Many are concerned about the wrath of God or the Tribulation period and there are those who pay no particular attention to it. One because they do not believe in the Bible or God, and two because of mans miss interpretation of Scripture. Many base their beliefs on their church doctrine and creeds and not on the words of Jesus. Then there are those who want to flow Him and do what they believe He did as doctrine. In both cases we find a false doctrine because the church as a whole has not separated Jesus' words from His actions of proof. The actions which the Hebrew children required of Him to prove His Deity. Leo Tolstoy in his book "The Gospel in Brief", in the "Preface" says some amazing things about church doctrine and their opposing the Truth of Christ. He also points out how we should measure out and acquire Christ's Truth as our foundation for Life in the present, NOW. That is something for us to chew on and I would want all to acquire this book and then read it through many times to get the full understanding of what it reveals of Christ and His teaching.
We are not to worry about the wrath or Tribulations to come,
because as Church Age believers we will not be here for any of the
Tribulation. It is so much more important to know what God wants us
to know today, and how to live a full spiritual life. That is another
reason we spend so much time in Paul’s Epistles, in which there is
no prophecy, so we just continue to share that which people need for
today. We will let the prophecy and futurist people take care of what
is going to happen after we are gone. Now some of these things are
appropriate because they tell us how close we are to the sudden
coming of the anti-Christ, before which we feel we have to leave.
For a quick review go all the way back to verse 12, where Paul has
told us that God is leaving us with the Church Age, three different
kinds of men to carry on the work of the Body of Christ, and that was
up in verse 11 of this same chapter.
Ephesians
4:11b
"...and
some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;"
Then
the next verse told us the purpose for them being given.
Ephesians
4:12
"For
the perfecting (the maturing) of the saints, for the
work of the ministry*, for the edifying of the body of Christ:"
*
as stewards of the
mysteries or secrets.
We must keep in
mind what Jesus told Peter, that He would or had given him the keys to
the kingdom, but did Peter use them? For Jesus also told the disciples
that it was for them to know the mysteries of this kingdom, as they
are hide within the Scripture by similitudes and parables which are
metaphors with hidden meaning.
We
made the point when we were here in these verses that there is no mention
here concerning the lost. And more importantly there is missing from all of Paul's writings the words sheep and goats. Was it that Paul was not concerned about
the lost? No, not at all. But when the Body of Christ is matured
and edified they are going to win the lost, and the unbelieving and
that is the whole concept then of Paul’s teaching. If we can
prepare the members of the Body of Christ, and make them skilled in
the use of Scriptures, we are going to accomplish more on a one on
one basis than any huge evangelistic rally could ever hope to do. We
are also hoping that people will just simply talk to their loved
ones, their people at work, their neighbors and be prepared to share
the Scriptures one on one, because people are hungry. And many do not
yet know what it is that they are hungering and thirsty for. They do
not want to be approached by somebody that does not know what they
are talking about, and that is understandable, we do not either. We
would not want to waste our or their time with someone who was trying
to tell us about something, when we know he does not know anything
about the subject. But if somebody approaches us with whatever
subject it is, and he is skilled at it, adequately prepared, we
will listen and we think you would also. Unless we have lived a real
life lesson as Jesus and then Paul did, we had better keep quiet. For
it is the Spirit speaking to spirit that brings Light and then Life
to the persons spirit. Other than that its just flesh ministering to
flesh which is nothing short of the letter ministering to flesh and
that is death, for the letter kills. Even those who are not
spiritually awake know or sense the difference.
It
is the same way with the Bible, we have got to be skilled, and ready as Paul says in another place, to share these things with those
who ask, "why do you have such hope?" So all the way
through these intervening verses then he is preparing us for this out
reach to those who have never yet understood. Be they lost, or the
professing believer or the unbelieving. For none of these have heard
this Truth. They have only heard a twisted conception of the Word but NOT the Truth and Light which Christ through the Holy Spirit can bring and then impart. Coming back to our text in verses 24 and 25.
Ephesians 4:24-25
"And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another."
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