Let’s Study Ephesians 4 (Part 3) Together!
- Joy semien
- Nov 1, 2024
- 4 min read
By: Dominica Dottery
This Weeks Scripture: Ephesians 4
Parallel Scriptures:
Ephesians 4:7-10
Matthew 7:12
Colossians 3:13
Hebrews 6:12
John 14:15
1 Corinthians 13:7
Guiding Questions:
Which fruit of the spirit is hard for you to maintain?
Which fruit of the spirit is easy for you to maintain?
Notes:
When God First created each of us, he equipped us with his spirt. When we became born again like a tree our spirit man began to bear fruits of gentleness, self-control, patience, love, and unity. Follow along in this lesson as we briefly unpack these fruits:
Gentleness
Also, can be thought of as humility or meekness.
We know Jesus was gentle, but he certainly was not weak.
He used self-control when he dealt with people.
Regarding humility, a person that is truly humble is never going to think that they are better than somebody else. Knowing our weaknesses… helps us to understand this:
We are nothing without God
We have absolutely no right to feel superior to anybody. Jesus was the only one that walked this earth that had that right, yet he was still humble. He left such a great example for us to follow living a life as a servant. He did not feel the need to prove himself about anything because he already knew his identity
The humble person is more concerned about being kind, than being right.
Self-Control
Self-Control is the ability not to overindulge.
The only way we can truly have self-control is if we seek to exercise it as a muscle building endurance to resist temptations.
When we become born again, we are given self-control, but there is a difference between having something and using it. A lot of times, Christians might forget they even have this.
The more you choose to use it, not only will it become easier to USE, but it will become easier to SEE.
Why is this important? The more you use something you are more likely to go back to that thing and use it again, and again, and again. In a sense you form a habit of using it because it is always right in front of you.
Example 1: My bible is on my nightstand next to my bed because I am always using it. As soon as I wake up, I see it, and I use it. But if it was in my closet or drawer somewhere collecting dust, I wouldn’t see often, so I would be less likely to go pick it up and I might even forget that I have it, hence the dust.
Example 2: I have muscles in my arms. God gave me those muscles when I was born, but you just can’t see them because they’re covered in fat. if I chose to use those muscles and exercise them regularly, not only will my muscles become easier to use, but they will also become easier to see….which would help continue that cycle because, I see how my muscles are forming and I am motivated to take behind to the gym, and keep it up.
Patience
Long suffering with gentleness and mildness. It is not merely waiting for something, but it characterizes how we behave while we wait.
Never allow what is going on around you to dictate how you behave. Instead, endure whatever comes your way with good temper.
Forgive as quickly and completely as the master forgave you.
Patience is exercising our faith in God
Times of waiting test our faith and patience…God uses them to help us grow spiritually
This speaks to fact that sometimes in a season of waiting, we may be all squirmy like, “I need to be doing SOMETHING,” but God may be calling us to just be still!
Unselfish Love
It cannot truly be called love unless its unselfish.
Love bears all things regardless of what comes, and it always believes the best of every person. It remains steadfast during difficult times and endures everything without becoming weak.
What better way to show the love of God inside of us when we love others?
Unity
Why is unity so hard to maintain?
Different perspectives can often cause division among us, but Paul reminds us there is one body of believers, one Lord, one hope, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of us all.
We are all different but, we can still have unity within our differences if we truly try to do so.
Stop placing so much emphasis on what you disagree on and start focusing on what you do agree on.
Choosing to keep your focus on different distinctions is only opening the door to more separation which is the OPPOSITE of what God wants. The more divided we are, the weaker we become.
Guiding Prayer:
Lord help us to bear your fruit in all we do! Lord we surrender to you help us to be more like you! In Jesus name Amen!
References: Meyer, J. (2019). Ephesians: Biblical commentary. New York, NY: FaithWords. ; Daily Hope with Rick Warren - Devotional. (2020, October 16). Retrieved November 10, 2020, from https://pastorrick.com/devotional/
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