Category: Ephesians

Implementing a Larger Vision of the Church (Insights in NT)

1/11/2013

Jesus used on-the-job training in equipping His disciples as they served in the world. This became a starting point for implementing a larger vision of the church studied earlier in Eph. 1-3. Eph. 4-6 instructs how to implement the church's larger vision by equipping believers for works of service and teaching the truth of Christ so believers are filled with the Holy Spirit to do God's will in their home, work and city realizing their spiritual battle against evil forces.

Equip Believers for Works of Service
Paul urged them to live a life worthy of their calling in humility, gentleness, patience, love and unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. God called them to one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who was over, through and in all. Christ gave grace gifts to fill the whole universe when He ascended on high and led captives in His train. He gave some as apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers to equip God's people for works of service toward building up the church until all reached unity of faith, knowledge and maturity in Christ. Reject crafty and deceitful teaching in order to speak the truth in love so everyone would grow up in all things through Christ, the Head. In Him, the whole body was joined and held together by every supporting ligament to build itself up in love as each part did its work (Eph. 4:1-16). Equip believers for works of service toward Christ-centered maturity so everyone works together in love and unity.

Teach Truth of Christ
Futile thinking, darkened understanding and separation from the life of God due to ignorance because of hardness of heart led to sensuality, lust and impurity. Teaching the truth of Christ enabled people to put off the old self corrupted by deceitful desires. By renewing their minds, they put on the new self created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. They rejected falsehood and spoke truthfully as members of one body. They resolved anger daily to prevent the devil's foothold. Instead of stealing, they did manual work and shared with the needy. Rather than unwholesome talk, they spoke helpful things that met the listener's needs. They did not grieve the Holy Spirit who sealed them for the day of redemption. Instead of bitterness, rage, anger, slander and malice, they were kind, compassionate and forgiving just as Christ forgave them (Eph. 4:17-32). Teach the truth of Christ so believers renew their minds and practice truth, love and forgiveness.

Be Filled With Spirit
They imitated God through a loving lifestyle because of Christ's love and sacrifice for them. They rejected sexual immorality, impurity, greed, obscenity, foolish talk and coarse joking and embraced thanksgiving. Immoral, impure and greedy idolaters experienced God's wrath without inheritance in the kingdom of Christ. Living as children of light in goodness, righteousness and truth, they pleased the Lord and exposed the fruitless deeds of darkness. Christ shined on those who woke up spiritually from the dead. Through wisdom, they made the most of the opportunity, understood God's will and filled with the Spirit. The fruit was speaking to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs while making music in their hearts to God. They always gave thanks to God for everything in Christ's name and submitted to one another out of reverence for Him (Eph. 5:1-21). Be filled with the Spirit to expose darkness, do God's will, give thanks and submit to one another.

Love and Lead Your Wife
Wives submitted to their husbands as to the Lord since husbands were head and Savior like Christ over the church. Wives submitted to their husbands in everything like the church submitted to Christ. Husbands loved their wives as Christ loved and gave Himself up for the church. He made her holy by washing her with water through the word. He presented her to Himself as a radiant, holy and blameless church without blemish. Likewise, husbands should love their wives as their own bodies by feeding and caring for it as Christ with the church. For this reason, a man left his father and mother and united with his wife so the two became one flesh. Husbands loved their wives as themselves and wives respected their husbands (Eph. 5:22-33). Love and lead your wife as she submits and respects her husband as a positive demonstration of Christ's relationship with the church.

Train Children and Serve Christ Wholeheartedly
Children obeyed and honored their parents in the Lord so it would go well in living longer. Fathers trained and instructed their children in the Lord instead of exasperating them. Slaves obeyed their earthly masters with respect, fear and sincerity of heart just as they obeyed Christ and doing God's will from their heart. They served the Lord wholeheartedly, not men, knowing God rewarded everyone for good they did. Masters treated their slaves similarly without threatening knowing their Master in heaven showed no favoritism (Eph. 6:1-9). Train children in the Lord and serve Christ wholeheartedly at work to earn His reward.

Put On God's Armor
They relied on God's mighty power by putting on His armor. They stood against the devil's schemes since their struggle was not against humans but against rulers, authorities, powers of this dark world and spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. They stood firm with the belt of truth buckled around their waist and the breastplate of righteousness in place. They fitted their feet with readiness using the gospel of peace and took up the shield of faith to extinguish the evil one's flaming arrows. They took the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, God's word, to pray in the Spirit for all believers and their situations with all kinds of prayers and requests. Paul requested prayer for the right words in fearlessly making the gospel known as an ambassador in chains. Tychicus told them his condition and activities to encourage them. He prayed that those who loved Christ experience peace, love with faith and grace (Eph. 6:10-24). Put on God's armor using His word to pray in the Spirit so the gospel can go forth with boldness.

Pray through the following action points to see a larger vision of the church be implemented in your city:
1. Equip believers for works of service toward Christ-centered maturity so everyone works together in love and unity
2. Teach the truth of Christ so believers renew their minds and practice truth, love and forgiveness
3. Be filled with the Spirit to expose darkness, do God's will, give thanks and submit to one another
4. Love and lead your wife as she submits and respects her husband as a positive demonstration of Christ's relationship with the church
5. Train children in the Lord and serve Christ wholeheartedly at work to earn His reward
6. Put on God's armor using His word to pray in the Spirit so the gospel can go forth with boldness

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Developing a Larger Vision for the Church (Insights in NT)

1/3/2013

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“The basic problem of the Christians in this country in the last eighty years or so, in regard to society and in regard to government, is that they have seen things in bits and pieces instead of totals” (Francis Schaeffer).

Most of us envision the church as a building with programs to meet the needs of families. God had a much larger vision. He created the church as His tool so Christ could rule in every human domain and authority.

God Provides Every Spiritual Blessing
Apostle Paul wrote to faithful believers in Ephesus. God blessed them with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Before creating the world, He chose them in Him to be holy and blameless. He predestined and adopted them as His sons through Christ according to His will and glorious grace. In Christ, they had redemption and forgiveness of sin through His blood according to God's grace lavished on them with all wisdom and understanding. He made known the mystery of His will to bring everything in heaven and earth under Christ. They obtained an inheritance being predestined according to God's plan. They believed the gospel and were sealed with the Holy Spirit as a pledge of their inheritance until God redeemed His own possession to the praise of His glory (Eph. 1:1-14). God provides every spiritual blessing in Christ so people can believe and be redeemed by the gospel for His glory.

Ask for Wisdom to Know God So Christ Rules Every Sphere
Paul prayed for the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so they could know God better. He prayed that believers have enlightened hearts to know His hope, His glorious inheritance and His great power that God used to raise Christ from the dead. He sat at God's right hand far above every rule, authority, power, dominion and title in the present and future age. God placed all things under His feet and appointed Him as head over everything for the church. Christ filled His body, the church, with His fullness in everything and every way (Eph. 1:15-23). Ask for wisdom to know God and work in the power of the Holy Spirit so Christ rules every sphere and authority.

Demonstrate God’s Love Through Good Works
Being dead in sin, they followed the world, devil and flesh as objects of wrath. Because of God's great love and mercy, He made them alive, raised up and seated with Christ in heaven. In the future, He showed the incomparable riches of His grace through Christ. He saved them by grace through faith as God's gift without works or boasting. As God's workmanship, they were created to do good works, which Christ prepared in advance for them to do (Eph. 2:1-10). Demonstrate God’s love through good works so people believe in the gospel of grace,

Trust in Christ’s Blood to Create Unity
The Gentiles were separated from Christ and Israel's covenants without hope and without God. But Christ's blood brought peace, destroyed the dividing wall of hostility and abolished the law with its commandments and regulations. In God's purpose, He created one new man out of the two and made peace. He reconciled Jews and Gentiles in one body through the cross by putting to death their hostility. They both came to the Father by one Spirit as fellow members of God's household built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ as the chief cornerstone. He joined the whole building as a holy temple in the Lord. He built each member as a dwelling of God by His Spirit (Eph. 2:11-22). Believers trust in Christ's blood and the Holy Spirit in abolishing the law of commandments and regulations to create unity.

Pray, Serve and Preach the Gospel
God revealed to Paul the administration of God's grace (church) though His Spirit to His apostles and prophets. The mystery of Christ through the gospel enabled Gentiles and Jews to be heirs, members of one body and sharers in His promise. As a servant and recipient of grace through the gospel, Paul preached the unsearchable riches of Christ to Gentiles. He also revealed God's manifold wisdom through the church to be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realm according to His eternal purpose in Christ. Make this practical by approaching God in faith with freedom and confidence through suffering (Eph. 3:1-13). Pray, serve and preach the gospel to transform the world.

Trust God for the Impossible
Paul prayed for God's strength through His Spirit so Christ would live in their hearts through faith. He prayed they be rooted in love and have power together with all believers to grasp the full dimensions of Christ's love that surpassed knowledge being filled to the fullness of God. Paul reminded them that He did immeasurably more than one could ask or imagine according to His power within them to glorify Christ in the church throughout all generations (Eph. 3:14-21). Trust God for the impossible as you pray that Christ lives in your heart by faith, love and power.

Bob Moffitt in his book, If Jesus Were Mayor: How Your Local Church Can Transform Your Community, wrote about five implications for local churches concerning kingdom mathematics:
1. Local churches, even those with few members or few material resources, are not powerless
2. It is dangerous for local churches to keep what they have for their own use
3. When people outside the Kingdom receive help that was given sacrificially, the impact is far greater than if it comes from someone's surplus
4. Churches need to teach their people to give so they are not robbed of the blessings God wants to give them
5. Local churches should mirror the sacrificial giving of its people, not using resources only within the church but gladly and sacrificially investing them in service outside the church
6. Churches must not be afraid, but have confidence in God, the multiplier

Where is God wanting you to risk by exercising faith in God to overcome the fear of losing the little you have?

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Put on God's Armor to Be Skilled in Your Work (Insight in Prophets)

4/23/2011

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The book of Ephesians gives a roadmap on how to fight the spiritual battle with the armor of God:
1. Father (Spiritual
   Blessings): Eph. 1:3-19
2. Jesus (Jesus’ Authority
   at Right Hand of God): Eph. 1:18-22
3. Church (Seated with Jesus): Eph. 2:6-10
4. Principalities and Powers (Grace Witness of Defeat):
   Eph. 3:10
5. Church Versus Principalities and Powers (Stand Firm
   Against Satan’s Schemes): Eph. 6:10-20 (Specific
   Schemes: Eph. 4:26-32)

We see these spiritual principles of warfare illustrated in David's physical battle against the Philistine champion, Goliath, which enabled him to stand before King Saul (1 Sam. 17). Prov. 22:28-29 says a man skilled in his work will stand before kings if he doesn't move the ancient boundaries (putting on armor of God begins with the truth of God's word).

The Philistines stood on one side of the mountain and Israel on the other side, with the valley between them. A champion from the Philistine army named Goliath came out and shouted to Israel, “Why do you come out to draw up in battle array? . . . Choose a man for yourselves . . . If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will become your servants; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall become our servants and serve us.” Saul and all Israel feared greatly (1 Sam. 17:1-11). The evil one challenges you to make a choice: serve satan (world, flesh or devil) or God?

David was Jesse's youngest son, while his three oldest brothers followed Saul into battle. David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s flock at Bethlehem. Goliath came every morning and evening for 40 days to take his stand. Jesse had David take food and look into the welfare of his brothers who fought against the Philistines (1 Sam. 17:12-19). Choosing who to serve is a daily and unceasing process as you go through your normal routine.

David ran to the battle line to greet his brothers. When Goliath defied Israel yet again, great fear caused them to flee from him. For whoever killed Goliath, the king would provide great riches, give his daughter to him and make his father’s house free from taxes in Israel. David said, “For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the living God?” David's brothers burned in anger against him for coming down to see the battle (1 Sam. 17:20-30). You either embrace God's reward by serving Him or stop persecution from friends and family by serving the world, flesh and devil.

When David told Saul he would fight Goliath, Saul said he was but a youth while Goliath a warrior from his youth. David said Goliath would be like killing the lion and bear “since he has taunted the armies of the living God.” Because the Lord delivered him from wild animals, He would deliver him from Goliath. Instead of using Saul’s untested armor, David took a stick, five smooth stones and sling to approach Goliath (1 Sam. 17:31-40). To serve God, you must be grounded in God's truth and understand His power by putting on His armor.

By his gods, Goliath cursed David’s armor of sticks. Goliath said that he would give David’s flesh to the birds of the sky and beasts of the field. David said, “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted.” David was confident the Lord would deliver Goliath and Philistine army to the birds and beasts so the earth and assemble would know there's a God in Israel and the Lord does not deliver by sword and spear “for the battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into our hands.” David struck Goliath on his forehead and he fell on his face to the ground (1 Sam. 17:41-49). Both the world and the church must see that God is alive and He fights the battle, not you.

David prevailed over Goliath with a sling and stone, but there was no sword in David’s hand. He took Goliath’s sword, killed and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw their champion dead, they fled. Israel pursued the Philistines and plundered their camps. David brought Goliath’s head to Jerusalem, but put his weapons in his tent (1 Sam. 17:50-54). You must rely completely on God's weapons of prayer and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, for the outcome.

Saul asked David, “Whose son are you, young man?” David said, “I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite” (1 Sam. 17:55-58). A person skilled in his work and ministry by relying on God's power stands before kings.

Are you emphasizing in your life the most important spiritual boundary or landmark, which is truth or Scripture, the first one mentioned in putting on the armor of God (Eph. 6:14, Prov. 22:28)? If you are, then you can be skilled in your work and stand before kings like David (Prov. 22:29).

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Implementing a Larger Vision of the Church (Insights in NT)

Developing a Larger Vision for the Church (Insights in NT)

Put on God's Armor to Be Skilled in Your Work (Insight in Prophets)

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