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Recap of 7/25/10:
1. Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3:14-21 is one of the great prayers of the Bible, yet if we get lost in the rapturous language of the prayer we are in danger of missing the very practical nature of Paul’s request. Paul’s great desire is that what the Ephesians know in theory, they may live out in reality and so that is the crux of his prayer. It is not enough for a believer to hold a truth intellectually (such as the truth Paul taught in Ephesians 2:11-3:13 that in the church Jew and Gentile are one, what he calls a new man…one body) but must make that truth a part of our lives.
2. If we are going to make the Word of God a reality in our lives, we must:
-grow spiritually in the inner person, vs. 16
-yield more and more of our lives to Christ, vs. 17a
-grasp more and more both intellectually and experientially the love of Christ, vs. 17b-19a
-be more and more a reflection of God’s character, vs. 19b
3. This is Paul’s desire for Christians and thus his prayer.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
The Power To Press On
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Recap of 7/18/10:
1. Though Paul was a prisoner of the Roman government, he calls himself “the prisoner of Christ Jesus” in Ephesians 3:1. We will see ourselves as victims of circumstances or of others or we will see ourselves as servants of Jesus Christ who is Lord of our circumstances. “One’s point of view makes all the difference in the world.” (Wm. Barclay).
2. Lessons we can learn about ministry from Paul’s ministry:
-the empowerment for ministry must come from God. If we seek to minister in our own strength we will tire, become discouraged, and quit.
-the attitude of ministry must be one of humility. Pride leads to competition with others and separation from them, true biblical humility is attractive to others, especially non-believers.
-the scope of ministry is the privilege of reaching out to Jew and Gentile alike with the good news when one receives Christ they are accepted on an equal footing and receives the exhaustible spiritual riches of relationship with God through Christ.
-the purpose of ministry is to demonstrate to the watching world of men and of angels the wisdom of God in uniting in one body all who trust Christ as Savior.
-the sufferings of ministry, though Paul is in prison he is not the one discouraged, but instead encourages the Ephesians not to quit. Ministry brings conflict and suffering. When we feel the least productive and the most near failure we must persevere in faith knowing that God’s works in our weakness (Habakkuk 3:17-19).
Recap of 7/18/10:
1. Though Paul was a prisoner of the Roman government, he calls himself “the prisoner of Christ Jesus” in Ephesians 3:1. We will see ourselves as victims of circumstances or of others or we will see ourselves as servants of Jesus Christ who is Lord of our circumstances. “One’s point of view makes all the difference in the world.” (Wm. Barclay).
2. Lessons we can learn about ministry from Paul’s ministry:
-the empowerment for ministry must come from God. If we seek to minister in our own strength we will tire, become discouraged, and quit.
-the attitude of ministry must be one of humility. Pride leads to competition with others and separation from them, true biblical humility is attractive to others, especially non-believers.
-the scope of ministry is the privilege of reaching out to Jew and Gentile alike with the good news when one receives Christ they are accepted on an equal footing and receives the exhaustible spiritual riches of relationship with God through Christ.
-the purpose of ministry is to demonstrate to the watching world of men and of angels the wisdom of God in uniting in one body all who trust Christ as Savior.
-the sufferings of ministry, though Paul is in prison he is not the one discouraged, but instead encourages the Ephesians not to quit. Ministry brings conflict and suffering. When we feel the least productive and the most near failure we must persevere in faith knowing that God’s works in our weakness (Habakkuk 3:17-19).
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Tearing Down Walls
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Recap of 7/11/10:
1. “God looks upon all [people] as either Jews, Gentiles, or the church (1 Corinthians 10:32). When one accepts the Lord Jesus Christ, whether he be Jew or Gentile, he is no longer such in the sight of God, but a member of the body of Christ.” (Alfred Martin)
2. Paul teaches in Ephesians 2:14-22 that:
-The cross provides reconciliation between people, vv. 14, 15 (in the context Paul speaks of Jews and Gentiles who are reconciled to each other by the cross)
-The cross provides reconciliation between people and God, vs. 16
-The cross provides access directly to the Father, vv. 17, 18
-The cross provides for a new kind of temple, a spiritual building in which believers are living stones, vv. 19-22
3. The word translated “temple” in this passage is the Greek word naos (meaning the Holy of Holies of the actual Temple). The New Testament uses the word naos of: individual believers (1 Corinthians 6:19,20); of the local church (1 Corinthians 3:16,17); and of the church universal (Ephesians 2:19-22).
Recap of 7/11/10:
1. “God looks upon all [people] as either Jews, Gentiles, or the church (1 Corinthians 10:32). When one accepts the Lord Jesus Christ, whether he be Jew or Gentile, he is no longer such in the sight of God, but a member of the body of Christ.” (Alfred Martin)
2. Paul teaches in Ephesians 2:14-22 that:
-The cross provides reconciliation between people, vv. 14, 15 (in the context Paul speaks of Jews and Gentiles who are reconciled to each other by the cross)
-The cross provides reconciliation between people and God, vs. 16
-The cross provides access directly to the Father, vv. 17, 18
-The cross provides for a new kind of temple, a spiritual building in which believers are living stones, vv. 19-22
3. The word translated “temple” in this passage is the Greek word naos (meaning the Holy of Holies of the actual Temple). The New Testament uses the word naos of: individual believers (1 Corinthians 6:19,20); of the local church (1 Corinthians 3:16,17); and of the church universal (Ephesians 2:19-22).
Wednesday, July 07, 2010
Celebrate Freedom
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Recap of 7/4/10:
1. Through Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on Calvary, those who believe (trust) in Him have freedom from sin and from death. The absolute power of sin and of death over us is broken by the cross (1 Corinthians 15:55-57). As expressed by Vance Havner: “It is total victory over sin, death, and the grave. It is daily victory. Every heart ought to be a ‘victory garden.’ And it is final victory.”
2. We are now to live freely: “Christ has set us free to live a free life.” (Galatians 5:1,The Message). Free from the law of Moses, free from the legalism of other Christians. For some Christians living in freedom is uncomfortable.
3. This freedom brings with it responsibility; responsibility to live in love and to live under the control of the Holy Spirit. Though the domination of sin has been broken in the believer’s life there is still a principle within us (the sin nature or flesh) through which sin seeks to control us. When we yield to the sin nature it produces selfishness and all kinds of disorder in our lives (Galatians 5:19-21). When we yield to the Holy Spirit’s control over our lives, He produces the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22,23) which is the character of Jesus Christ.
Recap of 7/4/10:
1. Through Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on Calvary, those who believe (trust) in Him have freedom from sin and from death. The absolute power of sin and of death over us is broken by the cross (1 Corinthians 15:55-57). As expressed by Vance Havner: “It is total victory over sin, death, and the grave. It is daily victory. Every heart ought to be a ‘victory garden.’ And it is final victory.”
2. We are now to live freely: “Christ has set us free to live a free life.” (Galatians 5:1,The Message). Free from the law of Moses, free from the legalism of other Christians. For some Christians living in freedom is uncomfortable.
3. This freedom brings with it responsibility; responsibility to live in love and to live under the control of the Holy Spirit. Though the domination of sin has been broken in the believer’s life there is still a principle within us (the sin nature or flesh) through which sin seeks to control us. When we yield to the sin nature it produces selfishness and all kinds of disorder in our lives (Galatians 5:19-21). When we yield to the Holy Spirit’s control over our lives, He produces the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22,23) which is the character of Jesus Christ.
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