Ephesians 4: 17 – 24

1. Unified Through Gifts of the Holy Spirit

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are to be used to build us up and make us mature so that we will no longer be infants tossed back and forth by every storm.

  1. We do not have the faith to get through the storms that come
  2. Need to ask Jesus to give us all the gifts so HTC is not lacking in any way

2. Gentile Mindset

Ephesians 4: 17 – 19

Because of the incredible privilege of walking in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, we are challenged to walk differently.

We live in a society where there is no destination and the journey is the important thing. Christianity challenges us to walk toward Jesus and knowing Him. We are not victims of Karma or society influences, we have a purpose in everything that we encounter.

The Gentile mindset makes it impossible for christianity to ever become mainstream in society.

Hopelessly confused = understanding darkened.

Confused thinking is defined.

  1. Darkness = not realizing the problem is a heart problem
  2. Far from the life of God = Not just rejecting gifts but the gift of life
  3. Closed minds
  4. Hardened = calloused beyond feeling
  5. No sense of shame = sin that flaunts itself with no sense of shame or fear. Sexual impropriety
  6. Eagerly practice every type of impurity = Greek word “aslegeia” no longer hiding sin but willing to go toward shock to satisfy their own lusts

3. Born Again Mindset

Ephesians 4: 20 – 24

We have learned about Jesus.

We are not learning a doctrine about Christianity, but about a person Jesus.

We must abide in Him.

  • Meditating on Him
  • Reading His word
  • Worship Him

Put on a new nature.

Colossians 3: 10 Put on your new nature and be renewed as you learn to know your creator and become like Him.

Our old self is open to the corruption of the Gentile way of thinking so we need to put it off.

EXAMPLE: we are like prisoners who are free from jail, but still wearing prison garb.

Put on Holiness.

Romans 10: 1 – 4

  1. We cannot put on holiness by doing things
  2. We cannot put on holiness by stopping things.
  3. Holiness comes from faith in Jesus

4. Ministry of the Upper Room

How can our lives and gospel penetrate the mindset of the gentiles who are calloused and darkened? The same way the gospel penetrated the lives of darkened murderous people int he first century, the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples and the world was changed.

1 Thessalonians 1: 5 for our gospel came to you not in word only but also in power and in the Holy Ghost as you know what manner of men we were among you.