Key Passages:
“You are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers; just as you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His ownkingdom and glory.” (I Thessalonians 2:10-12)
“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of
the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing forbearance to one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:1-3)
“Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ; so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; in no way alarmed by your opponents – which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God.” (Philippians 1:27-28)
“For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power; according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.” (Colossians 1:9-12)
Why did God choose Israel to be His people?
- Well, it wasn’t because they were more in number than any of the peoples on the earth but because they were the fewest that He loved them and chose them (Deuteronomy 7:6-8). God can work with a little to accomplish a lot!
- It was to fulfill His promise to Abraham that through his descendants all the nations of the earth would be blessed. Seventy of his descendants went down to Egypt and years later they became as numerous as the stars of heaven and as the sand on the seashore (Genesis 22:17-18; Deuteronomy 10:22).
- It was so that He could call them by name and that they would be His (Isaiah 43:1-3). He wanted them to be His treasured possession (Deuteronomy 26:18), so that through these people He could make a name for Himself (II Samuel 7:23-24).
How does God call mankind to Himself today and why?
- According to II Thessalonians 2:14 God calls us through the gospel:
“And it was for this, He called you through the gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Why is it so special that God calls us?
- It demonstrates how much God loves and cares for us and how He’s so considerate of our needs both physically and spiritually
- It provides us with tremendous self-worth (if God called me then I must be really worth something). David writes, “When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained; what is man, that Thou dost take thought of him? And the son of man, that Thou dost care for him?” (Psalms 8:3-4)
- The call of God came at a great price (It pleased God to crush His only begotten Son, putting Him to grief so that His Son, Jesus, could justify many (Isaiah 53:10-11)
Why did God call us?
- It was not only that we would gain the glory of Christ but that we would glorify Him. Why would God sacrifice so much if we are required to sacrifice so little? That doesn’t make sense, does it? Paul says, “For you
have been bought with a price (the greatest price). Therefore, glorify God in
your body.” (I Corinthians 6:20).
- As much as it is an honor and privilege to be called of God, it also carries with it a heavy responsibility. Ask anyone called by God in the Old & New Testaments and they’ll confirm that fact. Moses was called from the burning bush; Saul was called by Jesus on the road to Damascus. It was marvellous for them to experience the calling of God but perhaps not so exciting to realize why God called them. Moses tried to excuse himself from obeying the call of God, didn’t he? Paul, on the other hand, got right to the job at hand.
- Yes, God calls us for a reason. That call would certainly pertain to our salvation and the need for us to reach out and try to save others through the gospel. But we have also been called as Christians to walk in a manner worthy of His calling
Walking in a manner worthy of His calling
- It simply means to walk in a way that shows God how appreciative we are for the walk that His Son took on our behalf for our salvation
- It means beginning a new walk in comparison to our old walk; that we no longer walk as we used to walk but now we’ll be wise in our Christian walk (Ephesians 5:15)
- It’s a walk that reflects how considerate we are in obeying the will of God. He is now number one in our life; in all our decisions and actions we take
- It is a walk that reveals how unworthy we really are in light of what God has done for us. We should be unworthy slaves just doing what we ought to do because of the love the Master has bestowed upon us (Luke 17:6-10). We love because He first loved us; we forgive others because He forgives us; we say “No!” to ourselves because He said “No!” to Himself. We are able to accomplish what God wants us to because Jesus was able to and He dwells within us (John14:23).
Consider the Christian walk discussed by Paul in Ephesians 4:17-32
- Be renewed in the spirit of your mind (Vs 23)
- Put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth (Vs 24)
- From verses 25-32 Paul, in great detail, lists a number of things that are required in one putting on the new self. If Christians can accomplish these things as well as others mentioned in Ephesians 5:1-33 they will be walking in a manner worthy of God calling them
Walking In a Manner Worthy of the God Who Called Us is to walk in the way that pleases Him with an attitude of extreme appreciation. As Paul aptly states, “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to Good the Father.” (Colossians 3:17)
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