Staying On Track A life worth living

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Staying On Track - A life worth living
Have you walked worthy of God, who has called
you to his kingdom of power and glory? (1Th
212 CEV)
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The Deepest End of Faith
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As a prisoner of the Lord, I urge you to live a
life worthy of the calling you have received. Be
completely humble and gentle, be patient, bearing
one another in love. Make every effort to keep
the unity of the Spirit through the bond of
peace. There is one body and one Spirit - Just
as you were called to one hope when you were
called, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God
and Father of all, who is over all and through
all and in all. But to each one of us grace has
been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why
it says When he ascended on high he led
captives in his train and gave gifts to men
(What does he ascended mean except that he also
descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who
descended is the very one who ascended higher
than all heavens in order to fill the whole
universe.)
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It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to
be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to
be pastors/teachers, to prepare Gods people for
works of service, so that the body of Christ may
be built up 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. 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. Instead speaking the
truth in love, we will in all things grow up into
him who is the Head, that is Christ. From Him the
whole body, joined and held together by every
supporting ligament grows and builds itself up in
love, as each part does it s work - Ephesians 4
1-16 NIV
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As a prisoner of the Lord, therefore I urge
you to live a life worthy of the calling you have
received

• . Qualified to exhort us!
• Have you ever visited someone
• in prison - Someone on death row?
• What they have to say comes
• from the heart Of most importance

• Pauls sentiment is non-negotiable insistence
  that we live up to the calling
• Paul knows the Ephesians know what to do Have
  received
• His exhortation is to ensure that they are
  living it out!
• The word worthy means consistent with

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What have we been called too?
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The call summonsing people to God
For many are called, but few are chosen. Mat
2214
God calls everyone everywhere to repent. Act 1730
For I did not come to call righteous people, but
sinners. Mat 913
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The call summonsing us to Christ like living
You were called to be Jesus Christ's You are the
beloved of God, called to be saints Rom 11-7
ASV
We always pray for you asking that our God might
make you worthy of his calling and that through
his power he might help you accomplish every good
desire and faithful work. 2Th 111
He saved us and called us with a holy calling,
not according to our own works but according to
his own purpose and the grace that was given to
us in Christ Jesus before time began. 2Ti 19
And those who were marked out by him were called
and those who were called were given
righteousness and to those to whom he gave
righteousness, in the same way he gave glory.
Rom 830
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The call summonsing us to the deepest end of faith
Brothers and sisters, you are holy partners in a
heavenly calling. So look carefully at Jesus,
the apostle and chief priest about whom we make
our declaration of faith. Heb 31
Then with the eyes of your hearts enlightened,
you will know the hope of his calling, the
riches of his glorious inheritance among the
saints Eph 118
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Gods design is to make all men understand the
mystery which has been hidden in God who created
all things That He would use the Church to show
the principalities and the powers in the heavenly
realms the manifold wisdom of God, according to
the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ
Jesus our Lord (Eph 39-11 ASV) Ekklesia
Called out ones
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Be completely humble And meek - gentle

• If you see yourself as God sees you, you cannot
  be anything else but
• humble
• See ourselves as others see us or as we see
  ourselves we will never
• develop humility
• Arrogant/proud people break unity
• Humble people bring/build unity

• Not mild and weak
• Not concerned about our own reputation, rights
  or revenge.
• This person will stay the same no matter what
  you do to them or say
• about them
• Their love is not conditional
• Not easily offended - Readiness to suffer wrongs

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Be patient - Bearing with one another in love
- Forbearance.
Long tempered

• Making allowances for each others faults and
• lack of maturity
• It is not permissiveness
• It is loving enough to be honest
• To set boundaries, to reprove
• To chase after them when they are offended,
• but dont have the courage to confront the
  situation
• You have their best interests at heart, above
  your own
• Not concerned to see that you are right and they
  are wrong.

These ingredients all make Peace Peace is the
cement or glue that holds the Church together
(Eph 41)
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There are two ways Christians can be united 1.
One way is by being frozen together 2. The other
way is to be melted together
Unity is not just union Tie two cats together by
their tails and hang them over the clothes line
Brownies Coast Watch Dont destroy what you
came to enjoy
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Johnny's Mother looked out the window and
noticedhim 'playing church' with their cat.He
had the cat sitting quietly and he was preaching
to it.She smiled and went about her work.
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A while later she heard loud meowing and hissing
and ran backto the open window to see Johnny
baptizing the cat in a tub of water.She called
out, 'Johnny, stop that! The cat is afraid of
water!'Johnny looked up at her and said, 'He
should have thought about that before he joined
my church.'
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The purpose of Unity
Why should Christians be united Like
minded? Not to enforce uniformity To generate
deep unity in the midst of creative diversity
1. To Demonstrate that the Gospel truly works

• To convince people that what we say is true
• Our Lips/life cant send two opposing messages
• People wont be convinced of a truth if what
  they see with their eyes
• and hear with their ears contradicts itself -
  People believe what they see!
• People want to see the Gospel in action, they
  dont want to hear it.
• Tangible proof - Hard evidence - Practical
  demonstration
• They have a right - We have a responsibility
• Forgiveness - Restored Relationships - Jesus can
  make evil men good
• Irrational to proclaim belief and yet do the
  very opposite.

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2. To defend the Gospel from corruption

• Contend together as if one man Picture of
  solidarity
• We are able to stand firm if there is unity -
  Breeds perseverance,
• encouragement, strength
• We are able to withstand persecution -
  Strength in numbers
• Agreement, Fellowship, Support
• Greater resistance not to fear those who oppose
  the Gospel
• Outside the Church - Sceptics, Humanism,
  Secularism - Foolishness
• Inside the Church - Black and White
• Right and Wrong
• Relativised Gospel
• Compromised - Watered Down
• No Discipline - No Accountability

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The Goal of Unity One heart, One Mind, One
purpose

• Covers every aspect of our personality
• Love, Spirit, Purpose Heart, Mind, Will
• Reflection of the harmony, the Father, Son and
  Spirit share
• I pray that all of these people continue to have
  unity
• in the way that you, Father, are in me and I am
  in you.
• I pray that they may be united with us so that
  the world
• will believe that you have sent me. I have given
  them the
• glory that you gave me. I did this so that they
  are united
• in the same way we are. I am in them, and you are
  in me.
• So they are completely united. In this way the
  world
• knows that you have sent me and that you have
  loved
• them in the same way you have loved me. John 17
  22-23

Mosaic - Teamwork - Mutual Aid - Reciprocal
Respect