Ephesians 4:15 – Out Loud, Openly, and Often – Bible study

Ephesians 4:15 Out Loud, Openly, and Often I try not to repeat myself in sermons. In recent days, I have set aside some messages because I believe I may be preaching my thoughts and not Gods thoughts. However, I believe America may be just past a crossroadnot at a crossroad any longer but past. With that in mind, a question keeps coming to my mind. "What does God want us to do?" WeChristiansneed to know God wants us to do in these and in all Days. I believe this text has the answer. Eph 4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: It does not matter if our country has a revival or a revolt, whether God sends conviction or man bring chaos, this verse tells us what God want us to do. It is not complicated. It is given to us in one phrase. It is so simple that it outlines itself. God wants us to (1) speak (2) the truth (3) in love. Three thoughts: I. Notice the Command-Speak A. God wants His people to speak. 1. That is not the only thing God wants us to do. 2. It is not even the first thing God wants us to do. 3. But it is an essential thing that God wants every Christian to do in the world in which we live. 4. God wants us to speak. B. There are different ways listed in the Bible by which we can speak. 1. God called us to preach. Mt 10:7 And as ye go, preach. a. The word preach means proclaim. (1) That is all it means. (2) You do not have to pastor a church to preach. (3) You do not have to shepherd a flock to preach. (4) You do not have to have a Scripture outlined to preach. (5) You do not have stand behind a pulpit or podium to preach. (6) All you have to do is to proclaim something. b. Everyone in this room has probably preached a dozen messages today. (1) Wives, your husband gave you card or a flower or a gift and you said, "I love you." You just preached. (2) If lunch was served at your house, someone went through the house saying, "Its ready! Come and get it." That someone just preached. (3) If you went out to eat and someone cut you off in traffic, causing you to shout something about the average IQ of drivers in Alabama. You just preached. c. In all of those cases, you made a proclamation. (1) Dont confuse yourself into thinking that you cannot do what I am doing right now so you cant preach. (2) You preach with every statement you declare. (3) The only thing you need to add to your preaching is a good topic. (4) May I recommend Jesus. (a) Proclaim that Jesus is God. (b) Proclaim that Jesus came to take away sins. (c) Proclaim that Jesus saved you. (d) Proclaim that Jesus will save others. d. Someone is going to say, "I am uncomfortable proclaiming the news of Jesus to others." (1) What you may not understand is: (a) If you do not, you are being disobedient to this command in the Bible. (b) Some will never hear if you do not tell them about Jesus. (2) We are commanded to speak and preaching is one of the means by which we may obey this command. 2. God called us to be His witnesses. Ac 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. Lu 24:48 And ye are witnesses of these things. a. This is one of the MAIN functions of the believers; however, I believe this may be a bit more difficult than the first method of speaking. b. A witness speaks about what he has seen or what has happened to him. c. As strange has it may sound, of the three means the Bible mentions in regards to our speaking, the first, preaching, is probably the easiest. (1) To witness is a bit more difficult because to be able to witness, you must: (a) have seen or experienced something. (b) organize your thoughts and words so that you can share it. (2) The word "witness" is actually a legal term. It is used when speaking of someone who is pledging to tell the truth concerning an important event. (3) You can make proclamations with no preparation at all but to be a witness requires remembering, realizing, and repeating. d. Can we meet those conditions? (1) Has anything happened to you? Please bear witness. (a) Were you headed to hell and God saved you? (b) Were you living for the devil and God translated you into the kingdom of His dear Son? (c) Where you addicted to drugs, alcohol, pornography, violence, stupidity, and God delivered you? (d) Were you sick and healed you? (e) Were you lonely and God sent a friend? (f) Were you hungry and God sent food? (g) Can I get a witness? (2) To be a witness, we must spend a bit of time thinking on and remembering what God has done for us. (a) It would do Gods people a world of good to spend time remembering, reliving, and rehearsing what God has done for them. (b) First, it would help us personally. (c) Second, it would prepare us to share it. 3. God called us to teach. Mt 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. a. Teaching is the most difficult of the three. b. Teaching means that you know something worth sharing with someone else. c. Some level of getting into Gods Word is required if we are going to accurately teach people who God is, what God wants, and what God will do. (1) If you are saved, you should know something worth sharing. (2) If you are saved, you can always learn something worth sharing. 4. Pick at least one of these and resolve that you are going to speak about Jesus, out loud, openly, and often. C. The world is not going to want you to speak. 1. They are testing the waters now to see what they can shut people up about. 2. Dont let them hush you from speaking about Jesus. 3. Just dont. 4. This is Gods command. 5. Speak. II. Notice the Object-the Truth. A. Speak what? 1. What is the object we are to speak? 2. The truth. B. Notice, God does not say for us to speak the gospel. 1. The gospel is true and should be spoken, but the Bible does not limit our speech to just the gospel. 2. The gospel is truth. 3. The Christians first duty is to preach the gospel. a. The gospel saves, changes, and gives life. b. Some of the Bible verses that I have given you are specifically about proclaiming the gospel. 4. But there is more "truth" to be spoken that just the gospel. 5. So we must study the Word of God and listen to the Spirit of God to know what truths we are to speak. 6. In these days, in these hours, at these crossroads, what kind of truths should we be speaking? C. There is the truth of the gospel. 1. 3.14 billion people have never even heard the name Jesus. (Thats almost half the population.) 2. 70,000 people die every day without Jesus. (That is 48.6 people every minute.) https://bethanygu.edu/blog/guidance/7-missions-statistics-that-will- motivate-you-to-go/ 3. In North America, 20% of non-Christians do not even KNOW a Christian. 4. World-wide, 80% of non-Christians do not even know a Christian. https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2013/august-web-only/non- christians-who-dont-know-christians.html 5. In the United States, 44% have no idea where they will go when they die. (That number includes Christians who should have said "Heaven," atheists who should have said "Nowhere," and the unsaved who should have said, "Hell." American Worldview Inventory, Arizona Christian University & Barna, 2020 D. There is truth about the church that should be spoken. 1. Must be left alone (not allowed) to assemble. 2. Must be left alone to worship. 3. Must be left alone to preach the Bible. 4. Must be left alone to witness. 5. Must be left alone to minister. E. There is truth about murder that must be spoken. 1. 63 million lives taken through abortion. 2. Abortion is not a political issue. 3. It is a Bible issue. F. There is truth about homosexuality that must be spoken. 1. My brother shared with me a Federal law that he was made aware of. He is a business owner and has a male employee that is confused about what gender he is. He has decided to call himself by a girls name. He has taken no steps legally or medically to attempt to change his identity, but it is now a federal crime if my brother and the other employees of that business do not call him by his new female name and identify him as a female. 2. The homosexuals have the force of the law behind them now. 3. That doesnt change anything. 4. Truth did not change. G. There are truths that must be spoken. 1. Have you seen yet that if a lie is told often enough? people actually believe it is the truth? a. Evolution, there is no God b. Spanking is bad for your children. They are not responsible. c. Capitalism is bad. Socialism works. d. They are born that way. They cant help it. 2. The more the truth is silenced, the more the lie will grow. a. We are in the beginning of what the devil has planned. b. Granted, it has taken him 2,000 years to love things along this far, but he has a lot of velocity with him now. III. Notice the Condition-in Love A. If you thought the first two parts of what God wanted was hard, I think you were wrong. To me, this is the hard part. B. How do you tell the truth to people who dont want to hear it in love? 1. Without too much passion Pr 15:1 A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. Pro 25:15 and a soft tongue breaketh the bone. 2. Without insults, with respect 3. If possible, with humor. a. Television and humor have changed the minds of America about sin. b. Sitcoms portrayed funny people sinning and America laughed at it until it was normal to them. c. Somebody said getting an opponent to smile while you tell them something they dont want to hear is like giving them a shot without them feeling the needle. 4. With patience persistence Pr 25:15 By long forbearing is a prince persuaded 5. Without force a. Christians have no earthly clout any more. b. The law is not with us and neither is public opinion. (1) But force has never been our weapon. (2) Truth has. c. We are supposed to tell the people the truth, then let them make up their own minds. d. Granted, we have an interest in their decisions as it determines the world that we will live in too, but God has always wanted to let the people decide for themselves. e. We have no leverage to force a person to believe or even to listen. f. Our duty is summed up in the words God gave to Samuel in the day they wanted a king like all the other nations. 1Sa 8:9 Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them. (1) God said, "Let them do what they want to do BUT PROTEST SOLEMNLY to them." (2) Make them aware of the consequences of their decision. This verse sums up what God wants us to do. As determined as the world is to go against God, our duty is to keep telling them the truth in love. May God help us to do so.