God Wants the Church to Grow in Godliness, Not in Gentilishness

There is a greater purpose to your gift than simply causing growth with it. What is the ultimate purpose of your gift? The answer to this question can be found below in the conclusion that Paul made about what causes the growth of the church.   

“each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. So this I say [in conclusion to and in light of working properly to cause the growth of the church], and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles [pagans] also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. But you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as the truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. Therefore, laying aside…” (vs. 16-25).

And then, Paul, throughout the rest of this letter, spoke against forms of Gentile sensual enjoyment which members of the Christian church must not participate in or practice, but instead lay aside. As stated above, “the Gentiles…have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind”. Paul’s point here is about being spiritual vs. sensual.  

But someone might say,

“The Bible says that God has given us everything to enjoy.” This is correct (1 Tim 6:17), but only in the sense of enjoying good vs. bad things. For example, sin is enjoyable. Even Moses had to decide not to “enjoy the passing pleasures of sin” (He 11:25). He had to lay aside several forms of Gentile sensuality that were enjoyable to him in the Egyptian culture. Likewise, you will need to decide to lay aside certain enjoyable, but sensual Gentile/Pagan activities in your life and worship of God. Sensuality is the opposite of spirituality.

Jesus Said that Sensuality, the Opposite of Spirituality, Is a Serious Sin, A Log vs. a Speck!

Sensuality is a log of sin, not a speck. Jesus clearly indicated this when he called sensuality “evil” [i.e. wicked] and categorized it together with other logs of sin, like murder, sexual immorality, and lying, etc. 

"For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man" (Mk 7:21-23).

So each member must look at, scrutinize, evaluate, determine, and judge his activities and habits in and outside the church to determine if they are a form of Gentile sensual enjoyment. And when you figure out that one of your activities is a form of sensuality that the Gentiles practice, then lay it aside. Put it down. Don’t pick it up. Or do whatever else you need to do to separate or make yourself holy from that enjoyable activity. There are many forms of Gentile sensual enjoyment. Paul spoke against some of them in the rest of his letter to the church in Ephesus. Below, they are listed chronologically in the order in which Paul spoke against them.

Lay Aside Forms of Gentile Sensual Enjoyment

“therefore… walk no longer just as the Gentiles… they… have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness”

1. The Sensuality of Falsehood [Eph 4:15]

2. The Sensuality of Remaining Angry

3. The Sensuality of Giving the Devil an Opportunity [Flirting with Evil / Inviting]

4. The Sensuality of Stealing

5. The Sensuality of Profanity

6. The Sensuality of Grieving the Holy Spirit

7. The Sensuality of Bitterness

8. The Sensuality of Wrath

9. The Sensuality of Anger

10. The Sensuality of Clamor

11. The Sensuality of Slander

12. The Sensuality of Malice

13. The Sensuality of Sexual Immorality

14. The Sensuality of Impurity

15. The Sensuality of Greed

16. The Sensuality of Filthy Talk

17. The Sensuality of Silly Talk

18. The Sensuality of Coarse Jokes

19. The Sensuality of Idolatry in the Form of Covetousness [i.e. selfishness]

20. The Sensuality of Idolatry   

21. The Sensuality of Participating with Unfruitful Deeds

22. The Sensuality of Speaking about Unfruitful Deeds

23. The Sensuality of Living Unwisely

24. The Sensuality of Wasting Time

25. The Sensuality of Not Understanding the Will of the Lord

26. The Sensuality of Getting Drunk

27. The Sensuality of Disorderly Homes

28. The Sensuality of Raising Angry Undisciplined Children

29. The Sensuality of Disrespectful, Discourteous, & Disobedient Workers

30. The Sensuality of Disrespectful, Discourteous, & Bully Type Employers

31. The Sensuality of Not Being Prepared for the Day of Evil/Spiritual Battles

Warning!

There are many other forms of Gentile sensual enjoyment, both logs and specks, that each member must shrug off, like the sensuality of certain media, the sensuality of certain sports, the sensuality of certain jobs, the sensuality of certain relationships, the sensuality of certain forms of recreation, the sensuality of certain adornment, etc.

Conclusion

The ultimate purpose of your gift is to cause the church to grow in spirituality vs. sensuality. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are obviously spiritual. The result of using them then ought to be spiritual. This is why Paul concluded about using the gifts of the Holy Spirit to cause the church to grow that it ought to definitely cause members to stop living like the Gentiles because they live in various forms of sensuality and are ignorant of the way of holiness [i.e. spirituality] in Christ Jesus (Eph 4:16-24). As a member of the Christian church, you have a holy and sacred responsibility to use your gift to help your fellow members to grow in such a way so as to abstain from practicing or quit practicing forms of Gentile sensuality that exist in the culture around them. God does not only call sinners to salvation, He also calls them to live a holy life (2 Tim 1:9). Salvation without holiness is not salvation at all. And the Christian life without holiness is not the Christian life at all; it is pagan. Yet improperly working members have been known to cause the church to grow in sensuality, like the prophet Balaam. He used his gift to lead the Israelites into serious forms of Gentile sensuality (Re 2:14).         

But What Are You Doing with Your Gift to Cause the Growth of the Christian Church? What Kind of Member Are You? Are You Using Your Talent to Make the Church Grow Spiritually or Sensually?

Now Complete the Test on Gifts 1

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