IT IS ALL A GIFT FROM GOD, Ephesians 4 & 5, Romans 5: 8-21

Ephesians 4: 1 - 8
“I, therefore, the prisoner of  the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of 
the calling with  which  you were  called, with all  lowliness and gentle-
ness, with  long-suffering,  bearing with one another in  love, endeavo-
ring to  keep the unity of  the Spirit in the bond of peace.  There is one 
body and one Spirit,  just as you  were called in  one hope of  your cal-
ling,  One  Lord,  one faith,  one baptism;  one  God and  Father of  all, 
who is above all, and through all, and in you all.  But to each one of us 
grace was given  according  to  the measure  of  Christ’s gift.  Therefore 
He says:
When He ascended on high,
He led captivity captive,
and gave gifts to men.”

Ephesians 4: 11 - 16
“And  He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evan-
gelists and some  pastors and  teachers for  the equipping of the saints 
for the  work of ministry,  for the edifying  of the body of Christ,  till we 
all come  to the unity of  the  faith and of  the knowledge of  the  Son of 
God,  to a perfect (mature) man,  to the  measure of  the stature of  the
fullness of  Christ;  that we should no longer be children, tossed to and
fro and  carried about  with every wind of  doctrine,  by the  trickery of 
men,  in the cunning  craftiness of deceitful  plotting, but speaking the 
truth  in  love,  may  grow  up  in all  things into  Him  who is  the head-
Christ,from whom  the whole body,  joined and  knit  together by what 
every joint supplies, according to the effective working  by which every 
part does  its share,  causes  growth of  the body for  the edifying of  it-
self in love.”

Ephesians 5: 15 - 21
       “See then that you walk circumspectly,  not as fools but as wise, 
  redeeming the time, because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be 
 unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be 
drunk with wine, in which is dissipation, but be filled with the Spi-
rit,  speaking to  one another  in psalms  and hymns  and  spiritual 
songs, s inging and making melody in your heart to the Lord,  giv-
ing thanks always. for all things to God the Father in the name of
our Lord  Jesus Christ,  submitting to  one  another in  the  fear of 
God.”
         Read Romans 5: 8-21 for more on this gift from our Lord...
         a favorite passage a Scripture;  donporter  10.11.12, 8.11.61 ed.