Author: Ben Bourland

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Thief to Philanthropist…

Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.
Ephesians 4:28 [ESV]

This was a shorter quiet time but still important and the Lord had some alignment to show me in regard to verse 25 and that quiet time.

This verse feels like it is ‘no duh’ as it is one of the 10 commandments. But we need to remember the context in which Paul is writing -> support for the unity of the church in biblical community. No life of falsehoods. don’t let your anger linger, and now ‘don’t steal’, yet work for wages and have open hands with what you earn.

I was reading this and thinking about why Paul was talking about thievery to the church in Ephesus. The only real thing I could come up with is that it is possible that the Christians in Ephesus were stealing from the Romans. The Jewish people in the days of Jesus Christ had issues with the Roman government, and they thought that the evil Roman empire was unjustly stealing from them by overtaxing, and so some of the Jews tried to get away with not paying taxes – others—like the Jewish Zealots—sometimes tried to steal back from the Romans. This might be the kind of activity Paul was referring to.

Paul just got done talking about not giving satan a foothold, where right here satan is not to be blamed because the hearts of the Ephesians had been hardened to not see that even stealing from evil Roman empire is….still stealing and is sin that is not aligned to a pure and holy God. Paul did not want anything to come in between the Ephesians having both an amazing fruitful relationship with God and in turn, with each other. Conversely, Paul was saying, make an honest living and then be generous with what you earn. There were many in the church that poor and this was almost killing two birds with one stone – Stop sinning and support the biblical community.

Application:

Lord God in Heaven, please convict my spirit if there is anything I am doing in my daily life that could be considered “Robinhood Stealing” (taking something I believe I have earned, deserve, or believe I am taking back because it was first taken from me…like taxes). Help me to see the places that I can be open handed with what you have given me through wages, that I would live a life and model generosity for my children.

Today’s Psalm:

Turn away from evil and do good;
so shall you dwell forever.
For the LORD loves justice;
he will not forsake his saints.
They are preserved forever,
but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
The righteous shall inherit the land
and dwell upon it forever.

Psalms 37:27-29 [ESV]
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Anger Dealt with Quickly…

Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger and give no opportunity to the devil.
Ephesians 4:26-27 [ESV]

in these two verses we take a short departure from the ‘do not do this but do that’ pattern of the section. Instead, we have a ‘do it this way’ exhortation. Paul is telling us that there is an anger that is not sinful but to let it simmer is. There are some that say that this covers a lot of types of sin but I don’t think so. When you look at the Greek words used for ‘anger’ and ‘angry’ in this text, you get orgizō (enraged) and parorgismos (provocation) respectively. When Paul is saying ‘Be angry’, he is referring to being enraged, but the provocation word makes this the kind of anger where you are provoked to an angry response. Like when the bible says that “God is angered by sin”. However, anger for anger’s sake is never right, but a righteous anger might be justified.

Simmering anger, even when justified, hurts us and even marginalizes our health. When anger simmers the devil gets an opportunity to divide and conquer. In Matthew 5, Jesus urges that if someone has something against a brother, it is to be dealt with before bringing an offering to worship God. Part of the check on justified anger is to not let it linger. The explanation is seen in the next command to not allow the sun to go down on one’s anger, which is a metaphor for not letting that reaction hang around. The present tense tied to the exhortation ‘do not let the sun set’ means that this is to always be our response. Anger may come, even for good cause, but it is not to hang around like a cloud over relationships.

When anger hangs around, opportunity comes to the devil. This has to be avoided. No place is to be given to him; the devil should not be allowed to stir the pot. The devil should be given no place at the table of relationships in the community. This whole line of thinking points to the larger context of the drive toward unity in biblical community.

Application:

First and foremost, I should not be looking for opportunities of righteous anger. That is not the point of the passage. Paul is saying that as humans made in God’s image there will points in my life where the initial response of anger is not sinful, but if I stew and ponder, it will become resentment and bitterness which is a key foothold for satan to have chink in my armor in which to insert a fiery dart. Additionally, I must have a heart like the Lord’s which is slow to anger (James 1:20). I must be careful in the justification of my anger as I have a tendency to lean in the feeling of ‘rights driven’ frustration and anger which when the provocation is something that incites anger that is birthed from pride, this is when there is a REAL danger.

Today’s Psalm:

The wicked borrows but does not pay back,
but the righteous is generous and gives;
for those blessed by the LORD shall inherit the land,
but those cursed by him shall be cut off.

Psalms 37:21-22 [ESV]
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Straight Talk with Genuineness and Veracity…

Therefore, rejecting all falsity and being done now with it, let everyone express the truth with his neighbor, for we are all parts of one body and members one of another.
Ephesians 4:25 [AMP]

Paul now goes into a set of “no longer do that, but now do this” exhortations for the Ephesian church. There are some interesting hermeneutical approaches to this verse. In looking at the whole of the book of Ephesians, a lot of the direction of Paul’s message is to the Gentile converts, to appreciate the dignity of their calling, the implication of that calling realizing their heavenly origin and destiny, and also for their present conduct on earth as believers. What is cool is that the wording in verse 25 matches that of Zechariah 8:16 which is appropriate because under the pressure of exile, the call was to be faithful to each other.

These are the things that you shall do: speak every man the truth with his neighbor; render the truth and pronounce the judgment or verdict that makes for peace in [the courts at] your gates.

Zechariah 8:16 [AMP]

The connection to each other as fellow body members is the rationale here. That rationale is deeply relational. So how do we think about ‘falsity’ and ‘expressing the truth’? In the context of oneness and members of a body of believers, it is an ‘above reproach’-ness in interpersonal relationships and interactions. It is the removal of cunningness and workarounds. No longer seeing how you can get the best outcome. It is similar to paying correct taxes and not looking for every way to bend the rules to suit your benefit. Paul is saying that within our biblical community relationships, this is paramount in growing a strong and thriving community. Most important of all, it is God honoring to be of a truthful spirit even in situations where that truthfulness does not benefit the individual or their situation.

Application:

This takes me back to quite a few quite times back where I was talking about ‘Civilized Unrighteousness’. There are certain worldly acceptable fibs or truth stretching that are accepted as ‘Just getting what I deserve’ or ‘not allowing someone else benefit when they are undeserving’. These kinds of fleshly thinking can run rampant in our minds; fueled by a conniving and driven heart for worldly acceptance and ‘getting ahead’. This has no place in God’s Kingdom and Christ’s church here on earth. I have caught myself doing this when I am strategizing how to ‘do right by my family’ or ‘get the best for my team at work’. Lord God, please help me through the leading of your Holy Spirit to see when I am doing this so that I can confess and repent (turn a 180) from that way of thinking and walk upright in Straight Talk and Deed with Genuineness and Veracity.

Today’s Psalm:

Better is the little that the righteous has
than the abundance of many wicked.
For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
but the LORD upholds the righteous.

Psalms 37:16-17 [AMP]
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Put On the New Self…

...put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
Ephesians 4:24

And yep, you knew it…now we need to put on the ‘New Man’. The goal is walk in Christ, like we would put on clothes, staying focused on what He has done, what He represents, and what He provided for us. We need to live with others with a realization and recognition that bearing Christ’s name means living in a certain way. This alignment and allegiance with Christ as well as a right view of ourselves, causes us to respond in ways pleasing to Him.

Paul is calling us to live in a way that is authentic and honors God. It is founded in all God has provided in Christ. Whatever we lacked to be able to honor God before coming into Christ is now resolved in what God has provided through him. Romans 13:14, with its call to put on Christ, makes a similar point.

But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

Romans 13:14 [ESV]

Application:

This is daily decision…actually, every moment. Many people in our society today are passionate about fashion. There is a reason for this. What you wear impacts how you carry yourself and can even influence your confidence; it can even put you in the posture the clothes inspire to do, like exercising. This is what wearing Christ (the New Man in me and I in Him) should do to my daily walk. Everything I do should be approached with a reminder of the clothes I chosen to wear. The Ephesians 6 talks about the clothes and what each means piece means.

Today’s Psalm:

In just a little while, the wicked will be no more;
though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.
But the meek shall inherit the land
and delight themselves in abundant peace.

Psalms 37:10-11 [ESV]
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Putting Off & Renewing Our Minds…

...put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds,
Ephesians 4:22-23 [ESV]

This passage has always been important to me but it is taking on a whole new weight and equipping as it pertains to Biblical Counseling and Discipleship. Paul’s whole teaching on ‘putting off’ and ‘putting on’ is so good. That former manner of life was such a way of life that is to be set aside, put off permanently, like a change of clothes in a closet to be left behind.

This is why Paul described it as the life of a former lifestyle. That way was left behind in lieu of the choice to pursue God’s ways and embrace the forgiveness and cleansing Jesus has given us. The old life in Adam involved a corrupted way of living, driven by deceitful desires. As with all of Paul’s descriptions of the pre-believing life, the view is pretty negative, meeting the earlier description of the pre-conversion life as involving walking death.

​ And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

Ephesians 2:1-3 [ESV]

‘To be renewed in the spirit of your minds’ is a force that speaks to a continuing renewal as the transformation of the walk with God is an unending process of sanctification that brings us closer to God until the goal is completed at our glorification. The human spirit is the focus here because to speak of the Spirit of the mind needing renewal makes no sense. The Spirit is the agent that makes it possible, but our renewed thinking must be driven by a desire to change our behaviors as the Spirit gives us the strength to do so. Paul exhorts the Ephesians to be open to what God is doing in them. Although not directly mentioned in 4:23, it is the work of the Spirit that enables our spirit to do this, as the Spirit is referred to in other places in this letter.

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.

2 Corinthians 4:16 [ESV]

The verse above says that the body may be dying but our inner person is being renewed. A constant walk with God is a walk in consistent response to Him so He can do His work in us.

Application:

As my sanctification process develops, my holiness will go up, and my disgust with sin will go up with it. I have to ask myself, “Ben, do you have places in your life where there is sin that is what someone might call civilized unrighteousness?” A good example of this is the corporate mentality of covering your rear or making your team and what you do look better than what they actually are. There was a time about 8 years ago that I was confronted with this in my sanctification. These ways of operating had become respectable…but to God they were flat out sinful behavior because it is dishonest and self-serving. Tonight I am praying for God to reveal to me more of these areas in my life so that I might ‘put them off’.

Todays’ Psalm:

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!

Psalms 37:7 [ESV]
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A Direct and Authoritative Command…

Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.  They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.  They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.
Ephesians 4:17-19 [ESV]

Paul now turns to specific application of what the equipping and enablement means for the church. In many ways the tone goes back to and picks up the points made in Eph 2:1–3 and Eph 4:1–3. You can tell that Paul is choosing his words carefully here; drawing on and exhorting the authority of the Lord in his statements. “I say and testify in the Lord” The call is to pull the Ephesian church away from something it was found to be doing…”You must [NO LONGER] walk as the Gentiles do”. Paul then follows this up with clarifying statement of the ‘doing’ with “in the futility of their minds”. The unbeliever’s mind is futile in its ability to discern and comprehend the righteous way of living the ‘New Spirit/Creature’ in us (believers), is inspired to do.

When Paul talks of the Darkness in their understanding, it is the absence of light. So, all of the understanding draws from the darkness…this is bad news — think of the lawlessness of that. Adding on to this, the Gentiles are ‘alienated’ from the life of God. Why? Because of the ignorance that is in them; because of the hardness of their hearts. This hardness is because of callousness generated from refusing the Creator God over and over again. Rather than seeing an Almighty God as being the answer to all of their needs, they choose the sensuality of self-gratification and self-sufficiency. The last line leads us to believe that the unbeliever longs to bring impurity into the mainstream of acceptable behavior. It is amazing at how on the money this is in describing the craziness of what is happening in our own culture and society today.

Application:

I cannot just look at this passage and say that is not me. Although I am a child of God, and capable of leaning into the inner ‘new man’ by putting off the evil things of this world and putting on the obedience in Christ; I can fall…I am in my most dangerous place Spiritually if I stop crucifying the ‘old man’ even for one day. I think this warning and admonishment from Paul to the church at Ephesus should be a wake-up call to not only flee any ‘Gentile Behavior’, but to see the frivolousness of the worldly answers. I know myself, and I need to be in God’s Word EVERYDAY. I must be in a place of easy spontaneous prayer for God’s strength, wisdom, grace, and love so that my mind is saturated with the thoughts how to be more like HIs Son.

Today’s Psalm:

​ Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
be not envious of wrongdoers!
For they will soon fade like the grass
and wither like the green herb.

Psalms 37:1-2 [ESV]
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Speaking Truth in Love and Growing in Him…

Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
Ephesians 4:15-16 [ESV]

Today’s verses are such an awesome culmination of the last block of the Living Word spoken through Paul. Yesterday was a command to not be content to be a baby Christian and to progressively work toward being all that God is equipping us to be in the Body of the Church of His Son.

So, rather than being ‘tossed back and forth by the waves and winds of false doctrine’, we are to speak what truth we have learned, IN love. Growing up in every way INTO Him who is ours and the churches Head. Every single one of us in the church body has been gifted with a purpose to serve in it. I love how Paul talks about this ‘equipping’ of each member being the sinew and ligaments by which the body is held together and working ‘properly’. When the body is working properly, the church builds itself up and grows in love.

Your mind might go to the building or location that you have church and things that happen there, but this passage is about something much bigger. Yes, the local church has a system of support and execution to it that is important, but I think that Paul is talking about the biblical communities of believers that join together for the work of the Lord wherever you are. For me the best set of examples I can give is –> a group of believers in a secular workplace, a neighborhood, or even a vacation destination. You see, what I think Paul is talking about is a lifelong pursuit to be used by God in your biblical community in whatever you are doing or wherever you are. I think this might be lost on most of us…

What we also can’t miss in this passage is how we as the Christ’s Church build up and grow. Paul says it 2 times here in the block of thought –> 1) is through the leaders and teachers God has equipped to lead us and 2) when we work together in how God has designed us in His Spirit for the works of faith.

Application:

The question I have to ask myself is “Am I growing in all the ways God has intended in the context of His Church?” I can answer a lot of yeses, but if I am being honest, I have a lot of opportunities of improvement. Lord God, please reveal to me all the areas I can be used for Your Glory in my church, in my family, at work, and in my regular daily life. I only want to be all that you have called me to be before you take me home to Your Heaven.

Today’s Psalm:

Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know you,
and your righteousness to the upright of heart!
Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me,
nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.
There the evildoers lie fallen;
they are thrust down, unable to rise.

Psalms 36:10-12 [ESV]
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Sanctification is a Process…

...so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.  Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,
Ephesians 4:14-15 [ESV]

I think that this is one of the most important passages on Christian living and growth. It is all about continuous process, grace, encouragement, biblical maturity, community, and love. When we become new believers, it is important to remember 4 things.

  1. You have everything you need in you to grow into the follower of Jesus God desires you to be. The thief on the cross next to Jesus had no time to grow this faith and mature his walk; he went straight to heaven in a matter of hours after Jesus told him he would be with Him in paradise.
  2. Test everything. When we become believers, God places a hunger in us to know Him more. Our gratefulness of what Jesus did for us on the cross, drives us to want to know Him better and our goal is to be more like Him. It can be intimidating to hold the whole of the Word of God in our hands and be overwhelmed with all there is to learn. So, we have a tendency turn to what others say or interpret meanings in the Bible. So, we must test by going to the Word ourselves (Hermeneutical approach) and through fervent prayer, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth of His scripture to us. There are a lot of whacky stances out there that take certain passages out of context or even try to put thinking into the bible rather than only pulling out what God is saying alone. A good rule of thumb to use when something is not clear to you, is –> you can’t grasp it yet…not that God’s Word is somehow lacking.
  3. Seek Biblical Community. When I say Biblical community, I mean a Spiritual Maturity diverse group of people to learn with and from. Ensure that you have well-seasoned teachers in your group that can help you to find the places in the Bible to find answers. A good teacher will share but ultimately drive you back to God’s word to allow God Himself to reveal to you what there is learn.
  4. Don’t get discouraged. God’s Word says that somethings we just won’t know. Somethings will be held secret until the Lord is ready to reveal it to you. I believe that our understanding of certain things is a lot of times tied to what God is equipping us to do for His Kingdom…and we just are not ready yet. There are 3 Categories of Theology that we have to keep in mind.
    • First-level issues are most central and essential to Christianity. You can’t deny these teachings and still be a Christian in any meaningful sense. For example, there is one God in three persons; Jesus is fully God and fully human; Jesus sacrificially died for sinners; Jesus rose bodily from the dead; we are justified by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone; Jesus is coming back.
    • Second-level issues create reasonable boundaries between Christians, such as different denominations and local churches. These issues will have a bearing on what sort of church you are part of. For example, what’s your view on baptism or church government or God’s sovereignty in salvation or the role of men and women in the church and home? You don’t have to hold one particular view to be a Christian, but it’s challenging for a church to have a healthy unity when its leaders and members disagree on these matters.
    • Third-level issues are disputable matters (also called matters of indifference or matters of conscience). They might involve how you interpret particular passages of the Bible. For example, who are “the sons of God” in Genesis 6? There is more than one viable view. Third-level issues also include many practical questions. For example, how should Christians view the “Sabbath?” . . . Disputable matters aren’t unimportant, but members of the same church should be able to disagree on these issues and still have close fellowship with each other. Disagreement on third-level issues shouldn’t cause disunity in the church family.

Application:

Ok, that was a lot longer than I anticipated it being…What really resonates with me is seeing good people getting ‘tossed about by the waves’ of culturally acceptable doctrine. We are surrounded by false teachers and people who want to twist God’s Word into saying something it is not…or worse, entirely eliminating passages to help conform to one’s personal worldview because it doesn’t align with present day worldly acceptance. I must stay strong and bold in uphold God’s Word as it is written. Every passage matters. That being said, I have to be careful not to move third-level issues into second or first level convictions.

Today’s Psalm

How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They feast on the abundance of your house,
and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light do we see light.

Psalms 36:7-9 [ESV]
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Giftedness Underscores Unity…

But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift.  Therefore, it says,       
“When he ascended on high, he led a host of captives,
and he gave gifts to men.”
Ephesians 4:7-8 [ESV]

This is such a cool passage to follow all of the ‘Ones’. Not only are we all connected through the 7 ‘ones’ mentioned yesterday, but today this reading shows that one of the dimensions of preserving unity is for each one of us to live out the giftedness each of us has received. We are tied to each other in part through the gifts God gives us to make the body function effectively. When we exercise those gifts, it allows the church to be what God designed it to be.

In my reading and study, Grace here means a gift freely given. Paul has already noted this context and meaning in Romans 12:3-8. All of us are gifted to serve the church in one way or another. These gifts have been given out according to Christ’s gifting. In Romans and 1 Corinthians, Paul tells us they are measured out by God and the Spirit as well. We are all equipped to serve others. None of us is an island in the church. We need the giftedness others possess and they need ours. Christ determines our roles, so as we serve, we honor him.

Paul pointing to Psalm 68:18 is the subject of a lot of theologians because Paul changes the typographical context of the verse. In the Psalms it reads that Jesus received gifts and here in Ephesians he says that He gave gifts. Rather than take you through all the arguments, the main point is that the reading of the verse Paul gives here captures the message of the entirety of Psalm 68 and other Jewish texts of the same passage do the same thing. The main takeaway of the verse is that on his ascension Christ won a victory, and the spoils, the gifts, went to those allied with him.

Application:

Tomorrow we will see some of the gifts that Paul is talking about, but for today it really comes down to recognizing through prayer and searching God’s Word how best to apply the gifts God has given me. Throughout my Christian Walk I can see God’s hand and fingers placing the gifts that He would have me bring into the ministries he has placed before me. Whether that is serving in the media ministry, leading a Life Group, or even being asked to be an elder as I am now; I am to prayerfully consider the roles God has called me to as a member in the greater body of Christ’s church. I am continuing to follow God’s call even now by training to be a Biblical Counselor. I feel so blessed and honored to blessed with the gifts He has given and then use those gifts in service to Him.

Today’s Psalm:

Let those who delight in my righteousness
shout for joy and be glad
and say evermore,
“Great is the LORD,
who delights in the welfare of his servant!”
Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness
and of your praise all the day long.

Psalms 35:27-28 [ESV]

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One…

There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Ephesians 4:4-6 [ESV]

So, remember, we are just coming off of Paul telling us that keeping unity with peace is huge…even telling us the characteristics of the person who aspires to contribute to that unity. We are One body which has been a theme of this book. That Oneness is reinforced now with all the Ones listed for us.

There are seven uses of ‘One’ here that are interesting:

  1. One Body
  2. One Spirit
  3. One Hope
  4. One Lord
  5. One Faith
  6. One Baptism
  7. One God and Father of all

It is interesting how the Body and the Spirit are linked just as they are in our life as followers of Jesus when we were saved. The One Hope is our key here on earth as it is our calling -> Hope in eternity with Jesus. A freedom in Him here on earth because our victory is already secured IN Him. Together in our unified church we center around One Lord, One Faith (in our Lord Jesus Christ), One Baptism (which I believe is inclusive of both Baptism by the Holy Spirit and Water Baptism), and finally One God and Father over all.

A little more on One Baptism – Christian baptism involves both Spirit baptism and water baptism, which symbolizes it (1 Corinthians 12:13; Colossians 2:12). These elements are all connected to what Christ accomplished through His death. Some interpretations of the verse might suggest choosing between these, but they likely all play a role. Christian baptism differs from John the Baptist’s baptism, which expressed repentance and readiness for salvation. In Christian baptism, believers participate in the deliverance made possible by their trust in what God did through Christ. This distinction has been evident from the beginning (Acts 19:5).

Application:

In my life as a fellow believer with others in the church, I need to remember that all of these ‘Ones’ bind us together. My genuinely converted Christian believers will have this Oneness built into them from Salvation. Our differing opinions are going to be normal but these ones bring us together in the end every time. I need apply this thinking a realization earlier in my discussions with brothers and sisters so that my Faith and Spirit within my guide in all the ways mentioned yesterday –> Humility, Gentleness, Patience, and Forbearance.

Today’s Psalm:

Then my soul will rejoice in the LORD,
exulting in his salvation.
All my bones shall say,
“O LORD, who is like you,
delivering the poor
from him who is too strong for him,
the poor and needy from him who robs him?”

Psalms 35:9-10 [ESV]