Our small group met to discuss Ephesians 1:3-14.  The question was asked, if you had just heard this passage read for the first time in a house-church's weekly meeting what would be your impressions of its meaning?  What effect in the hearts of his hearers do you think Paul wanted to produce?  I think he wanted to produce a sense of awe for the many spiritual blessings we have received through Jesus Christ from God the Father.  The following is an example of how those blessings (see post titled A List of Blessings) work out in the lives of faithful in Jesus Christ. 

As so often happens in a small group of Christians that have come together to seek God’s wisdom, our discussion of this passage produced some wonderful insights.  One of the members of the group shared that in studying this passage they realized that they had neglected praising God for his spiritual blessings in their prayer time.  Much of their prayer time was asking for answers to the many concerns and issues that was on their heart (for others as well as personal) and little or no praising.  Another member shared how they thought that in asking God for answers is a form of praise because we are actively relying on Him and not depending on ourselves.  Praise be to God, what a wonderful picture of prayer, asking and praising!  Through studying the Word together and discussing together what God had revealed to us individually, we gain helpful insight and wisdom.  We participate in the wonderful body of Christ, the church; helping one another grow in knowledge and understanding. 

If you are not a believer in Jesus Christ, yet you feel a tug on your heart that maybe God is calling you to seek Him, I encourage you to find a small group of Christians to meet with on a regular basis.  There you will find genuine searching for the truth of God and you will witness the joy in finding it.

Our small group meet this week to share our study of Ephesians. We were looking at the book from a general overview, giving our first impressions of what we thought the apostle Paul's intent was in writing this letter to the faithful in Ephesus. One way to determine the ideas most important to an author is to look for repetition in his message.  What words or ideas occur over and over in Paul's letter to the Ephesians.  I found in chapter 1 that the phrases "in Christ" and "in him" were used 7 times.  Previously in a post titled A List of Blessings, we had found a list of spiritual blessings that we have received from God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Each of those blessings are related to us either "in Christ" or "in him."  So, what exactly does this idea of "in Christ" mean?  How does this repeated idea help us in our understanding of the spiritual blessings we have received?

Our group discussed two thoughts that brought significant insight to us all.  The first idea is that in Christ means that it is through our personal relationship with Jesus Christ that we have these blessings and that they are exclusive to that relationship.  "In Christ" represents the one-on-one intimacy that the believer has with his or her Lord and Savior.  The second idea we discussed was that "in Christ" describes being in community with other believers.  I like this idea, especially as it relates to our small group.  We can look at the blessings we receive from God as personal and as a body working together to help one another and the world around us.  What is most exciting to me is that God revealed His word to us through one another sharing the impressions we received "in Him."

I am always amazed when dealing with people who hold truth as an insignificant concept in their lives.  I recently asked a friend to give me his opinion on an article refuting some global warming data.  His response was that he sometimes wonders about the truthfulness of the global warming alarmists, but since it generally supports his ecological viewpoint, he willingly goes along with whatever the alarmist crowd says is true.  Wow!  When you consider the gravity of the loss of freedom we would all experience to accomplish the reversal of the global warming the alarmists say exists or will exist, the truth of the matter seems to be of paramount importance.  As I contemplated this issue of truth, I was reminded of Jesus saying,    

“If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31)  

This quote from Jesus has been used and misused many times.   We who follow him know what being set free means, but does knowing the truth regarding other things in life also set you free?  Was Jesus giving us a universal principle that we can always count on?

What are some areas in your life where knowing the truth produces freedom in our lives?  Trust comes from being truthful with people.  I have been faithful to my wife for 30 years now.  I don’t need to be untruthful to her about my actions, I can tell her the truth at all times because I am faithful to her.   This produces freedom in our relationship.  We can be away from one another and never worry about our relationship.  While we enjoy each other’s company whenever we are together, we also have the freedom to have friends and interests of our own.  We have the freedom to enjoy each other’s life fully because we are truthful with one another and can have full trust in one another.  Trust between people through consistent truthfulness really is the source of freedom in relationships. 

How about the trust relationship between people and their Government?  Doesn’t freedom depend on truthfulness in this relationship as well?  We are constantly being asked to support people in government that want to implement laws and policies that will affect our lives and our freedoms in some way.  Isn’t the truthfulness of these people essential to our freedom and our ability to pursue happiness?  If the policies and laws of our government are not based on the true facts, and motives based on the true wellbeing of the people, we will likely lose our freedoms and our trust in those who govern us.  Unfortunately, we see this happening all of the time.

As followers of the One who spoke the truth about freedom, we must be vigilant to speak out always about the need for truthfulness.  Whether we are counseling someone on a relationship or talking at the water cooler about the recent political hot issue, we must remind those around us that the truth is essential to freedom for as Jesus also said, “let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matt 5:16)   As believers, we have been affected by knowing the truth and being set free.  Tell the world what that means.

I stated in my last entry that I believe Paul wanted to remind his readers of the blessings that they received through their relationship to Jesus the Son and God the Father.  Paul described several blessings in the first 14 verses of Ephesians chapter 1.  I find it beneficial to create a list of my own words describing what the author wrote in their passage.  It helps me to more clearly identify the author’s intent.  Here is my list of blessings that I found in Paul’s opening chapter.

1.       God has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. (verse 3)

2.       God chose us in Christ before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. (verse 4)

3.       In love, God predestined us to be adopted as his sons and daughters through Jesus Christ. (verse 5)

4.       In Christ we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. (verses 7,8)

5.       God made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ. (verses 9)

6.       In Christ we were chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. (verses 11,12)

7.       We also were included in Christ when we heard the word of truth, the gospel of our salvation. (verse 13)

8.       Having believed, we were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory. (verse 13,14)

When I see Paul’s passage represented as this list of blessings I get a sense of magnitude that I didn’t get when I first read the passage.  Maybe it is my professional training that makes it this way for me, but whatever the reason, my response is “I am truly blessed through my relationship with Christ!  Thank you Lord for reminding me of the magnitude of your care for me.” 

 

 

 

  

If you look at the date of my last post, you will notice a significant time lapse.  I was obviously not prepared to maintain a successful blog on my first start.  After much thought as to what I would like to blog about, I think I am ready to start again, so here goes my current attempt to contend for the faith I have in Jesus Christ and His church here on Earth.

I have been studying the book of Ephesians for several months and I will start my blogging on what I have learned.  My most effective Scripture study comes when I use the Life Change Series from Navpress.  I would encourage anyone to check this approach out for either personal or group study of God’s Word.

Through his letter to the Ephesians, I think Paul wanted to produce a sense of awe for the many blessings we have received through Jesus Christ.  I say “we” because I believe that Paul’s writings nearly 2000 years ago were meant to transcend time and place to inspire and instruct us today.  His desire for the church is my desire as well.  As I let the words of Ephesians permeate my mind, I feel a sense of responsibility to fellow believers to remind them and show them  that their faith is in Christ first and anything else must be subservient to that relationship. 

I need to be reminded often of the spiritual blessings I have received in Christ (accepting Christ as my Lord and Savior).  The worldly environment that I live in tends to cloud my memory of those blessings, but in the first Chapter of Ephesians we are emphatically reminded of what God has done for those who believe in Christ.

Take a few minutes to read verses 1-14 of the first chapter of Ephesians and note all of the times that Paul uses the key phrases “in him” or “in Christ”  and the blessing that is associated to each reference.

If you are not a believer in Christ, I urge you to contemplate how these blessings might change your life if you were to accept Christ as Lord and Savior of your life.  Please contact me or a believer you know and trust if your heart is yearning these blessings from God.

One of the essential doctrines of the Christian faith is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in us who believe.  This relationship between the believer and the Holy Spirit brings about many blessings in a Christian’s life.  One of those blessings is the profound ability to tap into the wisdom of God.  As an adopted child of the Father and a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit I can conceive of God’s love for me and the wisdom of God is revealed to me by his Spirit.  These are powerful gifts that we can use to contend for the faith in the marketplace of ideas.  1 Corinthians 2:10-12 says:

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.  For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except a man’s spirit within him?  In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.  We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. 

Let’s break this passage down to see a very exciting truth.  First, Paul instructs that my spirit knows my inner thoughts and the Spirit of God knows His thoughts.  It seems reasonable to conclude that our mind has a spiritual essence.  Paul then goes on to say that we have received the Spirit – Mind who is from God.  In other words, my spirit – mind has received God’s Spirit – Mind that we may understand what God has freely given us.

I don’t’ know about you, but for me this is a very important revelation!  I can hope for a lifetime of spiritual learning with this kind of relationship with the Holy Spirit.  And, I can see a little more of what Paul actually meant when he stated in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

I encourage you to read and meditate on 1 Corinthians 2:6-16 to get a fuller understanding of what I have talked about in this post.  My hope is that I can encourage you in seeking God’s word for instruction and guidance that will encourage you to contend for the faith.  The people of the world desperately need us to contend with them and for them, even though they think us foolish.  Paul concludes this passage with the following statement, “But we have the mind of Christ.”  What are we going to do with it?

Welcome to Contending for the Faith.  Why contending for the faith?  To contend means to strive in debate or dispute earnestly.  Synonyms for contend might be: wrestle, grapple, battle, fight, argue, hold or claim.  As followers of Jesus Christ I believe that we need to contend for that faith in the marketplace of ideas.  To be clear, I am not advocating trying to argue someone into the faith.  Our interactions with those who come into our lives should always be respectful, and in an attitude of love, caring and kindness.  But, as a member of the corporate world, I am given the opportunity to mingle with folks from all walks of life, and the world, at least five days a week.  Most of these people don’t have a personal relationship with Christ, and I have a mission field in downtown Atlanta that is as challenging as anyplace on Earth. 

I know that I am describing a situation that is very common for most Christians, however, I believe am not describing a situation that is easy or trivial to deal with.  These folks are grappling with the implications of humanism, materialism, evolution, cults of every kind, and more problems than can be chronicled.  In other words, they are men and women caught in a fallen world of fallen world views; and we are like them, yet saved by the grace of God. 

For you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is gift from 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 2:8-10)

 

I believe part of those “good works” involves contending for the faith in the mission field of our workplaces.  This blog is dedicated to this end.  I believe God has blessed me with a spiritual gift of teaching His word.  I humbly submit these blog entries in the hope that I represent Him well and that my efforts are profitable to you, my fellow workers in the faith.

 I am stepping out in faith that I will be able to consistently give you something to think about, discuss with fellow believers and be part of your spiritual growth.  As the leader of a small group ministry and Sunday school teacher at my church, I am constantly studying God’s word and with his leading, helping those in my group and class to apply the Word to our daily lives and relationships.  My prayer is that readers of this blog will find something in these thoughts and meditations of my heart that will give confidence to share the Gospel and a Christian world view when opportunities arise in the workplace.  

In my next entry, I will start looking at what it means for us to have the mind of Christ and how that fact might affect our daily work life.