The main theme of Ephesians: Moving with Christ from death to life. Christianity is a movement, a journey of faith.
In his book, Sit, Walk, Stand, Watchman Nee divides the book of Ephesians into three main sections.
- Sit, chapters 1-3
- Sitting with Christ, Sitting in Christ, our identity and being
- Walk, chapters 4-6:9
- Walking with Christ, movement of faith
- Stand, chapter 6:10-24
“Walk” is used in the Book of Ephesians
- Hard to find depending on what translation you use
- Most often translated life in the NRSV and NIV translations
- Easier to find in the King James Version and New King James Version (used 8 times)
- The Ephesians Reading Challenge: Read the entire book of Ephesians 3 times in 3 weeks. It’s 6 chapters long, so read chapter 1 Monday, chapter 2 Tuesday, and you’ll finish on Saturday.
Ephesians 4:1 NRSV
I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called,
Ephesians 4:1 NKJV
I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,
If a person is really living their faith we say they’re Walking the Walk. What does Walking the Walk look like?
- Moral, Just, Trustworthy
- Commitment to Christ
- Caring
- Value fellowship/community
- Passionate
- Visible joy
- Makes an impression – like footprints in the sand
Walking the Walk
- The practical living of faith in Jesus Christ
- Our life in Christ out in the world by the power of the Holy Spirit at work in us and through us
- Our lives look different because we are walking with Christ. They make an impression.
Ephesians 4:1 NKJV I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,
We display who we are in Christ in our conduct and our choices. It’s for everyone to see. Who we are in what we do. Our being is shown in our doing.
- Jesus says, “You are the Body of Christ.” Our faith is lived out in our flesh. Incarnation, skin in the game
- They will know you are Christians by your love- your loving words your loving actions, your loving choices, sacrifices, generosity, life
Show Me from Lerner and Loewe’s My Fair Lady
Words Words Words I’m so sick of words. I get words all day through. First from him, now from you. Is that all you blighters can do? Don’t talk of stars burning above. If you’re in love show me. Tell me no dreams filled with desire. If you’re on fire show me.
Show that you are a follower of Jesus Christ. Show that the Holy Spirit is at work in you. We leave our former walk/way of living for a new walk/way of living with Christ. We turn, we repent and we become a follower of Jesus Christ. Our life looks different because we are moving in a new direction with a new motivation.
Ephesians 5:1-2 NKJV Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
Ephesians 2:10 NKJV For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 4:1-6 NRSV I, therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.
Ephesians 5:8 NKJV For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light
Ephesians 5:15-16 NKJV See then that you walk circumspectly (watchfully, awake, intentionally), not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
This is a life worthy of giving your life to.
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Quote on Loving Your Enemies
To our most bitter opponents, we say: ‘We shall match your capacity to inflict suffering by our capacity to endure suffering. We shall meet your physical force with soul force. Do to us what you will, and we shall continue to love you. We cannot in all good conscience obey your unjust laws because noncooperation with evil is as much a moral obligation as is cooperation with good. Throw us in jail, and we shall still love you. Bomb our homes and threaten our children, and we shall still love you. Send your hooded perpetrators of violence into our community at the midnight hour and beat us and leave us half dead, and we shall still love you. But be ye assured that we will wear you down by our capacity to suffer. One day we shall win freedom, but not only for ourselves. We shall so appeal to your heart and conscience that we shall win you in the process, and our victory will be a double victory.
There is an idea of Christianity that what it means to be a Christian is to be nice, to follow the laws of the land, to attend church, give money to charity, and do some volunteer work.
That version of Christianity does not require the saving power of Jesus’ death and resurrection. That version of Christianity does not require the power of the Holy Spirit living in you and through you.
It can be done in mere human strength. It is humanism. It is Star Trek. They boldly go where no one has gone before because they’ve pulled themselves up by their own bootstraps. They have discovered the technology for it, they’ve learned to be better people who make better choices.
The transformation that happens in a life because of Jesus Christ, because of the power of the Holy Spirit at work, is what Dr. King described. Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
Christianity is a life so transformed it makes an impression. You walk into a room and people sense the character change in you brought on by the Holy Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Christianity is a life that takes our baptismal vows seriously and lives them out
- I renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness, reject the evil powers of this world, and repent of my sin.
- I accept the freedom and power God gives me to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves.
- I confess Jesus Christ as my Savior, put my whole trust in his grace, and promise to serve him as my Lord, in union with the church which Christ has opened to people of all ages, nations, and races.
- According to the grace given to me, I will remain a faithful member of Christ’s holy church and serve as Christ’s representative in the world.
It is time for a robust, alive faith. It’s time for a faith that does scary things. I want to walk as a child of the light. It’s scary to say this because now you and God can hold me accountable. Ok Jesus, what are you going to ask of me?
And yet, it is what real faith is. I want to be known as a child of the light. I want to be known as a person who walks the walk. I pray you want to be known the same way. This is who you are in Christ. This is the fullness of walking the walk.
Prayer: God we recognize we cannot walk the walk in our own strength. We recognize that it’s so good to just be comfortable. We recognize there’s something bigger and great which you are calling us to. So fill us with your Spirit. Make us alive in you.
Fill us, so it overflows with all we come in contact with. Fill us with your mercy and grace so it overflows as we walk. Fill us with your power so it does abundantly more than we can ask or imagine as we walk.
Lord, we know this filling comes first by sitting in you. We cannot walk unless we sit. We will sit in your presence. We will sit with your Word. We will rest in you and receive so we may walk.
Thank you for teaching us this truth. May our lives bring you glory. May your Kingdom come through us. Amen.
John 13:33-35
