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Ephesians: Discovering Your Identity and Purpose in Christ – Week Five


Sit Down to Walk

Lowliness, meekness, longsuffering, forbearance are four essential qualities for unity.  We must consider others better than ourselves.  We must correct gently and forgive each other.  We must persevere and not give up.  Which of these qualities do you struggle with most?

The Spirit brings unity.  We are one body, with one Spirit.  We have one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism and one God.  Does your own body of believers agree with this?

Even so, we are not all the same.  We all have different gifts that God gives us to use to perfect the saints, to use for ministry, and to edify the body of Christ.  Read Ephesians 4:11, Romans 12:6-8 and 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 and compile a complete list of those gifts.  Do you know what gifts Christ has given you?   How did you discover it?  If you still don’t know your gift(s), speak with a trusted Bible study leader or Pastor for resources you can use to discover your gifts.  And then our focus should be on the work of the Holy Spirit, not the gift itself.  If we focus on the gift, we can convince ourselves that it’s our ability that makes the gift possible and steal God’s glory.

“Truthing in love” is the final focus of this lesson.  Speaking the truth in a loving way is not always a simple task.  What does this look like to you?  Gentle correction?  Firm but calm confrontation?  “Truthing in love” is crucial behavior for a healthy church.  After all, how can your church be healthy if it’s living a lie?

Memorize:  Ephesians 4:2-3

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