We all know that plans change. My plan this month was to walk through the book of Daniel. However, this will be my final article as my days of being pastor of New Life Church have come to an end. Yes, plans change and I rest in the sovereign hand of the same God that we have seen throughout the Bible, His grace, and the gift of growing faith that all His purposes are good.
My hope in writing these articles over the last two years was to see and hear about more people reading, engaging, and delighting in the word of God. As I reflect on that hope, I have seen God answer those prayers and I rejoice! In light of this being my last article, I have chosen to walk through a text in the New Testament, Ephesians. My hope remains that God’s word will continue to bless you.
Ephesians: [ /i·fee·zhnz/ ] noun – A letter written by a real man to real people in the 1st century.
The author of the text is the Apostle Paul written to residents in and around the city of Ephesus. This letter was likely written around 60—63 A.D.
OVERVIEW:
Doctrine occupies the greatest portion of the Book of Ephesians. All too often those who teach from this book bypass all the foundational instruction and go directly to the closing chapter. The closing chapter emphasizes the warfare or the struggle of followers of Jesus. However, to benefit fully from this letter, one must begin at the beginning of Paul’s teachings in this letter. Paul spends the first three chapters of the letter discussing God’s creation of a holy community by His gift of grace in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The members of this community have been chosen by God through the work of Christ before the foundation of the world, adopted as sons and daughters of God, and brought near to the Father through faith in His Son. All people with this faith—Jews and Gentiles alike—were dead in their transgressions and sins, but have been made alive because of the person and work of Jesus Christ. As followers of Christ, we must fully understand who God declares Himself to be and who is declares us to be. We must also become grounded in the knowledge of God’s accomplishment in the gift of salvation. Next, our new existence and walk in Jesus must become exercised and strengthened. After laying out profound theological truths in the first half of the book, Paul made his purpose clear: he expected that the community of faith (the Church) would walk in accordance with its heavenly calling (Ephesians 4:1). This must continue until we no longer stagger back and forth with every teaching and subtlety of men. As a result of the theological realities Christians accept by their faith in God, several practices should follow in their relationships within the church, in the home, and in the world. Paul’s writing can be broken down into three main segments. (1) Chapters one through three introduce principles with respect to God’s accomplishment. (2) Chapters four and five put forth principles regarding our present existence. (3) Chapter six aims to give principles concerning our daily struggles in this world as we walk by faith in Jesus.
SO WHAT?
One of the reasons why I love this letter from Paul is the combination of truth and practical implications behind such wonderful knowledge. This often is our struggle as followers of Jesus – “How then should we live in light of God’s word?” This text emphasizes the connection between sound doctrine and right practice in the Christian life. Far too many people ignore sound theology and instead want to only discuss things that are "practical." In Ephesians, Paul argues that theology is practical and in extension, practical living is fruitless unless you know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. To live out God’s will for us in our lives practically, we must first understand who we are in Christ doctrinally. Simply put: right knowledge leads to right living which will lead to right worship. Pastor John Piper says it well, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him!”
The book of Ephesians covers a wide range of moral and ethical behaviors, designed to ensure that believers are living up to our heavenly calling. However, for these morals and ethics to be exercised rightly, Christ must be the catalyst for the needed renewed heart and mind. Without faith in Jesus, the morals and ethics can easily become a ‘new Law’ which enslaves us, instead of living in the freedom that Christ has purchased for us to follow God’s commands joyfully. As we continue in our faith from day to day and year to year, the temptation to become comfortable and content will always exist. However, Paul presents the gift of God in Christ and the benefits we receive so clearly that we cannot help but ask ourselves if our lives reflect that reality as they should. Have you been looking for life anew? Come to Jesus and find what you have been searching for.
Friends, it is my heart-felt desire to continue to help others take one step closer to Jesus. Therefore, as always, if you have questions, need prayer, a word of encouragement, or a cup of coffee, please contact me. Reach out to me via my personal email: niloc1214@gmail.com
Thank you for the opportunity to walk with you here through the truth and life of God’s word! May God bless you, keep you, may He shine on you, be gracious to you, and give you peace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
