Walk This Way

Ephesians 5:1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. 3 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; 4 neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not be partakers with them. 8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), 10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. 13 But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. 14 Therefore He says: "Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light." 15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 

With apologies to ‘Aerosmith’ and ‘Run DMC,’ Paul said it first: “Walk this way.”

Walking implies motion, movement in the life of the Christian. In Ephesians 4 Paul speaks of growing. In Ephesians 5, Paul talks about walking – that is – walking out your faith, your growth, your love – all the while making steady progress, and imitating Jesus Christ just as a child imitates the good and godly traits of his earthly parents.

The problem is too many Christians are sitting rather than walking, and without exercise the body becomes bloated, analytical, and self-critically defeating. But a body in motion, with somewhere to go, and something to accomplish, is fixed on the Godly goal rather than comparison and analysis.

The best form of Christian fellowship takes place during service and sacrifice. We have seen this dramatically demonstrated here at CCGC recently. For those who had the opportunity to serve in the transformation of this building, there was an unbreakable bond of fellowship built during that process, and we could point to that fellowship-building as being more important than the building-building.

The building is temporal, but the bonds of fellowship are eternal. It is difficult to imagine how such bonds of fellowship could have been created by simply listening to a Bible study. What Paul is saying is that we now must ‘do’ the Bible study, and ‘be’ the Bible study…walking in the light of Christ to carry out His will, and accomplishing on this earth what is pleasing to Him. There is nothing like it.

-  Pastor Bill