In kicking off Season 5 of When God Calls, we start a group discussion with men in their 50s' efforts to fulfill God's plan in their lives.

Today, Michael is joined by his good friends Geoff and Loffie to discuss God's plan for older men as described in Titus 2.

A Church Divided Over Leaders (1:10-17)

• Why were they divided?
  • One possibility - teachers and philosophers wanted to share their “wisdom”.
  • Another - we naturally follow other people
    • Gravitate to those we better identity with; whose ministry we understand
    • Begin following the messenger instead of the message
    • Leads to competition among the “leaders”
• The people of Chloe’s house were courageous
  • They openly called out the issue of division in the church to Paul and weren’t afraid of the attribution to them.
  • Paul founded the church and Apollos followed him.  Peter may have never been to Corinth.
  • Each had a different approach to their ministry of the Word.  However, they are “co-workers in God’s service” (1 Cor 3:9a)
• Baptism in that day was costly.
   
  • The sinner who became a believer and was baptized cut themselves off from their old life; often rejected by their family and friends.
  • It was a BIG life event that changed the trajectory of their lives.
  • Paul isn’t diminishing this fact but putting it into perspective.
  • It is wrong to use any man’s name with your baptism other than Jesus Christ.
  • To do so creates divisions.
  • Jesus did not baptize (John 4:1-2).  Could creating divisions be why?

Christ Crucified Is God’s Power and Wisdom (1:18-25)

• This sections contrasts God’s Word with man’s wisdom
   
  • Jews
    • Emphasized miraculous signs
    • They were looking for a conqueror to come in power and might to save them 
    • Saw the cross as weak.
    • Couldn’t reconcile the old testament passages that describe the Messiah must suffer and die.
    • The cross is a sign of power, “and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.” (1 Cor 1:25b)
  • Greeks
    • Emphasized wisdom
    • Saw no wisdom in the cross; saw the cross as foolish from a human point of view.
    • Not seeing it from God’s point of view as His great plan of salvation.
    • Paul asks the experts, teachers, and philosophers if in their studies have come to have a relationship with God.
      • The answer is no.
    • Yet God was pleased to save through the foolishness of what was being preached.  “For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom,” (1 Cor 1:25a)
  • Those who believe experience the power and wisdom of the cross
    • Those whom God has called, and who responded to the calling by faith, see that Christ of the cross is God’s power and wisdom.
    • “We are called into fellowship because of our union with Jesus Christ; He died for us; we were baptized in His name; we are identified with His cross.” (Wiersbe Bible Commentary)
    • This is the lens through which we should determine how we are to live and worship on earth.

Actual first letter

• Written prior to the epistle 1 Corinthians
• Written about sexual immorality
• The letter was not taken seriously

Paul received information about the church

• From Chloe’s household he heard:
  • Reports of division (1:11, 11:18)
  • Sexual immorality (5:1)
• From Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus visit
• From a letter written to Paul by the. Church (7:1, 7:25, 8:1, 12:1, 16:1, 12)

Based on all of this information Paul wrote what we know a 1 Corinthians
 

• From Ephesus
• 3-4 years after leaving
• Topics include:
  • Division in the Church
  • Follow Paul, Peter, and Apollos
  • Sexual Immorality
  • Eating food sacrificed to idols
  • Worship to bring the gospel (not to show off)
  • Resurrection is real

All to encourage the church to do all through the lease of love.

Reference: Wiersbe Bible Commentary

Imitators of God! (Cont) (vs 1-9)

• Children obey your parents
  • They are Christians
• It’s the 5th commandment
• It is right
• Fathers (or parents)
  • Don’t provoke them
    • Don’t say one thing and mean another
    • Blame and praise when appropriate
    • Do what you say you will do
    • Don’t do what you say you won’t do
    • Don’t do anything that confuses the child
    • Bring them up in the discipline and admonition of the Lord
    • Discipline them
      • In love not anger
    • Be fair and consistent
    • Instruct and encourage
• Christian masters (think boss or supervisor)
  • Seek the servants’ (workers’) well being
  • Don’t threaten
  • Submit to the Lord
  • Don’t play favorites

Armor of God (vs 10-24)

• The enemy is spiritual
  • The devil - accuser
  • Satan - adversary
• Satan’s helpers - demonic creatures that assist satan in his attacks.
• Satan’s abilities
  • Powerful
  • Crafty
  • Strategic
  • Cunning
• Our equipment
  • Belt (girdle) of truth
    • Held the other parts of the armor together
    • Satan is a liar but truth will defeat him
    • When a believer lies, everything falls apart. David is just one of many examples
• Breastplate of righteousness
  • Covered from neck to waist back and front
  • Symbolized the believer’s righteousness in Christ and righteous life
  • Satan as accuser can’t accuse the believer living a godly life in the power of the Spirit.
• Shoes of the gospel
  • Gospel gives us sure footing in battle
  • Gives us peace with God and therefore not fear attack from man or Satan
  • Satan declared war but with the Gospel we are to promote peace
  • Shoes also prepare us to share the Gospel each day with those who haven’t heard.
  • Provide beautiful feet (Isaiah 52:7)
• Shield of faith
  • Shield protected from arrows, spears, and fiery darts.
  • A trust in the promises and power of God
  • Faith is a defensive tactic deflecting Satans fiery darts.
  • Interlocked the soldiers could march toward the enemy like a wall
  • Not in this alone
• Helmet of salvation
  • Helmet protects the head (mind)
  • Signifies when God controls the mind, satan can’t lead astray
  • Bible study plays a huge role in a believer’s Christian growth, service, and victory over satan.
• Sword of the Spirit
  • Only offensive weapon God provides
  • A physical sword cuts the body
  • The Word of God cuts the heart
  • We were cut to the heart when the Word convicted us or our sins
  • Satan tries to use the Word of God to confuse us but the more we study and understand the harder it is for Satan to confuse us.
• Jesus is the full armor of God
  • We put on Jesus and we will always have the full protection from God.

Reference: Wiersbe Bible Commentary

Imitators of God!

• Walk in love 
  • God’s Child
  • God’s beloved child
  • Purchased with a great price
• Walk as children of light
  • We are set apart
  • We are light
• Walk in wisdom
  • Walk with purpose
  • Use your time wisely (life is short)
  • Days are evil (Freedom to win the lost could be taken away)
  • God has a plan for us, a will for our lives.  He gave us a mind (a choice) and we must use the Bible, prayer, meditation and worship to figure it out.
  • The closer we become to God the more clear his will in our lives becomes.
• Being imitators of God starts at home
  • Husbands (men) love your wives as Christ loved the church
    • Give yourself up for her
    • Do what you can to ensure her salvation
    • Lover her as you love yourself
• Wives submit to your husbands
  • The example is how the church submits to Christ (the Savior) 

• Gentiles:
  • Know God but refuse to follow his commands
  • Alienated from God
  • Callous - have no conscience
  • [1 Tim 4:3] living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry.
  • Greedy
  • Thinking is in vein with no purpose.
  • Futile because because it is darkened.  Believes they are enlightened because they reject the Bible and believes the latest philosophies but they are in the dark.
  • Satan blinds the unsaved so they won’t see the truth in Jesus.
  • Put off the grave clothes and put on the grace-clothes! (Wiersby Bible Commentary) 
  • [v. 22] Give up earthly natures (above)
  • [v. 24] We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
• Christians
  • Do not lie to each other. Since we are all baptized into the body of Christ, we look to God for truth and are given the means to determine right from wrong.
  • Don’t act out in anger.  If you have a problem with someone, go to them and fix it.
  • If we don’t forgive and stay angry this gives the devil a way in.
  • Stop steeling and work so that you will have something to share with the needy.
  • [1 Tim 4:9-15] Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.
  • Don’t speak in anger, malice, slander, and filthy language.
  • [1 Tim 3:8] But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.
  • Be encouraging and build each other up with our words
  • Don’t resist the Holy Spirit.
  • Be kind and compassionate; forgive as Christ forgave you.
  • [v. 20] Taught in Christ not about Christ. 
  • We can be taught about Christ and still never be saved.
  • Taught in Christ means we have a personal relationship with Christ that grows every day.
  • Christians haven’t just changed our minds but our citizenship.
  • Illustrated in the story of Lazarus.
    • [John 11:44] The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
• Remember the motives for walking in purity:
  • Satan wants to get a foothold in our lives.
  • We should share with others
  • Build one another up
  • Shouldn’t grieve God (push him away)

• First three chapters talk about doctrine, last three discuss our Christian responsibility.
• 4:1 
  • therefore - because of the doctrines that Paul covered in the first 3 chapters, we have the responsibilities in Christ that are discussed in the last three chapters.
  • urge (KJV uses beseech) - God urges us to live for His glory.  
    • In the OT God said, “If you obey me, I will bless you.”  Now, through Jesus Christ,  God has already blessed us so because of His love and grace should obey Him.

What we have in common

• One body
  • Body of Christ to which all believers are added by the Holy Spirit when they accept Jesus Christ as their savior. 
• One Spirit
  • The Holy Spirit that is in each of us that binds us together in the Lord.
• One Hope that belongs to your call
  • Our calling is our walk with the Lord, bound together by the Holy Spirit, as His church waiting for His return to take us to heaven.
• One Lord
  • Jesus Christ who lived for us, died for us, and will return for us.
• One faith
  • One truth given by Christ to the church.
  • We may have interpretational differences and differences in worship but for all true Christians there is only one faith.
• One baptism
  • Baptism of the Holy Spirit when He places the believer into the body.
• One God and Father
  • We are children of the same family with God as our Father.  He is in us, over us, and working through us.  So we should be able to walk in unity.

Our differences

• Apostles
  • Means “one sent with a commission"
  • Jesus had many disciples but only 12 apostles.
• Prophets
  • God’s truth was shared by the Holy Spirit with those who had the gift of prophecy.
  • Apostles and prophets had the foundational ministry in the early church.
• Evangelists
  • These traveled though out the land bringing the good news bringing the message to the lost.
  • We should all be proclaiming the good news but these had the gift of evangelism
• Shepherds (pastors) and teachers
  • Uses the Word of God to guide and discipline the local congregation.

Growth of Unity is Spiritual Growth

• Becoming more like Christ
  • The believers gradually growing until they reach spiritual maturity which is to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
  • The leaders are to equip the saints to strengthen the body of Christ. 
• Stable
  • The more we become spiritually mature, the more difficult it is for us to be swayed by false doctrines.
• Truth and love
  • The two have to go together.  Truth without love is mean while love without truth is baseless.
  • We have to be able to share the truth with fellow Christians and do it with love.
• Cooporation
  • We already have spiritual unity in Christ.  We have to work together to maintain it.
  • Everyone has a function in the Body of Christ.  We must equip and improve each other so that we grow to be more like Christ.

• First prayer was for God to give them the Spirit of wisdom and revelation
   
  • That they may know Him and the hope that is in Christ because of His resurrection and authority.
• Second prayer was for Spiritual strength
  • So Christ can dwell in their hearts because of their faith
  • To comprehend the complete love of Christ
• For this reason
  • What reason?
    • We are one in Christ; Jew/Gentile
• Paul kneeled before God
  • Abraham stood [Gen 18:22]
  • Solomon stood [1 Kings 8:22]
  • David sat [1 Chronicles 17:16]
  • Jesus fell on his face [Matt 26:39]
  • No defined posture we are to use to pray
  • We must “bow” our hearts and wills to God
• Comprehend the width, length, hight and depth of Christ’s love
  • The volume of Christ’s love 
    • Taking our sins to the cross as a sinless man.
    • So that we can live can live for eternity.
• Paul concludes the prayer with giving all the glory to God through Jesus Christ
  • Christ is our mediator to God
• Paul prays for Spiritual strength to fully comprehend Christ’s love understanding that God’s power is much greater than anything we can ask or imagine.

I today's episode, Paul reveals the mystery of the Gospel.  The revelation placed the Gentiles on equal footing with the Orthodox Jews.  "This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel." (Ephesians 3:6) 

This week we continue our study of Ephesians by seeing how Jesus reconciled the Gentiles with the Jews into one humanity and then reconciled all the people with God.  These reconciliations provided unity for all believers in Jesus Christ.