Walking According to God's Will

2011 Jasper Life Publications

1st Edition in English July, 20111st Edition in Portuguese January, 2009

Walking According to Gods Will

Translated from Portuguese with permission ofEditora rvore da Vida

All rights reserved byJasper Life Publications Inc.

Jasper Life Publications Inc.725 Viscount Road

London, Ontario, Canada N6J 4G9Phone: (519) 472-6620

[email protected]

ISBN 978-1-926970-03-5

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Bible text from the New King James Version is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc.,

Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214-1000.

Contents

Preface .................................................................. 7

1 Ephesians - An Elevated, Complete,

and Practical Book ............................................... 9

2 Walking in Grace ................................................ 25

3 Walking in Truth ................................................ 39

4 Walking in Love ................................................. 61

5 Walking in Light ................................................. 75

6 Walking in the Spirit .......................................... 87

7 The Church Life ............................................... 101

7PREFACE

It is with great joy that we offer you another publication that will touch your lives as individuals and members of society. It will improve your daily search for the Lord, relationship with other people, family life, church meeting life, social life, and it will also provide you with what you need in your daily warfare against the evil spiritual forces.

In this book, Dong Yu Lan details what the apostle Paul said concerning the five types of walk mentioned in Ephesians. These walks are all contained in one type of living: to walk worthy of the calling with which we were called, which, in other words means to walk according to the will of God.

You will learn throughout this book about the five aspects of this walk and its importance for the practice of a normal church life.

We hope that these words may contribute to your spiritual development and that they may encourage you to help others to have a clearer vision regarding the will of God and the daily practice of it.

Instead of reading this book individually, try making a reading group in order to enhance the enjoyment of its content.

So Paulo, January 2009The editors

9Chapter One

EPHESIANS - AN ELEVATED, COMPLETE, AND PRACTICAL BOOK

The Dispensing of the Triune God and Its Result

The book of Ephesians is quite elevated and complete. Chapter one begins by saying that God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. This includes the dispensing of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit into each one of us (Eph. 1:3). God the Father chose us before the foundation of the world and predestined us to obtain the full sonship that we may be His heirs (vv. 4-6). God the Son died for us on the cross to redeem and head us up (vv. 7-12). God the Spirit is a seal and a pledge for us today (vv. 13-14). We enjoy a foretaste of the full sonship by the pledge of the Spirit, and our garments, which represent our subjective righteousness, are now becoming fine linen, bright and pure by His sealing. This is the dispensing of the Triune God through which we can receive the full sonship, becoming Gods heirs

10


and also His inheritance.Through such dispensing, we are given the spirit of wisdom

and revelation so that we may know what is the hope of our calling, what are the riches of the glory of Gods inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward the believers (vv. 18-19). He worked this power in Christ by raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, above all principality, power, might, dominion, and every name that is named (vv. 20-21). This power was transmitted directly to the church and through this power the entire creation was placed under Christs feet. Thus, through the rich dispensing of the Triune God and through the transmission to the church of the power which raised Christ from the dead, the church, which is the Body of Christ, is built and this is how chapter one ends.

Gods Masterpiece and a New Man

In Ephesians chapter two, Paul speaks of the constituent elements of the church, its raw material which is composed of people who were once dead in offenses and sins. We were material prepared for the lake of fire1 (cf. Rom. 9:22; Zech. 3:2c). But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, gave us life by His grace (Eph. 2:4-5). By His grace, He is making us His workmanship, His masterpiece. This masterpiece is not merely for appreciation, but to become the dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

Also in this chapter, we see that Jews and Gentiles were

1 Lake of fire: also called second death is the garbage can of the entire universe in which all the negative things will be thrown, including the Antichrist and the false prophet (Rev. 19:20), the Devil and his angels (Matt. 25:41; Rev. 20:10), death and Hades (Rev. 20:14), and all those who were not found in the book of life (Rev. 20:15).

11

Ephesians - An Elevated, Complete, and Practical Book

reconciled to God through the cross of Christ. We also see that we were bought back to God by the shedding of the precious blood of Christ on the cross, through which He removed the enmity that existed between Jews and Gentiles, creating a new man from the two (vv. 15-17). Both Jews and Gentiles were baptized in one Spirit into the same Body which is the church, and have become members of the household of God (vv. 13, 16, 19). God wants His children to live in harmony and peace. Thus, in the church we ought to love one another, seeking to reconcile the saints and be harmonious with them. Christ has already brought down the middle wall of partition, the enmity, so that the saints in Christ all over the world may be part of the dwelling place of God in the Spirit (v. 22). Through these two chapters we can already see the greatness of Gods plan, will, and purpose.

Stewards of the Grace of God

In chapter three, we see that all these things are part of the mystery of Gods will. Paul presented the dispensation of the grace of God given to him, which is the economy of God2, His plan or dispensing (vv. 2, 9). This was a mystery hidden in God, but it was revealed to His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. Now, through the church which is the mystery of Christ, the dispensation of this mystery is fully manifested and the multifarious wisdom of God is made known to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places (vv. 5, 10-

2 Economy of God or plan of God: The word economy derives from the Greek word oikonomia, meaning household management, arrangement, or administration. It im-plies a plan for the distribution of goods to the family members of a house. This word is translated into English in most versions of the New Testament by dispensation (Eph. 1:10). For better understanding, we recommend reading The Stewardship by Dong Yu Lan.

12


11). God desires to dispense Himself into His chosen people, making them heirs, members of the same Body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus (vv. 6-8).

Since this is the desire of God, He needs stewards, people who have the stewardship of grace and whose burden is to minister the unsearchable riches of Christ to us through the gospel. As formerly, the stewards or administrators of a great house supplied the needs of the family members, especially in relation to their nourishment, today God wants us to be stewards who supply spiritual life, food, and vision to His children through the word of God.

At the end of chapter three, Paul prayed again to the Father for our inner man to be strengthened through His Spirit, for Christ to dwell in our hearts, and for us to be rooted and grounded in love (vv. 16-17). In this prayer, he also asked for us to be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge (vv. 18-19), for this love is the foundation of the church life. Then, he concluded his prayer by praising God as Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, to whom should be all the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus.

Therefore, these three chapters of Ephesians show us everything that God has done in us. These things are the economy of God. Through the stewards, the administrators of the house of God, this divine economy is carried out and in this way we can enjoy it. Although the book of Ephesians is very elevated, it is also fully applicable to our experience. It is not an unreachable doctrine, but it is something we can enjoy and practice.

13


Walking Worthily of Our Calling

When we were Gentiles, we received the gospel and through faith we entered into Christ. Since He is the Son of God, we also became children of God, for we have been regenerated and we are in Him. Once in Christ, all that is His became our portion and we can participate in everything that He is and has done for us. Now, by having Christ dwelling in our hearts, the life of God grows in us and transforms us in order for us to obtain the full sonship and become His heirs and partakers of His promise, which is the Spirit (Gal. 3:14), through the gospel (Eph. 3:6). Thus, since the promised Spirit dwells in us, He strengthens us in our inner man (vv. 16-17) so that we may advance. We have His divine life in us and this life needs to grow.

When Paul wrote the Epistle to the Ephesians, he was a prisoner of the Roman Empire. Moreover, he was a prisoner in the Lord (4:1). Someone who is a prisoner in the Lord has no freedom and cannot walk according to his own will; but rather he should be a person who walks in the Spirit that dwells within him (Gal. 5:25). This person can no longer walk according to what he wants, as the Lord said to Peter (cf. John 21:18). We should also consider ourselves prisoners in Christ Jesus. Although we are not prisoners of the Roman Empire, the Lord has called us and placed us in the church. Just as Paul had no freedom to behave as he wanted, in the same way we, who walk in the spirit, no longer have that freedom.

The church life in which we are, requires living in the spirit first of all. We formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience (Eph. 2:2).

14


Now however, we no longer walk according to this spirit. Jesus Christ is in us and we are His prisoners. Since He lives in us, we no longer walk as we like, but according to the life-giving Spirit, the Spirit of the Triune God who lives in us.

We need the Spirit today in the church life. This Spirit dwells in us and through Him we are strengthened in our inner man, not only to comprehend the length, width, height, and depth of the love of Christ, but also to be able to live the church life. Thus, beginning from Ephesians chapter four, Paul shows us that we need to walk worthily of our calling. This is the way to practice the economy of God and to live the church life according to the elevated revelation presented in the book of Ephesians.

Having a New Conduct in the Church Life

Before believing in the Lord, our conduct was entirely contrary to the will of God, but after we were saved and started living the church life, we must have a new conduct, a different walk.

In Ephesians chapter four, the apostle Paul beseeches the saints of the church in that city to walk worthy of the calling with which they were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love (vv. 1-2). The word calling is equivalent to vocation. On our walk we must express all the human virtues elevated by Christ such as those we mentioned above.

When Jesus became a man, He introduced divinity into humanity and elevated the human virtues. In the Bible, virtues are the aspects of the human behavior that have been elevated by Christ. While human morality and ethics are limited with

15


regard to producing proper conduct between people, the virtues of Christ have no limit.

The Examples of Peter and Job

We know the experience of Simon Peter with respect to forgiveness. He asked the Lord if it was enough to forgive up to seven times (Matt. 18:21). Forgiveness is also something of human morality and ethics according to which men should forgive each other. However, we may forgive up to one, two, or three times, but the fourth time is almost impossible to forgive. Peter was perhaps better than many of us, for he spoke of forgiving up to seven times. However, the Lord Jesus elevated this human virtue and answered him that he should forgive up to seventy times seven (v. 22). After being elevated by Christ, the virtue of forgiveness has become unlimited, far beyond the natural human capacity. The same happened with virtues such as meekness, longsuffering, lowliness, and bearing with one another in love, which have been elevated when Christ practiced them.

We have a moral standard by which we conduct ourselves. When God created man, He placed in his spirit something called the conscience (Deut. 2:30; Rom. 9:1; 8:16; 1 Cor. 5:3). After the fall, man began to be ruled by his own conscience (cf. Gen. 4:7; Rom. 2:14-15). For this reason, we can still find people who seek to have a proper conduct among those who have not yet been regenerated. In the Old Testament, we have the example of Job, a person who was considered blameless, upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil (Job 1:1). Of course, the righteousness that these people practice is the self-righteousness according to their conscience and based on their moral standard. A person who

16


walks this way can have a good conduct from the moral and ethical point of view. If people in general had no conscience, the world today would be much worse. This righteousness, however, has its origin in man himself and is thus limited, unlike the righteousness that the Lord has become for us (1 Cor. 1:30), which is based on the righteousness of God (cf. Rom. 10:3).

However, Satan, who is very cunning, used the human desires to make man behave no longer according to his conscience, but according to his flesh (Gen. 6:3, 5). Consequently, many men and women today do not walk according to their conscience, nor do they walk according to the moral standard of people in general. Such people are no longer righteous, but wicked and evil.

Walking According to Divine-human Virtues

To solve this problem, the Lord Jesus came to earth in the flesh, taking the form of a man. He put on the human nature and experienced all the positive things contained in it. The Lord lived a human life with a much more elevated manner of life than that of human morality. The human attributes elevated by the Lord are called divine-human virtues.

Among these virtues elevated by the Lord, there are other items that are not mentioned in Ephesians 4:1-2 such as those presented by Paul in Galatians 5:22-23: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Another item mentioned by Paul in Colossians 3:13 is forgiveness: Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. As mentioned earlier, according to Simon Peter,

17


if someone sinned against him seven times, he would forgive him seven times (Matt. 18:21). Forgiving as much as seven times can be considered something exceptional among men. However, the excellent virtues of the Lord far surpassed that of the standard set by Peter. According to the divine-human virtues, we should forgive the saints up to seventy times seven.

The Lord elevated the virtue of human forgiveness by adding the divine nature to the human nature. The human nature is limited, but the Lord Jesus is unlimited. He surpasses all that we can comprehend and He can give us much more than what we ask or think (Eph. 3:20). He is immeasurable: we cannot measure His width, length, height, or depth. He experienced all human virtues and elevated them by adding divinity to humanity. Moreover, the virtues of the Lord Jesus far exceed the moral standard practiced among men. Our conduct should be according to the excellent virtues of the Lord.

Walking with All Lowliness

As we have seen earlier, Ephesians 4:1-2 speaks of walking with all lowliness. Lowliness is the opposite of pride and arrogance. The Bible says that God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble (1 Pet. 5:5).

In the Bible, we also find an example of an extremely proud person by reading the story of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon (Dan. 4:30, 37). Because of his pride, this king was unsatisfied with the position he had and desired a much higher one. According to the symbolism and prophecy in Isaiah chapter 14, we see that Nebuchadnezzar walked the same path of Satan, for when he already had the most elevated position a creature could wish for, he became proud and thought it was

18


still not enough, desiring, therefore, to be like God (vv. 13-14). He really crossed the line. God is a God of mercy, but He did not tolerate this situation. Because of this, Satan was cut down to the ground (v. 12).

While Satan had the arrogance to want to be like God, the Lord Jesus, who is the very God, humbled Himself and took the form of a slave to redeem us. He came in the likeness of men and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient even unto death, and that the death of a cross (Phil. 2:7-8). He did not die as a hero, nor did he die instantly, but He suffered the most demeaning and cruel death, a slow and painful death: the death of the cross. For this reason, God highly exalted Him and gave Him the name which is above every name (v. 9). This should be a warning to us. If we try to exalt ourselves, God will humble us, but if we humble ourselves, God will exalt us (Matt. 23:12).

Today, since Christ made His home in our hearts, we just need to take Him as our lowliness by calling upon His name. He is the very lowliness in us. Even the nations who are naturally arrogant have learned to humble themselves. When this happens, the Lord blesses them. We have observed that when the children of God humble themselves, the country in which they live is blessed by the Lord. Sometimes there are certain situations of national crises and the Lord uses such things for us, Gods children, to learn to humble ourselves before Him. It is likely that without these crises we would never recognize our pride and would remain in darkness. Praise the Lord, when the churches change their attitude, even the country where the saints live is blessed.

19


Walking with Meekness and Longsuffering, Bearing with One Another in Love

In Ephesians 4:2, the apostle Paul also says that we should have meekness, be longsuffering, and bear with one another in love. In our relationship with the saints, we should be meek and mild. The opposite of being meek is being surly and harsh. Some people are really severe, hard as rocks. In Matthew chapter 13, we have the parable of of the sower, which tells us of four types of soil. We see that the second type of soil is the stony one, where there were too many rocks (v. 5). If there is no way to remove these rocks, they have to be smashed. Once this is done, the smaller stones that remain can be removed one by one.

This smashing represents the breaking we often go through. How many little stones has the Lord taken from our heart? Are there other stones yet to be removed? If we say that there are no other stones, we will be lying. The stones must be constantly removed so that we will not be so tough and gruff, but rather lenient and meek.

We also need to be longsuffering, that is, patient. Some people do not allow the Lord to remove the stones within them. The saints, in turn, are also hard and think that these people are hopeless and that it would be better if they left the fellowship of the church. We cannot think like this. We need to be longsuffering and patient toward the saints and people in general.

Sometimes we are longsuffering for a year or two and we think it is enough. Our limit is maybe seven years or so. However, for the Lord, what is it to be longsuffering? For Him, being longsuffering is to have the same standard of the forgiveness

20


mentioned in Matthew chapter 18, which is that of forgiving up to seventy times seven (v. 22). If the Lord is longsuffering, we should also be so. If we are longsuffering, the saints will certainly change, but if we get to the point of saying, I cannot stand the situation of this brother or sister anymore, this will show that we are not in the spirit. A person who is in the spirit is longsuffering. The true church life is a constant exercise of lowliness, longsuffering, and meekness among the saints. Some may say, There are still so many problems, different opinions, and things of that sort. You have a point of view and I see things differently. I want to go east and you want to go west. Each has a way of seeing things, each has a different opinion. I want to study Matthew and you want to study Mark. What should we do in this case? Let us bear with one another. If some saints want to study Mark, let us study Mark; if they want to study Matthew, let us study Matthew. In this book we are studying the second half of Ephesians and our emphasis is on how one should practice its content. We must bear with one another in love. Thus, there will be no disagreements in the church, but there will be peace instead. For this end, we need to walk in grace. Only by walking in grace will we have all lowliness and meekness, be longsuffering, and bear with one another in love.

Keeping the Oneness of the Spirit

In addition to having lowliness, meekness, being longsuffering, and bearing with one another in love, there is a very important item mentioned in Ephesians 4:3, which says that we should be diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. In chapter two, Paul speaks of the middle wall of partition (v. 14), the enmity that existed between Jews

21


and Gentiles, and that this barrier was broken down by the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ (v. 16). Now we need to practice this word. How can we apply the word about breaking down the middle wall of partition?

Recently, when the saints of a certain city heard that Christ abolished in His flesh the commandments contained in ordinances, they had a meeting with all the saints who served there and saw that there was a wall separating them. This was a wall that human eyes could not see, but it was clear to spiritual eyes. They saw that they needed to tear down that wall of partition so that there could be oneness and one accord among them. They knew that this word is not applicable only with respect to the enmity between Jews and Gentiles, but with respect to the enmity between us also, who are the family of God. Then, in a practical way, they humbled themselves, confessed their mistakes, failures, shortcomings, weaknesses, and offenses, and the Lord gave them grace. Hallelujah, the wall has been torn down! Now, the saints in that city together with the responsible brothers have entered into a new living, a time of oneness and one accord with all the saints. May this wall between the saints and the churches be broken down! May we be indeed one, living in one accord!

The Holy Spirit has already given us this oneness. Now, it is our responsibility to be diligent in order to keep it. The saints in that city saw this light and practiced in the spirit: they broke down the wall of partition that was between them. Not that they tore it down, for it was the Lord Jesus who did it on the cross. The Lord Jesus did not shed His blood for one of the saints who serve in the church, but for all of them. Praise the Lord! May we have the experience of striving with diligence to keep the oneness of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace!

22


According to Ephesians 4:3, once they are one, they must be diligent to keep this oneness and never lose it. If we ask the saints if they will preserve the oneness, they will probably answer, We will try as hard as we can. However, it is not theirs to do it. This is possible only in the Spirit; therefore, we must be in our spirit mingled with the Spirit of God. Oneness will be preserved as long as we are in the spirit. So, if we are not in the spirit, if we live according to our soul life, there will be no oneness, for our soul life is strong and different from the other saints soul lives. Let us throw away the differences and what is old; let us put off the old man and put on the new man. The new man has reality in the spirit. Therefore, there is only one way to keep this oneness: by living and persevering in the spirit.

There was a movement among Christians in the past that emphasized oneness; however, it was a false oneness, for each one kept his own division. The way is not to struggle to be one, but to be diligent to keep the oneness of the Spirit. The matter is to be in the spirit. If we are in the spirit, we will naturally be one. Otherwise, the oneness will be fragile and artificial. If we leave the spirit, there will be no oneness.

The Seven Aspects of Oneness that We Should Keep

After exhorting us to keep the oneness of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace, in Ephesians 4:3, Paul explains why it should be like this. In verses 4-6, he speaks of the seven aspects of this oneness. First, he says that there is only one Body and one Spirit. The Body of Christ, which is the church, is inseparable and all the members are one. You cannot separate the members of a body. Likewise, the church cannot

23


be divided. Then why do some people leave the church life? They do so because they think that they can be independent from the Body and instead of living in the Spirit they choose to live by themselves, according to their own strength and abilities. Those who have the vision of the oneness of the Body of Christ, the vision that there is only one Body on earth, which is the church and whose expression of oneness can be seen and practiced in each city, will have no difficulty in keeping this oneness. The Spirit is the essence, the life of the Body. He is the One who makes real all that Christ is, has done, and has produced in His Body. For this reason, we need to be in the Spirit to be one (v. 3). Here we see the two first items of this oneness: one Body and one Spirit (v. 4a).

Then, we see that we were called in one hope of our calling or vocation (v. 4b). What hope is this? This is the hope that we will reign with the Lord one day and that eventually we will be part of the New Jerusalem. We have this hope which also includes the inheritance reserved in heaven for us (1 Pet. 1:3-4). In order to obtain this inheritance, we must grow to maturity. It is because of this hope that we are restrained from our preferences and opinions.

Ephesians 4:5 says that there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism. Here, one Lord indicates that He is the One who has the authority in the Body, that He is the head of the Body (Col. 1:18). Thus, how can we receive Him? We receive Him through one faith and one baptism. Through faith, we believe in the Lord, that is, we receive Him and join Him (John 1:12; 1 Cor. 6:17). Through baptism, we are introduced into the Lord, into His death, and into His Body (Gal. 3:27; Rom. 6:3; 1 Cor. 12:13). This baptism is not the baptism of John the Baptist. He said that someone would come after him, who

24


was mightier than him and would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire (Matt. 3:11). The positive aspect of this baptism is that in one Spirit we have been baptized in the Body of Christ and have become members of this one Body. The negative aspect is that we are baptized with fire for the removal of the impurities of our soul. Thus, through faith and the baptism, we are transferred from the old Adam, the fallen nature, into the Lord. In Him we are one.

Finally, we see that God is triune: He is Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all (Eph. 4:6). Being above all refers to the Father; acting through all refers to the Son; and being in you all refers to the Spirit. The Triune God is not the privilege of a few; He is for all. When we are in Him, we have true oneness (John 17:21).

Date post:	15-Mar-2016
Category:	Documents
Upload:	ron-brubacher
View:	223 times
Download:	1 times

Walking According to God's Will

Documents