Scripture: Ephesians 4:1–7 ESV —“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager 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 that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.”
The idea of being “imprisoned” to anything is usually a thought we don’t associate with. Either we don’t recognize the things we are “imprisoned” by that hurt us mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, or we don’t grasp the power of being “imprisoned” for God. Recognize it or not, though, we are either a prisoner for our gain or a prisoner for His gain. It’s just a part of life.
In Paul’s case, being a prisoner for the Lord was not a metaphor. He really was in jail. Once upon a time, Paul was “imprisoned” by hatred for the church. Now he was literally under lock and key because of his love for the church.
In a manner of speaking, Paul was telling the church of Ephesus that even though they weren’t prisoners like him, they were “prisoners” to their calling for the Lord. It was not only right to conduct themselves in accordance with who they were in Christ, but frankly, it was a non-negotiable. That definitely seems like a form of “imprisonment.” But if Paul found joy in his calling from a prison cell, certainly the church could find joy in being faithful to their calling to build one another up in their faith.
The way this shows up in your life is through the contention of your faith. If you are walking with Jesus, you are contending with spiritual battle. Beginning with Adam and Eve, we see that the human struggle happens between what pleases God, and making Satan happy by choosing to do what pleases us. It all comes down to deciding who and what you will serve. Will you serve yourself, or will you serve God?
The passage for today teaches us to reprogram our hearts. It shows us that even though, among earthly kingdoms, 1+1=2, in the Kingdom of God, 1+1=1. Look at the passage again. It says, “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.”
If you were to comb through the Scriptures and formulate a list of God’s core values, near the top of the list would have to be church unity. The Bible says that Christ loves the Church. In fact, it even calls the Church His Bride. What we keep seeing over and over in just a few sentences is that God values oneness. And when you put the people of the Church together in fellowship, we are no longer a crowd—we are one. You could add them all up as much as you want, but in the eyes of Christ, we are one Bride under one Lord.
How does that happen? Do we all just suddenly lose the capacity for selfishness? No. Do we stop having opinions and preferences? Of course not.
The answer is that, at some point, you realize that oneness doesn’t begin in you or the person next to you. It’s not about you, and it’s not about us. It’s about the One who is over us. It’s about one Lord and one Spirit. When we come together under Him, we are no longer categorized by any number other than “one.” In a culture that loves to build crowds, it can be hard to understand the power of “one.”
Don’t mistake the crowd for the Church. This is what makes “churches” strangely interesting. On any given Sunday, there are buildings that the community sees as “a church” while not really knowing what The Church is. History will tell you that there are two primary groups you can find in a worship facility on the weekend. There are those who engage socially, and then there are those who engage in fellowship. In other words, some come to be part of a friend group, and some come to be in the family of God. Fellowship is relationships that are built in the Kingdom of God. Fellowship is 1+1=1. Fellowship is “imprisonment” to loving God and loving people.
We regularly desire for God to give us the strength to live our lives—to handle the financial pressures, work stress, household issues, and so many other things. This is where the daily spiritual battle you read about above comes into play. That stuff will not go away on this side of heaven, and it’s the stuff that keeps us coming to God in dependence as we pray and seek Him. But Frankly, the grace to fulfill our calling within the body of Christ, in a manner worthy of it, seems to lack the same focus.
With all of that said, reading from Paul today, we see that we are called to have that focus. We aren’t called just to think about it or add it to a list of worthwhile things. In so many words, we are called to be a “prisoner” for it.
How is it possible? How can it be that out of many there is “one”? Paul answers this in the last sentence of the passage today. It says, “But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.”
The unity we are called to will be possible when we trust in God to produce oneness. Our best impression of it falls far too short and doesn’t scratch the surface of what God’s grace can produce. Paul is teaching us that living in a manner worthy of our calling is only possible with the measure of grace we have in Christ.
The best part is, this is when 1+1 is multiplied by the cross. His grace is exponential in the growth it produces. It creates the kind of love and unity we read about in Acts, when thousands come to Christ through just a few. He takes your calling and grants the empowerment to accomplish it with means outside of your natural skills and abilities.
As a Church, we aren’t asking God to leverage the best we can do as a group. We are declaring that the only thing we want is to be a movement that accepts nothing short of the best He can do—even if He chooses to do it through our weaknesses.
By His grace, may we be a movement of “prisoners,” held captive by the supernatural grace of Jesus Christ. May God grant us what we need to build each other up in the most holy calling of unifying His Church under one Lord, one Spirit, and one Faith—as One Body!
Reflection:
How could other Christ-followers come alongside you to bear your burdens? Is this something you are even comfortable contemplating?
Ask yourself: How is your unwillingness to invite other believers into your journey detracting from their ability to build you up in the faith?
How does a closed posture toward the Church contribute toward it being a friend group rather than a fellowship?
Think of a time God used you to build others up in the faith. What did this look like? What are some of the primary benefits you experienced by helping others benefit? What did you feel like it cost you then compared to looking back on it now? Was it worth any sacrifice you made?
Ask God to show you specifically what it would look like today to conduct yourself in a manner worthy of your calling. Ask Him to empower you to live this way today