Walking In Love by Ron Brubacher

SERIES:

The Building Up of the Body of Christ Title of this volume: Walking in Love Translated with permission of Editora Árvore da Vida Published by Editora Árvore da Vida in Portuguese, Spanish, Korean, French, Italian and German. All rights reserved by Jasper Life Publications Inc. 725 Viscount Road London, ON, Canada N6J 4G9 Phone: (519) 472-0350 http://jasperlife.com ISSN 1920-8510

Other versions of scripture are indicated as follows: ASV American Standard Version lit. Literal translation

ENJOY! Individually 1. Meet with the Lord early in the morning. 2. As soon as you rise, before doing anything else, take a breath of life, deeply calling on the name of the Lord, “Oh Lord Jesus”. When doing this, drop all your cares, fears, sadness and sin, and receive the Lord Jesus as life, joy, peace and encouragement. Call “Lord Jesus” several times throughout the day. 3. Read the verses given each day in order to have a complete idea of the subject to be covered. Remember that the Bible explains the Bible; because of this, you will find quotations from many other books of the Bible aside from the one which we are presenting in this Daily Food. 4. Prayerfully read the verse suggested each day. To do this, each word ought to be repeated, emphasized and proclaimed without haste, as if one were chewing. Do not read the verse too fast, but spend time on each word. In this exercise, do not worry about understanding the verse, but “eat” it, taking it by faith as spiritual food. 5. Underline and highlight the phrases and words in the explanatory text that most impress you. Pay special attention to the Key Point. This point will function as a key to unlock the spiritual significance of the text. “Digest” it during the day, repeating it to yourself. In this manner, the text that you read in the morning will be your spiritual food all day long. 6. Share what you gain with those you are related to at home, at school, at work, etc. They need the life that you receive through the word.

ENJOY! In Small Groups 1. Daily Food is an excellent tool for small groups meeting to study the Bible. These small groups may be informal and be characterized by mutual care among the members. 2. A small group meeting can be formed of household members, relatives and neighbors, friends who live nearby, classmates, or work colleagues. 3. Try to meet regularly with members of your small group meeting in order to read Daily Food together. 4. When together, read the suggested passages for each day and prayerfully read the verse of the day. 5. Try to apply the Key Point to your daily life and its difficulties, and to your personal and professional life. Make the word of God applicable to your living. In this way everyone can actively participate and be mutually edified. 6. Take the opportunity to pray together for individual needs or problems. 7. Whenever possible, bring guests to your small group meeting. Then more people can be supplied by Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s word.

May you all receive life abundantly!

The editors

PS: Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget to look at the Complementary Reading suggested at the end of each week. It is very helpful.

CONTENTS Week 1 – Message 9 The Love of Christ (Eph. 3:17-19)

The Rich Blessings of the Triune God............................................... 7 God Created Us to Give Us His Life................................................ 10 The Commission of Dispensing God’s Grace................................... 12 Strengthened by the Spirit and Rooted in the Love of Christ......... 14 Walking in Love is Caring for One Another.................................... 16 Walking in Grace to Build Up the Body of Christ........................... 19 Walking in Truth and Practicing the Love of Christ........................ 21

Week 2 – Message 10 Walking in Love, in Light, and in Spirit (Eph. 5:1-2, 8, 18)

The Restricted Walk of the Prisoner................................................ 25 Characteristics of the Apostle John................................................. 28 The Five Kinds of Walk in Ephesians.............................................. 31 The Practical Application of Walking in Grace and in Truth......... 34 Caring for People by Walking in Love.............................................. 37 Fleeing Darkness to Shine among Men........................................... 40 Being Filled in Spirit......................................................................... 43

Week 3 – Message 11 The Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Rev. 5:1-5)

The Lord Jesus is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah............................. 45 Glorious Process of Transformation................................................. 47 John: Prepared to Be Useful to God in His Maturity....................... 50 God’s Main Burden: Spirit and Life................................................. 52 The Real Need for Denying the Soul-life........................................ 54 Turning to the Spirit of Reality and Living by It.............................. 56 God’s Main Burden As Revealed by John........................................ 58

Week 4 – Message 12 The Seven Churches (Rev. 1:10-11)

The Glorious High Priest................................................................. 60 The First Love Makes Us Faithful Even until Death....................... 63 Persevering in the Lord’s Name and Keeping the Living Word of God............................................................... 65 Watching and Praying until the Day of the Lord............................. 67 Calling on the Lord’s Name in Every Situation............................... 69 The Church in Philadelphia: an Extension of the Kingdom of the Heavens............................. 71 Receiving Light to Deny the Self and Become Useful to God......... 73 5

6 Week 5 – Message 13 The Universal Woman (Rev. 12:1-2)

The Operating Power of the Cross and the Begetting of the Man Child............................................ 75 The Vision of a Dragon and the Rapture of the Man Child............ 78 The Maturing and Rapture of the Overcomers............................... 81 The Dragon’s Wrath against the Universal Woman........................ 83 The Wilderness................................................................................. 85 A Summary of Revelation 12........................................................... 87 Europe Will Be the Center of the Great Tribulation....................... 89

Week 6 – Message 14 Practicing the Truth (2 John 1-6)

Knowing and Practicing the Truth................................................... 92 Going Back to the Beginning and Practicing the Word................... 94 Lessons Learned by John.................................................................. 96 Coordination, Companionship, Oneness, and Love........................ 98 Paul’s Words Applied by John’s Ministry........................................ 101 Practicing the Truth through John’s Ministry of Spirit and Life.... 104 Practicing the Truth and Expressing God’s Love by Preaching the Gospel.......................................... 106

Week 7 – Message 15 John’s Ministry Will Remain until the Lord’s Coming (John 21:22)

Practicing the Word is the New Commandment........................... 109 Hearing, Turning, Seeing, and Practicing....................................... 111 Giving Testimony of the Word to Our Fellow Companions.......... 113 Announcing What We Have Seen and Heard.............................. 115 Loving in Deed and in Truth.......................................................... 118 The Practice of Walking in Light and in Love............................... 120 Endurance and Encouragement for the Kingdom......................... 122

Week 8 – Message 16 The Building Up of the Body of Christ in John’s Ministry (3 John 3-4)

The Former World, the Present World, and the Coming World.... 124 The Special Creation of Man......................................................... 126 From House to House.................................................................... 129 Paul’s Third Journey and His Epistolary Ministry.......................... 132 The Truths Revealed in the Writings of Paul and John................. 135 Receiving Those Who Go out for the Sake of the Name.............. 137 Fighting Against Passivity.............................................................. 139

Week

1 – MONDAY

Scripture reading:

2 Cor. 12:1-4; Gal. 1:15-17; Eph. 1:3-5, 7, 11, 13; 4:16; Heb. 2:5-8 Read with prayer:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (Eph. 1:3).

The subject of this series of the Daily Food is The Building up of the Body of Christ. Given that love is the way this building work takes place (Eph. 4:16), this week’s topic will be the love of Christ as conveyed in the epistle to the Ephesians. Ephesians was one of the first epistles written by Paul while imprisoned in Rome. At the end of his third journey, he took a Nazirite vow in Jerusalem, relapsing into a practice of the Old Testament law. By God’s sovereignty, however, Paul never completed that vow; Paul’s presence in the temple caused a great uprising, and he was taken into custody by Roman authorities to be judged (Acts 21:23-33). From Jerusalem, Paul was taken to Cesarea (23:18-24), and later on, to Rome where he was kept under house arrest (28:16). There, God was able to continue using him for the sake of the New Testament economy by means of the epistles he wrote during that time (vv. 30-31). In prison, Paul recorded the revelation he received in the third heaven about God’s New Testament economy, which is the content of the Faith (Gal. 1:15-17; 2 Cor. 12:1-4). Among the epistles he wrote, Ephesians contains

The Love of Christ

THE RICH BLESSINGS OF THE TRIUNE GOD

Walking in Love

the highest revelations, as well as a detailed description of what it means to walk in a manner worthy of our calling (Eph. 1:3; 4:1). In spite of the wonderful content of that epistle, the church in Ephesus failed to practice it. After receiving that marvelous letter, the saints got involved with doctrines, theories, and discussions (1 Tim. 1:3-4). However, God wants us to practice faith in our daily living, not like the Ephesians, but truly receiving the content of the epistle addressed to them. May the Lord have mercy on us! Ephesians 1:3 reveals that God, being so rich, desires to share with us every sort of spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ. These blessings are related to the Triune God’s desire to dispense His riches, everything that He is, has, and has accomplished, into us. In this chapter, we have the work of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. In order to reach us, God the Father chose us before the foundation of the world and predestinated us unto sonship (vv. 4-5). We are worthy of no blessing, yet we were reached by the Father’s love. Through the Father’s work, we have received the grace of becoming His children; still, He wants His life to expand in us until we become mature sons, heirs of His kingdom together with Christ (Heb. 2:5-8). The Son, in turn, has granted us the remission of sins by shedding His precious blood to redeem us (Eph. 1:611). After that, we received the guarantee of the Holy Spirit, that is, God’s Spirit has come to dwell in our spirit to seal our every righteous act (vv. 12-14). The result of the dispensing of the Triune God is the church, which is the Body of Christ. In the church, God’s life can grow in us until we are filled by the fullness of

the Lord (Eph. 1:22-23). In short, mature sons who are approved and ready to reign with Christ in the coming kingdom are the final result of the blessings of the Triune God. Key point: God wants to share every sort of spiritual blessing with us. My key point:

The Love of Christ

Question: How did the work of the Triune God reach us?

Walking in Love

Week

1 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; TUESDAY

Scripture reading:

Gen. 2:7; Rom. 9:23-24a; 1 Cor. 6:20; Eph. 2:5-10; 1 Thes. 5:23 Read with prayer:

But there is a spirit in man, And the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding (Job 32:8). And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1). GOD CREATED US TO GIVE US HIS LIFE

Because of love, the Lord rescued us and made us material for the building up of His church. Being dead in our trespasses and sins, not one of us was worthy of such a position, yet He still gave us His life (Eph. 2:1, 5). Hallelujah! In the person of the Lord Jesus, God Himself was born and lived as a man on the earth. He suffered in our place and bore on Himself our sicknesses and sorrows (Isa. 53:4; Matt. 8:17), paying the ultimate price to rescue us (1 Cor. 6:20). He was crucified and experienced the worst kind of death for our sake. Today, the Lord can see the fruit of the arduous labor of His soul (Isa. 53:11). From worthless material destined for the lake of fire, we have been resurrected together with Christ and seated in the heavenly places in Him (Eph. 2:56). Although we were useless, our new destiny is to be Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s masterpiece (v. 10). We praise the Lord for His great mercy and vast love! His redemptive work displays the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us, which takes place entirely by faith (vv. 7-9). God would not allow us to perish under the condemnation of sin, for He created man with a very specific purpose: to govern the earth in His name, thus fulfilling His will. Unlike all other creatures, man was created as a recipient to contain

Key point: We are the only creature in the universe that can be made a son of God. My key point: Question: Why does God desire to make us His sons?

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God’s life (Rom. 9:23-24a). Conversely, angels, which are spiritual beings, do not possess a spirit that is able to receive God’s Spirit. After fashioning man from the dust of the ground (Gen. 2:7a), God breathed the breath of life into his nostrils (v. 7b). Notice that the breath of God, an element of God Himself, is part of man’s creation. In Hebrew, that breath is called neshamah, which is the same word used for the spirit of a man in Proverbs 20:27: “The spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord…” Therefore, the breath of God became the spirit of man. When the spirit was formed in man, he too became a living soul or living being (Gen. 2:7c). Hence, man is a tripartite being, possessor of a spirit, body, and soul (1 Thes. 5:23). Every man possesses a divine element in his constitution—a human spirit. That is why Job says that there is a spirit in man and that the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding (Job 32:8). We are the only creature in the universe that can be made a son of God (Rom. 8:16). Despite being heavenly creatures, no angel possesses this ability (Heb. 1:5). We thank God for coming as a man, Jesus, to accomplish the work of redemption; the only begotten Son of God (John 1:18) became the Firstborn among many brethren (Rom. 8:29). When we believe in the Lord, we are born again, receive His life, and become God’s children (John 1:12-13; 1 John 3:1).

Walking in Love

Week

1 – WEDNESDAY

Scripture reading:

Rom. 1:14; 2:11; Eph. 3:2-10, 14-19; James 2:9 Read with prayer:

If indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you (Eph. 3:2). For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have been entrusted with a stewardship (1 Cor. 9:17). THE COMMISSION OF DISPENSING GOD’S GRACE

There is hope for every man to receive God’s life, for every human being possesses a human spirit. The Lord wants everyone to have the opportunity to receive the blessings of the Triune God; hence, He has an economy, a stewardship. This stewardship, the dispensation of God’s grace, was entrusted to Paul and transmitted to us (Eph. 3:2). Paul received the revelation of the mystery of Christ, which concerns the fulfillment of God’s eternal plan by the church (vv. 3-4). In other words, as the church, we have become channels to dispense God’s grace to others. For instance, we can practice this stewardship when we present the gospel to those who visit the BooKafé, for each one of them is has a human spirit. This is the church’s function: to dispense God’s blessings and life to every man. We must have no partiality toward people, receiving all whom the Lord has sent us (Rom. 1:14; 14:1; 2:11; James 2:9). In the Old Testament, God’s blessing was restricted to the people of Israel (Eph. 2:12), but because of the dispensation of grace in the New Testament, His blessing has reached even us, the Gentiles (3:6). Having been included in this grace, we must continue on and transmit

Key point: The function of the church is to dispense God’s life to every man. My key point: Question: What does it mean to practice the love of Christ?

The Love of Christ

the heavenly blessings to others who can also receive God in their spirit. In the past, some of us practiced the church life in a very religious way, caring for only our own benefit and spiritual growth. Now, we are being perfected to be efficient channels of the dispensation of God’s grace. May each one of us become a minister of the gospel of the unsearchable riches of Christ (vv. 7-8). Since we meet so many people in our day-to-day life, we should not restrict ourselves to only supplying life to a small group of people; we must bring God’s life to everyone. This is how the love of Christ is displayed; it is not seeking our own interests or merely being nice to others. To truly love someone is to dispense God’s life into them; it is sacrificing personal interests for the sake of presenting the gospel. One day, the gospel reached us and someone paid the price to transmit the Lord’s love to us. Having the imperative commission of practicing this love towards others, we must kneel down before the Father and pray to be strengthened, as did the apostle Paul (vv. 14-17). Let us deny ourselves and put off all selfishness and personal ambition. Despite being unworthy of the Lord, we have received His grace; now, the love of Christ constraints us to live for Him. This way, the gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole inhabited earth (Matt. 24:14).

Walking in Love

Week

1 – THURSDAY

Scripture reading:

Jer. 17:5-8; Phil. 3:14 Read with prayer:

For this reason I bow my knees to the Father... that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love (Eph. 3:14-17). STRENGTHENED BY THE SPIRIT AND ROOTED IN THE LOVE OF CHRIST

Paul prayed to God that we would be strengthened with power, according to the riches of His glory, through His Spirit, in the inner man (Eph. 3:14-16). Once we are inwardly strengthened by the Spirit, we are encouraged to preach the gospel. For instance, when we practice the colportage, preaching the gospel of the kingdom through the literature, or serve in the BooKafé, we should not depend on our own ability to present the gospel, but depend exclusively on the Spirit. We must call on the Lord’s name in order to live and walk according to the indwelling Spirit, depending on Him at all times. We should follow the example of Paul in his second journey, during which he moved and acted according to the Spirit’s direction. He traveled through the regions of Galatia and Cilicia, went to Derbe, Lystra, and Iconium and wanted to preach in Asia, but was forbidden by the Holy Spirit (Acts 16:6). He wanted to go to Bithynia in the north, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow it (v. 7). After arriving in Troas, Paul saw a Macedonian man in a vision and understood that the Spirit wanted them to go to Europe. Sensitive to the Spirit, Paul went

Key point: When we depend on the Spirit, we are blessed. My key point: Question: What is the driving force in our service to God?

The Love of Christ

to Macedonia and arrived in Philippi (vv. 9, 12). Paul and Silas did not know anyone in that region, having no other way but to depend on the Spirit. There is a lesson in this experience: although we may feel comfortable having acquaintances where we go, we must only trust in the Spirit (Jer. 17:5). Let us depend on the Lord in our daily living, for He is working in us. Whenever we follow the Spirit, we are blessed. In the experience of Paul and Silas, following the Spiritâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s direction resulted in much blessing; in Philippi, the homes of Lydia, the jailer, and probably the families of those who were in prison with Paul were opened for the gospel. Such was the beginning of the church in Philippi (Acts 16:13-15, 25-34). Whenever we follow the Spirit and do not lean on our own expectations, we grow roots and become grounded in the love of Christ (Eph. 3:17). This love is immeasurable, exceeding all understanding. We can only comprehend it together with all the saints. It is through the love of Christ that we enter into all the fullness of God (v. 18). That is why love is the way we must tread in order to reach the goal, the prize of reigning with Christ (Phil. 3:14). When we are rooted in the love of Christ, we are able to forgive each other, for this love is the driving force in our service to God. The Lord has made us His ministers and He is perfecting us through practicing brotherly love. Although we are undeserving of such mercy, the Lord saved us and made us channels of the Triune Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s grace and blessings to others. Being useful to the Lord is not a matter of how much doctrinal knowledge we have, but whether we follow the Spirit and express the love of Christ to others.

Walking in Love

Week

1 – FRIDAY

Scripture reading:

1 Cor. 8:1b; 2 Cor. 3:6; Eph. 4:1-6; 1 Tim. 1:7, Phiilem. 11-18 Read with prayer:

By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.… My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth (1 John 3:16, 18). WALKING IN LOVE IS CARING FOR ONE ANOTHER

Rather than a theory, the love of Christ is something very practical, which we practice when we shepherd and perfect others. We must have mercy on those who make mistakes and help them, as Paul did to Onesimus. In the epistle to Philemon, we see a slave named Onesimus who had run away from his master. When Paul met him in prison, he presented the gospel and perfected him in the love of Christ. Once gained by God, Onesimus repented and was transformed, becoming someone useful in love (v. 11). Paul asked Philemon to receive him back, no longer as a slave, but as a beloved brother (v. 16). The apostle also said that he was willing to pay for the damage caused by that brother in the past (v. 18). Here we can see the loving care that is the result of the immeasurable love of Christ. When we care for one another, we are all perfected. Let us not despise the young ones when they make mistakes. As for John Mark who abandoned Paul and Barnabas during their first trip (Acts 15:37-39), Paul stood resolute in his decision that he should not travel with them again; nevertheless, Barnabas gave him a second chance. We must be willing to give the young people new opportunities for

The Love of Christ

perfecting. Perhaps, some young person we consider useless may become very useful to God. Although we may be mistaken in that concern, the Spirit of God always knows. Actually, we were all useless to God, but at some point in time someone cared to perfect us. That is the dispensing of the Triune God to fulfill His plan. If we have already been perfected to a certain extent, it is for the Lord’s glory only. Let us take care of the young ones, leading them to an environment where they can be perfected such as the GPPC (Gospel Propagation Perfecting Center) where they can become even more useful in preaching the gospel of the kingdom. Once they are perfected, the Lord will be glorified: “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Eph. 3:20-21). When we walk in love, we act humbly and meekly (4:1-2). The building up of the Body of Christ takes place grounded in love, for although knowledge puffs up, love builds up (1 Cor. 8:1b). If we look at the Ephesians, the search for knowledge made them proud and arrogant, wanting to be teachers of the law, yet understanding neither what they said nor the things which they affirmed (1 Tim. 1:7). That should be a warning to us never to walk in the oldness of the letter, seeking only doctrinal knowledge; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life (2 Cor. 3:6). Moreover, when we walk in love, we accept the Spirit’s restriction that we may keep the oneness (Eph. 4:3). We are not carrying out a personal work in an attempt to stand out. While we serve the Lord, we are restricted, for there is only one Body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God who is the Father of all (vv. 4-6).

Walking in Love

Key point: Carrying for our young ones. My key point: Question: Why should we give the young ones the opportunity to be perfected?

Week

1 – SATURDAY

Scripture reading:

John 1:17; 14:6; Eph. 4:6-7, 11-16 Read with prayer:

But, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head – Christ – from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love (Eph. 4:15-16). WALKING IN GRACE

Ephesians 4:7 reads, “But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.” When we obtain God’s life by believing in the Lord Jesus, we also receive grace. Receiving such grace does not mean that we will have a comfortable life, a well-paying job, or a beautiful family, for the goal of God’s grace is neither our personal success nor material prosperity. Grace is the dispensing of the Triune God to produce normal spiritual growth in us, leading us to exercise our function as members of the Body of Christ and thus fulfill God’s New Testament economy. The more we exercise the gift we have been given, the more His grace is added to it. Once we are born of God, we receive the first gift— calling on the Lord’s name. As a newborn babe has the gift of crying so that its mother may know it has a need, the first gift we are given is the gift of calling on the Lord’s name. 1 Corinthians 12:1-3 says that we exercise that gift, speaking through the Holy Spirit, when we say, “Jesus is Lord!” The following three verses, 4-6, read,

The Love of Christ

TO BUILD UP THE BODY OF CHRIST

Walking in Love

“There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.” In other words, when we exercise our gifts, we receive grace, not to carry out a personal work, but to build up the Body of Christ. As members of this Body, we all must function. If a member of our physical body is not exercised, it becomes atrophied. Likewise, when we fail to exercise our function as members of the Body of Christ, we hinder the flow of grace. Conversely, if we continually exercise, God’s grace will operate in us, fostering our growth and turning our gift into a ministry. That is how God can use our ministry in His operations, harmoniously coordinating it with other ministries in the Body of Christ. When we exercise our gifts, we walk in grace and are perfected (Eph. 4:11-13). Since we all need perfecting, we should never try to serve God in a self-sufficient way. Humanly speaking, no one remains the same from the time they were born. In like manner in our spiritual life, we must also seek to grow and be perfected. Hence, we have the BooKafés, the colportage, the GPPC, as well as the various services in the church life. Those tools are very useful to enlarge our hearts and perfect our character. In the church are also those who help carry out this perfecting work such as the apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers. The direction of those ones is for our perfecting; that is why they exercise love and patience. They must be examples to the rest, persevering in their care for the church. Their function is neither to make disciples for themselves nor to lord over the flock, but rather to shepherd those who have been entrusted to them by the Lord (1 Pet. 5:2-3).

The result of being perfected by walking in grace is maturity (Eph. 4:14-16). As we mature, we do away with opinions that lead to errors, and follow the truth in love. That truth is Christ Himself (John 14:6). When we walk in the grace and truth, we cooperate with the building up of the Body of Christ by supplying life to those who have been entrusted to us (Eph. 4:16). Key point: Not being sluggish, but exercising our gift to receive more grace. My key point:

The Love of Christ

Question: What is the purpose of God giving us His grace?

Walking in Love

Week

1 – SUNDAY

Scripture reading:

Eph. 4:25-32; 5:2 Read with prayer:

Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves (James 1:21-22). I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth (3 John 14). WALKING IN TRUTH AND PRACTICING THE LOVE OF CHRIST

The book of Ephesians also shows us that we must walk in truth. If we are not walking in truth, we are automatically walking in the vanity of our own thoughts (4:17). God’s Word does not show us a third option. Although we have good intentions and desire to serve God, when we walk according to our own thoughts, the result is every sort of uncleanness (vv. Eph. 4:18-19). Let us not fool ourselves. We must be renewed in the spirit of our mind to put off the old man and its corruption, and put on the new man. That is not a doctrinal matter, but a reality we can only learn in Christ (vv. 20-24). The mind is renewed when it is placed under the spirit’s control. In other words, when we hear something negative about someone or read something on the internet, for instance, we are neither corrupted nor deceived, for the life in our spirit is governing our understanding. We must keep our heart from being contaminated by such negative things, staying away from everything that does not build up (vv. 25-32). Despite the fact Paul wrote a wonderful epistle to the Ephesians, they merely used it as material for debates and

The Love of Christ

discussion (1 Tim. 1:4; 4:7; 2 Tim. 4:4). The goal of that book, however, was to teach them to walk in grace, in truth, in love, in the light, and in spirit. The apostle John in his maturity, taught the Ephesians that walking in truth is not merely knowing biblical truths, but rather practicing them. The mere knowledge of the truths cannot produce the love of Christ; it puffs up instead. Those who walk in truth also walk in love, for God is love (1 John 4:8). He who practices the truth obeys the commandment to love one another. Therefore, John wrote, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The elder, to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all those who have known the truth, because of the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever: Grace, mercy, and peace will be with you from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love. I rejoiced greatly that I have found some of your children walking in truth, as we received commandment from the Father. And now I plead with you, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment to you, but that which we have had from the beginning: that we love one another. This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in itâ&#x20AC;? (2 John 1-6). When we walk in grace, we are perfected by exercising our gifts, advancing in our service for the building up of the body of Christ, which is to dispense the Triune God into others. As we walk in truth, we put aside the vanity of our thoughts and deny ourselves that we may transmit the love of Christ to other people. These matters are quite practical and are outside of the theoretical realm. We must practice the words revealed in the book of Ephesians and live out the gospel of the kingdom, also leading others in love to reign with Christ.

Walking in Love

Key point: He who walks in truth practices the love of Christ. My key point: Question: How can we be renewed in the spirit of our mind? Complementary reading: “Walking According to God’s Will” – chaps. 1-4 – Dong Yu Lan.