Bible Teaching

Calvary Temple Teaching Library

One Lord, One Baptism

Hallelujah! Amen! Let’s turn to the book of Ephesians. We’re going to take a little—slight deviation from the teaching we’ve been in as we have—periodically do. It’s—one of the things I’ve told the guys over the years is: don’t teach a message, teach the congregation. Teach the people. You know, as teachers, you like to get on subjects and you like to get the thought completed and finish the different things, but when you’ve got a lot of people, things change over the period—sometimes of the series you’re in—and there are things that have to be spoken toward and current events, because all of these epistles that we study and read were letters, of course, that Paul had sent to bring about comfort and instruction to the body to bring about correction at times. The epistles wouldn’t have been written if he could have jumped into a car and driven down there and talked to the people and different things. Aren’t you glad we have these for our instruction today—amen? Isn’t it interesting that nobody’s changed in two thousand years? Folks are folks and there is no new thing under the sun. The Scriptures, of course, speaking toward every situation that we encounter in our daily lives and in the fellowship.

I want to speak toward a couple of things that are current and some things that have been with us for awhile. It’s just on my heart, as we had to talk to one of our young men just the other day that grew up here in our midst. Pastor Jeff [Heglund] sat down with him and I felt prompted—I was here in prayer, I can’t remember what night it was it might have been Monday night. In praying, I just felt prompted that I wanted to go and speak a word to this young man. I went in to talk to him and I’m going to share a little bit with you what I shared with him from the book of Ephesians as it pertains to our walk in the spirit, the standard of holiness that God’s called us to here as a fellowship.

I think one of the things that some of us lose sight of is we think that there a set of "Calvary Temple rules." There aren’t any Calvary Temple rules; there are only biblical principles. "Well, we have rules because we don’t believe in dating and we don’t believe in getting alone and we don’t." Those are not Calvary Temple rules. Those are specific applications of biblical principles. "It is not good for a man to touch a woman." Is that Bible? Okay, so that’s one of the principles. Nobody’s going to say you’re going to hell for holding some girl’s hand. We’re saying you’re not wise and that you are not the exception to taking fire in your bosom and not being burned. "There’s another Calvary Temple rule." What we need to do is just ask ourselves the question: "Are these Bible principles, and is it my desire to walk in the light?—and to be the best I can be for the Lord, and not the least I can be and still get by?" Because that is what dictates—as we’ve been talking [about] in our last couple of sessions—whether we’re regenerated or not, the love that we have for the light, the jealousy for the glory of God.

As I was meditating, thinking, what is it that has some of these folks messed up? What’s behind this spirit? As I’ve spent some time—of course, all of us have over the years, meditating and wondering—I believe that Paul speaks to it here in Ephesians. In talking to different folks, you can always tell where their heart attitude is, because they want to deal with a specific incident and not a heart condition.

So let’s see what Paul says here as it pertains to living in holiness and walking in the spirit. The one thing we do know is this: if you walk in the spirit you will not—say it—fulfill the lust of the flesh. I want to point out a couple of things here for each of us to look at our own hearts and ask ourselves, "Do I really understand that I am not my own, I’m bought with a price, I’ve been placed in the body of Christ as it pleases Him?" And in this great universal body, called the church, that transcends denominations, it transcends nations and cultures—but the reality of all of this universal church is this: God put you here in His sovereignty. And especially some of you who have been raised here—God doesn’t make mistakes. He could have put you in a Baptist church and then you would have been trained up to be anti-gifts of the spirit and God blessed you and put you in a place that’ll bring Him the glory. Baptists are going to heaven. I meant some, not all. All the Pentecostals are not going to heaven, some. But there’s only one church.

Ephesians, Chapter 4, "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you [very interesting terms—I beg of you, I petition you] that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called." Let’s take a moment and I’m going to try and get through—it’s going to be very difficult to get through these many verses tonight, but we’re going to take a run at some of this, and I’m going to hit some of the main points. But the fact of the matter is this: if we’ve embraced the work that we’ve been teaching in past study (the work of redemption in the blood of Jesus Christ) and we’ve received the measure of faith—the gift of God to us to believe—and we’ve believed and confessed from our mouths the belief out of our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead, the Scripture says we, then, have been brought with the price the precious blood of Jesus, we’re no longer our own. We’re going to see here, then, that He places us, gifts us and sets us in proper order as it pleases Him. No one in the body of Christ is outside of oversight of spiritual authority, domestic authority and, primarily, kingdom authority. So he says you need to "walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all [humility] and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."

Now, Paul, when he’s speaking here, is going to deal with, of course, that spirit that comes—the spirit of Gnosticism, the spirit of Judaism—and we had those two major conflicts that were always opposing the true gospel of Jesus Christ. He goes on in this passage and says, "But ye have not so learned Christ" (verse 20). He’s addressing the error of the Gnostics and talking about the fact that we can love God in our hearts and this "lordship theology"—in other words, Jesus can be savior and He’s not always necessarily Lord in our lives. That’s not a biblical teaching. You can’t choose the sphere of authority, the realm of oversight that Jesus has in our lives; we’re not our own, we’re bought with a price.

So, he says there’s no fragmentation in the body of Christ; we all believe the same thing. I want you to come into the unity of spirit, for there’s one body, there’s one Spirit, there’s "One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ". Then he goes on and he says, in the wisdom of God in this one church, this one body, this one baptism, He placed gifts— "…and gave gifts unto men"—spiritual oversight, the authority of the five-fold ministry, the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers.

Now, the reason for those gifts to the church (and we’ve been taught on this many times) is to do something—what is it?—to?— perfect the saints to do what?—[the work of the ministry]. Okay. So, the primary goal [that] we have is to cause every one of you to become ministers to one another, each member edifying itself—the body edifying itself in love, each of us as members, preferring others better than ourselves. You see, it’s not about specific choices that we make; it’s about a heart attitude to see ourselves as one in the body of Christ. We’re living for others; we’re living to see others become instruments that bring glory to God. My purpose in the body of Christ is to have you bring more glory to God. My relationship with you isn’t based upon recreation, fellowship, common interests. You and I have a relationship for one purpose: to make each other greater in Jesus—amen? And anything less than that is living for ourselves. Anything less than that is not walking worthy of the vocation wherewith we’ve been called.

Now, I don’t have time to back it all out and to fluff it out, but I just basically want you to see: that’s why we teach in our relationships that we don’t pair off and run around. We have a responsibility to every member of the body equally to see them grow up into Jesus and we’re to speak the truth to one another (as we’re going to see) in love. The reason for these ministry gifts is to bring you to that full stature of Jesus Christ that we no longer would be "children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine". Now, listen—what is that every wind of doctrine? It’s people saying, "We don’t have to believe that. I don’t think it’s necessary to be that extreme in our separation from the world."

This young man was speaking to Jeff and said, "I just don’t believe that. I don’t believe the way you guys believe that." What I want you to understand is: we can’t have somebody tell us that—I can’t have somebody telling me that and me go [nonchalantly], "Well, okay, you can believe whatever you want to believe." Now, we’ll tell them that, but we can’t leave it there. But you can’t be here and believe that, because God’s working unity in us. How can two walk together if they—what?—if they’re not agreed? [A reference to Amos 3:3] So the thing that I’m wanting you to see—we talked about the unity and building unity in our lives—it’s not a "cookie cutter" unity that I’m talking about. It’s a "glorifying God" unity; it’s living for the glory of God. We are all different; we all have different callings, different gifts, different personalities, but we all have to have the same pursuit, the same holy zeal and fire burning in our bosom, to be the best we can be for the glory of God.

What I want you to see as we’re going on—I’m going to point out a couple of things, because you see—here’s a young man raised in our midst that doesn’t believe it’s wrong to drink a beer every once in a while. "There’s nothing wrong with me drinking a beer. There’s nothing wrong with me hanging out over here with these girls and whatever else." There is something wrong with that! You want to know what’s wrong with that?—we don’t believe that; that’s what makes it wrong. "Are you saying, then, that everybody else has to believe like you?" No, no, no—see, I’ve said this a hundred times: go believe it somewhere else, but what we believe is… and it’s made very clear to you.

Now, if you don’t listen closely, you’re going to think it’s about the beer. It’s not about the beer; it’s about the fact that you’re not filled with the Spirit. See, you’re emphasizing the beer. I’m talking about not being drunken with wine but—what?—[the Spirit]. See, I’m not talking to you about drinking a beer, I’m talking about the fact that you’re not full of the Holy Ghost; and because of that, you shouldn’t be drinking a beer. I can drink—I’m full of the Holy Spirit. I’m not perfect, but I can tell you one thing: I’m full of the Holy Spirit and I drink all the beer I want. I do, which is none. I don’t drink any! I don’t want any! I don’t need any! Why? Why do I not need to drink any? I used to drink a lot of beer. [Laughter] I’m full of the Holy Ghost. See the defending of my rights, my privileges, my liberties?—I don’t defend any liberties. You want to know what I defend? I defend the fact that I’m a slave. That’s what I jealous for. I’m not jealous to be a free man; I’m jealous to be a better slave, to be less of myself and be more yielded to the Lord Jesus.

Here’s the point that I want you to understand: when we begin to talk about these things and try to point out in the lives of individuals—the thing that you have to understand is this: it’s not that we delight in—I am compelled, my job is to bring us to unity and to prepare you to not be tossed to and fro by any of these other doctrines that are contrary to Christ. What makes these doctrines contrary to Christ? You’re not your own! That’s not your decision! I’ve got a question for you. I’ve got a ques—"Lord." Have you ever prayed, "Lord, I want to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith I’m called now. Lead me." And the Lord, based upon that prayer of "not my will, Thy will be done," the Lord’s next response to you is, "Go get a beer." Does anybody ever think you’ll hear that? "Well, you know, it could, because we have…" you don’t know Him. You’re not full of the Holy Spirit.

So, what I want you to see is this, in this whole teaching: I want you to start looking at—as you’re teaching your children and training them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and don’t get sidetracked with all these "Well, you know, this music and the lyrics"—it’s not about that. Here’s what it’s about—and this I think could be a real blessing to some of us—he said, as the body is built, as these ministry gifts train us and teach us to become mature and perfect, so that we wouldn’t be tossed by all the doctrines of the world, the things that are blowing through, through Gnosticism and Judaism and Secular Humanism and all of these things that are being faced. I want you to understand where they come from, look: any doctrine other than one hundred percent daily taking up the cross, dying to ourselves, pressing toward the mark, the prize, the high calling of God in Jesus Christ, living in the straight and the narrow path that Jesus speaks of. Anything that’s contrary to that comes from "the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive". It’s a lie, it’s deception.

So, he says in verse 15, look, what’s our responsibility to one another? "Well, if that’s your liberty, brother." No! You want to know what we need to do as the body more than we ever have before?—speak the truth to one another and stop worrying about the fallout and what people will think. Now, the truth is not your opinion; the truth is the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Word of God. We’ll talk about what the truth is here. "But speaking the truth in love, [Do you want to know what the truth does?—it causes to] grow up into him in all things." The speaking of the truth to one another does this—look: it "…maketh increase—[we’re down in verse 16 now] of the body unto the [building up] of itself in love."

Question: it’s not about liberties; here’s the issue at hand: is what is being done—not the specific situation, get your mind off the specific situation, whatever it might be—can I say my life is making increase—stronger—the body, to the building up of itself in love? Can I say that I am an instrument in our midst, and because I’m here, you’re better? This body is being built and knit together with one heart and one mind and not walking as—and he talks here about the other Gentiles [in verse 17], but he’s talking about the secular thought, he’s talking about the humanist, he’s talking about the kingdom of darkness, as we’ll see in just a minute when we get into Chapter 5. But he said don’t get caught up in natural thinking. And then he makes comments about all these arguments that people have; he said it’s vanity. And their understanding then becomes cloudy, darkened and they’re alienated from the life of God through ignorance, professing themselves to be wise, they’re what?—you’re fools. When you take an argument [that is] contrary to the most you can be for Jesus, you’re a fool! And you’re going to be answered according to your idols, the Scripture says.

You’ll hear and be able to find proof text and people that’ll agree with you, but you know what’s scary? Watch this, verse 18, this is a scary verse: "[Their] understanding [becomes] darkened…" In other words, what used to make sense to you, what you used to believe, you don’t believe anymore. It’s diluted. Then it brings alienation "…from the life of God through the ignorance…" Ignorance not being doctrine or teaching, ignorance being experience, what I now know, what I’m walking in, what I’m experiencing. "…Because of the blindness of their heart…"

Verse 19, this is sad, "Who being past feeling…" Listen; what used to convict me doesn’t convict me anymore. Are any of us experiencing the lowering of the standards in our lives? Some of us would put it off as maturity; Paul puts it off as losing sensitivity. The Scripture says the reason is because they "…have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness." Now, that speaks toward the sin in our members as about as specifically as you can.

Look, "But ye have not so learned Christ." The Jesus that we know, the Jesus that you’ve been taught, the Jesus that died for us, that was made sin with our sin that we might be made righteous with His righteousness, has called us to a life of emptying ourselves out for the brethren, of taking up a daily cross and dying to our own ambitions and lusts. "…Ye have not so learned Christ; if so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus. [What is the truth in Jesus?] That ye put off concerning the former [life, you put off] the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts." He [the old man] comes up and tries to sell us a bill of goods that we’ve been delivered from.

Now, the fact that I used to drink, the fact that I come from a family of alcoholics—and I’ve shared with you some of the testimony—and seeing families ripped apart, children abused, spouses abused, every person out of a general family that had—starting with my grandmother, being one of twelve—and all that came out of that from our maternal side and from my paternal side of my grandfather, everybody divorced but my brother and me. And most of it [was] over alcohol. Now, watching that growing up, what do you think your natural tendency would be? "I’m not going to have anything to do with that" when you see it tear everything up. Then what do we do? Most of us do the same thing. When you hear your parents’ testimonies of what they used to be and what God has brought them out of—listen to me, beloved—we call it sin in our members (and it is sin clear back to Adam), but it’s genetics. And you will be what they were before they knew Jesus. What we were, we’re telling you, you don’t want to be—amen? So we put off concerning our former living. There’s nothing out there, but see, natural man doesn’t believe that. Natural man and his pride think, "Well, you know, I can do it and I won’t have to do that and it won’t have power of me and I’m different and I’m smarter and I’m…"

Paul says, if you’re going to be part of the community, if you’re going to be part of the body of Christ, there has to be, then, the divorcing of ourselves from the former philosophies of life, the lifestyles; and we’re to "…be renewed [verse 23] in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not." You want to know what? We need to understand, beloved, it’s time to get angry at the sin in our midst! There’s nothing wrong with being angry at the right thing, but don’t sin. When are we going to stop lying to each other in saying that "It’s okay, they’re all right"? No! You’re a God hater, you’re a rebel, and you’re going to a devil’s hell! Why? Because you’ve rejected the lordship of Jesus. Why? Because you haven’t put off the old man. Why? Because you haven’t been renewed in your spiritual mind.

Now, watch what he goes on to say, "Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath." How many of us let things go day after day? "I’ll deal with it later." Deal with it today. Don’t let Satan destroy a life and you’re aware of the destruction and you don’t deal with it today.

Look what he goes on to say; he clarifies it, "Neither give place to the devil." That doesn’t just mean "place" when you and your spouse have an argument and you go to sleep and wake up madder than when you went to bed. Deal with it! That’s not all [that] this is speaking about. Stop lying to one another, speak the truth to one another in love, be angry at the sin that’s in our midst destroying our loved ones.

He goes on and talks about a couple of other specific things. "Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him [get a job, work, be productive in our midst], that he may have to give to [those that are genuinely in need]." And then he says, "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth..." Verse 29. Emphasize this verse in your notes, verse 29. This is one of the great indicators to us as to how we’re fitting into the body of Christ. When you’re talking with those that are closest to you, ask yourself this: "Is my relationship with the people that God has put me in contact with"—you know, because, though we’re one body here, we all have different individuals that we spend more time with than others. Is corrupt communication proceeding out of your mouth? What is corrupt communication? That doesn’t mean you’re cussing, telling dirty jokes. Any conversation, any lifestyle that we’re living that isn’t edifying—as we read earlier—or [isn’t] building those up around us, is corruption; it’s corrupting us. It’s tearing us down, it’s making us weaker, it’s leaven that’s leavening the lump. What do you talk about? Well, he goes on and says, don’t let corrupt communication proceed out of your mouths, the vanity of the Gentiles, the vanity of the natural thought processes that he just spoke toward—of the Gnostic argument "You can love God in your heart."

John writes back in that first epistle—the greatest document that there is in refuting Gnosticism—and he says, listen, no, it’s he that doeth righteousness that’s righteous! Listen to how John started the first epistle to deal with Gnosticism: "…God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all—[amen?] …But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin" (1 John 1:5-7). What do you think, then, we’re supposed to be talking about here? He’s going to tell us as we go on in verse 5. How do we get to the light? How do we get more light? How do we make one another stronger? How do we become less affected and [less] attracted to the world’s system? What are we to speak to one another? "…that which is good to the use of edifying that it may minister grace unto the hearers."

I asked this young man a question: "What have you ever done here for good? What have you ever done that built somebody up here spiritually? What one thing, just one thing, that ministered grace to the hearers around you?" Beloved, it’s not about what we’re doing, it’s about what we’re not doing. Are we speaking the truth to one another in love? Are we going to come to the place where we’re angry at those that are being brought captive to the kingdom of darkness again, who were once experiencing the liberty? Listen to what this says: it’s not the beer, it’s not the music, it’s not the relationship—verse 30—that grieves the Holy Ghost; it’s the lack of building up the body of Christ and ministering grace to the hearers. What grieves the Holy Ghost is us being less than He is capable of being, dwelling in us. The Holy Spirit in us and we give Him no capacity to minister the grace of Jesus Christ to love, to pray the prayer of faith, to effectively minister the gospel and have the Words of God come out of your mouth like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces. He goes down and he talks about "[letting] all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you" (Ephesians 4:31-32).

You remember, Timothy was pastoring the church here; this was a church that was zealous for great doctrine, but they had lost their first love. Do you remember that in Revelations? A love for doctrine but not a love for holy living, holy doctrine but not holy living. Speaking great doctrine but not speaking practical things to people’s lives. Like "Don’t steal," "Stop sucking off the body of Christ and get a job, so that those that really have a need can be taken care of." You remember, the Thessalonian church was experiencing some of that. There’s always going to be people that come into our midst that think that the body owes them. No! We’re to be building up the body—amen? I’m to be a giver, not a taker—if the Holy Spirit is living in me. That’s what we’ve learned and have learned of Christ.

Now, watch as we go on, and I want to try to get into this fifth chapter and begin to show you some more of the highlights of what we need to look, really, in our lives and the lives of our young people. You young adults, as you’re hanging out with each other, ask yourself this question: "Not only are those around me speaking words that are edifying and ministering grace (and if they’re not, I’m going to speak to toward that), but am I?" You know, we just talked about something the other day—[they] want to sit around and talk about how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. That’s not what we’re to spend our time doing. It’s not about discussing "deep theology," it’s about discussing practical holiness and how we can be more in preferring others over ourselves and how we can be out into a community here that’s lost and dying and be the light of the world and the salt of the earth.

"Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children: [he goes on in the fifth chapter] and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savor." Now, isn’t it interesting—I don’t have time to go back and look at it, but some of the most profound theology in all of the Scripture is found in the first part of this epistle. In Revelation, we see John the Revelator—Jesus speaking through him—about the church of Ephesus and how they were zealous for doctrine. No question about it, they loved the Bible. They like to talk about the Bible, they—but listen, now he’s writing here to these same guys and he says, be followers of God, walk in love, look for ways for your lives to become living sacrifices a sweet smelling savor unto God, practically in our living and then he turns around and to these same people he says, now, "…fornication, [unclean living, covetousness, don’t] let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints."

So, I’ve got a question: as the body, how much of this should we allow to go on and be named among us, according to this [Bible]? How much?—don’t let it—what’s less than once? That’s pretty profound; but anyway, how much do we put up with? How much are we not going to speak the truth toward? How much corrupt communication are we going to wink at? Communication is not just the words of our mouth, but it’s our living. Now here, listen, it’s not just the act, it’s the philosophy that was being embraced. "[Don’t] let it once be named …Neither filthiness…" You know, we can understand fornication, can’t we? I mean, you know, most us don’t have trouble with that—covetousness which is?—idolatry. "Oh, okay"—we go down the list and go, "Oh, okay, yeah, well, yeah, I agree with the Holy Ghost on that one. Fornication? Yeah, that’s a no-brainer, okay. Holy Ghost, you’ve got two out of three." Grieve not the Holy Spirit by propagating sub-standards, by being less than He’s capable of making you.

"Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking…". Do you want to know what foolish talking is? This isn’t horsing around; it’s trying to defend another christ, another gospel. "Nor jesting…" You know, this jesting—that’s not horsing around; it’s just course behavior and [course] speaking. Talking the way the world talks, ungodly, anti-Christ.

Now, watch—and I want you to give as much emphasis on verse 4 as we gave over [in] verse 29 of ministering grace to the hearers. How much of your time is spent in the presence of one another, giving thanks for the holy path we’re on, the giving of thanks that we’re not like the world, [that] we’re not lukewarm like so much of the professed. "For you need to understand something—[he goes on to say in Verse 5]—no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, [will inherit] the kingdom of Christ and of God. [Now, we talked about vain conversation earlier.] Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. [Don’t partake] with them." Who? These people that we just read about: whose consciousness are being seared, who are believing lies, who’ve had their understanding—verse 18, fourth chapter—darkened. Who are now—who once knew are now ignorant of God and blind in their hearts. God’s wrath is going to come upon these, judgment—these children of disobedience. Now, what’s our responsibility, what’s our role? Well, we just saw we’re to speak to edify and we’re to do everything we can to build them up, we’re to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we’ve been called, we’re to put off concerning our former living, we’re to let no corrupt communication proceed out of our mouths, we’re to minister grace to the hearers to those that are around us, we’re to be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving.

You know, forgiving requires what? We’re to be forgiving, but forgiving requires what? Repentance. Repentance is an acknowledging of wrong, not a defending of a position contrary to Christ, contrary to the obvious principles of God’s Word. You say, "Well, those things aren’t obvious to me." Well, they are to me. You see, I’ve been put here by God in the fourth chapter to teach and to perfect and to bring about the fullness of Christ to the understanding that we’ve received illumination—and not only doctrinally but practically.

Many of the things that we do as practical living, like the fact that we come up here and pray, that the sanctuary’s open for prayer every night—why do we do that? Because men ought—[always to pray]—and not to faint [reference to Luke 18:1]. We’re living in a world where we can easily be distracted. Is anybody here thankful for the external pressure (and I don’t mean the fact that people are twisting your arm, "Why weren’t you at prayer last night")? But it’s just an external pressure to know that the building’s open and people are up here praying, isn’t it? Is anybody thankful for that? Is anybody thankful for that external pressure? Is anybody thankful for those that are pressing in and setting an example and people that we could be a part of and fellowship with? This is what Paul’s speaking toward here.

So what do we do, then, how do we relate to the ones that are not in this course? Don’t be "…partakers with them," verse 7 says. Because you were sometimes darkness, but now are you children of light. Look at it, "For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light."

The one thing that I’ve found over the years, 1 John 1 "…God is light, and in him is [say it] no darkness at all." If you walk in the light, as—[he is in the light], you have communion with one another, and the blood of Jesus cleanses you from all sin. Anytime you notice in your life or anybody else’s that desire to move away from the light. "I don’t want to be around those people that speak the light. I don’t want to be around those people that are too zealous for God. I don’t want to be around those people that are being too careful. You’re being too careful—to not be a part of the world." Can we be too careful? I’m not talking about what we do, I’m talking about what kingdom we represent. We’re in the world, but we’re not of it. We use the world, but we don’t abuse it, the Scripture says. That’s another topic; I’m not going to get off on it right now. We can participate—we can function in society, we can succeed as Christians and become people that excel in the secular, but we don’t abuse by diminishing the vocation wherewith we’ve been called. We don’t abuse it by, in any way, diminishing the light that is at work in us and grieving the Holy Spirit. We don’t trust their methods, but God making a way for us and causing everything that we put our hand to, to prosper. We prosper as Joseph prospered. We prosper as Abraham prospered, and we’re not abusing by treasuring or manipulating but by seeking first the kingdom of God, His righteousness, and letting Him sovereignly add to it as it pleases Him. Walk as children of light.

"(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. [Now, watch—and we’ve got to end with this.] And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather—[What does it say?—expose them,] reprove them." See, there’s a covering that’s not of the Lord, and we’ve all understood that. Do you make excuses for yourself or others? Do you cover up? That’s not light. Some of the things that we do to support those that are around us—I want you to understand, you might as well take that friend of yours or that child or whoever it is and say, "Look, man, you know what? You need a little—the world’s not going to hurt you, a little more is not going to hurt you—here, give me that gun, here. Put four bullets in here instead of two. Now, pull the trigger." Just hand them the gun, but be sure to encourage them and put a few more bullets in it—I mean, let’s… If you’re not exposing—what are we talking about here? Remember the context. You are part of the body; how much light are you bringing every day? And listen, I’m not talking about looking for what other people need to change in their [lives]. I’m talking about being an example of the believer in word and deed and in all manner of our living; and I’m talking about taking the beam our eye so we can see clearly to help our brother and sister with the little speck that’s in their eye. But tragically, what some allow to happen is the propagation of another christ. You’ve not learned—we haven’t learned that here, and it’s not going to be propagated here.

He says, "See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise." Let me ask one—couple last questions as we close. "Redeeming the time, because the days are evil." Are you letting time get away from you? "Well, you know, I’m just going to do this for now and I’ll get to that later. I’ll get to being more serious later. I’ll get to bringing reproof to them later. I’ll get to turning the light up later." The admonition of the Holy Ghost is to redeem the time. We’re in evil days. Do you want to grieve the Holy Ghost? Just let another day go by of mediocrity. Why don’t we just allow somebody else in our midst to get ticked off because we wouldn’t speak the truth in love? Why don’t we allow the leaven just to spread a little further of another gospel—of Gnosticism, sub-standard living, each one of us doing what’s right in our own eyes. You want to know what I’d encourage you to do? Get absolutely full of the Holy Ghost and do whatever you want, but don’t think you have any rights to make a choice until you are absolutely fully baptized, full of the Spirit and a cross-carrying disciple of Jesus Christ. Then tell me what your liberties are. But there are no liberties, listen—and we’ve [done] a whole teaching on this—there are no liberties for any of us who are not walking in the spirit. If we’re not walking in the spirit, we’re under the law; and so the law comes into effect and it governs our lives. We don’t have the ability to make choices, and it’s always amazing to me [that] those that want to defend their "disputable matters" and their "rights" are people that don’t exhibit the fruit of the spirit, that do not exhibit the Spirit-filled life, the ones that are not reproving light[s], the ones that are not (as we’ve seen here) speaking words that minister grace to the hearers, or, as he goes on to say—as we complete this thing for the this evening—a people that are aware of and zealous for the redemption of these lives in this day of evil.

"Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is." Do you want to know what he says? Here’s the will of Lord, don’t be a fool; the days are evil. Listen, here’s the will of God in this hour: "…Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess…" "Well, you know, I don’t get drunk, I just like a cool one every once in a while." You’re missing the point, that’s not what he saying! "…Be filled with the Spirit!" Amen? Be filled with the Spirit! Understanding what the will of the Lord is, be absolutely filled with the Holy Spirit. Do you want to know what the Spirit-filled man looks like? I don’t speak my words; I speak the words of He who sent me. I don’t do my will; I do the will of my Father—amen? [A reference to John 12:49-50 and 5:30] That’s the Spirit-filled man.

Watch! Be wise of the hour, be filled with the Spirit. Are you doing this? "Speaking to yourselves…" encouraging yourselves. You! Specifically you, talking to yourself and those that are around you, ministering, not evil speaking but grace to the hearer. "Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord." Are you bummed out or are you full of joy? Are you privileged for being a son of God? Is it a difficult thing for you to be to be part of a community that’s so zealous for righteousness and holiness? Is it difficult, or are you rejoicing in where God’s placed you and [in] the gifts that He’s put into your life to perfect you to do the work of the ministry? Because look what he goes on to say: "Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God." You see, this is that unity.

We’re done for tonight, but the fear of God—does the fear of God motivate you? Does the fear of God give you that appetite for the Word of God, for the presence of God, the fullness of the Holy Spirit? Is the presence of God in you to where it causes the joy and the rejoicing of your hearts, to where you’re singing and making melodies in your hearts unto the Lord in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs? Pouring out of you encouragement to those that are around you? Speaking that which is edifying, building up, making them more like Jesus? Can you say that’s who you are? If not, then that’s why we’re here—to continue to prepare ourselves—all of us here, to be conformed into the image of Jesus, every part making increase—not the least you can do—making increase of the body unto the building up of itself in love. Are you living for others or defending your rights? Are you living with others or distracted by your own appetites? Is your conscious more sensitive than it’s ever been, or have you become darkened and ignorant and blind in heart, past feeling, no longer sensitive? You have not so learned Christ. Stop lying to one another, speak the truth in love, be angry and sin not.

Father, we thank You for Your Word tonight. As we as a people desire to be more like You—the flesh in each one of us is going to rise up and want to express itself, it wants its way, it sees itself as privileged and superior. You’re not the only person that thinks you’re great. You’re the only person that thinks you’re great, but you’re not the only person that thinks you’re great. We all, as the sons of Adam, believe we have privilege, insight, light, but there’s only one Lord, one baptism, there’s only one gospel. It is not a gospel without a cross; it’s not a gospel without a Lord; it’s not a gospel without the Holy Spirit, the agent of our obedience and our understanding, a Spirit teaching us all things. Take a look at your ideology and ask yourself if it was initiated of the Holy Ghost, and that’ll let you know how you relate to the body. Walk in the light as He is in the light and you will have communion, and then the blood of Jesus Christ will cleanse you from the power of sin. He goes on, and then you can pray effectually 1 John 1:9. Outside the life of light is only deception, corruption and death. Speak to us, Lord, that we might be free, indeed; it’s our prayer for all of our lives here this evening, and we ask it, Father, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Let’s stand before the Lord and as Katie plays for us, we’ll take just a moment here. Are you angry yet? I am. I’m angry at sin, I’m angry at the devil, I’m angry at the agents he’s using to destroy others. And the admonition of the apostle in verse 27 is this: don’t give any place to him and we’re not giving any place. You go someplace else. We’re not giving place to the devil. Some of you might say, "Pastor, what are you talking about?" If you don’t know, then it’s not you; just say, "Amen." If you know, then say, "Amen" and make a choice, or go preach your doctrine, your gospel somewhere else, but it’s not going to be here.

Let’s sing it together. Oh, thank you, Jesus.

As God’s spirit leads us, we’re walking in the spirit and—if we’re filled with the Spirit and walking in the spirit, we won’t fulfill the lust of the flesh. These guidelines that have been set for us—it’s not bondage, it’s not legalism. Somebody gave us—something that just happened recently, two of our young people off somewhere and somebody made a comment, "Well, I don’t have a problem with that." I do. I have a problem with that because of who it was. I could pick out two other young adults here and have them in the same scenario off somewhere alone under these same circumstances and say I don’t have a problem with that at that point. You see, legalism brings bondage and doesn’t allow for fruit and maturity and walking in the spirit. Legalism says I can’t be—we can’t be off somewhere. You’re driving down the road, and you see your sister’s car broken down, and Hell’s Angels [are] surrounding her and guys on bikes and druggies, and you stop and go, "I’d like to give you a ride, but we can’t be alone. What if somebody saw us?" Uh, you’re not walking in the spirit. You’re under the law, you’re under bondage and you’re under legalism. If all you hear is letter, if all you hear is law, then you’re not in the spirit, you’re not hearing what the Holy Spirit is saying and why these things and how these things work for the glory of God. Walk in the spirit and you will not fulfill the lust of flesh.

Before we go tonight, turn to somebody next to you and just say, "Walk in the spirit, praise God!" Amen. Go in peace. God’s love go with you.

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