In this episode, explore the heart of Christian teaching with a deep dive into Ephesians Chapter 4. Alan J. Huth draws from his vast reservoir of personal journals to share insights on maintaining unity of spirit, growing into maturity in Christ, and the importance of shedding our old selves to embrace a life of righteousness. Uncover lessons on maintaining peace, avoiding deceit, and the transforming power of forgiveness. Journey with us as we learn to align our lives with the high standards set forth in scripture, guided by the inspirational framework of the Ezra Project.
Welcome to Add Bible, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. Allen J. Huth shares a Bible passage with comments from over 35 years of his personal Bible reading journals and applies the Word of God to our daily lives.
SPEAKER 03 :
Today we are in Ephesians chapter 4. We’ll listen to Faith Comes by Hearing’s reading of Ephesians 4.
SPEAKER 02 :
Ephesians 4 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 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. 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.” In saying, He ascended, what does it mean but that He had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things. And He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds, and teachers to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” 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, 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. 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. But that is not the way you learned Christ, assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to 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, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God, in true righteousness and holiness.” Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin. Do not let the sun go down on your anger and give no opportunity to the devil. 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. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you.
SPEAKER 03 :
And looking back in my journal in 1992, when I read Ephesians chapter 4, I wrote a few phrases. One, walk worthy of his calling. Two, I wrote one, one, one, one in Christ. And then thirdly, I wrote growing up in him. And lastly, truth is in Jesus. Ten years later, in 2002, remember this was the very week that I started the Ezra Project. So on the fifth day of the month, we started on April 1st. I was reading Ephesians 4, but before that, I wrote this in my journal. Had a great day yesterday. Opened the bank account for the Ezra Project. Then went to the Secretary of State and registered the name. Wrote the first check from the account to Secretary of State. I have never done those things before, and it’s putting flesh on an idea I’ve had for years. It’s happening. So five days into the Ezra Project, I was pretty excited. Then I read Ephesians 4, and I wrote, Verse 1. Then I wrote, Verse 7. Then I wrote, And I was referring to verses 11 and 12. I continue to write, Then I wrote, What are verses 29 and 32? Let no corrupt talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion that it may give grace to those who hear. Yes, I think I ought to live by that verse. And what is verse 32? Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God and Christ forgave you. And yes, I think I ought to be kind to one another and be tenderhearted, forgiving one as god has forgiven me and remember in 2002 i was reading a book a month so i was reading ephesians more than once in the month of april when i started the ezra project so i’m turning to the second recording of when i read ephesians in the month of april 2002. this was on the 16th day of april And I wrote disappointed, but not dismayed. The guy I was depending on is putting in $1,500 a month for six months, a far cry from the tone of his discussions. The Lord is teaching me not to depend on man, but solely on him. A good place to be. And then concerning the first six verses of Ephesians 4, I wrote, I have been beseeched. The Word of God often has the answers to specific life challenges. Walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, just as you were called in one hope of your calling. I know I am called to do this. Thanks for the confirmation and assurance to move on because you are with me. Hallelujah. The next day I finished Ephesians 4 and I wrote in my journal, lift it up. God raised my spirits yesterday. I bought office furniture and visited a particular ministry. They live off a support base and are going to loan me training material to learn to do the same. Over and over in my mind and heart, I said, I can do this. Thank you, Jesus, for your peace and comfort yesterday. The day after I got word, I was getting far less than I anticipated from what I thought would be a major funding source. And then I read Ephesians 4 through 16. Grace was, quote, given to each one of us. Thank you. I believe he is giving me as a teacher for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry to edify the body of Christ, speaking the truth in love, causing growth of the body. And of course, I’m relating all these readings in Ephesians to the beginning of the Ezra Project ministry. The next day, I finished Ephesians 4, and I wrote, The truth is in Jesus. I continue to write, Put off former conduct, deceitful lust. Put on true righteousness, holiness. Renew spirit of your mind. Work so we can give to those in need. Help me live with Terry first and everyone else. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted. So as I share my journal entries from that first month of the Ezra Project in 2002, you get a little inside information about how it is to start a ministry. And 10 years later in 2012, my journal entry indicates that we were on a cruise. That’s my favorite vacation. So it was the first day of the cruise and I was reading Ephesians chapter 4 and I wrote, “…walk in a manner worthy of my calling.” I have been called to be a man of his word, Gideon’s and Ezra project, and my own personal life. Walk and act accordingly. And then I wrote unity, one body, one spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism in God the Father. No coexist bumper sticker stuff here. Then I wrote, Jesus gifted people to equip saints for the work of ministry and building up the body of Christ. We are to grow up in Christianity. I continued to write, we are to put off the old self and put on a new self. Give no opportunity to the devil. Then I finished off by writing, I need to work on my mouth at all times and be kind and tenderhearted to one another. Then the notes in my prayer were this, to be tenderhearted, to be a blessing to others on this cruise. So let’s summarize the key points of Ephesians 4, starting with verse 1. Walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called. I believe I have been called by God to do certain things. Do you? Do you know your calling? Next, verse 22. Put off your old self. Verse 23. Be renewed in the spirit of your minds and to put on the new self. Have you done it? Have you set your old self aside, renewed your mind in the things of God, and put on a new self? How about the challenge of verse 26? Be angry and do not sin. Do not let the sun go down on your anger. And another challenge in verse 29. Let no corrupt talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. Oh, I wish I could say that my life has been 100% true to that verse. But you know different and I know different. But it’s still something we can practice. We can strive for. And lastly, that last verse. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God and Christ forgave you. Same thing. I wish I could say that my whole life, 100%, I was always kind to someone and tenderhearted. I know it’s not true in my life. It’s probably not true in yours either. But again, these are standards in scripture that we can strive for. And when we fail, we can forgive one another, as this verse says, because Christ has forgiven us when we fail. So, chapter 4 has a lot of standards to live by. Let’s pray it so in our own lives. Father, we thank you for the challenges of scripture, the challenges of how we are to live our lives on a regular basis. Lord, your standards are high because you are holy and you ask us to be holy. And these are aspects of a holy life. So, Lord, help us walk in a manner worthy of your calling. Help us put off our old selves, renew our minds, and put on a new self more pleasing to you. Guard our mouths, Holy Spirit, so that we can be uplifting instead of tearing down other people. And, Lord, even when it’s uncomfortable, help us be kind to one another, tenderhearted to those around us. And when we fail, Lord, thank you for your forgiveness, which reminds us to forgive others when they fail around us. Thank you for principles to live by. In Jesus’ name, amen. Our host stations are hearing from listeners. People are calling in to say thanks for adding AdBible to their programming selection. Thank you for tuning in to this program. AdBible is sponsored by the Ezra Project, a ministry started in 2002 to connect God’s people to God’s Word. We provide audio and written Bible resources at EzraProject.net and find radio as a way to reach deeply committed Christians. You can learn more about the Ezra Project by searching us from your phone, tablet, or computer. You may really enjoy the short video describing how the Lord led us to start this ministry and how He has blessed it for decades. I encourage you to also find the video tab and check out our teaching messages delivered live at various churches. By doing so, you will see my heart and gain a better understanding of who we are and what we stand for. Visit EzraProject.net and watch a video like Sweeter Than Honey, Truth, or AI. I know you’re going to enjoy it.
