“Let all bitterness, and wrath and anger, and clamour (brawling), and evil speaking (slander) be put away from you, with all malice. 32. And be ye kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake forgave you.” We have all been told at some time in our lives to behave ourselves. This means that there is a right way to behave and a wrong way to behave. This is what Ephesians 4:31-32 is all about. This text gives us examples of what we should not do and what we should do. We do not need to take these words lightly, because the effectiveness of our witness for Christ is at stake in our choices. This is a message to individuals and to people who are members of churches. God is telling us through His word to behave ourselves. There are some things that we need to put away if we are to behave ourselves. (Verse 31) We are to put away bitterness. Bitterness is usually caused by past hurts that have been internalized. Bitterness cannot live in the same heart with love, joy, peace and etc. Bitterness is a bad example to set before the world, but we see it sometimes at work in church and “it ain’t pretty.” As long as bitterness is in your life, your witness will be ineffective. We are to put away wrath/anger (rage). Rage also comes from pent-up anger which has been nurtured for so long that it has multiplied itself. The original cause for anger has probably been forgotten and the rage has taken on a life of its own. This rage makes one act like a non-Christian. Get rid of it. We are to put away clamor (brawling). Brawling is what takes place when bitterness, anger and rage are present. It is usually verbal brawling but fisticuffs at church are not unheard of. In whatever form brawling takes place, verbal or physical, it is a bad witness to the community outside of the church. We are to put away evil speaking, or slander. Slander is what takes place when the other sins mentioned have the upper hand. Slander, or gossip, among church members has been used by the devil to hurt and destroy more churches than we would care to count. When you feel the urge to “bad mouth” someone in your church, remember that you are hurting your church when you do - just don’t do it. We are to put away malice. Malice is entrenched evil in one’s heart, and when it is released from the heart it is nasty, mean-spirited and destructive. It is all of the evils mentioned thus far rolled into one. Really know that Satan wants to use these things in your life, and the word of God reminds us not to let him get by with it. There are some things that we are to add if we are to behave ourselves. (Verse 32) We are to add kindness. Kindness actually required less energy than bitterness or malice. The church of Jesus Christ should be place, above all others, where kindness rules and reigns. This is not always the case, but each of us should determine as far our lives, our behavior, is concerned it will be standard of our church. We are to add tenderheartedness or compassion. Compassion is what separated Jesus from the Pharisees in the New Testament. The Pharisees were legalistic and brutal in their dealings with people. The spirit of the Pharisees still lives. We need to be more compassionate towards each other and towards unchurched people. When a person’s heart is filled with malice it is difficult to be compassionate. We are to add forgiveness. We should be forgiving because we have been forgiven by Jesus. No one comes to Christ without having been forgiven by Him. After all, we serve One who said from his cruel cross: “Father forgive them for they know not what they do. It takes kindness and compassion to be a forgiving person. For your own sake, for your family’s sake and for your church’s sake be a forgiving person. You will have a fuller and more bountiful life if you will put away the things listed in verse 31 of the text and add the things listed in verse 32. Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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