Welcome to Thursday’s Podcast.

Our reading today is Ephesians 4:17-24. Today I will focus on verses 22-24:

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness

REFLECTION

Last Monday my colleague Liam shared a thought from Ephesians 2:10 ‘We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do…’

I love that image that Paul paints. I love what Liam shared too.

We are God’s workmanship – we are made in his image – he is transforming us into his likeness.

It’s a beautiful image. Much of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, to date – paints that wonderful picture of just who God is and who we are becoming.

Now, Paul moves his attention to encouraging the Ephesian church to stay strong in the faith. He does this by warning them of the impact of the values and belief systems of the prevailing culture on the church. This is true today as much as it was for the Ephesians.

How do we not drift away? How do we not let the stuff of life pull us away?

The best illustration I have of this is some time I was visiting an amazing Christian Community called Betel – Spanish for Bethel – house of God. It’s a community of people living free from addictions to alcohol and drugs.

There’s much I could say but one of the many things I remember is that in the houses, after work, the guys would gather together and eat together. Many are believers – committed Christians – but some are new to the community with no faith, some with a very new faith. Now some of these guys are tough. Some have been in prison and some of the others have had tough lives so you can you could well imagine that it could get a bit rowdy and the banter could, you know, go over the line. But it never did.

I’ll tell you why – someone would gently pipe up and say ‘Old life bro…’

The older, wiser ‘Betelitos’ – the older disciples – as the newer guys started to talk about the old life, the life of drugs or money – they would just say ‘old life bro…’ Sometimes, they’d take them off to one side to remind them all that God was doing in their lives. Reminded them of the vision – to be reunited with their children, to live at home and be a good father. The ‘old life’ talk threatened to take them backwards.

Honestly, ‘old life bro’ was like someone had blown an imaginary whistle.

While that community was very specific and the people had particular things to work through, the principle was that there was a discipleship culture that called out attitudes, language and behaviour that belonged to the ‘old life’. It wasn’t the leadership. It was the ordinary men.

Imagine you’re having a few beers with the boys and the conversation turns a little ‘south’ and you just pipe up – ‘old life’…

That might seem strange. But it shouldn’t.

If we’re going to stay on the journey with Jesus – from time to time, the ‘old life’ may rear its head. We need some people around who will not be afraid to say when they hear something ‘old life’… If I’m not going to drift from faith, if I don’t turn up to community or am choosing other things – someone asking me if it’s the old life wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing, would it?

Who can help you in that?

PRAYER

 

READING: EPHESIANS 4:17-24

So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of imp...