Our reading is Ephesians 4:1-6. The epistle to the Ephesians was written by the Apostle Paul in the year 60 from a Roman prison cell. I had the good fortune to Ephesus, located in present day Turkey, several years ago. The ruins are a reminder of her glorious past. In Paul’s day, Ephesus was the most important city in western Asia Minor because it was on the intersection of international trade routes which made it a commercial giant. Paul stayed in Ephesus for two years to export the Gospel to every corner of his world. This epistle does not address any bad problems or heresy. The church was perfect, but that is not good enough. Paul writes this letter to challenge the Ephesians to expand their understanding of God’s plan of salvation. He reminds them, and us, to never be satisfied with our spiritual state. It is not enough to claim our salvation and rest on our laurels. We must press on to perfection. In the first three chapters of Ephesians Paul explains the role the church must play in God’s plan of salvation.
In the fourth chapter, Paul addresses the qualities each church member must develop in their spiritual journey. There are five qualities true believers must develop. There is no other way to say it – Paul sets the standard high and expects a great deal from us. You can call these five qualities a challenge to grow spiritually. We should never be satisfied with our present spiritual state. We should always be striving for perfection, because we are supposed to be a little more like Jesus every day. Paul challenged the Ephesians to grow spiritual, so I have the license to challenge you. I want to challenge you because I don’t want you to be the weakest link of your church.
The first Christian quality is humility. It is interesting to note that the ancient world despised the word humility. Even today, humility is looked down upon. We look up to people who are confident, if not arrogant. However, humility is one of the most misunderstood words in the English language. Humility does not mean you lack any confidence or skills, it means something completely different. It is identifying your strengths and using them for a greater good. If you want to be a humble person, then you must do two things. First, you must know yourself. You must know what you can do and what you cannot do. You must know what you believe and your core values. You must accept yourself as you are. God does not make junk. Do you know yourself? Second, you must compare yourself to Jesus. Let’s be honest, there is no comparison. If you do those two things, then you will use your God-given gifts to God’s glory. God has created you for a specific reason. C. S. Lewis (1898-1963) once said, “Christian humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less.” Do the people in your life consider you a humble person? There is humility.
The second Christian quality is gentleness. Being gentle or meek does not mean you are a doormat. It does not mean you are passionless. It means you get upset about the right things – moral issues. What upsets you? Are you more upset that the Guardians’ ownership is cheap or are you more upset, according to the United Nations, approximately 25,000 people die daily from starvation in our world? Does income disparity upset you? Do human rights violations upset you? Does it upset you that many in our world lack clean drinking water, quality education and healthcare? There is nothing wrong with getting upset about moral issues. What upsets you? Jesus was gentle or meek, and yet he got upset. Remember, Jesus got upset when the temple was used for personal profit. American author Elizabeth George (born 1946), from my hometown, Warren, Ohio, once said, “Gentleness is strength under control.” Do the people in your life consider you a gentle person? Do the people in your life consider you a meek person?There is humility. There is gentleness.
The third Christian quality is patience. Christian patience is the spirit which never admits defeat, regardless how often we are disappointed or discouraged. Yet, there is more. Christian patience never retaliates even when opportunity represents itself. Christian patience never considers abandoning Jesus. We wait patiently until Christ returns. Do the people in your life consider you a patient person?There is humility. There is gentleness. There is patience.
The fourth Christian quality is love. In Biblical Greek there are several different words for love. There is passionate love. There is community love. There is family love. The word that Paul uses here is unconquerable, benevolent love. In other words, it is the kind of love you have for someone who hates you. That kind of love is not rooted in emotions. It is rooted in self-will. There is nothing simple about that kind of love. It is reserved for the spiritually mature. Have you ever loved someone who hates you?There is humility. There is gentleness. There is patience. There is love.
The fifth is peace. There are different kinds of peace. There is political peace. There is relational peace. There is spiritual peace. On the day you accepted Jesus, you had spiritual peace and were at peace with God. Peace is vital if we are ever going to reach our full potential. It is true in the world. It is true within our families. It is true in our communities, and it is true at church. Peace is vital! Do the people in your life consider you peaceful? There is humility. There is gentleness. There is patience. There is love. There is peace.
One of the most influential preachers in my life is a man named Tom Tewell (born 1951). Today, he is the Director of the Zick Preaching Scholar Program, which helps young preachers reach their full potential. When I became aware of him, he was the pastor of the historic Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York City. I first heard him preach when he served as Chaplain of the Week in Lakeside, Ohio years ago. For a period, I followed him online. I listen to his sermons weekly. It was during one of those sermons he told a story that still haunts me. It still haunts me. I hope it haunts you too. This is the story.
When he was young, he had to be interviewed to be ordained. He was interviewed by a small group of Presbyterian ministers in an empty church in the middle of the week. He said, they covered various topics: systematic theology, church history, his personal life, self-care and his holy habits. He felt good about the interview, and he felt like he would be approved. That all changed in an instant. The oldest man on the interview team said, “Tom, we only have one more question – are you making any progress in the Christian faith?” Tom said he opened his mouth, but no words came out. He didn’t know how to answer the question. He was stumped. It is an excellent question.
How do you answer that question? Are you making any progress in the Christian faith? Your answer cannot be NO! Your answer cannot be I HOPE SO. Your answer cannot be I HAVE NO CLUE. Your answer must be YES because Jesus expects you to grow spiritually. You just can’t claim your salvation and rest on your laurels. Our world needs more spiritually mature Christians. The church needs more spiritually mature Christians. Are you making any progress in the Christian faith, or do you have some work to do?
Russ Adams 