Living as Children of Light

(or Some BE’s in the Kingdom)
From Ephesians 4:17 to 5:21

This was the word the Lord gave me, which I shared during my cell group meeting last Saturday (August 23). My cell group leader, Jesse, shared the other Saturday (August 16) his vision for the Davidic Generation (the group’s name) which was to bring people from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of God; to establish Christian values in the lives of people; to train then for leadership; and to impact the community with Kingdom standards.

I believe this message that the Lord downloaded to me is in line with this vision. I believe these are some practical ways we, as children of light, can walk out our lives in Kingdom values, standards and principles.

The Apostle Paul admonishes the church in Ephesus in a section of his letter called Living as Children of Light (chapter 4, verse 17 to chapter 5, verse 21).

As I was pondering on this passage, the Lord gave me 8 BE’s that can be found in Paul’s exhortation. I believe the Lord wanted this shared to the group because everyone of us needs to have some practical applications to Kingdom principles.

1. BE SET APART FROM YOUR OLD SELF
Ephesians 4:17-19, 22 – we are to put off our old self and leave old attitudes behind

2. BE RENEWED IN CHRIST
Ephesians 4:20-24 – we are to put on the mind of Christ, wear the attitude of Christ and be covered with the blood of Christ

3. BE A LOVER OF TRUTH
Ephesians 4:25; 5:11-13 – there must be no lies, no falsehood and no half-truths in our lives; we also must speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15)

4. BE IMITATORS OF GOD
Ephesians 5:1-2 – as sons of the King, we must follow and emulate our God; how? By looking to Jesus as our standard

5. BE SANCTIFIED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT
Ephesians 4:26-31; 5:3-7 – our bodies and minds are sinful by nature; our flesh is constantly at war with our spirit and with our God; we must allow the Holy Spirit to purify us, sanctify and make us holy.

6. BE KIND AND COMPASSIONATE TO ONE ANOTHER
Ephesians 4:32; 5:19-26 – several times the scripture mentions phrases like “prefer one another in love”, “serve one another in love”, and “encourage one another in love”; there has to be that desire to build up others and to edify the body of Christ

7. BE CAREFUL HOW YOU LIVE
Ephesians 5:14-16 – one of the words the Holy Spirit has released for this season is “militant”. I believe now more than ever we need to be watchful of the schemes and tactics of the enemy. At the same time we need to be vigilant about the condition and the attitude of our hearts; remember: the enemy is a roaring lion just waiting around to devour someone.

8. BE AWARE OF GOD’S WILL
Ephesians 5:17-18; 5:8-10 – as children of God, we must know what pleases our Father; as citizens of the Kingdom, we must know what the King says about the Kingdom and about us; we should know what we ought to do as subject of His reign; Romans 12:1-2 tells us, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

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ps: i couldn't find an image of the letters B and E together. i thought the photo of Jerry Seinfeld's character in Bee Movie might work.