Ephesians 4:1-16
BIG IDEA: The church is an already and not yet community formed by the gospel of Jesus Christ. … We are already forgiven and made right with God, but we still are here on Earth being sanctified and not yet fully transformed and in Heaven.
4 Commitments of the Already/Not Yet Community
We will grow in gospel community through our actions and attitudes towards one another (vv. 1-3). … Our lives should be equal in measure to our calling. This process is ongoing. We have to practice being humble, gentle, and patient.
We will ground gospel community in our common confession (vv. 4-6). … We are all connected through our beliefs and salvation. We may have friend groups within the family of God, but it's important to remember that we are all united in Christ who died for our sins.
We will maximize gospel community as we receive and give God’s gifts (vv. 11-12). … We all have at least one spiritual gift and it is our responsibility to use our gifts in ministering to others.
We will realize gospel community as we pursue maturity together (vv. 13-16). … We need to work together as different parts of a body work together to achieve the best possible results.