<font size="2" face="Verdana">
<p align="justify"><i>Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:3 NIV)</i></p>
<p align="justify">The new creation is a company, it is a 
Body indwelt by the Holy Spirit, actuated by the Holy Spirit, actually made one 
by the Holy Spirit. “<i>In one Spirit were we all baptized into one body</i>” (1 
Cor. 12:13). The oneness is the oneness of the Holy Spirit. “<i>Giving diligence 
to keep the unity of the Spirit</i>” (Eph. 4:3), not to <i>make</i> it but to <i>keep</i> it. 
A new creation.</p>
<p align="justify">Well now, of course that is just the key that 
opens the door to everything when you see what new creation Life means. And with 
that you introduce the whole matter of the proper order, the proper regulated 
order of heavenly Life. Heavenly Life is according to heavenly law. It is not 
lawless. Each member of this body is not a law unto himself or herself. We are 
bound by this integrating, regulating law, that we are not allowed to be 
independent. Here the Holy Spirit forbids it. We are not allowed to take the law 
into our own hands. We are not allowed to act as individuals; the Holy Spirit 
will not allow it. There is a regulating order with this Life. This Life expresses 
itself according to its own laws, as life does in every part of the organic 
creation. It follows its own lines. That part of the creation follows the laws 
of the life which it possesses, and this is the Life of the Spirit, and you have 
not to organize or systematize this. Immediately you begin to do it, you bring 
death in. It is as fatal to try and make a New Testament church after the New 
Testament pattern as it is to have no pattern at all! It can be deathly to do 
that. The thing happens if the Life has its way. We have learned this, yet, much 
as we know about the truth, we are still so much governed by our own natural 
life, even in our spiritual activities. There is disorder and running before the 
Spirit. However, we are all in the school, and we are just stating the laws, the 
principles and the truth that here you have no need to go and organize something on 
a New Testament basis. It will come about if the Holy Spirit is really having 
His way in terms of Life.</p>



</font>

<p>This devotional contains short daily portions from a selection of Mr. Austin-Sparks' messages. In his own words, “Perhaps this is just like a window opened into heaven. If you get the right window you can see quite a lot. You can see great things and you can see far things. But the best that I can hope is that this has just opened a window, and that as you look through it you are seeing one thing - how superior is Jesus Christ to all else, and how superior is the dispensation into which we have come, and how superior are all the resources at our disposal to all that ever was before!” </p><p>Open Windows messages have been selected and compiled by Austin-Sparks.Net from the works of T. Austin-Sparks. In some cases they appear in abridged form. The introductory verse and its associated Bible version have been selected by the editor and did not always appear within the original message.</p>

Open Windows

The Testimony of the Christ - Chapter 7

 The Testimony of the Christ 

<p>There is one body and one Spirit. § Through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.<br><br>Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard, the beard of Aaron, running down on the edge of his garments.<br><br>Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart.</p>

Daily Light on the Daily Path or Daily Light is a Christian daily devotional scripture reading published by Bagster & Sons about 1875. It has been reprinted continually since then. It consists of brief groupings of scripture passages which speak to prominent Biblical themes—two themes (morning and evening) for each day of the year. It appends no commentary, but simply allows scripture to speak for itself.

Evening Daily Light

 Keep the unity of the Spirit. 

<p>I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. § Good and upright is the Lord; therefore He teaches sinners in the way. The humble He guides in justice, and the humble He teaches His way. All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth, to such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.<br><br>That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.<br><br>I … beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness … endeavoring 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 calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.</p>

Morning Daily Light

 I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me forever, for the good of them and their children after them. 

<font size="2" face="Verdana">
<p align="justify"><i>Strive earnestly to guard and keep the harmony and oneness of the Spirit in the binding power of peace. 
(Ephesians 4:3 AMP) 
</i></p>

<p align="justify">Oneness in Christ as a Body fitly framed together is what is portrayed. How 
is this perfect unity reached? By all that is individual and personal being 
left, by the Lord being the focal center, and by our giving diligence to 
maintain the unity in that way; keeping all personal things out, and keeping 
Christ and His interests always in view.... This is not visionary, 
imaginative, or merely idealistic, it is very practical. You and I will discover 
that there are working elements of divisiveness, things creeping in amongst us 
to set us apart. The enemy is always seeking to do that, and the things that 
rise up to get in between the Lord's people and put up a barrier are countless; 
a sense of strain and of distance, for example, of discord and of unrelatedness. 
Sometimes they are more of an abstract character; that is, you can never lay 
your hand upon them and explain them, and say what they are; it is just a sense 
of something. Sometimes it is more positive, a distinct and definite 
misunderstanding, a misinterpretation of something said or done, something laid 
hold of; and of course, it is always exaggerated by the enemy.</p>
<p align="justify">How is that kind of thing to be dealt with in order to keep the unity of the 
Spirit? Rightly, adequately on this basis alone, by our saying: "This is not to 
the Lord's interests; this can never be of value to the Lord; this can never be 
to His glory and satisfaction; this can only mean injury to the Lord." What I 
may feel in the matter is not the vital consideration. I may even be the wronged 
party, but am I going to feel wronged and hurt? Am I going to stand on my 
dignity? Am I going to shut myself up and go away, because I have been wronged? 
That is how nature would have it, but I must take this attitude: "The Lord 
stands to lose, the Lord's Name stands to suffer, the Lord's interests are 
involved in this; I must get on top of this; I must get the better of this; I 
must shake this thing off and not allow it to affect my attitude, my conduct, my 
feelings toward this brother or sister!" There must be the putting aside of that 
which <i>we </i>feel, 
and even of our rights for the Lord's sake, and a getting on top of this enemy 
effort to injure the Lord's testimony. That is giving diligence to keep the 
unity.... Life is by 
unity, and unity can only adequately be found in Christ being in His place as 
the One for whom we let go everything that is personal. We might not do it for 
the sake of anyone else. We might never do it for the sake of the person in 
view. We do it for His sake, and the enemy is defeated. </p>




</font>

All Things in Christ - Chapter 8

 Oneness in Christ 

<p>A revolutionary insight! The gifts in <span class="scriptRef" ref="eph+4:1-32">Ephesians 4:1-32</span> are given to perfect the saints for the work of the ministry. As soon as the saints can carry on, the gift can move on.</p><p>This means that success in Christian work is working one's self out of a job in the shortest possible time, then looking for new worlds to conquer.</p><p>This is what Paul did. He went to Thessalonica, for instance, preached to the Jews for three Sabbaths, and left behind a functioning assembly. No doubt that was an exception as far as speed in the establishing of a work was concerned. The longest Paul ever stayed in one place at a time was two years. That was at Ephesus.</p><p>God never intended that His saints should be perpetually dependent on any of the gifts mentioned. The gifts are expendable. If the saints remain professional sermon-tasters, never becoming involved in the work of service, they never develop spiritually the way they should and the world will never be evangelized the way God intended.</p><p>William Dillon said that a successful foreign missionary never has a foreign successor. That should be equally true of workers in the homeland - when the worker's task is completed, the saints themselves should take over, not start looking for another pulpiteer.</p><p>Too often we preachers look at our position as a lifetime appointment. We reason that others couldn't do the work as well. We excuse our permanence by the fact that the attendance would drop if we left. We complain that others can't do things right and that they're not dependable. But the fact is that they have to learn. And in order to learn they have to be given opportunities. There must be training, delegation of responsibilities, and evaluation of progress.</p><p>When the saints reach the point where they feel they can carry on without a particular preacher or teacher, that's no reason for him to sulk or nurse wounded feelings. It's cause for celebration. The worker is released to go where he's more needed.</p><p>It's a bad scene when the work of God is permanently built around a man, no matter how gifted he is. His great aim should be to multiply his effectiveness by building up the saints to the point where they are no longer dependent on him. In a world like ours, he never needs to be without work in other places. </p><p> </p>

With reverence, humor and skill, William MacDonald wove a daily devotional tapestry that challenges the reader to think deeply and Biblically, and apply God's Word to their lives.

Truths to Live By - One Day at a Time

"For the equipping of the saints for the work of service," (Ephesians 4:12, NASB)

<p><span class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold">For Reading and Meditation:</span><br><span class="italic">     <span class="scriptRef" ref="ps+136:1-26">Psalm 136:1-26</span></span></p><p>The Trinity is implicit in the whole Bible from the beginning, though it might not be evident to someone unfamiliar with the Book who started reading at Genesis until they had reached the books of the New Testament. Ian Macpherson, in his book The Faith Once Delivered, says that when the island now known as Trinidad was discovered by Columbus, he thought at first it was three islands as all he could see was three hills silhouetted against the sky. However, when he got closer, he found that what he had seen was not three islands at all but just one island. From a distance it looked like three, but close up it was only one. Hence he named the island "Trinidad," Spanish for "Trinity." That is the kind of experience you get when reading the Word of God. At first it seems as if the Bible is talking about three Gods, but as you go deeper into the Scriptures you discover there are not three Gods but one - one God in three Persons. It must be noted though that it is not only in isolated texts that one encounters the doctrine of the Trinity. The very concept of God's love presupposes plurality in the Godhead. Love, to be love, must have an object. Self-love is love's opposite. Since God (as we shall see more closely in a few days' time) is eternal love, He must have had objects of eternal affection. The objects of His affection were the Son and the Spirit. The doctrine of the Trinity, therefore, is not only theologically but logically necessary to an understanding of the nature of the Deity.</p><p class="center-it italic bold mlr40 mtb20">Father, help me understand that a being fully comprehended could not be God. In Your unfathomable depths all my thoughts are drowned. Symbolically I remove my shoes, for I sense I stand on holy ground. Amen.</p><div class="tl-lightgrey mt20 pt20 flexbox-row-wrap jc-around"><div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">AdditionalVerses</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="eph+4:1-6">Ephesians 4:1-6</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="de+4:35">Deuteronomy 4:35</span>  <span class="scriptRef" ref="ps+83:18">Psalm 83:18</span>  <span class="scriptRef" ref="1co+8:4">1 Corinthians 8:4</span></li></ul></div>

<div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">Questions to Consider</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>What did Paul confirm to the Ephesians and the Corinthians?</li><li>What was the psalmist's conviction?</li></ul></div></div>

Let a little light into your soul every day with this wonderful devotional from English pastor Selwyn Hughes.

Every Day Light with Selwyn Hughes

"Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever." (v. 2)

<p><span class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold">For Reading and Meditation:</span><br><span class="italic">     <span class="scriptRef" ref="2co+13:1-14">2 Corinthians 13:1-14</span></span></p><p>As we conclude our study of the Beatitudes it is time for us to take a simple test. Ask yourself the following questions and see how many of Christ's "beautiful attitudes" have been assimilated into your life: 1. Am I trying to grasp things from God's hands or are my hands relaxed and empty so that I might receive? 2. Do I shrink from painful experiences or do I welcome them in the knowledge that they will make me a more sensitive person? 3. Am I so sure of God and His resources that I am free from a spirit of demandingness and over-concern? 4. Is my goal to be happy, or is it to be holy? Am I more taken up with getting pleasure out of God than I am with giving pleasure to God? 5. Do I have a deep compassion and concern for the plight of others? 6. Is my heart clean and pure? Have I experienced an inner cleansing that has reached to the deepest depths? 7. Am I a reconciler - one who seeks to reconcile others to God and, where necessary, to each other? 8. Am I so identified with Christ that I experience the hatred which the world gives to those who remind them of Him? Don't be discouraged if you can't see all of these "beautiful attitudes" at work in your life. Remember, we grow in grace. Ask God, however, to help you absorb more and more of His "beautiful attitudes" day by day. The more you have, the more you are to be envied. Possess them all - and you are truly blessed. </p><p class="center-it italic bold mlr40 mtb20">Lord Jesus, I have listened to Your words and I realise now the Word must become flesh - in me. I want the balance of my days here on earth to reflect, not my attitudes, but Yours. Help me, for Your own Name's sake. Amen.</p><div class="tl-lightgrey mt20 pt20 flexbox-row-wrap jc-around"><div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">AdditionalVerses</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="eph+4:1-15">Ephesians 4:1-15</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="heb+6:1">Hebrews 6:1</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="2pe+3:18">2 Peter 3:18</span></li></ul></div>

<div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">Questions to Consider</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>What are we to go on to?</li><li>What 'beautiful attitude' will you reflect today?</li></ul></div></div>

"Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves." (v. 5)

<p><span class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold">For Reading and Meditation:</span><br><span class="italic">     <span class="scriptRef" ref="eph+4:1-16">Ephesians 4:1-16</span></span></p><p>In his autobiography, A King's Story, the Duke of Windsor told of a strange thing that happened at the funeral of his father, King George V. He described how, as his father's body was being conveyed on a draped gun carriage through the crowded streets of London, a mishap occurred which only those closest to the scene witnessed. The imperial crown, removed from the Tower of London, had been placed over the Royal Standard and secured to the lid of the coffin. However, the jolting of the vehicle caused the Maltese Cross, which surmounts the crown, to fall. "Suddenly," said the Duke, "out of the corner of my eye, I caught a flash of light dancing along the pavement. One of the sailors, marching behind the gun carriage, picked it up, took it to his commanding officer, and said, 'This cross fell off, Sir. It must be replaced.' The officer was a little bewildered by the untoward happening and said: 'Must it be replaced now?' 'Yes Sir,' replied the sailor, 'The crown is never complete without the cross.' " In Christian terms the converse is also true - the cross is not complete without the crown. The ascension inevitably followed the atonement; the coronation the crucifixion. One writer says: "One senses a certain embarrassment in some ministers where the subject of the ascension is concerned. They tend to shy clear of the topic or dismiss it lightly as no more than a graphic myth or triumphalist parable." But if there had been no ascension there would be no gospel. The cross would not be complete without the crown.</p><p class="center-it italic bold mlr40 mtb20">O Father, how can I ever sufficiently thank You that the work of salvation is complete. Nothing more needs to be done than has been done. Your Coronation spells it out in the clearest of terms. I am so deeply, deeply grateful. Amen.</p><div class="tl-lightgrey mt20 pt20 flexbox-row-wrap jc-around"><div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">AdditionalVerses</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="heb+1:1-9">Hebrews 1:1-9</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="lu+22:69">Luke 22:69</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="col+1:18">Colossians 1:18</span></li></ul></div>

<div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">Questions to Consider</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>What did God the Father say about the Son?</li><li>What did God the Father say to the Son?</li></ul></div></div>

"He ... ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe." (v. 10)

<p> <sup class="verse-number">3</sup> Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.</p>

Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Ephesians 4:3

 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

In 1604, King James I of England authorized that a new translation of the Bible into English be started. It was finished in 1611, just 85 years after the first translation of the New Testament into English appeared (Tyndale, 1526). The Authorized Version, or King James Version, quickly became the standard for English-speaking Protestants. Its flowing language and prose rhythm has had a profound influence on the literature of the past 400 years. The King James Version present on the Bible Gateway matches the 1987 printing. The KJV is public domain in the United States.

OT: Masoretic Text, some LXX and Vulgate influence.
NT: Textus Receptus, similar to the Byzantine text-type; some readings derived from the Vulgate.
Apocrypha: Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate.

Ephesians 4:3 KJV

Ephesians 4:3 KJV

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