18/05/2026
ECWA FOOD FOR THE DAY - 2026
*MONDAY, 18 MAY*
*TEXT: EPHESIANS 4:1-16*
*TOPIC: THE UNITY OF THE FAITH*
*EPHESIANS 4:1-16 [NIV]*
1: As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.
2: Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
3: Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
4: There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called—
5: one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
6: one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
7: But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.
8: This is why it says:
“When he ascended on high,
he led captives in his train
and gave gifts to men.”
9: (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions?
10: He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)
11: It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,
12: to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up
13: until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
14: Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.
15: Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.
16: From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
*THE UNITY OF THE FAITH*
In today's text, Paul describes how the unity in chapter 2 can be maintained.
He insisted this can only be done when the believers "walk in a manner worthy of the Calling to which" they have been called, "with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace [vs.1-3].
God provided the instruments that will be responsible for reminding the new united body of how to live this new "walk!" [v.7]. They include "apostles, the Prophets, the evangelists, the Shepherds [Pastors] and teachers" [v11].
Their are assigned task is to "build up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the son of God, to mature to manhood, to the measure of the Stature of the fullness of Christ" [vs.12-13]. This is how the church is meant to live, mature and be able to overcome many false doctrines that are going on around us.
*QUESTION:* Are you primarily concerned with denominational unity or the unity of the faith in Christ Jesus?
*PRAYER:* Dear God, help me to live a life that promotes the unity of the body of Christ without compromising the gospel, in Jesus' name. Amen.