another. Various kinds of tongues to another to the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same spirit. Who appoints, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

Speaker 1: 16:18

So gifts should be recognized, confirmed and used for the body. If you do nothing, this can't happen. Acts 6, 2-3. And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said it is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you to start using your gifts, then start. Don't wait for someone to say you are qualified, or join some class to tell you what your gift is. If you are a believer who has been 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 it is, just do it. The church will, or should, recognize your gift, not because you told them, but because they can't stop you from doing it. It's their job to equip you to be as efficient as possible in using your gift so that you can have the fullness of Christ's joy in you. If your church hinders this process in any way, then you need to find a place that will allow you to serve and grow.

Speaker 1: 17:32

Let's pray, father. God, thank you so much for your word today. Thank you for this message. Thank you for the encouragement that we have to know that you have given us everything we need for life and godliness to produce that which it is you want us to produce in our life that we would be fruitful and you would be glorified, and in that we would have the joy of the Lord. Father, it's my desire that you would help our listeners today use their gifts for the ministry that you have set before them. That they would serve and teach and help and do whatever it is, god, that you want them to do. That they would just step out in that, in faith, trusting that you will manifest that in their lives, not waiting for somebody to tell them or not thinking that they're good enough. God, I pray that you would just give them that confidence, that boldness like Paul had to just step out and go, and that, if they're a part of a good, believing church, that the church leaders would just recognize the gifting on their life. God, I pray that you would bless them, that you would anoint them and empower them for the work that you have set before them. Father, we love you and we thank you In Jesus' name, amen. I want to thank you for joining us today and I hope this message helped you take a step closer in your relationship with Jesus and that you have a better understanding of just how much God loves you and wants you to know him.

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Now, in our next episode, we're going to discuss what God did and gave to the church to equip the saints. We will see their responsibilities and the outcome of good stewardship. Until then, please make sure you are in a place where you are being fed and encouraged to live a life for Christ. Before we go, I want to encourage you to visit us at thetakeawayfaith. On our website, you can sign up to receive email notifications or send us a text message from the link provided in the description of this episode. We hope that you would use this podcast as a resource to help others and that you would send us a message, a word of encouragement or any questions or comments, as we would love to hear from you. God bless and we'll see you next time on the Takeaway.