I’m so excited to conclude our reset series. The subtitle has been «Big Mad, Big Mad» for the past few weeks as we’ve been resetting our emotions. I want to close this out tonight, and I’m really looking forward to it. A couple of things I want to address: I want you to be an electronic evangelist. That’s right! Part of our mission is to help as many people as possible change their lives. One way you can help us do that is by depending on what platform you’re using. Especially if you’re on YouTube, I want you to press that like button. Press the like button not because I need to know how many people like me—there are always people who press the dislike button—but because it helps us. It increases our presence on people’s feeds. It’s a way that you can contribute to the algorithm. I can’t tell you how many stories I’ve heard. Where was I this past weekend? Oh yes, I was in Cleveland, Atlanta, and Orlando, and I ran into people in every city who said, «I was just watching YouTube, and you kept popping up in my feed.» They pressed the button, and it blessed them and added so much value to their lives. So, when you do that, you are positioning others to be blessed.
On that Facebook platform, y’all are on another level! You all are sharing, and I’m just so honored by that. Man, we are excited! If you’re from the den and you’re in here, put «big energy» in that chat! Put «big energy,» and we are going to dive into this lesson. Remember, we edify one another here. This means when there are thoughts, concepts, ideas, and sticky statements that stand out to you, what I want you to do is put that in the chat. Some people are visual learners, and rehearsing it and putting it in front of them will help them retain it.
Alright, I want to end this reset teaching by sharing what we will do next. Starting next week, at the beginning of July, I will share that with you at the end of our lesson today, and I think you’re going to find it really exciting. I am super excited about it!
Now, listen to this. We’ve been exploring Ephesians 4:27, and that’s where we’re going to land today. There’s this last clause that I feel we need to give attention to, which says, «Do not give the devil a foothold.» But first, I want to give some context to Paul’s conversation here, and I actually want to jump up to verse 17 very briefly. I’m going to summarize this; I’m not going to exegete all this. I want to walk us into some truth tonight.
This is what Paul is saying. Man, this is so interesting to me. In Ephesians 4:17, he says, «I tell you this and insist on it in the Lord: You must no longer live as the Gentiles do in the futility of their thinking.» My gosh, I want you to catch this! Notice what he says in verse 17. He says, «You must no longer live as the Gentiles do in the futility of their thinking.» Now, Paul is writing to believers in Ephesus, and this letter is being circulated to them. It’s not being circulated to unbelievers. The intended audience is believers, but he tells them, «I insist, I implore that you no longer live as Gentiles.»
When he uses the word «Gentiles,» he’s talking about people who are not in a covenant relationship with God. Believing in the existence of a God is not the same as having a relationship with that God. Let’s come out of the gate swinging: believing in the existence of a God is not the same as having a relationship with God. I don’t simply benefit from merely believing in the existence of something. Believing in the existence of God does not necessarily provide any benefits.
Let me explain what I mean: I can believe in the existence of an airplane and never benefit from it. The Bible talks about belief, doesn’t it? Of course, I’m not undermining belief, but when the Bible talks about belief, it refers to faith. The book of James speaks about this when he makes the argument that belief in God is not the same as having a relationship with God. James is quoted as saying, «Well, you say you believe in the existence of a God? You do well. Even the demons believe and tremble.» So, he says believing in the existence of God is not necessarily sufficient.
