Category: Teaching

My Bible study class is discussing Chip Ingram’s book, The Miracle of Life Change. These few pages are my notes for that class.

Ephesians 4:17-24

A believer whose life does not change is an oxymoron; so you best go back and discover if you’re really a Christian. Ephesians 4:17-24 uses strong language: insist and must. Don’t live like the rest of the pagan world, in futility of mind (vain, aimless purposeless, and totally unrelated to God). What does the futility of an unbelieving mind look like (Ephesians 4:18)? What does it mean to live with a darkened heart (Ephesians 4:19)?

It doesn’t make sense for those who know Christ to live as those who do not know Christ. These people have basically stiff-armed God. If you are born again, you are a new creation. Did you understand from the beginning that coming to Jesus would involve a radical life change? If not, do you see it now?

Paul says you heard of Him and were taught in Him (Ephesians 4:21). How can you fall back into the same old immoral lifestyle? The challenge is to put off the old self, renew your mind, and put on the new self (Ephesians 4:22-24).

Life Characterized by Moral Purity:

Paul insists that we must live a holy life, characterized by purity. It’s not an option. Change doesn’t happen to earn God’s favor, but because of who you are and whose you are (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). How then should you live?

A closer look at Ephesians 4:17-19 allows us to see what we are to avoid:

1. Command: each phrase describes how the Gentiles live. Futility of thinking, darkened understanding, separated from God.
2. State: a position of those not in Christ, their condition, mentally and spiritually blind.
3. Reasons: here’s the “why” question; because of ignorance within them, and hardening of their hearts. It’s not intellectual ignorance but spiritual ignorance. Their hearts are like petrified wood.
4. Applied results: loss of sensitivity, sensuality, every kind of impurity, and a lust for more. Think of a calloused hand, and transfer that to the heart.

Compare these persons as to what they did and did not do, and what they consequently became (2 Chronicles 36:11-13, Nehemiah 9:16-17, Zechariah 7:11-12.

An Immoral Lifestyle is Inconceivable for Believers:

God wants to save us from our destructive patterns that breaks His heart, embarrasses His family and destroys His people (you). We generally find ourselves rationalizing and compromising. The reasons:

It contradicts who we are: we are not what we used to be. Who are you now and what have you become (2 Corinthians 6:16-7:1)?

It contradicts who Christ is: you’ve heard of Him and have been taught and immorality is not what Jesus is all about! The rare phrase “in Jesus” is a historical term. You know what Jesus did on earth. He was not some evil person, but one who lives a sinless and perfect life for all to see. Now live it out: love, be salt and light, experience peace. Remember what first attracted you to Christ. What keeps you in Christ now? A good moral life is simply a natural by-product and reflection of a genuine relationship with God.

The Morphing Process: How to Break from the old Life

According to Ephesians 4:22-24, there are three steps:

Put off the old (Ephesians 4:22, the past): this points to a specific decision in time when you got started in Christ. The most miserable people on the planet are believes stuck in the old life, overshadowed by guilt and shame. They don’t enjoy the sin any long but are slaves to it. Sin affects our fellowship with God and hinders our prayer life. They are fake and superficial. (see Colossians 3:5-10).

Be renewed in the mind (Ephesians 4:23, the present): like a computer that needs to be reprogrammed, Christians need to be involved in discipleship. The commands here are given in second person plural, meaning that we are not supposed to do this alone, but in community. What actions are you taking to renew your mind?

Put on the new self (Ephesians 4:24, the future): live with a new orientation, Christ becoming the central aspect of all you are and intend to accomplish. List the specific clothes that Paul commands us to put on (Colossians 3:12-15).

Application Questions

1. In what areas of your life did God convict you personally as you thought about putting off the old self?
2. Where is your life not holy?
3. In what ways do your thinking actions, speech and attitudes reflect a new you?
4. What will you do with the threefold principles of transformation?
   1. What will you put off?
   2. How will you renew your mind?
   3. What will you put on… specific behaviors or actions?

My Bible study class is discussing Chip Ingram’s book, The Miracle of Life Change. These few pages are my notes for that class.

Leaders are Gifted to Equip God’s People:

How does one put into practice that which is learned? We will continue in Ephesians 4:11-13, which details God’s design for the church. If we don’t understand what God has designed for the church, we will never be able to tap into the grace that is available there.

Apostles: originally given to someone who received a divine commission, to be sent out, like on a mission from God. It was for those who had been eyewitnesses to the risen Christ and received a divine commission. Today it usually describe those called to start new work; like pioneers and church planters, maintaining the goal of spreading the message.

Prophets: What illustration does Paul use to describe the church (Ephesians 2:19-21)? What is the foundation? A prophet was someone who communicated God’s truth with power, and people’s lives changed because of it. It’s no longer foretelling the future and receiving new revelation from God, but forth-telling a message and proclaiming God Words to others. Prophets today clarify and present the truth of Scripture in a culturally relevant manner.

Evangelists: this is a supernatural ability to share the gospel with others that motivates them to respond. We all have the task of evangelism, but some people have the gift.

Pastors and Teachers: these tend to go together. A pastor is a shepherd, giving oversight, feeding, caring for and giving direction to the faithful. A teacher is someone who communicates God’s truth in a systematic way.

Leadership: Think about what you believer is the role of church leaders today. The actual role of leadership is to equip the saints for the work of ministry! Equip means to restore. Like a compound bone fracture being put back into alignment, or fishermen mending their nets.

Every Member is a Minister:

According to Ephesians 4:12, what is the reason leaders equip and train God’s people? “Works of service” really means ministry. Ministers are just regular people, not just the paid staff at a church. Remember that you have been given a spiritual gift to be used in the service of the kingdom (Ephesians 4:8). So every member of the church is a minister of Christ. You were sealed, adopted and forgiven (Ephesians 4:13-14) and now the task is to discover and practice your gift.

Ministries are to Help Believers Live as Jesus Would Live:

What is the goal of equipping the saints? (Ephesians 4:13)

Until they attain the unity of faith: being connected to the body of Christ. Not just connected by proper theology, but by sharing a common life.

Until they attain the knowledge of the Son of God: knowledge here is ginosko, meaning to know by experience. The word also has a prefix, epiginosko, meaning a deep, personal, intimate knowing. Paul desired to know Christ (Philippians 3:7-10).

Until they become mature: the word is teleios, which we get telescope, referring to a design or pattern. You are designed to become a new person in Christ.

Until they attain the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ: God’s standard is maturity, conforming to the image of Christ.

Here is a passage on maturity – Hebrews 5:11-14.

How to Know if You’re Morphing:

If we are not morphing, or transforming, I dare say we are simply going through religious motions. In Ephesians 4:14-16, we are given a way to measure our transformation, sort of a litmus test on how we’re doing.

Doctrinal Stability (Ephesians 4:14): do you have a settled knowledge of God’s Word? There are a few verses that describe the actions of a doctrinally stable believer (Romans 16:17-18, Colossians 2:8, 1 John 4:1-3).

Authentic Relationships (Ephesians 4:15): a commitment to both people and the truth, to tell it not only when it is convenient or when it works for you. Do you have people in your life to whom you speak the truth in love, and that speak the truth in love to you? (Proverbs 27:5-6).

Full Participation (Ephesians 4:16): coming from the words whole, every and each. Individual parts being held together, like the construction of two boards with a hinge. The body of Christ depends upon you, and you depend upon the body of Christ. You do not just look out for your own needs, but for others.

Growing Capacity for Love (Ephesians 4:16): Paul uses the term agape, which is God’s sort of love; unconditional, I love you anyway. It’s not an emotional response but a supernatural love.

Diagnostic Tool:

Rate yourself, or let a friend do it for you, on these statements:

1. I am currently involved in activities and training that are equipping me to do the work of ministry.
2. I am currently participating in intentional, meaningful, biblical worship on a regular basis.
3. I am currently in an apprentice or mentoring relationship with an older believer that is stimulating my spiritual growth.
4. I am currently ministering and building into the lives of others
5. I am becoming more like Jesus in my everyday life, evidenced by a desire to read the Bible, disciplined study, and the ability to recognize false teaching.
6. I am currently more like Jesus in everyday life, as evidenced by enjoying deep authentic relationships in Christ.
7. I am currently in a small group where speaking the truth in love is common, and personal accountability is expected.
8. I am currently becoming more like Christ in everyday life, as evidenced by a desire to become deeply committed to God’s people, to worship, to learning, to serving, to meeting needs; a clear sense of where I fit into the body of Christ; and I am loved by others.

My Bible study class is discussing Chip Ingram’s book, The Miracle of Life Change. These few pages are my notes for that class.

Life-change Begins with Truth:

We are continuing in Ephesians 4:7-10. We often think that life-change begins with our experience, but it actually begins with truth (John 17:17). Jesus said that He wants us to reflect who They are and what They’re like.

Jesus even had a group of early believers (John 8:31-32). Think about how many Christians you know who are truly free. Are they really free from all the old habits they struggle with? Free of anger outbursts, free of lust; really living in a loving and authentic way? The truth underlying or relationship with Christ is that the power of sin has been broken… we don’t have to sin (Philippians 2:13, 1 John 4:4). Believers are free, forgiven and secure; the truth is that sin is defeat and you are free.

Life-change Demands that We Act on the Truth:

This action goes by the title, “faith.” Remember that there is a process of holy transformation, and it is not enough to just simply know the truth. Here are great passages about faith (Romans 1:16-17, 4:2-3, 18:21, 5:1-2, 10:17, Hebrews 11:6, 1 Peter 1:6-9, 1 John 5:4-5).

Many people think the Christian life is primarily about morality; do more good deeds than bad deeds. People want to act Christianly. It comes down to a list of “shoulds” and “oughts,” rules and guilt. People need transformation.

Life-change is Both a Gift and a Responsibility:

Even when we intellectually believe the right stuff about Jesus, we usually experience very little genuine change. This is active and passive. Passive in that we are given a gift, active in that we have a responsibility to act.

The gift of grace: we see both in the life of Paul (Romans 1:5-6). This is the gift that helps believers to morph (Ephesians 4:7). This grace gift is really a spiritual gift. The word gift has to do with our capacity for service; spiritual gift has to do with the area of service. Every believer has a spiritual gift. Only God can bring about life-change, but He never does it alone; it is done in the context of community. Change comes by grace and not self-effort (1 Corinthians 3:6-7). We’ve been given a gift and it is our responsibility to use it for God’s glory.

The Team Together:

The church functions together by using individual parts. Gifts are described in Ephesians 4:11. The purpose of these gifts are given in Ephesians 4:12-13. Leaders equip (or prepare others) for service. Christians are to become mature, like Christ, reaching full potential, working in ministry, thinking like Jesus, loving like Jesus, responding to enemies like Jesus.

The next three verses provide a clear-cut description of what maturity looks like (Ephesians 4:14-15).

Four Tests of Spiritual Maturity:

Check these out when determining your maturity ion Christ (Ephesians 4:14-15).

1. Can you handle the Scriptures well enough to spot false teachers and trendy religion?
2. Do you have the ability to speak the truth in love?
3. Are you fitted with a spiritual gift? Do you know and use your gift?
4. Do you have an ever expanding love for God and others?

My Bible study class is discussing Chip Ingram’s book, The Miracle of Life Change. These few pages are my notes for that class.

Spiritual Ignorance:

Many people don’t understand their identity in Christ, or what it means to be in Christ. Here are some theological words regarding salvation:

Justification: this is what happened when we first came to Christ (Acts 13:39, Romans 3:24, 28, 4:25, Galatians 2:16-17, Titus 3:7). Our debt column now has “paid in full” written across all the entries. Righteousness was imputed or deposited into our account. It’s grace, getting what we don’t deserve.

Sanctification: this is being set apart for a purpose (John 17:17, Romans 15:16, 1 Thessalonians 4:3, 5:23). We can be set apart and transformed into the likeness of the Son (Romans 8:29). This also involves walking by faith. We need to be the master of the contents and doctrines of the Bible. We need daily and systematic reading of the Bible, becoming a part of a small group, memorizing Scripture so that we will not sin against God. I like this tip for getting God’s Word on your hand and in your heart:

Hear it – faith comes by hearing.

Examine it – make sure what it says, look for words and phrases, and meanings.

Analyze it – find other places that teach the same truths, dig in to the text.

Remember it – memorization is a good thing, to help transform the mind, attitude and behavior.

Think about it – meditation is a positive step, to really dwell on the teachings and how God is speaking to you.

Spiritual Isolation:

A butterfly transforms in isolation while a believer transforms in community. Mark 3:13-14 is a key life verse for me, we are to first be with Jesus, then be sent out on a mission. Other verses on transformation in community are Acts 2:44-47, Romans 12:15, Galatians 6:1-2, Colossians 3:16, Hebrews 10:24, James 5:16).

Spiritual Myopia:

We often fail to see the magnitude of what is at stake in our relationship with Christ. Myopia causes us to not see clearly. This is subtle, because we feel it is no one’s business but mine. But people wonder if the church is real, we are the billboard for Christ that people see everyday. What is your hindrance (of these three so far)? The issue is not if Christianity works for someone, but whether or not we will be obedient to the holy, omnipresent, all-powerful God who’s got a plan for the planet and for us.

Facing Our Biggest Challenge:

What keeps us from morphing? It’s easy – sin (Romans 6:1-4). How do you deal with the sin problem? In Ephesians 4:7-10, Paul is teaching that breaking the power and penalty of sin demands a clear understanding of what it means to die with Christ. He explains what Jesus was doing between the crucifixion and the resurrection. After all, is death punctuated with a period or a comma (John 12:24-25)?

A Glimpse Beyond the Grave:

In Ephesians 4:7-10, circle the words grace, gift and therefore. In Ephesians 4:8, Paul quotes an obscure passage about leading captives and giving gifts to men. Eventually we understand about spiritual giftedness, but the captives are interesting.

What Christ did there: Christ came in power to free the captives. It is a picture of a conquering king riding back on a white horse leading the captives, who would become slaves, these trophies of war. The word is triumph (2 Corinthians 2:14). Wagons loads of the spoils of war followed. Once the king arrived, the next order of business was to divide the spoils. These gifts were a reminder of a great victory over an enemy. Jesus reminds us of the reason He won the battle, over sin and death, and these gifts were proof of that victory.

Where He did it: The “lower parts” refers to sheol, which is a place of the dead. All those who died went there, the righteous and the wicked, all men being made equal. It was not until Jesus time that there became a paradise and a place of torment. Luke 16:19-31 has a story that illustrates what Jesus accomplished on the cross. 1 Peter 3:18-19 tells us where Jesus was while He was in the grave. He went to the punishment compartment and preached, not a message of salvation for the hearers, but a proclamation or royal announcement of victory.

1 Peter 4:6 mentions Jesus preaching to the faithful of God in the Old Testament. This word is different than in 1 Peter 3:19, it is the word for gospel, the good news. He visited paradise to inform and confirm the faith of Old Testament saints.

Why Christ did it: That He might fulfill all things (Ephesians 4:10). He established His right to reclaim creation. He declared the defeat of sin and death. He provided the basis for spiritual freedom and transformation. To be transformed we must die with Christ.

My Bible study class is discussing Chip Ingram’s book, The Miracle of Life Change. These few pages are my notes for that class.

The Call: (Romans 12:2)

The key word here is transformation, metamorphoo, something that is passive rather than active in our lives. “Be transformed” by the renewing of your mind. We don’t transform ourselves. Morphing is expected, normal, possible and even commanded.

Paul gives instruction about this transformation (Ephesians 4:1). He wants our life to match who you are in Christ. “Worthy” describes the way we are to walk, or live. Transformation is the basis of our salvation (Ephesians 2:8). We were once dead but are now alive in Christ.

The Process:

Transformation does not begin with activities, it begins with relationships. Here’s Paul’s outline for holy transformation (Ephesians 4:2-3): humility, gentleness, patience and bearing one another. Natural morphing takes place in secret, like in a cocoon, but spiritual transformation takes place in community (Ephesians 2:19-22, Hebrews 10:25).

Four Attitudes:

These attitudes create life transformation:

Humility: to have an accurate view of yourself, no having a low view of yourself (Romans 12:3). Relationships must focus on others rather than yourself – servanthood is a good summary.

Gentleness: to be considerate, power under restraint or control (1 Thessalonians 2:7-8). Are we willing to give up our rights, not impress others, and not fight for approval?

Patience: to be steadfast and strong in suffering, like a long fuse before you get angry. Those who get made are defending their rights, don’t really like themselves, and are insecure.

Bearing one another: to put up with other people, their quirks, failures and idiosyncrasies.

Why Morphing Matters:

The Bible doesn’t order us to achieve unity, only that we maintain it (Ephesians 4:3). We must practice godly things even when we don’t feel like doing it. Like-change is about becoming more like Christ, becoming clear on seven things (Ephesians 4:4-6). Morphing is imperative.

What Unity Looks Like:

Unity can be describe as the “one” in each phrase (Ephesians 4:4-6). Notice each member of the Trinity receives special attention. “One” emphasizes unity; “all” emphasized inclusion.

1. The first triad refers to us, the church (body, Spirit, hope) – the Spirit allows us to have many things in common.
2. The second triad refers to the Son (Lord, faith, baptism) – baptism being our shared identity in Christ.
3. The third triad refers to the one God and Father of all (like a sovereign summary) beginning with the unity of God, the Spirit leads through the lordship of Christ, to the sovereignty of God the Father.

The likeness of Christ is not just an agenda that God has for us as individuals, but a plan for His church and for the world.