Ephesians 4:1-32

Reflecting back to my legalistic preaching days, I always interpreted verse 14 as having to do with other religious groups other than Christianity. "You people need to grow up and stop acting like children. Some of you are paying attention and reading materials and literature that is contrary to what our denomination has taught you. That's why some of you are being thrown around like a rag doll with every demon doctrine. There are men out there from other religions that are crafty, smooth talkers and swift with their words waiting to deceive you. They do not preach the truth in love. Stay away from them."

Friends, nothing can be further from the truth. We all know who Paul is talking about. These are the same men mentioned in Paul's letter to Timothy. "Teachers of the law." 1 Timothy 1:6-8. You will find in every single letter of Paul how he warns us about those of the circumcision. These were the men, like many today in Evangelical Christianity, that were deceiving, tossing people to and fro with every hot air wind of doctrine. Crafty, deceiving, lying hypocrites who were perverting the Gospel of God's Grace by adding the law of Moses to it. Is no different today. The Evangelical Pulpit and all of their "Creflo Dollar's" are just as cunning by telling people that there are two families instead of One.

Just like the "3 Amigos" were not being truthful, and had lost sight of God's love, God's grace, God's goodness and mercy, so has the Evangelical Church. With them is not about speaking the truth in love, that we all have grown up into Him in all things as it says in verse 15. Christianity only sees Jesus as being the head of them who have believed. They do not believe that Jesus is the head and body of all men. This is the deception, craftiness and hot air religious legalistic witchcraft doctrine that people are being carried about with and being tossed to and fro with today.

Like the Jews of Paul's day and like the "3 Amigos," salvation is based on performance, laws, rules, regulations and conditions. Evangelical Christianity is a doctrine of grace plus works. It is satan for the sinner and God for the saint. It is about us versus them. Hell for the lost and heaven for the saved. Lies! Lies ! Lies! The Evangelical Pulpit preaches a doctrine of two families. Not realizing that Paul quoted the prophet as saying that there is none righteous no not one. Religion is not sitting with Christ, they are sitting in Moses seat. A seat of division, and judgment.

They do not accept the "From who (Christ) the whole body is fitly joined together and compacted by that (Christ) which supplieth (Christ) every joint (the whole world) working in the measure of every (notice it says every) part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself (Christ) in love." With the religious world is all about us against them. The love of the Evangelical Church and every religion, cult or occult and what have you is about hate them and love us. They are the family of the devil and we are the family of the Lord. Sin and righteousness cannot dwell together.

As long as we continue to have a sin conscience mind set, we will always see it as two families instead of One. If you guys only knew how many times I've been physically threatened by "Christians" because of this "One" family and not "Two" teaching. Now I know to some extend how Paul and Christ must have felt when they preached the Gospel of God's grace and reconciliation for all. Thank God that Jesus preached what made people uncomfortable and what was virtually impossible for anyone to keep and live up to. Jesus made sure that the religious people of His days did not have anything to brag about.

The Evangelical Church of today and yesterday and probably of the future will continue to walk with the very mindset that Paul warned the Ephesians about in verse 17 of chapter 4. "The vanity (uselessness) of their mind." Friend, if you are in Christ and have embraced the truth of the Gospel as being a work for all, then you are not walking in vanity.
Now, the Evangelical pulpit has made another religious "snag" out of this verse just as they do with every other verse. They immediately connect this verse and others like it with "morality." As if "morality" is what keeps them right with God and assures them that they are the only ones who are part of His family. Yuk!

If anyone has had and is still having their understanding darkened and have alienated themselves from the life of God, through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart concerning the issue of One family instead of two, it would have to be none other than organized Evangelical Christianity and their false teaching doctrines of "good gets God and bad gets beat." Anyone who still sees this Gospel of Grace as being part of the law of Moses is blind, and will never understand that Christ has made "One out of Two."

Friends, religion is a deadly organization of division and exclusion. They live under the doctrine of "Two" families. Their "Two" family teaching out of context doctrine is based on what Paul said in Corinthians concerning "You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of the devil." Again, Paul here is making reference to the self-righteous works of the law of Moses and the grace of God. One cannot serve God by grace and think that they are kept in right standing with God through the law of Moses. That's exactly what the "3 Amigos" did. They divided themselves into two families after they had begun in the Spirit of One.

To be continued...

Grace N Peace

Eddie Narvaez