Getting started - why?

Day 1

What made me choose to study Ephesians 4 for the next 30 days, i posted the entire chapter on Saturday and said, ok, the next 30 days i going be looking at Ephesians 4...well here is the real reason:

Ephesians 4:3 (NASB) says:  "being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."

another translation reads:  "make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace."

this specific scripture is Brandi's (my one and only child) class scripture for Westmont College c/o 2012.  This scripture was given to them when they entered college back in August 2008...3 years ago to date. Back then this was a huge transition for our family of 3...our family dynamics have always been super cool for most of you who know us...Brandi was the center of attention for her whole life...sometimes to a fault...but we were entering into a new season...college years...she just graduated in May 2008, we moved from Hawaii Kai to Kailua in July 2008 and we were shipping her off to college in Santa Barbara at the end of August...so this was going to be a huge transition for us all...and to date, it has been a blessed blast!

So this scripture was given to her class and us parents at the Chapel service on that last Friday of August 2008 a couple days before my 40th bday and it has stuck ever since...in this years Freshman orientation of the class of 2015 chapel as a parent council rep..we got to see their scripture banner and i got this prompting in my heart to look at the context of this chapter...and as our faithful and loving teacher/mentor/friend, Phil Young would say...when reading the bible, context is key..so taking the scriptures before, after and around it is key to understanding what God is trying to share and teach in His Word, regardless of the time or event we are in now...God's word is everlasting and unchanging...even though our lives may not be...

so today, we start the journey...

Ephesians 4:1 
1Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner of the calling with which you have been called,

So some historical context taken from the introduction of the book of Ephesians in my bible: 

The apostle Paul is the author of Ephesians....the bible scholars tell us that Ephesus, the city and people Paul addressed this letter to was a very important city in western Asia, modern day Turkey.  It was an intersection of major trade routes and it was a commercial center.  Paul spent about 3 years in Ephesus and there were many pagan and false gods being worshipped but the people had all heard about Jesus and His story.  Yet something was not sitting right with Paul...it seems like he wanted to continue encouraging all the hearers and of the Good News of Jesus and of their faith and more important their walk in Christ. 

Vs 1, Paul identifies himself again as the prisoner of the Lord...this referenced the same identification in Ephesians 3:1 which Paul also calls himself that in Acts 23:18...he was labeled a prisoner when he had been thrown in jail...and he was thrown in jail because of His belief and proclamation of Christ Jesus as His Lord and Savior...so he identifies himself as being a prisoner of the Lord and not of man....knowing and reaffirming his identity in Christ is key to Paul and for all of us...when we know that we are prisoners, bond-servants of Christ...paid for at a price...our view of our lives, our identity changes. 

so after he identifies himself with Christ, it says "implore you to walk.." implore is a strong word...its a word of encouraging, to entreat, admonish, comfort, exhort...Paul is telling them in a declarative way..."to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,"

walk in the Greek definition peripateo, as a verb is to "conduct life", "live", walk in an ethical manner....so based on our identity in Christ, and to conduct our lives in a way worthy of His calling in our lives....

the calling in Greek definition kleiss, is an invitation, a summons, always in a divine way...not just a pick up the phone and say howzit kind of calling ...but of a higher purpose...and this word is a noun

called is a verb...a past tense verb...the Greek word kaleo (eh the Hawaiian definition is the voice)...but in Greek its a call, an invite, a naming....in this sense..we were called into this calling, invited in by the blood of Christ and named and identified by God through His Son Jesus...

wow this first line is filled with so much meat...Paul, who identifies himself with Christ for who so called him, is now imploring those around Him to identify with Christ and the calling in their lives as they have been called...like a predestined thing...all men were created in the image of God for His purpose, separated by sin, but yet we were called into relationship with Him...daily...so our calling has already been called....if that makes sense at all...

wow, that's just vs 1...

Thank You Lord for just allowing me to sit in Your presence today..for showing me that my identity is in You, like Paul identified with You..I am a prisoner of You, so command me in Your will Your ways and Your will in my life...Lord, You accept me and called me and deemed be sufficient by Your grace...Lord, I accept Your calling and help me to walk in manner worthy of that calling...Lord, let Your grace be sufficient for me.  Love, Sean