SOULJournal

Ephesians 6

SCRIPTURE
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ² “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— ³ “that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”

OBSERVATION
A reliable indicator of a person being saved is not a past experience of receiving Christ but a present life that reflects Christ. “The one who says, I have come to know Him’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:4). New creatures act like new creatures. 

UNDERSTANDING
Chapters 1-3 Paul tells us who we are in Christ and how we got there.  Having explained our position in Christ he now reminds us that there is a practice that comes with it.  In chapter 4 he tells us that we are to no longer live the old way but we are to live in a manner befitting our new position.  We are not robots who just react to divine impulses, for although God has made us new we are to bring our old nature under submission in the strength of the Spirit.  Chapters 4-6 are Paul instructions in what our conduct should look like in this new life.

The family unit is one of those places where the redeemed life should show up.  If we live according to the new nature then our families become a microcosm of God's love and grace.  How wives and husbands get along.  How parents and children relate with one another.  Even how we respond to the servants or hired help is important.  God's redeeming grace should be evident in all of those relationships.

It seems sad to me that as Christians our relationships with one another are so filled with the old life rather than the new.  We walk around with bitterness and unforgiveness, anger, envy and backbiting.  Are our family relationships (biological and spiritual) reflecting our new life and position in Christ? 

LIFE APPLICATION
Lord I choose to bring my will under your authority.  I want you to truly be the Lord of my life.  Let my relationships with others reflect that I am under your rule and living like a child of Christ.

Ephesians 4

SCRIPTURE
4:1 I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.

OBSERVATION
We who have been saved and loved by God, we who are the undeserved recipients of mercy - are now called to live a life that reflects all that has happened to us.  We who are now children of God must live in a manner that reflects that change in status.

UNDERSTANDING
Paul says that we who have been made children of God have been given the responsibility to grow up in Christ - to become more like Him. 

What does that look like?
Well the chapter is filled with examples on what that should look like...

• We are to function as a family that is unified not divided because we are all under God.
• Unity does not mean uniformity but different parts working together to accomplish a common goal.
• We need to grow up by knowing the truth about who we are and passing that truth on.
• The old way of life has to go.  As children of God we must act accordingly.
• No more lying and living double lives.
• Don't let your anger give way to the loss of relationship, instead let there be the presence of a reconciling  spirit.
• Don't be stealing.
• Watch what you say - not talking dirty, not gossiping or talking smack about people.  Build people up with your words instead of tearing them down.
• Be quick to forgive.

LIFE APPLICATION
Application is simple - discipline myself to not give in to living the old way but instead let God remold me from within and let the fruit of it be evident in my life.

Ephesians 2

SCRIPTURE
2: ^7-10Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It's God's gift from start to finish! We don't play the major role. If we did, we'd probably go around bragging that we'd done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.

OBSERVATION
We are not saved because of anything we have done it is the gift of God - His grace given.  Now out of the grace that is present in our lives we are to bear the fruit of grace which is good works.  Paul says that we are created in Christ unto good works.

UNDERSTANDING
Paul tells the Ephesians and us as well that at first we were in a state of spiritual death, filled with sin and condemned to die.  But god in is grace and mercy provided a spiritual resurrection.  It is through Christ and by no work of our own.  Now because we have experience the work of grace what should result is the fruit of good works manifesting from that work of grace.  Work that God has set aside for us to do.

LIFE APPLICATION
I understand that good works does not save me or give me greater status with God.  I am saved and secured by grace.  Cool.  But saved unto what?  Saved so that I can allow the grace of God to manifest itself in my life in such a way that I become a willing partner with God in fulfilling the mission He gave to His Son - to go and make disciples of all nations; to tell the world the good news that Jesus Saves.  We who have experienced such grace must accept our calling to join Christ in the work he does, work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we have better be doing.  Are you about the work of Christ?

 

 

Ephesians 1

SCRIPTURE
1:¹⁵That's why, when I heard of the solid trust you have in the Master Jesus and your outpouring of love to all the followers of Jesus, I couldn't stop thanking God for you...

OBSERVATION
Paul tells us that we will know that we are God's children by our solid trust in our Master Christ Jesus and by our outpouring of love for our fellow believers.

UNDERSTANDING
One of the marks of salvation is that we have a genuine love for God and His people.  Love does not pick and choose which family members it will love.  A follower of Christ will act like Christ who loves all believers.  I hear Christians say things like, "I love him in the Lord," which really means that they have no personal affection for nor commitment to the needs of that person.  But this is not genuine love.  To truly love a person in the Lord is to love them the way Christ would love them - genuinely and sacrificially.  Forgiveness in this kind of love would not be I will forgive them but I will never be their friend again.  Forgiveness in this kind of love would be as far as the east is from the west you throw away those offenses.
And there is no substitute for love.  Some people spend a lot of time on "knowing doctrine" but never exercise it in love and they become as Paul says in Corinthians a "noisy gong or a clanging cymbal."  True salvation goes from the head and heart of the believer out to other believers and out to the world to impact unbelievers.
Always in the New Testament true spiritual love is defined as an attitude of selfless sacrifice that results in generous acts of kindness done to others. It is far more than a feeling, an attraction or emotion. When the Lord had washed the feet of the proud and self-seeking disciples, He told them that what He had done for them was the example of how they were to love each other (John 13:34). John emphasizes the same truth: “We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has the world’s goods, and beholds his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth” (1 John 3:16-18).

LIFE APPLICATION
Lord it is not easy to love people at times.  I choose to be committed to loving my fellow family members in Christ regardless of how many times they may offend me.  I choose to lay down my rights so that there is no disunity or divisions in the family.  Let my life be an example of your love flowing out through me into the lives of others.  May my life be a refreshing to others just as your life refreshes me.

Ephesians 6

• Ephesians 6:12 (TLB)  For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against persons without bodies—the evil rulers of the unseen world, those mighty satanic beings and great evil princes of darkness who rule this world; and against huge numbers of wicked spirits in the spirit world.

• Ephesians 6:10 - 11 ...I want to remind you that your strength must come from the Lord’s mighty power within you. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand safe against all strategies and tricks of Satan.

Two thoughts...
The moment we became Followers of Christ we became involved in a war - a spiritual war as satan tries to destroy the works of God.  This means that as Christ Followers we are to expect attack.  No soldier going into battle on the frontlines is surprised when they are being attacked in fact they are in constant expectation and surveying for the next attack.  That is why Peter says...

• 1 Peter 5:8 through 1 Peter 5:9 (TLB) Be careful—watch out for attacks from Satan, your great enemy. He prowls around like a hungry, roaring lion, looking for some victim to tear apart. Stand firm when he attacks. Trust the Lord; and remember that other Christians all around the world are going through these sufferings too.

...expect attack.

The second thought is we are not just to have a defensive position but Paul tells us we need to be aggressive.  He tells us to use truth, righteousness, peace, faith, God's Word and our salvation to not just defend ourselves from the attack but to go on the offensive.  And then I like how Eugene Petersen interprets verse 18...

• Ephesians 6:18 (TMNT) 18In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.

Fight the good fight!

Ephesians 5

• Ephesians 5:1 through Ephesians 5:2 (TMNT) Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.

Watch what God does then do it!  Good advice.  Simple and easy to follow.  And as if that was not simple enough Paul tells us that it really boils down to love.  Love as God loves.  God's love is not cautious and conditional but extravagant.  He didn't love in order to get something from us but to give everything of Himself to us. 

What would that look like in our relationships?

Ephesians 4

Ephesians 2:8 –Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

 

Ephesians 4:11 –Ephesians 4:13 (NIV)

It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

 

We are not saved by good works but we are saved for good works (that God has prepared in advance for us to do.)  Our job is not to invent those good works but to discover what they are.  Too many Christ followers feel empty and frustrated not because they don’t have enough Bible studies (although that is what we think – if we can just learn more...) but because they are not doing the good works that God has prepared in advance for them to do.  I am not talking about doing things in the church (which is part of it) but more so serving those who are not yet Christ followers so that they come to know Christ.  Serve them by walking across the room and befriending them, by meeting them at the point of their needs.  

Ephesians 4:11-13 is more about strength training rather than body building.  We are not in this to just build up our selves so we look good we are being trained for service.  We are learning so that we can put into practice what we learned in order to accomplish the good works that God has prepared in advance for us to do.

 

Thoughts?

Ephesians 3

Ephesians 3:7 –Ephesians 3:8 (TMSG) 

This is my (replace with your name) life work: helping people understand and respond to this Message. It came as a sheer gift to me, a real surprise, God handling all the details.

When it came to presenting the Message to people who had no background in God’s way, I was the least qualified of any of the available Christians. God saw to it that I was equipped, (when He commissions us to something He provides all that we need to be successful at it) but you can be sure that it had nothing to do with my natural abilities.

And so here I am, preaching and writing about things that are way over my head, the inexhaustible riches and generosity of Christ.

 

Ephesians 3:20 (TMSG) 

God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.

 

 

Paul’s Intercession for the Saints (3:13-21)  Warren Wiersbe

You will recall that the two prayers in Ephesians (here and in 1:15-23) complement each other. The first is a prayer for enlightenment; the second is for enablement. Paul wants the Ephesians to learn all they have in Christ and then live what they have learned. He prays that the inner person might know spiritual strength. How carelessly some Christians treat the inner person! The Holy Spirit empowers us from within through the Word of God and prayer. In vv. 20-21 , Paul points out that as we pray, God’s Spirit goes to work in us; and 1 Thes. 2:13 (along with Col. 3:16 ) teaches that God empowers us through His Word. The early saints gave themselves to “prayer and the Word of God” (Acts 6:4 ), and God worked mightily in them and through them.

He wants Christ to “feel at home” (dwell, v. 17 ) in their hearts. Of course, Christ does dwell in the heart of every true believer, but not every heart is a comfortable home for Him. Does He feel at home in our hearts?

Christ feels at home in our hearts when He finds faith and love. “Rooted” (v. 17) suggests a steady position, a habit of faith and love, like a tree rooted in the soil. Too many Christians want the fruits of the Spirit without being rooted in spiritual things.

Paul has already prayed that they might understand; now he prays that they might lay their hands on these wonderful blessings and grasp them for themselves. By faith we lay hold of God’s promises. Paul especially wants them to lay hold of God’s immeasurable love, a love that fills all things. Far too many Christians think of God as an angry Judge or a stern Master instead of a loving Father.

“Filled with all the fullness of God” (v. 19 ): this is God’s ultimate purpose for our lives. Read carefully John 1:16 and Col. 2:9-10 . “You are complete in Him” states Col. 2:10 , NKJV. Why live like paupers when God has given us His fullness? An empty life is disappointing and dangerous; if the Spirit of God does not fill us, then the spirit of disobedience (2:2) goes to work and we fall into sin.

Verses 20-21 declare a thrilling benediction, closing this first section of the letter. God works in us! God works through us! God is glorified in us! What a wonderful salvation we have! This power works in us as we open our hearts to Christ, cultivate this abiding fellowship, pray, and submit to the Word. There is no reason for us believers to be “down in the dumps” when we are seated with Christ (2:6) and filled with God’s fullness.

As we close this first section, it would be helpful to note Paul’s “spiritual postures,” for they give us the secret of God’s blessing. Paul is seated with Christ (2:6), built upon Christ (2:20), and is bowing his knees to the Father (3:14). This is what makes it possible for him to walk (4:1), grow up (4:15), and stand against Satan (6:14ff). Our spiritual position in Christ makes possible our victorious walk on earth.

Ephesians 2

·         Ephesians 2:1 –Ephesians 2:3 (TMSG) It wasn’t so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn’t know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It’s a wonder God didn’t lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us.

 

The questions are…

• Are we still living in a life mired in sin? 
• Are we still allowing the world to tell us how to live? 
• Are we being disobedient to God? 
• Are we still doing what we feel like doing or are we doing what God has called us to do?

 

“Chapter 1 emphasized our possessions in Christ; chapter 2 emphasizes our position in Christ. Your position determines your possessions and authority. Regardless of where the President of the United States may be physically, his position as the man who sits behind the desk in the White House gives him power and authority. So it is with the Christian. Regardless of where we might be physically (Paul was a prisoner when he wrote this letter), we have power and authority in the spiritual realm because of our position in Christ.”   Warren Wiersbe

 

So are we walking in that position of victory or are we still living the defeated life?

EPHESIANS

Eugene Peterson

 

What we know about God and what we do for God have a way of getting broken apart in our lives. The moment the organic unity of belief and behavior is damaged in any way, we are incapable of living out the full humanity for which we were created.

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians joins together what has been torn apart in our sin-wrecked world. He begins with an exuberant exploration of what Christians believe about God, and then, like a surgeon skillfully setting a compound fracture, “sets” this belief in God into our behavior before God so that the bones—belief and behavior—knit together and heal.

Once our attention is called to it, we notice these fractures all over the place. There is hardly a bone in our bodies that has escaped injury, hardly a relationship in city or job, school or church, family or country, that isn’t out of joint or limping in pain. There is much work to be done.

And so Paul goes to work. He ranges widely, from heaven to earth and back again, showing how Jesus, the Messiah, is eternally and tirelessly bringing everything and everyone together. He also shows us that in addition to having this work done in and for us, we are participants in this most urgent work. Now that we know what is going on, that the energy of reconciliation is the dynamo at the heart of the universe, it is imperative that we join in vigorously and perseveringly, convinced that every detail in our lives contributes (or not) to what Paul describes as God’s plan worked out by Christ, “a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth.”