Episodes
Friday Jun 28, 2013
Ephesians 4: On a Mission from God - Be Like Jesus
Friday Jun 28, 2013
Friday Jun 28, 2013
Over the last few weeks, we’ve been working through the first 3 chapters of the letter to the Ephesians – there are a few recurring themes Paul touches on that jump out at me:
- We are each called to live for the praise of His glory – namely, to make Him famous
- God, in His mercy has saved us by His grace through our faith in Christ, not by our works, so no one can boast about it
- We are God’s handiwork (His masterpiece), created new in Him to do good in His Name wherever we go
- We are ALL on a mission from God – to do what Jesus would be doing if He was walking in our shoes
Sunday Jun 16, 2013
Ephesians 3: On A Mission From God - Fuel for the Mission
Sunday Jun 16, 2013
Sunday Jun 16, 2013
In Ephesians 3, the Apostle Paul proclaims what he calls “the mystery of Christ.” This mystery, revealed at just the right time, is that ALL people (not just those of Hebrew descent) can become part of God’s family because of the gospel good news of salvation by grace in Christ (Ephesians 3:1-6). The mission from God Paul is pursuing is directed by this good news & God’s desire that all would see & know the hope available in Christ Jesus. In that context, what really jumps out at me from Chapter 3 is Paul’s prayer for his readers; it’s a prayer that describes what he sees as the essential “fuel” for the mission which God has given to us. He prays the following: For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of His glory He may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:14-19 ESV You get that? Central to living out our mission from God & our being filled with everything we need from Him requires that we:
- -Be strengthened by the Holy Spirit
- -Have Christ dwelling in our hearts through faith
- -Be rooted & grounded in His love
- -Come to an ever increasing awareness, comprehension, & experience of the BIG-ness of Christ’s love
Sunday Jun 09, 2013
Ephesians 2: On A Mission From God - Embracing Grace
Sunday Jun 09, 2013
Sunday Jun 09, 2013
There’s a section of Ephesians 2 that has been bouncing around my head: God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith... Ephesians 2:4-8 ESV God brought us out of sin & death & into wholeness & life in Christ by the gift of His grace. This grace isn’t something we could ever earn or deserve; God’s grace not only provides our salvation (vv.5&8 - by grace you’ve been saved!), it is also an ever present reminder that it is THROUGH His grace & BY His grace God promises to always interact with us. Think about it: there is no amount we have ever (or could ever) sin that would be too much for God’s grace to cover. It is big, wide, & deep enough to cover a multitude of wrongs that we have done. That isn’t an invitation to sin with reckless abandon (Romans 5:20-6:4); rather, it gives us confidence & security that our standing with God isn’t dependent upon us! God’s grace frees us to have & exercise living faith in Christ, & to persevere in this faith for as long as we have breath. Grace to you!
Sunday Jun 02, 2013
Ephesians 1: On A Mission From God
Sunday Jun 02, 2013
Sunday Jun 02, 2013
Today, we're beginning a 7 week series through Paul's letter to the Ephesian church. Truly, this is one of my most favorite books in the Bible as it highlights the lived out mission that Christ has given to every one of His followers - to live our lives on purpose - whether we're at work or play, with friends & others, to intentionally live for the praise of God's glory. Our text for today is Ephesians 1