Ephesians 4:1-4 Sharing the Power of Hope

Ephesians 4:1-4 Sharing the Power of Hope

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling;

(Ephesians 4:1-4 NKJV)

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling;

(Ephesians 4:4 NKJV)

There is one body and one Spirit–just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—

(Ephesians 4:4 ESV)

Paul begins chapter 4 describing the fact that as Christians we should live in a way that brings honor to our calling as a church. We should live in such a way that we take our call seriously. What is that call?

Paul talks about how that call works out – the attitudes and behaviors:

humility

gentleness

patience

love

unity

peace

But these attitudes that we should share come out of a conviction that as Christians we are called. What are we called to do? We are called to share hope.

the eyes of your understanding[3] being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

(Ephesians 1:18 NKJV)

Again in Ephesians, hope comes up.

that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

(Ephesians 2:12 NKJV)

Paul describes the church as a group of foreigners. The church at Ephesus had their own language, and their own culture in common. They may have some similar experiences and cultures, but they had no hope without God in this world.

Without God, we had no hope. God loved us, and He wanted to give us hope. So He allowed Jesus to die on the cross and Christ put to death the separation (Ephesians 2:16 – putting to death the enmity) that was between God and us.

As a result, we have hope. We are no longer no longer foreigners but citizens with God.

Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,

(Ephesians 2:19-20 NKJV)

Because of Jesus Christ, we have hope.

I tried to look at the word hope in the Arabic version of this verse….

دُعِيتُمْ

When I tried to translate that in Google, I got the word “Deitm”.

I tried to find the word “hope” in Arabic. I got the word “Amal”.

أمل

Apparently, there are different words for hope in Arabic.

قشلش

Then word used in this verse is “ragaa”, translated into hope in English. In English, we can say “I hope that someone will visit me today.” This really means: “I wish that someone will visit me today.” Hope is used with uncertainty. Many people say the hope and they don’t think it will happen. As a result, when their “hopes” fail, then they can feel discouraged. They feel like that nothing can happen.

Yet the Christian hope is not like that. Christian hope is certain. When a Christian hopes in God, they can be certain that God will act. Even in the Arabic translation, there is a sense of pleasure. A Christian can enjoy because God is going to act. We can hope in Christ and we know it will happen.

This shade of hope is what we need to share with others. People in this world don’t think they have any hope. They are in despair. The economy is bad. The job is gone. The family is destroyed. This is how they think. They think this way because their hopes are placed in the wrong source.

But we know better. We know where our hope comes from. Our hope is placed in Jesus Christ. He can do all things for us, even after we have looked to other places and people for hope. The challenge for us to share this hope.

I can share this hope by asking to pray for my friends and family who do not know Jesus. I can tell them that Jesus can answer my prayers. Then I ask if I can pray for these people. They will begin to see hope when they see God answer prayer.

This is not easy, especially when I am looked at differently. Race, ethnicity, and religious prejudice can be hard to overcome in order to share hope. But with God’s help, I can.

I can share this hope by telling them how God has helped me. Not in a way that says: “I have what you can’t get.” No, I share a hope from the same circumstances of everyone else. I am a sinner, and I can fail. But God helps me and He has come to me and made me part of His family. I have hoped in God and He was certain to help. You can hope in God and He is certain to help. So share a hope that is placed in the right source God in Jesus Christ. You will not be disappointed.

(Sermon delivered to an Arabic church meeting in the German Baptist church building.)