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44 THE CONVENTION TEACHER (47) Praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. As a fountain from whence they had derived all the spiritual and temporal blessings, seeing Him in all things and magnifying the work of His mercy. Having favor with all the people. Every honest upright Jew would naturally esteem these for the simplicity, purity and charity of their lives. The scandal of the cross had not yet commenced, for though they had put Jesus Christ to death, they had not yet entered into a systematic opposition to the doctrines He taught. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. Though many approved of the life and manner of these early Christians, yet they did not become members of the church. The church of Christ was made up of saints. Sinners were not permitted to incorporate themselves into it. IV. WORTHY WALKING. (VV. 1-6.) (1) I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called. Because God has provided for you an abundant salvation, and you have His testimonies among you, and have full liberty to use all means of grace. The prisoner of the Lord. Who is deprived of his liberty for the Lord's sake – beseech you that ye walk worthy – Ye (Ephesians) have your liberty, and may walk. I am deprived of mine, and cannot. You who are not large can show forth the virtues of Him who called you into His marvelous light; I am in bondage, and can only exhort others by my writing, and show my submission to God by my patient suffering. The vocation wherewith ye are called. The calling, is the free invitation they have had from God to receive the privileges of the gospel, and become his sons and daughters, without being obliged to observe Jewish rites and ceremonies. (2) With all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love: It is by acting as the apostle here directs that a man walks worthy of his high vocation. Walk with subjection or humility of mind – Meekness Walk with the principles opposite to anger and irritability of disposition. With longsuffering – Long mindedness never permitting a trial or provocation to get to the end of your patience. Forbearing one another in love. Sustaining one another – helping to support each other and all the miseries and trials of life or if the word be used in the sense of bearing with each other's infirmities, and ignorance, knowing how much others have been or still obliged to bear with us. (3) Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is no doubt but that the church at Ephesus was composed partly of converted Jews as well as Gentiles. Indeed the Jews, though converted, might be envious that the Gentiles were admitted to the same glorious privileges with themselves without being initiated into them by bearing the yoke and burden of the Mosaic laws. The apostle guards them against this, and shows them that they should intensely labor to promote and preserve peace and unity. (4) There is one body and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; There is one body, that of Christ, which is His church--for in truth the whole church was one body of which every believer was a member, and Christ the head. And one Spirit. This body was animated as it were by one life or soul, even the omnipresent Spirit of Christ. Called in one hope-- Of everlasting glory to which glory ye have been called by the preaching of the Gospel. (5) One Lord, one faith, one baptism, They had all one Lord, Jesus Christ, who is the governor of the church. One Lord, Mediator, Protector--Judge under whom they had their several employments alloted by them. One faith. One system of religion proposing the same objects to the faith of all--One faith both as to its object, author, nature and efficacy; and they all believed the same doctrine in the great essentials of religion. One baptism. They had all been admitted into the church by one baptism with water, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, as the sign of regeneration and the outward seal of the New Covenant. (6) One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. Thus they were all, whether Jews or Gentiles, become the worshippers of One God even the Father of all, the fountain of all beings, self-existent and eternal and Father of all, both Jews and Gentiles, because He is Father of the Spirits of all flesh. And in you all By the energy of His providing for all creatures; and by His energy supporting all things. [[end page]] [[start page]] THE CONVENTION TEACHER 45 QUESTIONS ON THE LESSON 1. How can we make the church a happy place? 2. Wherein lies the joys of friends in the church? 3. How does the church bind the members together? Lights on the Lesson By Rev. Bernard Byrd, D.D. LIGHT NO. 1-- (Acts) "Pricked in their hearts" means that something touched their hearts which made them uncomfortable, causing them to realize that something within needed moving. The presence of the spirit reveals the prick of sin. LIGHT NO. 2--"Be Baptized in the name of Jesus Christ" is not a true basis for the claim of some denominations that people are to be Baptized in the name of Jesus only, except they realize that Jesus is the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, thereby having all titles of the trinity. Since Jesus is the Father, one being baptized in his name is baptized in the name of the Father. And likewise, he is the spirit and when being baptized in his name one is Baptized in the name of the Holy Ghost. LIGHT NO. 3--"This untoward Generation" means this people which does not point its affections, desires and aims toward righteousness. LIGHT NO. 4--The spirit takes the same action upon all men giving them the same convictions though they might express them differently. In view of these things, the early church people wishing to do right by all men doubted none that claimed Jesus as their Saviour. They therefore established a United Social Fellowship wherein all were equal. LIGHT NO. 5-- (Eph.) When a man is born of the spirit, the spirit of oneness is born with and in him. His need is not advice to live in a state of oneness, but to be shown how to do it. Editorial Reflections By Rev. S.A. Pleasants, D.D. All Christian believers have been recreated by the Holy Spirit, thus they have been planted into Jesus Christ, and made one; having been given the mind, the heart and Spirit of Christ, which put all of them in full fellowship with Christ, and with each other. They do not have to strain themselves for this fellowship, because it is born in them. When there is no fellowship there is no recreation by the Holy Spirit. The recreation is known by the fellowship, and the fellowship is known by the recreation or the new birth. When any people hear the word of God, and it goes to the heart, and rest there deeply, they will ask as did these here, "What shall we do" Such a question always makes a point of contact for the Christian, as did here: and when the opportunity is seized by the worker, tangible results follow. When any one is filled with the Holy Spirit, he can know what to do at all times, because the Holy Spirit will tell him what to do, and give him the power to do it. One should not attempt to lead a sinner into the Kingdom of God without the Holy Spirit's guidance. The Holy Spirit is given to every Christian. When the Word of God is truly believed, it is known by the wonderful change that follows. As it was in Peter and the others who lived in his day, so it must be with us who live in our day. They let the Holy Spirit take full control of them, and He, through them did the work, which brought into the Kingdom of God, about three thousand souls in one day. All of those that were brought into the church, and those who were already in, were made one in fellowship by the Holy Spirit, who had charge of all. When the Holy Spirit is given an opportunity to have charge of the church there is a daily addition. When the church is taught by the Holy Spirit time after time, through the pastor, it will walk worthily of the calling wherewith it has been called. The real church membership, under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, is meek, and longsuffering. Its members love each other, and hence are willing and do forebear one another. The God-Head being One, makes all in the family of God be one. Where there is the oneness there is full fellowship at all times. God is over all, through all, and in all who are His; therefore the kind of fellowship He requires remains in the hearts of His to the end, they become His, that He can use to put over all His sayings and doings.
