Section nine: 5.1-16

Rev. Stanley L. Derickson Ph.D.

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1 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;

"Be ye therefore" - in light of what I have been saying, be followers of God - not followers of the Devil, of the world or of yourselves, would be the implication. If you are followers of God then you will be acting as such and will be living a morally pure life.

"Be" is an imperative and a present tense - we are told to "BE" followers of God. Not multiple choice, not an option, a command and on top of that with continuing action at all times.

"Follower" can be translated "imitator" as well. We are to look at God in the Word and then we are to imitate Him, not the life we see around us. Imitate His goodness, imitate His love, and imitate all those other attributes that we know He has. All too often, however, we imitate what we see around us in the world, we imitate what we see in the politicians, we imitate what we see in the media - not our object of affection.

A simple, yet so complicated and hard plan of action. It takes the Spirit of God within us to assist us in this effort, but it is an effort that can and should be the norm, not the exception. Today we often lift up a very few as being moral and godly people when it should be every single one of us that are moral and godly.

I must wonder if this mindset of only a few being proper Christians didn't arise out of the paid pastor. He is paid to be the spiritual leader and that seems to let the rest of us off the hook. He is the moralizer, he is the pure one, he is the witnesser, and he is the one with the perfect family, thus we must be a lesser product and we don't have to come up to his high standard.

Then add to that the many paid leaders that fall into moral corruption of one sort or another and we can see why the normal Christian doesn't have high moral standards on his radar screen.

No, it is not the pastor’s fault, just the system that we have adopted and the few that falter in that system. The system is in place because the run of the mill believer doesn't want to be doing the work of the Lord that he is gifted to do.

"As dear children" indicates we are to follow as children - dear children - obedient and loving children. This is the same word God used of His Son at Christ's baptism in Matthew 3.17, "And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." This is not only someone that is loved, but someone that is worthy of love. God can love someone, even the lost corrupt sinner, but in this case He loves the one that is worthy of that love.

That should give "follower" a little more emphasis in your mind.

"Children" is a general term for offspring, but can also relate to the strong and intimate bond between any two that have a very close relationship. We are to not only be offspring, but we are to be in a close relationship with Him as we follow Him.

2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour.

Not only are we to follow Him but we are to "walk in love" - that same self-sacrificing love that Christ walked to the cross in - that love that caused Him to give His life for us and all those in the future that would believe.

Let's think of this love for a moment.

a. It was given without thought of reciprocation.

b. It was given to very nasty unloving people.

c. It was unconditional love.

d. It was directed love - toward the past and future believer.

e. It was a sufficient love - sufficient to do the job at hand.

f. It was a pure love.

g. It was a love that sought no gain.

h. It was a love that was not sought.

You can take each of these items and relate it to your spouse, to your child, and to that nasty terrible church goer that you tend to avoid on Sunday morning.

Walk seems to be related to our English word "perpetual" - continued walk or course of life. It is a present tense so you need to keep at it all your life, not just through this one terrible person - all terrible persons deserve the same walk on your part.

I don't know that it matters, but the term translated "God" here is actually a general pronoun rather than the normal "Theos" which is God. Specifically it is a sacrifice offered to God, but it is not only a sweetsmelling savor to God, but to us as well that have benefitted from that sacrifice. It is a sweet fragrance for all that are involved in the sacrifice, both God and the recipients.

3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;

"Fornication" is a general word for anything that is wrong in the sexual area, from adultery to bestiality - some would wonder just why Paul would put this in the Word of God, but he knew the people of his time as well as our time.

These improper sexual activities are in the church today, not as a major problem for the most part but I'd guess you could find all forms of sexual impropriety within the church. We know from the news that we have adultery, homosexuality, and child abuse, so why would anything else be left out of the perversion of some within the church.

Yes, many of these people are not true believers, but then some of them probably are. We know that Christians commit adultery so we can assume the other perversions of Gods' wonderful gift to a couple - that is one man and one woman, are happening within the church.

The adultery problem in the church is spreading and in need of being stopped, but you hear very few messages concerning personal and marital purity, you don't hear very many messages telling the congregation that adultery is wrong, and there is little else in a Christian’s life that will counter what they view in the home (Television and videos)- so why should we be surprised if adultery is a problem to believers.

The normal Christian thinks nothing of filling their minds with the sex and violence and terrible gutter language that is on the small screen, so why would they not go to the theater and get their fix directly. I call it a fix, because it can be a habit, to hear and see those things that excite and stir your mind.

I was moved to an outburst of laughter when I heard of a church in the southwest that had a very conservative pastor. The pastor did a series on the pitfalls of the television and called on the membership to give up the evil machine. He, of course needed one in his home to keep up on what is going on in the world, but all others need to get rid of the box.

The response was great and many people committed themselves to a life without the perversion -- of course they didn't want to loose their investment so they sold their televisions to other church members on the church bulletin board!

Not the methodology that works - church purity comes from ALL getting rid of the problem causers in their lives.

This is the Greek term we gain pornography from - not the normal Christian pass time - well, it shouldn't be.

The term "uncleaness" is the other side of "porneia" - it is the mental side of an improper life. "Fornication" is the outward physical act of perversion, while "uncleaness" is the term that describes the mental, the lust, and the impurity of thought. It is the uncleaness that normally leads to the fornication.

Paul says this mental/outward activity is not to be mentioned as being proper for the believer. Well, duh would be the normal response, but are we not there today. Not in mainstream churches, but the churches that cater to homosexuals are certainly present in this passage.

Many churches, by their non-responsiveness to adultery in their midst are in essence saying that it is a right and proper activity for the saint. There are churches that know their people are in adultery and they do nothing - fear of law suits in some cases, but normally, just a fear of loosing some membership and bucks.

I worked for a man years ago that asked his church board to step into his wife's marital affairs and they refused - why, both of the couples entire families were members and they didn't want to cause problems between the two families.

Add to this the third item Paul mentions, covetousness and you have background for my comments about "bucks" being part of the problem. A church budget must be met, so we must keep those bucks rolling into the plates - don't upset the masses, they might tighten their grip on the dollars.

Think about the fact that Paul groups greed with sexual perversion - tells you something about greed doesn't it. Greed is just as much an enemy of the Christian as impure thoughts - both are devoid of any good in the Christian life.

Not ONCE is Paul's command, not one time should it be mentioned that any of these things be viewed as right and proper Christian living. Think about greed and the church here. Is greed not an integrated part of some of the churches today? Aren't preachers telling their people that God wants them rich, that God wants to bless their socks off financially? Yes and the poor believers that don't get rich automatically feel they are failures as God's children because they aren't spiritual enough to gain God's favor and riches.

This is a terrible weight to place on the shoulders of an already down trodden person that is already overly hard on themselves for their seeming failure in life.

God wants us to be content where we are, be it rich or poor or in between. Contentment is the key, not a financial rating to wear to church so others can see.

Even in churches that aren't preaching the prosperity perversion, the bottom line is often the key to the topics of sermons and lessons. We want to keep that money flowing, so we can step on toes now and then, but don't you ever do it two Sundays in a row, and don't you dare increase the pressure on those toes more than to a light touch.

4 Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.

Paul isn't done yet. He continues on with a few other items of interest. Don't allow fornication, lust, or greed to be marked as good, but don't let filthiness, foolish talking or jesting be garnered as good characteristics for the church.

"Filthiness" would be well described by the fornication and uncleanness, but Paul has something else in mind here or he wouldn't have mentioned it. Just what he had in mind here is not clear, but if we can consider bestiality under fornication, this filthiness must be along the lines of an overindulgence in any of the items of fornication. I would include here pornography and all that goes with that. Adultery is more of a personal activity, while pornography is the circulation of perversion for the perverts that consume it.

Some would ask what is wrong with pornography. I would leave the full ramifications of it to the psychologists of the world, but off the top, it leads to overt acts against women, it leads to overt acts against children, and I would guess in some cases overt acts against men.

It consumes time and money that should be committed to your spouse if you are married, it saps the time from the work place - if not looking at it, certainly day dreaming about it and gaining it later in the day etc.

It pollutes your mind against normal, healthy sexual relationships with your spouse. It is in essence a form of adultery if it is coming between you and your spouse.

That is enough to warn believers from the problems, but there are tons of further detail that could add weight to what has already been mentioned.

"Foolish talking" is a term that is used only here, so we need to contextualize it a little. Just what does it mean? The idea of jesting seems to be a negative joking, and from the context a jesting about things of a sexual or greedy nature. Joking that tends to make the item more acceptable.

I have heard people talking of some of the homosexual community as being nice, as being funny, as being this or that, well they may be, but they are still homosexual and pushing their "sexual preference" upon our children. This jesting might follow along in relation to some of the television we are seeing that use humor to make homosexuality more palatable to the average person - which includes believers.

The problem at Sodom was not that all were homosexual, but all were accepting of homosexual perversion - they saw it as an alternate lifestyle if you will. There were none speaking out against it. Television is making the sin more and more acceptable, and quite often it is done through humorous sitcoms and talk shows.

Now, back to the "foolish talking" which is centered between filth and humor about filth. We should understand foolish talking as relating to this select area of discussion. Talking foolishly about filth in the context of the church.

Now, I don't think we should be hateful and divisive in our condemnation of homosexuality, but we do need to take a stand against sin of any shade or stripe. I bring this topic up because brothers in Christ are being brought to court in other lands for speaking out about the homosexual problem.

A group of men were in court in Australia recently for charges relating to hate crimes. We have a move in our own country as well as all across the world to make taking a stand against homosexuality as a hate crime. Now that is not the way they put it but that is the result in the lawyers/judges minds.

The laws talk generally about the fact that you cannot speak out against or negatively about any group. The same laws would make it illegal to speak out against burglars if you want to apply it as they apply it to Christians and their telling people homosexuality is wrong.

So, what specifically is "foolish talking?" I would suggest any conversation that uplifts or makes more acceptable, the filth of pornography, or if you include the context, adultery, homosexuality or any other sexual perversion - remembering that greed is also in this context, thus a lot of prosperity preaching would probably be included.

Do you get a little of the feeling of how disdainful greed is to God, to put it in the middle of such perversion? Then again, is it not true that greed is spiritual adultery? We are told that we cannot serve God and mammon, so serving mammon would be turning against God our Father, Maker, and Christ our Groom. I hope that puts a different ring on your overwhelming desire for a new pair of designer jeans, or that new car, that new stereo, that new Ipod, or that new whatever you are coveting.

It is of interest that three of the words Paul uses in this verse are used only in this verse. "Filthiness, foolish talking and jesting" never appear elsewhere in the Bible. We must assume, since Paul used the terms, that he knew the Ephesian believers would know what he was talking about. I would further assume that these were some terms that described well the life they had before being saved. I see Paul as hitting them between the eyes with these terms - look you know you used to be this way in your past life but no more - that is over - these things have no place in the church.

I have to wonder if these terms and actions weren't part of the heathen worship in the temple of Diana that some of them may have participated in, or at least knew of in their past life.

To apply that one, it isn't wrong to confront believers in our day with the practices of the past that they might want to bring with them into the church. Our past life is past and it has no place in the presence of other believers - purity is the key to a proper church life, not the pagan practices of our lost life.

A little direct application might run along the lines of bringing slang and base phrases from the world into church services. I won't repeat the phrases, but have more than once heard men use worldly base phrases as though they were right and proper language for the pulpit. I had opportunity to explain what one of the phrases meant and where it came from to a pastor that often used it. He looked at me, said "I have never heard that." and proceeded through time to continue using the phrase - thus indicating he did not believe me or that he did not care that he was bringing the baseness of the world into his "ministry."

5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

Now, let's be very clear on this, Paul is saying none of those listed will have any inheritance in the kingdom of God. It has been made clear so far that the redeemed do have an inheritance, thus any in this list must not be truly redeemed. Some serious implications for the covetous person don't you think?

Barnes says of this verse, "The object here is, to deter from indulgence in those vices by the solemn assurance that no one who committed them could possibly be saved."

The term "no" is that word we have looked at before. It is used as all, but not all inclusive. As in "all Judea" went to be baptized by John the Baptist, it does not mean that every single one in Judea went out. Thus, the thought is that there may be some redeemed in this list of people but not many. It is the norm that most will not have an inheritance in the Kingdom.

Some might suggest also, that they might be in the kingdom, but just not have an inheritance as in blessings and rewards. In the context of the book I think this would be a dangerous assumption especially if you are a whoremonger, unclean, covetous or an idolater.

It may be that the "idolater" is a modifier of the three - in other words a person that is a whoremonger and an idolater would not have an inheritance etc. The net Bible seems to put application to the text that these wrongs are actually idolatry. "...no person who is immoral, impure, or greedy (such a person is an idolater) has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God."

There is an emphasis on the knowing - it is something that we definitely know. It is a sure thing. None of these will have an inheritance.

"No whoremonger" is that Greek word "pornos" and relates to improper sexual activity. It includes male prostitution or as the lexicon puts it "lust for hire" but also relates to any improper activity. It would be obvious that his mind is set in the world and not on God, thus he would naturally be an idolater - one having other gods before Almighty God. His god would be his appetite for gratification and/or money.

"Nor unclean person" relates to either spiritual or physical filthiness. This person is not of a proper nature before God due to his spiritual condition and lifestyle. Again, an idolater - one that is putting all above God and His desires.

"Nor covetous man" is not only the desire for more, it is also strongly related to the wanting of more that belongs to others. Not only does it cover wanting a new car, but it may well relate to wanting the one in the driveway across the street.

This relates to anything in the physical realm that one might desire; be it vehicles, toys, appliances, houses, cabins, boats, or even persons. It would cover the desire for someone else's spouse or physical attributes.

"Who is an idolater" is simply the worship of another god. Setting God aside for false gods. The lexicon points out correctly that this is a plague that can come upon a believer, thus we may have some information upon which to make a proper interpretation.

If a Christian can be involved in these, it would seem that the general sense of it is that if anyone has these problems in their lives, then their inheritance is not going to happen, though if they are believers they may have entrance into the eternal state.

They make it in but there will certainly be embarrassment about their life here on earth, and there will probably be sorrow over lost reward.

This seems to be the thought of the text, though one that is in fornication, is unclean, or is covetous might want to take a second look at their position before God, because these are not normal for the believer, and these are counter to the Spirit of God that lives within the Christian. If these are present, one must wonder if He is present.

6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.

I would guess that Paul knew someone was coming to them with these false values of Christianity and he wanted to warn them. Today there are many that are giving false values from the pulpit and from the lectern as well as through the Christian media.

Base your values on the Bible and nothing else. If you can see it clearly expressed in the Word then it is so. If someone has to use tricks of the Greek/Hebrew to show that a verse tells you to do or not to do something seek other passages that would support this line of thought. Beware anything that is not clearly expressed.

The Word is God's message to us and we don't need someone with vain words explaining it to us. The pastor is to teach, explain, and encourage acceptance of that which we can plainly read.

Just don't listen if the speaker’s words are vain or empty as the Greek word implies. Words that have no content, words that sound good but have little meaning. I crack up at some of the language you hear on talk shows, but I crack up further at those that revel in these empty meaningless words.

Gibberish is spouted over the stage and it is accepted as something that soothes the soul when indeed it can do nothing for the soul or the mind.

The term translated "disobedience" is translated this way a couple of other times and it is clearly speaking of lost people. The word is also translated several times "unbelief" which also clearly indicates the lost person that has no belief in God.

The wrath of God is upon the lost and this verse indicates it is due to the vain words of those that teach them. What a terrible responsibility those teachers have for what they have done.

It might be suggested that this verse shows the previous verses are speaking of the lost, but this is not necessarily true. It can also speak to the believer that is living incorrectly. Paul is just saying that it is these things - that long list of sins - that bring the wrath of God down upon the unbelievers. The point being, avoid these things, they are for the ungodly and never for the believer.

To the point of application, you might want to remind those believers that are tied up in ungodly acts that these things are what bring judgment upon the lost, and that they should not be involved in such things.

Some suggest we should not use negatives when giving the gospel - why would be my question? Why would we not use the negative to show how positive Christ is? If we were to speak of only the salvation, they would not know what they are deciding against.

If you saw a house on fire would you run through the house yelling about how nice the weather is outside, or would you be yelling "FIRE?"

Paul used negatives via the moving of the Spirit, so I would think we would be in good stead to do the same. Tell those people you witness to about hell and judgment - it is coming and they can avoid it. Fear isn't the prime reason for accepting Christ but it surely doesn't hurt. Hell and judgment are certainly to be feared.

I fear the church has been duped into much sin because of the vain words from the pulpits of America. How else could we have the same divorce rate as the world? How else could we have the same teen problems as the world? How else could we have the same family problems as the world? We have been sold a bill of goods - that by the way requires responsibility on our part because we bought the goods as well. Both messenger and recipient are responsible and both will be held accountable in the end.

7 Be not ye therefore partakers with them.

Simple statement, they can preach their vain tales, but you don't have to listen, you don't have to believe, you don't have to be sucked into their lies.

Recently a man in Southern Oregon was on the internet trying to talk women into committing suicide with him on Valentine's Day. He invited many to his place where he had a large beam upon which he thought they all could die together.

Thankfully no one decided to become partakers with him in his madness, indeed the police found out about the plot and arrested him before he could commit the act - if indeed, he would have taken that final step.

It is simple, if you take in false teaching, you are responsible. You can point the finger at the false teacher, but it is you that are responsible before God for your belief system.

We once knew a man that held to a very conservative view of divorce and remarriage. He taught that view quite extensively to his congregation. That is until he found a girl friend, then he began teaching that divorce was all right and that God would bless a remarriage.

From what we heard the congregation accepted this "new" teaching because they accepted the divorced and remarried pastor. They became partakers in his sin and disbelief.

8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now [are ye] light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

"Sometimes" is rather misleading here since the lost condition is not a sometime sort of thing; it is a permanent condition until Christ makes a change. It is possible that Paul is speaking of their post salvation condition, and if that is the case sometime would be acceptable. The term is translated "in times past" and that translation more than it is translated sometimes, but it would be the context that would tell which was appropriate.

Whether "sometimes," or "in times past" the result of salvation is a NOW condition of light rather than darkness. Light is our condition and we ought to walk like it rather than blending into the crowd as so many believers do.

I recently saw a Barna report that over three million believers in America are unchurched. I would suggest there are three million people that can't find a Biblical church to attend, but that would be negative so I won't. The interpretation of the church leadership that was asked about it was that this is diminishing the witnessing of the church and that it is a detriment to the church.

I might suggest, that the assumption that all non-churched believers are non-practicing Christians is about as arrogant an assumption as I have heard in years. Why would that assumption be made - especially in light of the fact that most "churched" believers don't witness.

If I were a church leader I would question what the problem might be as to why the people are unchurched. Is it the church, is it the way we do church, is it the lack of teaching, is it the lack of fellowship, or is it the lack of spirituality in the leadership - I can find a number of possibilities that do not relate to the unchurched peoples lives at all.

Darkness is the lack of light or the ignorance of divine/spiritual requirements and personal duty. This looks forward to the associated ungodliness and immoral living as well as hell, according to the lexicon I have - darkness leads to eternity in hell and light leads to eternity with God.

We mentioned using hell and judgment in our witnessing. What a passage to point out the differences that our choice will make.

"Walk" relates to progression, to making one's way, or as one of the lexicon's meanings which I really like "to make due use of opportunities." I really like that - making full use of Godly opportunities of life as well as making due use of all opportunities for witness, for ministry and for assisting others.

That is the life we ought to desire, it is the life that God desires for us, and it is the life we ought to desire for our spouses and children.

"Light" is of interest to us. We are in the light when we walk in the daytime or in our home when the lights are on. We live in a high crime neighborhood and have had problems with car break in, grapffiti etc. so I have enveloped our home/property in light. We have three lights on the house, one on the garage and then two motion detecting spotlights around the car.

Now, in the day time the house is in the light, but at night it emits light. It lights up our yard, and the yards surrounding. This is the idea of this Greek term from which we gain our term phosphorous. (phos) "Light" means light emitting, thus we are not to be walking in light but we are to be walking lights. We should be broadcasting light everywhere we go and always be lighting up those around us.

Take a few hours to contemplate that in relation to your everyday life. Who have you enlightened, who have you illuminated of late? Are you walking in the light of others, or are you phosphorous and showing off others via your light?

As with our home, light deters wrong, it makes everything quite visible so others don't want to show themselves for what they really are. Your light will in fact limit sin at times. If people know you do not like nasty stories, they will not come to you with them - usually - rather depends on where they are in the darkness :-)

We had a salesman years ago that loved dirty stories and every week he would come to the shop and tell the same story to everyone. The first time he told me one I just stared at him. He found out quickly that his stories had no place within my ear's space. After that one time, he always came to me with a "clean" story after he had made the rounds with the dirt.

We need to be dampers of sin, not enablers. We need to extinguish, not fan the flame.

9 (For the fruit of the Spirit [is] in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)

The "fruit of the Spirit" is mentioned elsewhere in the Bible, but here it is characterized in generality, where as in Galatians, it is characterized in some specifics. "Fruit" relates to the product of a plant. The plant grows and works toward the natural end of producing fruit. The term is used of one's offspring or child. We, as humans, grow and mature and children are the natural product of that process, unless something interrupts that process.

The Spirit of God is living within us to the natural extent that we would produce fruit. Notice "fruit" is not listed as being the one and only fruit there is to some preachers - soul winning. It is anything that produces goodness, righteousness and truth. In Galatians five we see a more specific listing, 5.22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."

The fruit of the Spirit may include soul winning, but it does not exclude everything else but soul winning. All our good works are a result of the Spirit's work within us and this is all fruit or progeny of the Spirit.

What is good, righteous and truth - a tall order for the Christian in this century of the church. What a challenge to the churches in our day that use The Simpsons, television shows Harry Potter and the like in Sunday school to liven up the class. Sure there may be some little truth hidden away in those shows, but to watch the rest of the garbage that is its wrapper is not feeding your mind with what is good - we think on things that are in our minds, thus if you watch these shows and others on television that is what you are thinking about rather than the good, the righteous, and the truth.

I would guess that you could find some small truth in a pornography film, but to get at it you would have to watch a lot of filth. I would not doubt that some Sunday school teacher somewhere will adapt porn to their lessons if they are using the Simpsons and Potter.

We aren't adapting the world's ways any more in the church; we are the world in many aspects. I would guess that is some ways we are worse than the world. I can't imagine any lost person using The Simpsons to attempt to teach moral truth, though we do.

10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.

"Proving" is used of scrutinizing metals, to see if they are pure. It is the checking, studying, and examining of a thing to see if it is genuine. "Acceptable" is also translated "well pleasing" thus we might say that we are to determine carefully what is well pleasing to the Lord.

When you are out in the world and that temptation comes along, instead of jumping right in, why don't you take a moment or two and "PROVE" to yourself that it is well pleasing to the Lord.

If someone offered to sell you a three hundred-dollar gold coin for fifty dollars, wouldn't you make sure that the gold coin was indeed gold, and that it was indeed worth three hundred dollars? Why, when you find the world offering you riches at a low low price, do you so willingly succumb to the world’s effort to side track you from what is acceptable to God?

We settle for what the world has to offer because we have been sold a bill of goods - the media, the advertisers and our own lust and greed have us ready to buy that which will make us happy, rather than examine those things to be sure that God is pleased with them. The only thing we are proving in our lifestyles is that the Devil has control of our minds and desires. Well, one other thing it proves - that we are not interested in pleasing God.

The context of finding that which pleases God is in the context of the fruit of the Spirit. May well relate, do ya think?

11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove [them].

Fellowship or participation with is the thought - don't have a part in the unfruitful works of darkness. "Unfruitful" is the negative of the fruit of the Spirit we saw a few verses back. In this case rather than the progeny of someone, it is the lack of a progeny or barren.

My wife grows violets now and then, and she has little success in growing them where we live right now. She seldom can get one of them to bloom; they are unfruitful or barren of that which they naturally produce. The problem is that they are too often in the darkness, or they are lacking light.

Why in the world would a believer get involved in works that produce no fruit, especially when it is works of darkness - REMEMBER we are the light emitters, why would we cloud that light by involving ourselves with darkness? Yes, indeed we would shed light, but why would we shed light in a place that despises the light, rejects the light and works against the light?

It is of note also, that the text says "have NO" fellowship, not have a little fellowship, or dabble in fellowship or whatever rationalization might come along - "have NO fellowship" is the standard set by God and that is the standard we will be expected to meet.

We aren't to have a part in these works, but on the other hand we are to reprove them - we are to make the truth known, we are to expose these works of darkness for what they are. When you see a work of darkness, be sure to have your say, be sure to convey clearly the wrongness of that work, and be sure to stand against darkness when you see it. Don't allow it to go unchallenged.

In today's work place this may be hard; indeed it may be a little dangerous for your job. My wife works for a governmental entity and in the course of her normal Christian life in the work place; she has been accused of being religious. This is an accusation she has denied by clarifying that she has a relationship with Christ.

The point is that because she says no to some things of the world and speaks her mind on the wrongs of the world, she is "religious" and as such someone to be avoided and marked so others aren't contaminated.

In years past employers wanted believers in their workplace so that they could trust those that worked for them, but today the honest forthright person is the one to be black balled, the one to be avoided, and the one you seek to get rid of. Yes, persecution is coming to the church and we had better prepare our children for it lest they be caught unawares.

12 For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.

"It is a shame even to speak of those things" - kind of relates to the television and movies and concerts of our day doesn't it. Yet, believers are caught up in the goings on of the world rather than concentrating on the Master's business.

The "in secret" doesn't really relate today because the lost are doing everything that used to be in the secret out in the open on television and the big screen. The lost have no concept of secret or privacy; they just do their thing wherever and whenever they feel like it.

I am told that you cannot go to a public park in San Francisco with any thought of not seeing overt indecency.

Yet, we have, as mentioned, people using some of the world’s trash in Sunday school classes because there is a little tad of spiritual truth in the show. There is a little spiritual truth if they include a cross in pornography, but it should never be in the Sunday school classroom, nor in the Christian home.

I was on a Christian web forum and someone asked for prayer for his porn problem, it was from a pastor. The shocker was that there were a number of other pastors that posted with the same problem and another bunch of recovering porn viewers. The church is sick and we have the Great Physician, but he is standing on the outside wondering what has gone wrong.

Nothing in being a porn viewer relates to "blameless" in the qualifications for elder in my book, nor does it relate well to some of the other qualifications. Some would say, well it is only sin, that it is the same as a lie, well in one aspect you would be correct - it is only sin, but on the other hand, many porn viewers become perverted in other perversion that is against other people - not to mention that they are supporting the porn industry and they are hindering their relationship to their wife.

In my opinion any pastor or church leader that is into porn out to set himself aside as totally unqualified for the position. What's more, they ought not be allowed back into leadership until they have gone through a proper program, and proven themselves free of their addiction for quite some time.

DON'T EVEN TALK OF THE WORKS OF DARKNESS. Not that we shouldn't preach against them, but to discuss them and rediscuss them in gatherings is not right.

13 But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.

This relates back to verse eleven where we are to reprove the works of darkness. The verbs in this verse are passive, thus the action is not from you specifically but as a result of the light. We have discussed this before, that we are light emitters, and that light can bring change to those around us. Our being light will reveal the works of darkness and thus they will be reproved.

I get the feeling from the construction here that our being light is all that is needed, we don't have to speak out all the time - the fact that we are there and standing with God, will; see to it that the sin will be manifested and rebuked for what it is.

The problem is that our light is often so well disguised that sin can be sitting next to us and no one would know. In fact many lost are in our churches and because believers are so much like the world we can't tell the lost from the saved.

When living in a small town there was a very strict holiness church that believed in sinless perfection. The people stood out like a sore thumb in the community. They had doctrinal problems, and they had their own sin problems, but they appeared as fairly holy people and in a world of sinners they were easy to pick out from a crowd.

We, all as believers, should be distinguishable from the crowd without a lot of digging and scrapping and wondering about our spiritual condition. We are the light of the world and we need to be known for the same.

I hadn't realized that Paul had a direct knowledge of the church in our day, but he must have to say what he does in the following verse.

14 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

Years ago I was traveling along the interstate through Nebraska very late at night. I finally stopped at a rest area for a little nap. It was totally dark when I dropped off to sleep, and the next thing I knew I had awakened to a brightness that was near blinding. The sun was just above the horizon and deep red and orange shining directly into the car and when I turned to see the sun it was near blinding.

As I drove on down the interstate watching the colors develop I wondered at the brightness and the beauty of a simple sunrise. Christ will give us the light that we need to view our way through life.

A call to the lost or a call to dead saints? The context is strictly saints and how they should live, though he uses the lost as a bad example. This seems to be dead or sleeping saints - wake up and come alive is the call to the saint of God.

Note should be taken that there is a calling to the senses of the saint - it is something that we must do and then He will give light. We must take that first step to walk with Him and then He will respond to our action.

We are light according to previous verses, but here we are given light. What is in view here?

The lexicon suggests that He will give us light for life - He will light our way along the path of life, be they good times or bad times - His light can guide us through anything that comes along.

The word translated "give" and the word “light” is actually one word. Christ gives light - it is kind of the nature of things. We need to wake up and enjoy that light in our lives.

Barnes agrees that this relates to the church though, he suggests others relate it to the lost.

There seems to be much controversy as to who said this. Some suggest a couple of Old Testament passages, though the passages have little to do with this verse. Barnes suggests that it may have been from some book that was popular in the area at the time that we do not have now. It could also have been a saying from the Lord or one of the disciples.

15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,

The term "fool" and the term "wise" are the same Greek word except that the term translated "fool" has a prefix - one letter away from wise is the fool. "Wise" is the thought of learned or cultivated - someone that has some smarts and knows how to use them correctly. "Fool" is the opposite of wise.

Do not live your life as a fool, but as one that walks perfectly, exactly, or accurately. The obvious is that the fool walks through life imperfectly, sloppily and inaccurately. If your life is a mess, you might want to consider how you walk spiritually.

To expand on walking circumspectly, how can you consider a life of cheating or a life full of lies to be "circumspect?" How can you consider a life of sin to be a life that is "circumspect?" How can you run a business life that is a shambles and call it "circumspect?"

The believer has received so much from the master, but we often give so little back to Him. We are called to walk honorably - how are you doing today?

16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

The reason for our circumspect walk is that we are to redeem the time left. The days are evil - well duuhhh might be the thought of one living in this century. You don't have to be a brilliant person to know that the days are evil. Paul was speaking of his time - he thought his days were evil! My what he would say if he could experience downtown any city in this country today.

Evil is at every turn of the corner, at many song listened to, and most conversations overheard. Today I went to the neighbor's home to retrieve a tree saw he had borrowed. While he went to the back of the house to get it I stood on the walk outside and was showered with some of the most filthy language I've heard in a long time. This coming from a living room where two small children were playing.

Yes, evil abounds, but we are here to be light in this evil generation and we had better get to work soon. We are to confront the wickedness of our generation and do what we can for the Lord that will direct our path.

I believe that you could sit down and write down every wickedness, and every type of evil that you can think of, call in your friends and have them add all they could to the list, and then watch television and find other items to list. The media is filling our minds and the minds of our families with the trash of the world and we allow it.

As you watch the news reports you must wonder if the world can get any more evil, and then they report something new that you would have to list.

Redeem - buy back the time is an interesting concept. The word implies that we can purchase something, in this case time. How can we purchase back time? How can we redeem the time?

I suspect this relates to what we have mentioned before in this study - being the light that we ought to be and by being light, we are driving back the darkness to some small extent. We can, and should be fighting and confronting evil to the point that it is stopped or at least slowed in its progress in the world.

The Holy Spirit is mentioned as "convicting of sin" and this would be a part of that - He, through us can convict the world of sin and slow the wicked effects of the world. I must admit if we don't get busy in the process we are going to be steam rolled by evil. (John 16.8 "And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:"

On the good side of this, how wonderful is it that the Spirit and the Father want us involved in the massive work of hindering the progress of sin. We aren't called on to overcome sin, we aren't called on to eliminate sin from the world, but we are called to take a stand against it every chance we get. We are privileged to speak for Him, to act for Him and walk with Him - all for His glory and not our own.

It has been a pet theory of mine that each dispensation ends when mankind is totally against God and He moves onto some other method of governing. This is fairly clear in the Word. When Adam and Eve sinned, all mankind was against God even if there were only two. At Babel all had joined in against God. At the end of Noah's economy all but Noah's family had turned against God. At the end of Promise all but Moses was seemingly against God - even his own people were making an idol. At the end of the Law all mankind was against God including His people. God had left the temple due to their sin and corruption. It seems to me that the world is nearing a time when all of mankind is nearing the same point. We have areas of the world where there are Christians living for Him, but those areas seem to be on the decline.

One is left to wonder if Christ's return is near. Might He soon return to set up that last glorious economy when He will rule mankind Himself.

APPLICATION:

1. We have mentioned that we are to be imitators of God. One of the first things that came to my mind was His holiness. He is holy so if we are to imitate him we must be holy also. In fact the Word mentions this specifically. (I Peter 1.16 "Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.")

Peter understood this - God is holy so we must also be holy if we are to be an imitator of Him. Not an option, it is fact; to imitate Him we must be holy.

The back side of that is this - if you aren't holy then you are not imitating Him, nor are you a follower of Him - you may be His child by rebirth, but you are far from where you ought to be in your walk.

God is many other things, and all those things should be part of our life to the best of our ability. Love, compassion, forgiveness, concern, uplifting etc. aren't just His territory, but ours as well.

As much as I dislike the WWJD jewelry, it carries a grand message - when we have a decision in life, we are to imitate Him - thus if we can figure out what He would do in this situation we can do what is right.

2. In verse two we are told to walk in love. A very needed item of business for the church today. Christ spoke of love to His disciples in John. John 15.12 "This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. 13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you."

We talk of love in the church so often, yet we drive people away because they don't believe the same one thousand one hundred and fifty-seven doctrines that we believe in. We have the attitude in some of our churches that all must fit into our cookie cutter or they are less than we, or less spiritual.

There must be a general consensus of belief on the major doctrines, but there must be latitude given in the minors lest we isolate ourselves from the brethren. I see this all too often on the internet forums. Many of the forums are restricted to only people of a like denomination. If you happen in unaware and do not believe as they, you will soon find yourself blasted if not completely banned from the area.

I was on one such forum for a time before I became aware that if you didn't believe totally one of two reformed confessions to which they held that you were not allowed on the board. I had wondered why I kept coming under attack for general statements - I weren't one o dem!

I have often wondered how it would have been to fellowship in one of the pioneer churches of the west, when people of all shade of belief gathered on Sunday for worship of their mutual God and Father, without the sectarianism of our day. To go knowing that you or your beliefs weren't going to be attacked and demeaned and that you would be able to call your mind to the Lord rather than to the upset of inner turmoil caused by the one in the pulpit.

We went to visit a church we had never been to before. The pastor started in at the first of his message and spent about fifteen minutes spelling out what the spiritual person would believe, and how the unspiritual person would reject such Biblical and correct doctrines. Some of the items he mentioned were definitely keeper beliefs, but some of them were so far toward the fringe of importance that they should not have been on his agenda. He made it quite clear that anyone that did not follow his entire line of thought was unscriptural, unspiritual and unqualified to be a part of his church. Guess one trip was enough to his church because we knew we would never be spiritual enough to feel comfortable there.

3. Barnes speaks well to the point of the covetous being listed with the perversions of verse three.

"Do we not feel that there is a great difference between a covetous man and a man of impure and licentious life? Why is this? Because

"(1.) it is so common;

"(2.) because it is found among those who make pretensions to refinement and even religion;

"(3.) because it is not so easy to define what is covetousness, as it is to define impurity of life; and

"(4.) because the public conscience is seared, and the mind blinded to the low and groveling character of the sin. Yet is not the view of Paul the right view? Who is a covetous man? A man who, in the pursuit of gold, neglects his soul, his intellect, and his heart. A man who, in this insatiable pursuit, is regardless of justice, truth, charity, faith, prayer, peace, comfort, usefulness, conscience; and who shall say that there is any vice more debasing or degrading than this? The time may come, therefore, when the covetous man will be regarded as deserving the same rank in the public estimation with the most vicious, and when TO COVET will be considered as much opposed to the spirit of the gospel as any of the vices here named. When that time shall come, the world's conversion will probably be not a distant event."

Is Barnes not correct? Isn't the one that covets much more acceptable in the church than an adulterer? We would not accept one living in adultery into church membership (well we do when we accept divorced/remarried people into the membership.) - one that is married and seeing someone on the side, but we give no thought to accepting one that is full of greed. Tell me, what is the difference between one that covets a woman that he is not married to and one that covets gain, or gold or things?

It is a matter of perspective. When you put adultery into the proper perspective of being greed, covetous etc. then we see why one that covets is no better than the adulterer - they are indeed the same, they just covet different things and satisfy themselves at the table of their respective desires.

Really, now think about it - someone that wants to have intimate relations with someone not their spouse is the same as one that desires a car like his neighbor's, or a home entertainment center like the one at the store. Sexual perversion is the same as coveting - realize it and change your life accordingly. No, don't adopt sexual perversion because it is now a lesser sin, but realize that your greed is as serious as sexual impropriety. They are both despicable in the eyes of God.

We need to consider all forms of sexual wrong-doing, as well as all sorts of covetousness when we are accepting people into our membership. I am not suggesting that we investigate a person’s personal life, but at the same time we maybe ought to be sure we know them before opening our arms of fellowship to them. Take time in the membership process, get to know the person, get to know their lifestyle and get to know their family - what is this person like, are they living the life of a true believer or maybe just that of a professor.

4. Let's consider the words of Matthew 12.36 in relation to verse four when it says that we are to avoid foolish talking, and jesting. "But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment."

Surely, you have been in fellowship situation that have fit into the foolish talking and the jesting rather in the thanksgiving, rather than that which is edifying, and rather than that which is godly. Years ago we were in a church where one of the major American evangelists was having meetings. The pastor asked us over to his home for dinner after the Sunday meetings. We accepted and when we arrived we found that we were only part of the guest population. The evangelist and his wife and two of the deacons and their wives were also invited.

Being a quiet person, I seldom jump into conversations, but normally just listen and observe. Since I was a lowly Bible college student I didn't feel that I would have anything too important to add to the conversation. My observation was quite shocking. Here was the pastor of a large church, two of his leadership and a nationally known evangelist sitting around the living room having foolish talk with jesting. Not once in the entire day was the Lord's name mentioned, except when praying before the meal, nor was anything spiritual brought up.

I mentioned this to my wife on the way home and she told me that her observation of the women's conversation was the same.

I would challenge you to not be like myself at that point in time - jump in there and try to swing things into the spiritual realm. Not that the conversation will stay there, but at least you will have tried.

I fear the modern believer dwells on the foolish and idle words because God is doing so little in their life that they have nothing spiritual to talk about - no, not that God is idle, but that the believer today keeps God idle in their lives.

5. Barnes draws a number of truths from verse five when it states that some will not be a part of the kingdom. I would like to just quote it and allow you to consider it for yourselves.

"(1.) that heaven will be pure.

"(2.) That it will be a desirable place--for who would wish to live always with the licentious and the impure?

"(3.) It is right to reprove these vices, and to preach against them. Shall we not be allowed to preach against those sins which will certainly exclude men from heaven?

"(4.) A large part of the world is exposed to the wrath of God. What numbers are covetous! What multitudes are licentious! In how many places is licentiousness openly and unblushingly practiced! In how many more places in secret! And in how many more is the heart polluted, while the external conduct is moral; the soul corrupt, while the individual moves in respectable society!

"(5.) What a world of shame will hell be! How dishonourable and disgraceful to be damned for ever, and to linger on in eternal fires, because the man was TOO POLLUTED to be admitted into pure society! Here, perhaps, he moved in fashionable life, and was rich, and honoured, and flattered; there he will be sent down to hell because his whole soul was corrupt, and because God would not suffer heaven to be contaminated by his presence!

"(6.) What a doom awaits the covetous man! He, like the sensualist, is to be excluded from the kingdom of God. And what is to be his doom? Will he have a place apart from the common damned--a golden palace and a bed of down in hell? No. It will be no small part of his aggravation that he will be doomed to spend an eternity with those in comparison with whom on earth, perhaps, he thought himself to be pure as an angel of light.

"(7.) With this multitude of the licentious mad the covetous, will sink to hell all who are not renewed and sanctified. What a prospect for the gay, the fashionable, the moral, the amiable, and the lovely, who have no religion! For all the impenitent and the unbelieving, there is but one home in eternity. Hell is less terrible from its penal fires and its smoke of torment, than from its being made up of the profane, the sensual, and the vile; and its supremest horrors arise from its being the place where shall be gathered all the corrupt and unholy dwellers in a fallen world; all who are so impure that they cannot be admitted into heaven. Why, then, will the refined, the moral, and the amiable not be persuaded to seek the society of a pure heaven? to be prepared for the world where holy beings dwell?"

6. There is a strong case for separation from the sinfulness of the world in these verses. We are to have no part in them, those that do will not be in the kingdom etc. On the other side of this, why in the world would any right living Christian want to be a part of these vile and terrible things when they know they are an offence to God? How can a believer want to associate on a continuing basis with those that live like this? We are to be pure, and to remain pure we must be strong against temptation.

7. Barnes suggests some items that tend to distract us from redeeming the time. I will include those at the end of this point, but now, let us consider how we might redeem the time most appropriately in our own day.

a. Just the making of a livelihood for yourself and your family is a good portion of redeeming the time. This is a good and natural consumer of our time, it is ordained of God and anyone that is doing it is doing the will of God.

b. Taking time for study of the Word and prayer are never a waste of time.

c. Doing good works are always appropriate.

d. Barnes suggests the reading of novels as a waste of time. If it is a thing of relaxation, I would suggest that it might be a good thing; however the wasting of hours and hours on reading novels would be a terrible waste of God's time for you here on earth.

When I first saw the "Christian Novels" I wondered at the waste of time as well as money on the speculative nature of something that might have been in the life of Bible characters. If God had wanted us to know of these things He would have delivered the Word in a one hundred volume set.

The same is true of any endeavor that takes up a lot of our time for our own pleasure.

e. Spending time with the lost in the thought of witnessing can never be unprofitable for the kingdom.

f. I know I mention the spiritual gifts that are sidelined by the thousands in our churches today, be it intentional sidelining by the church leaders, or the lazy sidelining of believers that don't want to take the time to do that which the Spirit has gifted them to do. All have a gift or two and all should be using that gift in the benefit and edification of the church body.

g. Raising your family properly will be a grand use of your time. A godly family life when your offspring are small will result in more godly families in the future.

Just as an example, I have often thought that the family my wife and I raised may well have been the primary purpose in our lives. We had three children which resulted in three families with a possibility of nine more families. Now, assuming all involved raise their families correctly God will have produced nine more godly families with children to bring the Gospel to the coming generation as well as the original parents and three families from offspring.

Don't you just love multiplication? I don't want to uplift the Mormon Church nor their false doctrine but a man in a small town in Nevada told me that he had carefully watched the Mormon Church in is town over the years. It started out small, but when we were talking it was very large. The man informed me that he did not know of one town person that had joined the church after the church was established by families moving into town. He said the entire growth of the group came from Mormons having families, and if you know their teaching, large families are the better choice.

h. Spending of our money can affect the time we have to offer to God. If we spend unwisely, we will probably work more to make more money to replace what we have spent.

Now, for Barnes comments:

"There are evil influences abroad; allurements and vices that would waste time, and from which we should endeavour to rescue it. There are evil influences tending to waste time

"(1.) in the allurements to pleasure and amusement in every place, and especially in cities;

"(2.) in the temptations to novel-reading, consuming the precious hours of probation to no valuable purpose;

"(3.) in the temptations of ambition, most of the time spent for which is wholly thrown away, for few gain the prize, and when gained, it is all a bauble, not worth the effort;

"(4.) in dissipation--for who can estimate the amount of valuable tune that is worse than thrown away in the places of revelry and dissipation?

"(5.) in wild and visionary plans--temptations to which abound in all lands, and pre-eminently in our own;

"(6.) and in luxurious indulgence--in dressing, and eating, and drinking."

8. Let's give some thought to the idea that we are to be a light, or a dampening force on sin. In today's society we are called upon to be Politically correct. Why? No one else is being politically correct about Christians.

Supposedly being politically correct is to assure that you do not say something that will hurt anyone else's feelings, or put them in a bad light, yet on national television one of the "comedians stated that Christians or other religious people were neurologically impaired and that they could not think - ruff quote - now that does not put people of faith in a good light any way you interpret it, but If I were to call him a religious bigot I would be politically incorrect and viewed by the liberals as an arrogant trouble maker.

So, if we are already being disparaged in the media and often in the work place, why should we worry about being disparaged by being the light that we are supposed to be? We are on the outside of the lost world, so we might as well act like it. We are going to be looked down upon if they know we are a Christian, so we might as well give them reason for looking down upon us - we can make them into honest bigots by being who God wants us to be. Let that light shine, and be salt in their wounds.

9. Constable and others relate this business of not even talking of these terrible deeds of the dark to the thought that if we talk about them we glorify them and uplift them to the level of becoming attractive to others, thus tempting them with those things we are not to be associated with.

James 1.14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death."

Note the progression of this problem - sin - temptation, lust, enticement and finally sin. Paul does not even want us to start this process by talking about these things of darkness lest someone be tempted to consider it.

Example: Pornography is a large problem even in the church today. We need to warn of it, we need to teach of the error of it, but to dwell on it may well induce someone to wonder what it is like and be tempted to take a peek which will probably move the person in deeper to the lust side of sin and all will be lost in that area of the person's life, just because we "dwelled" on the subject in the church or in fellowship.

On the other hand if we dwell on spiritual things it will move others into digging deeper into the spiritual life rather than the life of evil.

Consider the churches of today, what are they dwelling on. Are they dwelling on spiritual things or are they dwelling on things physical. What is fellowship based on? Is it a getting together to talk of spiritual things or getting together for pizza, bowling and whatever? What is the worship service bringing us to? Are we finding God amongst the self uplifting singers/performers? Are we finding a moving of the spirit from hymns of the faith or finding a tapping foot to the beat of the drum? It used to be "swing and sway with Sammy Kaye" in the world but today it is "whoop and whirl with worship group."

Are the messages stirring the heart or the mind? Are they moving us closer to God, or closer to the preacher’s pet peeve and reaction to it? Are they challenging our complacency in Christian living or moving us into an even more complacent place where we can relax and enjoy Christianity as a lazy man's religion?

10. We are to be like God, we are to imitate God, we are to be the example that our Father would have us to be. Matt. 5.48 "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."

That is the standard for Christian living. How do you stand up to the standard? When I was in the service we had some electronic equipment that had to be aligned exactly as the standard or it would absolutely not function properly.

To align this equipment we had another piece of equipment that existed only to generate the standard so that we could know what the standard was. We would have to look to the standard and then with the adjustment of various controls and adjustments we were to adjust the first piece of equipment to match the standard set. When we did that the equipment would work properly and we would gain the information that we wanted. We had about ten different pieces of equipment that all had an associated "STANDARD" piece of equipment to align the equipment we used.

The interesting part of the equipment however was that when the above procedure was accomplished on several different units, then I would have to go up to another area of the ship and open up another piece of equipment and align it in a totally different manner. It was aligned so that we could get the broadest range of signals to pass through it. The pattern was not so important but that the pattern was as wide as possible. Through the use of many coils and controls the adjustments were made to make this very wide pattern.

So it is with God and the believer. We must meet the standard set, but this is not the completion, we must then affect the widest range of people that we can if we are to accomplish the task at hand.

Had I aligned the first equipment and left the final piece unaligned, we could not have gained the vital information we needed. Both the matching of the pattern and the widening of the pattern were vital. So with becoming like our Father, we must grow to be like the pattern, but we also must spread that good to as wide a base as possible.

This section of Ephesians should be a starting point for many believers, they ought to evaluate where they are in relation to the standard - God rather than how they measure up to the world.