11. READ: EPHESIANS 4:1-16
[Ephesians 4:1] "As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I
urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.
[2] Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one
another in love. [3] Make every effort to keep the unity of the
Spirit through the bond of peace. [4] There is one body and One
Spirit--just as you were called to one hope when you were
called--[5] One Lord, one faith, one baptism; [6] One God and
Father of all, Who is over all and through all and in all.
[7] "But to each one of us grace has been given as
Christ apportioned it. [8] This is why it says:
'When He ascended on high, He led captives in His train
and gave gifts to men,' [Psalm 68:18].
[9] "(What does 'He ascended' mean except that
He also descended to the lower, earthly regions? [10] He Who
descended is the very One Who ascended higher than all the heavens,
in order to fill the whole universe.) [11] It was He Who gave some
to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and
some to be pastors and teachers, [12] to prepare God's people
for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up
[13] until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of
the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of
the fullness of Christ.
[14] "Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back
and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of
teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their
deceitful scheming. [15] Instead, speaking the Truth in love, we
will in all things grow up into Him Who is the Head, that is,
Christ. [16] From Him the whole body, joined and held together by
every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as
each part does its work."
a. What kind of life should we live?
b. What should we make every effort to keep?
c. How many bodies, or churches, are there in Christ?
d. Why are God's people prepared for works of service?
e. What does the body do, as each part does its work?
