Going through the Ephesian letter was a deeply enriching experience for me. More so than it has been in time past and I love Ephesians. What has helped with that has been hearing the entire book read from start to finish on a number of occasions. Doing that has allowed me to get a better […]
Read More Exploring Ephesians: EpilogueThere is a war going on. There is a war to be won. It is a war that takes place whether we believe it or not and it’s war that is happening in the unseen realm with repercussions felt in the seen realm. It’s important to see that struggle taking place in the context of […]
Read More Exploring Ephesians: Finally … Win The StruggleIt’s not the most pleasant word in modern, enlightened, liberated, autonomous culture. In that light it’s understandable that some do all manner of contortions to make what Paul outlines in key relationships as fitting with the egalitarian way of thinking. Paul was a product of his times and so we should just appreciate this as […]
Read More Exploring Ephesians: SubmitIt is sometimes easy to get the impression that following Jesus is an individual pursuit. Presentations of the faith gives the feeling that it’s a one time decision that you make to enjoy the good news and then go to heaven when you die. Those presentations obviously didn’t have Paul in mind when they were […]
Read More Exploring Ephesians: For God’s Sake, Grow UpAfter praise and prayer, Paul gives us perspective. This is where we were, this is who we were and this was what we deserved. By we, in as much as Paul’s audience are Gentiles in Ephesus area, the conditions are applicable to us. There is an approach that suggests the good news is based on […]
Read More Exploring Ephesians: In PerspectivePaul is on a roll in the first part of his letter to the Ephesians. He’s painted this glorious explosion of praise at how great this God is that we serve. It’s on that basis as well as the good report that he’s received that pulls him into prayer. The point of that prayer can […]
Read More Exploring Ephesians: Powerful Prayer Points Part OneThat first chapter of Ephesians doesn’t give you time to get settled in at all. A brief introduction and then an explosion of praise. Just reading this first chapter makes a mockery of some people’s response to the invitation of praise resulting in merely parroting the phrase ‘Praise God’ or the lovely foreign version ‘Hallelujah’. […]
Read More Exploring Ephesians: Praise ExplosionI came across this picture from Steve Green’s Facebook page and it struck a profound chord in me. The eternal purposes of God are not spoken about often enough. Seeing salvation as the end goal misses the point of the purpose for which we were created in the first place. We get to work out […]
Read More Exploring Ephesians – A Pivotal VerseWe are indeed privileged to be able to read the letter that is referred to as the letter to the Ephesians. We can indeed read it, but I also love the fact that it was written so its target audience would be able to hear it. More likely than not a gathering would sit and […]
Read More Exploring Ephesians: Just ListenThere’s something about scripture that the more I read it and appreciate the more I’m aware that I need to understand how I can bridge the gap between what it says and how I live. That’s not just an individual consideration. It affects how I view the nature of how we gather as the called […]
Read More Exploring Ephesians: Opening Notes
Life With CD 