Hanging Together Ephesians 4:1-16
• Benjamin Franklin said, "We must all hang together, or assuredly we will all hang separately" He said this to the fellow patriots before they signed the Declaration of Independence
1. Hanging Together Works for the ant and I believe it could work for us
• “Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without any chief, officer or ruler, she prepares her food in summer, and gathers her sustenance in harvest.” Proverbs 6:6-8.
• Ants move and lift larger objects by hanging together
• Ants successfully evolve, adjust and survive in many environments as a result of their social organization and their ability to modify habitats, tap resources and defend themselves.
• Ants live in colonies and operate without any central control and that no ant has power over another. Yet they harmoniously perform very complex tasks; including nest building, navigation, foraging, food storage, tending the young, garbage collection and even war.
• When Fire ants in South America have flooding the fire ant link together to build a water tight raft.
2. Ants, lift and move things that seem impossible, but by hanging together they lift and move the seeming impossible.
3. Ants, Survive as a direct result of hanging together
4. Ants as a result of Hanging together perform complex tasks building nests, navigation, storing food
5. Ants by hanging together save each other drop one ant in water and its dead drop a table spoon of ants they live through interconnecting
1. Paul in our text today believes Hanging Together builds the church by using different people.
11It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up
2. Paul tells us to Hang Together in Our Faith and the results will become Mature or Christ Like
13until 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.
• Paul says have faith that causes you to live worthy of the Calling,
• vs 1 I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received
• Hang Together by having Faith with the following as your anchor.
• . Paul says, "2Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love3Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
3. Paul believes that hanging together is done by conducting ones self this way Love and bear with one another
• .Bearing (put up with, enduring,) with one another in love. . 15Instead, live the truth (Faith) by love,. 16From him the whole body joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love
4. Paul encourages the church to hang together in order to become as One as the ant works as one.
• . 4There is one body and one Spirit-- just as you were called to one hope when you were called-- 5one Lord, one faith one baptism; 6one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. .
5. Churches that hang together Involves each other.
If you’re not involved it is your responsibility to get involved
• 16From 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.
Consider the City on the Hill by "Casting Crowns"
And the light began to fade In the City on the Hill, the City on the Hill Each one thought that they knew better But they were different by design Instead of standing strong together They let their differences divide
