Showing posts with label Ephesians. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ephesians. Show all posts
Sunday, June 30, 2019
Friday, July 12, 2013
Ephesians 6:10-24 -- We Are in a War: Armor Up!
LINK: Ephesians 6:10-24 (Read 10-17 aloud and even memorize it! Maybe even pray through it in a Lectio Divina style.)
I broke reading up so that you only have 15 important verses to meditate on today. I have mentioned this before, but I try to pray through 6:10-18 daily. We are in a spiritual war, and I guarantee you that if you are daily attempting to "walk in love and light," you will get pushback from the enemy of our souls!
BACKGROUND
This concept should be easy to understand: We are in a war!
Yet, I am the first to admit, I forget that. It is easy to think it is all myth and fairy tale. Not to mention that some theologies do not allow that there is a war. I do not believe this because the Bible says to the contrary.
Paul exhorts us to put on our full spiritual armor of God so we can be "strong in the Lord" and win the spiritual war against the devil.
Here is a rundown of the weapons from The Life Application Bible:
REFLECTION
Have I mentioned we are in a war? The first time I led a Bible Study on this chapter, in 1984, I dressed up with all the spiritual armor (using a trash can lid as the shield). Then one of the girls wrote a 50s-style song to illustrate the passage creatively. I wish I could perform it for you! (Lower pitch singing of each piece of armor: The Shield of Faith/The Breast Plate of Righteousness, etc. With a high-pitched descant singing: "This is the Armor. The Armor of God.")
All this was very cute, but the enemy did not like it, and that Bible Study became really interesting with lights going on and off and things falling off the walls. I am not kidding! It was warfare!
Through 40-plus years (2023: 54 years) of being a believer I am convinced that we need to armor up daily. But my conviction does not always result in daily practice! Whenever I read this passage, I am reminded once again!
The application section has some tools to help us do that. I have mentioned the "Morning Affirmations" before, but I am mentioning them again and will do so again before this year ends!
APPLICATION
This is from the "Morning Affirmations" section of Face to Face: Praying the Scriptures for Intimate Worship
by Kenneth Boa. I invite you to pray this daily:
I also recorded an audio version of all the Morning Affirmations.
I broke reading up so that you only have 15 important verses to meditate on today. I have mentioned this before, but I try to pray through 6:10-18 daily. We are in a spiritual war, and I guarantee you that if you are daily attempting to "walk in love and light," you will get pushback from the enemy of our souls!
BACKGROUND
This concept should be easy to understand: We are in a war!
Yet, I am the first to admit, I forget that. It is easy to think it is all myth and fairy tale. Not to mention that some theologies do not allow that there is a war. I do not believe this because the Bible says to the contrary.
Paul exhorts us to put on our full spiritual armor of God so we can be "strong in the Lord" and win the spiritual war against the devil.
Here is a rundown of the weapons from The Life Application Bible:
Belt of Truth - Satan fights with lies, and sometimes his lies sound like truth; but only believers have God's truth, which can defeat Satan's lies.
Breastplate of Righteousness - Satan often attacks our hearts -- the seat of our emotions, self-worth, and trust. God's righteousness is the breastplate that protects our hearts and ensures his approval. He approves of us because he loves us and sent his Son to die for us.
Footgear of Readiness to Spread the Good News - Satan wants us to think that telling others the Good News is a worthless and hopeless task -- the size of the task is too big, and the negative responses are too much to handle. But the footgear God gives us is the motivation to continue to proclaim the true peace that is available in God -- news everyone needs to hear.
Shield of Faith - What we see are Satan's attacks in the form of insults, setbacks, and temptations. But the shield of faith protects us from Satan's flaming arrows. With God's perspective, we can see beyond our circumstances and know that ultimate victory is ours.
Helmet of Salvation - Satan wants to make us doubt God, Jesus, and our salvation. The helmet protects our minds from doubting God's saving work for us.
Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God - The sword is the only weapon of offense in this list of armor. There are times when we need to take the offensive against Satan. when we are tempted, we need to trust in the truth of God's Word.While not a weapon in this analogy, prayer is a very important tool in fighting the enemy, and Paul closes by requesting prayer that he would proclaim the Gospel with boldness!
REFLECTION
Have I mentioned we are in a war? The first time I led a Bible Study on this chapter, in 1984, I dressed up with all the spiritual armor (using a trash can lid as the shield). Then one of the girls wrote a 50s-style song to illustrate the passage creatively. I wish I could perform it for you! (Lower pitch singing of each piece of armor: The Shield of Faith/The Breast Plate of Righteousness, etc. With a high-pitched descant singing: "This is the Armor. The Armor of God.")
All this was very cute, but the enemy did not like it, and that Bible Study became really interesting with lights going on and off and things falling off the walls. I am not kidding! It was warfare!
Through 40-plus years (2023: 54 years) of being a believer I am convinced that we need to armor up daily. But my conviction does not always result in daily practice! Whenever I read this passage, I am reminded once again!
The application section has some tools to help us do that. I have mentioned the "Morning Affirmations" before, but I am mentioning them again and will do so again before this year ends!
APPLICATION
This is from the "Morning Affirmations" section of Face to Face: Praying the Scriptures for Intimate Worship
by Kenneth Boa. I invite you to pray this daily:Protection in Spiritual Warfare
O Lord, guard my heart against the temptations of the world and renew my heart and spirit:
Since I have been raised up with You, O Christ, I will keep seeking the things above, where You are at the right hand of God. I will set my mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. (Colossians 3:1-2)
I will be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving I will let my requests be made known to You, O God. And Your peace, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard my heart and my mind in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-8)
Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and anything worthy of praise, I will let my mind dwell on these things. (Philippians 4:9)
O Lord, guard my heart against the weaknesses and temptations of the flesh so that I may reckon myself dead to sin:
Father, I know that my old self was crucified with Christ, so that I am no longer a slave to sin, for he who has died is freed from sin. I will reckon myself as dead to sin, but alive to You in Christ Jesus. I will not present the parts of my body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but I will present myself to You, O God, as one alive from the dead, and the parts of my body as instruments of righteousness to You. (Romans 6:6-7, 12-13)
O Lord, guard my heart against the attacks of the devil and give me the strength to resist him:
As I submit myself to You, O God, and resist the devil, he will flee from me. (James 4:7)
I will be of sober spirit and on the alert. My adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But I will resist him, firm in my faith. (1 Peter 5:8-9)
I will take up Your full armor, O God, that I may be able to resist and stand firm. I put on the belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness; I put on my feet the preparation of the gospel of peace; and I take up the shield of faith with which I will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one. I take the helmet of salvation and the sword of Your Spirit, which is Your Word, O God. With all prayer and petition I will pray at all times in Your Spirit and be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints. (Ephesians 6:13-18) (Reprinted by permission from Face to Face: Praying the Scriptures for Intimate Worship
I also recorded an audio version of all the Morning Affirmations.
PRAYER
Lord, help us to really understand that we are in a battle, and help us to remember to daily put on our weapons for warfare. Amen.
Lord, help us to really understand that we are in a battle, and help us to remember to daily put on our weapons for warfare. Amen.
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Ephesians 5:18-6:9 -- Submission and Bringing Heaven to Your Home
LINK: Ephesians 5:18-6:9
I love how this post turned out. Please read the REFLECTION and watch the videos embedded in the post! Amazingly, they would come out on the same day I would write this post. PROVIDENTIAL!
BACKGROUND
What (or who) will give us the love we need so that we can love others, especially those in our home?
The Holy Spirit of God! It is only through His power and love that we can love others (Galatians 5:22-25)!
Paul contrasts being filled with wine with being filled with the Spirit because Ephesian culture worshiped Bacchus (also known as Dionysus in Greek culture), the god of wine, drunken orgies, ritual madness, and ecstasy. It was believed that to "commune" with Bacchus and be led by him, you had to be drunk! In this condition, they could know his will and how best to serve and obey him. Now that you know that, reread 5:18 and the contrast will come more alive to you! Our culture has different ways we try to "fill" ourselves and make decisions based on the will of other false gods. Think about what yours might be.
"Be filled" is a present tense verb phrase that means "keep on being filled." It is also an imperative passive verb that indicates we are commanded to let the filling happen, and we can control our willingness to be filled. It also indicates that once we are willing, the Holy Spirit does the filling and not ourselves!
The whole issue of the man being the head of the wife can be a big stumbling block for some. I am not a doormat, but I am not a feminist either. I always fall back on the fact that the husband has the greater burden because he is to love, nourish, and cherish (like a mother hen brooding over her chicks) his wife like Christ loves, nourishes, and cherishes the church. That is a TALL order! It is interesting to note that Paul uses twice as many words telling the husbands how to love their wives than he does telling wives to submit to their husbands. So, I think there should be twice as much preaching toward husbands as there is to wives! But that is not always the case in our churches today. On top of all that, we should all get gazillion times more exhortation for ALL of us to be filled with the Holy Spirit because then it is not even an issue!
One more thing, common sense tells us that if a husband asks his wife to do something that would cause her to disobey the Lord, then he is not loving her like Christ loves the church, and there is no obligation to submit.
I love how this post turned out. Please read the REFLECTION and watch the videos embedded in the post! Amazingly, they would come out on the same day I would write this post. PROVIDENTIAL!
BACKGROUND
What (or who) will give us the love we need so that we can love others, especially those in our home?
The Holy Spirit of God! It is only through His power and love that we can love others (Galatians 5:22-25)!
 |
| Bacchus by Caravaggio, c.1595, oil on canvas [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons |
"Be filled" is a present tense verb phrase that means "keep on being filled." It is also an imperative passive verb that indicates we are commanded to let the filling happen, and we can control our willingness to be filled. It also indicates that once we are willing, the Holy Spirit does the filling and not ourselves!
When Paul commands us . . . to be filled with the Spirit he is commanding us to allow ourselves to be governed by the fullness of Christ in our lives. In Ephesians 5:18, the results of being filled with the Spirit are speaking in psalms, singing, giving thanks, and harmony in relationships between husbands and wives, parents and children, and masters and slaves. (Holman New Testament Commentary: Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians, p. 180)When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we esteem others as "more important than ourselves" (Romans 12:10; Philippians 2:1-4). Without the Holy Spirit, we want to promote ourselves. With the Spirit, we can subordinate our rights to others. Note that this passage calls for ALL to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ, who submitted to His Father's will to be our example (5:21). Submission does not have to be a problem when the whole family seeks God and submits to being filled by the Spirit! WIN-WIN!
The whole issue of the man being the head of the wife can be a big stumbling block for some. I am not a doormat, but I am not a feminist either. I always fall back on the fact that the husband has the greater burden because he is to love, nourish, and cherish (like a mother hen brooding over her chicks) his wife like Christ loves, nourishes, and cherishes the church. That is a TALL order! It is interesting to note that Paul uses twice as many words telling the husbands how to love their wives than he does telling wives to submit to their husbands. So, I think there should be twice as much preaching toward husbands as there is to wives! But that is not always the case in our churches today. On top of all that, we should all get gazillion times more exhortation for ALL of us to be filled with the Holy Spirit because then it is not even an issue!
One more thing, common sense tells us that if a husband asks his wife to do something that would cause her to disobey the Lord, then he is not loving her like Christ loves the church, and there is no obligation to submit.
We do not submit to abuse either. If you have any questions in that area, please go to a trusted spiritual mentor or counselor about it!!! Abuse happens, even in the church, and sometimes it is wrapped up in the "submission" disguise. Here is an excellent forum to watch:
The Emotionally Destructive Marriage
The wife is every bit as equal to her husband (Galatians 3:28; Genesis 1:27), but there is nothing wrong with having some kind of social order, but that order is going to look different in every household, and the key to any family harmony is being filled with the Spirit and exercising the gifts He has given us! Read my musings about being a "helpmate" to my husband from Genesis 2 HERE. It will give you an idea of how things roll in my household. I should add that my husband read Ephesians 5 while we were engaged, and He fully submitted to the Holy Spirit in loving me like Christ loves the church, and I am a blessed woman!
Here are other verses regarding how a child is to behave toward his parents and the responsibilities a father has to his child: Ephesians 6:1-4; Exodus 20:12; and Deuteronomy 5:16; 6:1-9. Honoring a father and mother does not mean honoring their sin or obeying if they ask you to disobey the Lord. If you are a kid and have a question about that, please ask a trusted adult to help you!
Ephesians 6:5-9; 1 Peter 2:18-25; and James 5:1-6 are passages about servants and masters. Most of us do not have servants in our households, but this can apply to employer and employee relationships. We will discuss this more fully when we get to 1 Peter and James.
REFLECTION
"Submission" is a dirty word in the secular world, but how Providential that on the day I composed this post, Gabrielle Reece, professional volleyball player, would go on NBC's Today Show and announce that being a "submissive" woman shows "a sign of strength"! She has some women really mad at her, but I applaud the practical way she looks at submission even without a biblical worldview! Submission makes sense and is a WIN-WIN!
Looking at submission, as a byproduct of being filled with the Spirit, is even more powerful and WIN-WIN!
The reason why I included Ephesians 5:18 in the area of submission and family relationships is that it is more about submission to the Holy Spirit's work in us rather than to another person! I wholeheartedly believe that being filled with the Holy Spirit is the key to bringing "heaven" to the home!
I love this quote by C.S. Lewis that punctuates my point:
APPLICATION
Ponder the quote above and your love for God and those you love.
Talk to God about your walk with Him.
How can it deepen?
How can you love God better?
What are you filling yourself with instead of allowing the Spirit to fill you?
Holy Spirit, fill us once again. Amen.
The Emotionally Destructive Marriage
The wife is every bit as equal to her husband (Galatians 3:28; Genesis 1:27), but there is nothing wrong with having some kind of social order, but that order is going to look different in every household, and the key to any family harmony is being filled with the Spirit and exercising the gifts He has given us! Read my musings about being a "helpmate" to my husband from Genesis 2 HERE. It will give you an idea of how things roll in my household. I should add that my husband read Ephesians 5 while we were engaged, and He fully submitted to the Holy Spirit in loving me like Christ loves the church, and I am a blessed woman!
Here are other verses regarding how a child is to behave toward his parents and the responsibilities a father has to his child: Ephesians 6:1-4; Exodus 20:12; and Deuteronomy 5:16; 6:1-9. Honoring a father and mother does not mean honoring their sin or obeying if they ask you to disobey the Lord. If you are a kid and have a question about that, please ask a trusted adult to help you!
Ephesians 6:5-9; 1 Peter 2:18-25; and James 5:1-6 are passages about servants and masters. Most of us do not have servants in our households, but this can apply to employer and employee relationships. We will discuss this more fully when we get to 1 Peter and James.
REFLECTION
"Submission" is a dirty word in the secular world, but how Providential that on the day I composed this post, Gabrielle Reece, professional volleyball player, would go on NBC's Today Show and announce that being a "submissive" woman shows "a sign of strength"! She has some women really mad at her, but I applaud the practical way she looks at submission even without a biblical worldview! Submission makes sense and is a WIN-WIN!
The 43-year-old athlete writes in the book that "to truly be feminine means being soft, receptive, and — look out, here it comes — submissive," in a partnership. . . "I'm saying I'll lift up my side and do it happily and also the expectation would be or the hope would be that he comes with the same attitude." http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/gabrielle-reece-opens-submissive-woman-article-1.1315735#ixzz2QMm44llu)
Looking at submission, as a byproduct of being filled with the Spirit, is even more powerful and WIN-WIN!
The reason why I included Ephesians 5:18 in the area of submission and family relationships is that it is more about submission to the Holy Spirit's work in us rather than to another person! I wholeheartedly believe that being filled with the Holy Spirit is the key to bringing "heaven" to the home!
I love this quote by C.S. Lewis that punctuates my point:
"When I have learned to love God better than my earthly dearest,
I shall love my earthly dearest better than I do now."
Chew on this quote for a while. I think there is too much emphasis on marriage enrichment or how to be better parents and not enough about being filled with the Spirit. When we are intentional about this, everything else falls into place!
We spent several hours a few weeks ago with a couple that has been married for about the same amount of time that we have, but the wife is about ready to walk out. Having never probed deeper and having lived in different cities, we had no idea that they were at this point of crisis in their marriage. One of them willingly admits to having fallen out of love with the Lord having sought to "fill" the soul with things that have not satisfied. The emptiness was heartbreaking for us. Praying for a renewed love for God that might bring love for "earthly dearest"!
2015 Update: The couple is doing well!
2015 Update: The couple is doing well!
APPLICATION
Ponder the quote above and your love for God and those you love.
Talk to God about your walk with Him.
How can it deepen?
How can you love God better?
What are you filling yourself with instead of allowing the Spirit to fill you?
Some thoughts to ponder from The Holman Bible Commentary: Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians:
- If being "filled with the Spirit" is essentially the same as "letting the Word of Christ dwell within you richly," how could you say you are doing on a scale of one to ten? What do you think you could do to improve being filled with the Holy Spirit?
- Take a fearless moral inventory of your life to see if there is anything you are doing that you ought to stop.
- If you are unsuccessful in stopping something you ought to stop, contact someone whom you respect spiritually, and ask him to help you.
- Husbands rate yourself on a scale of one to ten on how well you are submissive to the needs of your wife. Make a list of things you ought to improve. Ask your wife to forgive you for your failure in that/those area(s) and commit to her and the Lord to do better.
- Wives, rate yourself on a scale of one to ten on how well you are submissive to the authority of your husband. Make a list of things you ought to improve. Ask your husband to forgive you for your failure in that/those area(s) and commit to him and the Lord to do better. (p. 176, 184)
Holy Spirit, fill us once again. Amen.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Ephesians 5:1-17 - Wisely Walk in Love and Light
LINK: Ephesians 5:1-17
While I usually link to the NASB because it is the most literal "word-for-word" translation, sometimes I parallel it with a paraphrase like The Message. This chapter was particularly nice to listen to as I prepared my tea this morning. Enjoy!
BACKGROUND
Walk in Love (5:1-2)
This is Paul's third "walk" exhortation. It follows his admonition to be kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving toward one another, and the way we do that is by imitating God because we are His children and because Christ gave us a perfect example of love by laying down His life for us (John 15:13) and for His enemies (Romans 5:10). His sacrifice was a sweet aroma like the Old Testament sacrifices were a "soothing aroma to the Lord" (Leviticus 1:9, 3, 17; 2:9). This means that Christ's sacrifice was acceptable and pleasing to God and satisfied the demands of the holy Law.
Walk in Light (5:3-14)
God is light, and there is no darkness in Him, but there are deeds of darkness that children of light can have no part in because we have been "called out of darkness into His marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9), become partakers "of the inheritance of the saints in light" (Colossians 1:12), and been delivered "from the power of darkness" and translated "into the kingdom of His dear Son" (Colossians 1:13)!
Paul mentions sins of deed (sexual immorality, impurity, and greed) and sins of speech (filthiness, silly talk, coarse jesting). We are not to participate in them. In fact, we are to expose them to the light!
The only phrase difficult to understand is "coarse jesting." It comes from a compound Greek word that is literally translated as "well-turned." My favorite definition gives insight into the word in the context of the culture of Ephesus, but I had to define a couple of words in the definition! I put them in brackets:
Walk Wisely (5:15-17)
We need to tread carefully while on this earth, not carelessly and without guidance or thinking things through before we act. This relates back to the quote in Ephesians 5:14. We are not to "sleepwalk" through life but be intentional and make the most of every single day.
Warren Wiersbe uses a great analogy:
Once I started writing, I realized that I needed to break Ephesians 5 up. There is so much in this chapter to chew on and apply to our lives. I do not want you to miss the importance of it by skimming over it. So, soak deeply!
One of the "socially acceptable" sins of the modern-day church is "Christian kidding" and "good-humored teasing" (see the definition for "jesting" above). Because I do a lot of counseling, I see the devastating effect of this practice. Just last week, I spoke with a young girl who had an interaction with her father that really stung. She bravely called him up to talk it through, and he apologized for his insensitivity, but she said that her father defended himself by saying, "Oh that is just the way 'guys' are. They banter back and forth, and there is nothing wrong with that."
I think there is.
I cannot tell you how many times I have been around people who find this is the only way for them to communicate. My husband was at a couples night with many people from our old church a few years ago and had to leave the kitchen because "coarse jesting"(see the definition above) was out of control among the guys. He felt trapped in the kitchen with guys trying to twist his words, teasing him about it. He got out of there quickly and just felt sick afterward. This was the common mode in my old fellowship. While we are no longer involved in ministry situations with them, we do interact with many of them socially, and the jesting seems so foreign to us now that we are in a fellowship where edifying speech is more the norm! In a smaller, more infrequent dose, we can see it for what it is and just pray for them without being too emotionally scarred in the process!
APPLICATION
How can we walk in love?
By watching what God does and doing what He does!
How do we watch Him?
By IMMERSING ourselves in the Word of God, observing His character and ways, and watching how Jesus walked on this earth and doing what He did.
Warren Wiersbe agrees and writes about how it changes us in the area of our tongue:
How do we do what He did?
By making daily "I will" statements from the Word of God and making them in the context of a small group of trusted believers who will love you and hold you accountable! This is "obedience-based discipleship" that results in lasting transformation.
So, get some exercise by applying what you learned in this chapter to your daily life. Who is going to hold you accountable?
Walk on brothers and sisters!!!
PRAYER
Lord, may our walk and words be in constant imitation of You. Amen.
While I usually link to the NASB because it is the most literal "word-for-word" translation, sometimes I parallel it with a paraphrase like The Message. This chapter was particularly nice to listen to as I prepared my tea this morning. Enjoy!
BACKGROUND
Walk in Love (5:1-2)
This is Paul's third "walk" exhortation. It follows his admonition to be kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving toward one another, and the way we do that is by imitating God because we are His children and because Christ gave us a perfect example of love by laying down His life for us (John 15:13) and for His enemies (Romans 5:10). His sacrifice was a sweet aroma like the Old Testament sacrifices were a "soothing aroma to the Lord" (Leviticus 1:9, 3, 17; 2:9). This means that Christ's sacrifice was acceptable and pleasing to God and satisfied the demands of the holy Law.
Walk in Light (5:3-14)
God is light, and there is no darkness in Him, but there are deeds of darkness that children of light can have no part in because we have been "called out of darkness into His marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9), become partakers "of the inheritance of the saints in light" (Colossians 1:12), and been delivered "from the power of darkness" and translated "into the kingdom of His dear Son" (Colossians 1:13)!
Paul mentions sins of deed (sexual immorality, impurity, and greed) and sins of speech (filthiness, silly talk, coarse jesting). We are not to participate in them. In fact, we are to expose them to the light!
The only phrase difficult to understand is "coarse jesting." It comes from a compound Greek word that is literally translated as "well-turned." My favorite definition gives insight into the word in the context of the culture of Ephesus, but I had to define a couple of words in the definition! I put them in brackets:
jesting—Greek, “eutrapelia”; found nowhere else in the New Testament: implying strictly that versatility which turns about and adapts itself, without regard to principle, to the shifting circumstances of the moment, and to the varying moods of those with whom it may deal. Not scurrile buffoonery, but refined “persiflage” [frivolous bantering talk: light raillery [good humored teasing] and “badinage,” [playful banter] for which Ephesus was famed [Plautus, A Boastful Soldier, 3.1,42–52], and which, so far from being censured, was and is thought by the world a pleasant accomplishment. In Col 3:8, “filthy communication” refers to the foulness; “foolish talking,” to the folly; “jesting,” to the false refinement (and trifling witticism [Tittmann]) Of discourse unseasoned with the salt of grace [Trench]. (A Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments: Volume 2, Eph 5:4, p. 353)The quote in Ephesians 5:14 is believed to be from a hymn well-known to the Ephesian based on Isaiah 29:19; 51:17; 52:1; 60:1; and Malachi 4:2 (see also Romans 13:11-13 and 1 Thessalonians 5:1-10). It means "wake up and realize the dangerous condition into which some of them had been slipping" (The Life Application Bible, p.2139). They needed to come out of the darkness of their sleepwalking and wake up to the light of Christ!
Walk Wisely (5:15-17)
We need to tread carefully while on this earth, not carelessly and without guidance or thinking things through before we act. This relates back to the quote in Ephesians 5:14. We are not to "sleepwalk" through life but be intentional and make the most of every single day.
Warren Wiersbe uses a great analogy:
Someone said, "When the pilot does not know what port he is heading for, no wind is the right wind" . . . Our English word opportunity comes from the Latin and means "toward the port." It suggests a ship taking advantage of the wind and tide to arrive safely in the harbor. The brevity of life is a strong argument for making the best use of the opportunities God gives us. (The Bible Exposition Commentary: Volume 2, Ephesians 5:16a, p. 47)REFLECTION
Once I started writing, I realized that I needed to break Ephesians 5 up. There is so much in this chapter to chew on and apply to our lives. I do not want you to miss the importance of it by skimming over it. So, soak deeply!
One of the "socially acceptable" sins of the modern-day church is "Christian kidding" and "good-humored teasing" (see the definition for "jesting" above). Because I do a lot of counseling, I see the devastating effect of this practice. Just last week, I spoke with a young girl who had an interaction with her father that really stung. She bravely called him up to talk it through, and he apologized for his insensitivity, but she said that her father defended himself by saying, "Oh that is just the way 'guys' are. They banter back and forth, and there is nothing wrong with that."
I think there is.
I cannot tell you how many times I have been around people who find this is the only way for them to communicate. My husband was at a couples night with many people from our old church a few years ago and had to leave the kitchen because "coarse jesting"(see the definition above) was out of control among the guys. He felt trapped in the kitchen with guys trying to twist his words, teasing him about it. He got out of there quickly and just felt sick afterward. This was the common mode in my old fellowship. While we are no longer involved in ministry situations with them, we do interact with many of them socially, and the jesting seems so foreign to us now that we are in a fellowship where edifying speech is more the norm! In a smaller, more infrequent dose, we can see it for what it is and just pray for them without being too emotionally scarred in the process!
APPLICATION
How can we walk in love?
By watching what God does and doing what He does!
How do we watch Him?
By IMMERSING ourselves in the Word of God, observing His character and ways, and watching how Jesus walked on this earth and doing what He did.
Warren Wiersbe agrees and writes about how it changes us in the area of our tongue:
Christians who have God’s Word in their hearts (Col. 3:16) will always season their speech with salt (Col. 4:6); for grace in the heart means grace on the lips. (The Bible Exposition Commentary: Volume 2, Eph 5:4, p. 45)AMEN!
How do we do what He did?
By making daily "I will" statements from the Word of God and making them in the context of a small group of trusted believers who will love you and hold you accountable! This is "obedience-based discipleship" that results in lasting transformation.
So, get some exercise by applying what you learned in this chapter to your daily life. Who is going to hold you accountable?
Walk on brothers and sisters!!!
PRAYER
Lord, may our walk and words be in constant imitation of You. Amen.
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Ephesians 4 - Walk in Unity and Purity
BACKGROUND
Ephesians 4 is the transition chapter:
In the first three chapters, Paul taught us about the wealth that we have positionally because we are "in Christ." The last three chapters teach us about how to walk experientially because of that wealth.
The oneness of the Body of Christ is in full focus in Ephesians 4. We have learned from the previous chapter that we are one Body positionally because of Christ. The way we achieve that oneness experientially is by relating to one another in humility (having infinite and inherent value but no more value than anyone else), gentleness (power under control), patience (believing God's timetable is good), and tolerance (willing to put up with someone or something in a spirit of selfless love). We will talk more about these characteristics when we discuss the parallel passage in Colossians 3 (he wrote Ephesians and Colossians at about the same time).(The Bible Exposition Commentary: Volume 2, Ephesians 4:1-16, p. 35)
Paul talked about the unity of the Body in 4:1-6. In 4:7-11, he talks about the diversity of the Body through the individual spiritual gifts. We have already talked about spiritual gifts in Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12.
If you are studying this book by itself and have not already done this in Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12, here is a link to one of my handouts on the subject of spiritual gifts:
This sheet is the result of 60 hours of study based on the four primary chapters on the gifts: 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, Ephesians 4, and 1 Peter 4.
Here is an online version of the test that I use in my workshops:
After you take the test, take the "Spiritual Gifts at a Glance" sheet to some of your closest friends and ministry partners to confirm your gifts.
I call these people a "clearness committee" because sometimes we do not always see clearly the gifts God has given us, but others do!
Now that we have gone through all of these chapters, let's look at the pattern of epistles written by Paul:
The alternatives to this are:
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(Concept: ©Warren Wiersbe. Diagrams: ©Carol Weaver)
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God has given each of us spiritual gifts (most of us have a "gift mix") so that we might minister to others and let them minister to us. This way, we all grow spiritually.
I want to clarify what is meant by Christ ascending to the "lower parts of the earth" (4:9-10). I have heard that this means that Jesus descended into hell, but most commentators believe that it means He descended from heaven to earth. They believe it is referring either to His Incarnation (when Jesus came to earth as a man but also God) and/or His eventual death, burial, and resurrection where He attained victory over sin and eventually gave gifts to men (4:8). Ephesians 4:7 means that gifted believers were given to the church.
Five kinds of gifted people are listed in this chapter. Apostles and prophets form the foundation of the church (2:20; 3:5). Some theological persuasions believe that as the apostles died out, so did these two gifts. The rationale is that apostle is not mentioned after Acts 16:4. They believe once the foundation of the church was laid, there was no more need for these gifts. Other persuasions believe that these gifts are still relevant today. See the "Spiritual Gifts at a Glance" worksheet for further study of these gifts.
The last three gifts are really two gifts, evangelist and pastor/teacher. Pastors and teachers are listed together because the article "the" occurs before "pastor" and not before "teacher" in the original Greek. In addition, the Greek word for "and" (kai) between pastor and teacher is different from the "and" (de) that separates the other gifts. It probably refers to two characteristics of the same person. It is called the gift of "Shepherding" in the handout that I linked above. (If you have been reading the Bible Book Club for a while, you know that I have this gift!)
The gifts are to prepare God's people for works of service to build up the Body of Christ so that we achieve experiential unity and maturity (see above) and are more like Christ in all of His fullness (1:23; 3:19). The biggest evidence of this will be our love for one another.
We are not only to walk in unity but also in holiness. We are to lay aside the "old self" that we learned about in Ephesians 2 and put on the "new self" because of our positional relationship with Christ Jesus. He concludes the chapter by talking about specific actions that we need to "put off" and "put on." Paul exhorts us all to live experientially like the people we have become positionally.
APPLICATION
If you have not done it yet, click on the links to the test and the "Spiritual Gifts at a Glance" handout. Get some people together and explore your gifts. It is very FUN!
The best way to discover your gifts is to go out and serve and then reevaluate how it went. Some people do not score high on certain gifts because they have never been in a position to use them. Read my handout about this subject: "How Can I Discover My Spiritual Gift."
I am sorry this was so long, but I have this shepherding gift that loves to help people understand and apply their gifts! :) I cannot tell you how exciting it has been for me to function in my gifting, especially since 2006 when we made the radical decision to be under leadership that nurtured and encouraged us to exercise those gifts!
PRAYER
Lord, teach us to love as one. Teach us to use our gifts to build up the Body of Christ and bring glory to Your name in the world. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.
Monday, July 8, 2013
Ephesians 3 - Paul: Preacher and Pray Warrior
LINKS: Ephesians 3
BACKGROUND
Paul was commissioned as a steward of God's mystery; that mystery was that the Jews and Gentiles were joined together as one into a new Body, the church, with Christ as the head. Paul was commissioned to preach the Good News of the riches of Christ to the Gentiles (Romans 11:13; Galatians 1:16; 2:7-8). He would even make it known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms. These rulers and authorities refer to both good and evil angels (1:21; 6:12; Colossians 1:16; 2:15; 1 Peter 1:10-12). The angels would learn the "manifold wisdom of God" through the church, and the evil angels learn that their leader, Satan, is not wise (Ephesians 3:10)!
Paul's preaching brought about suffering for Paul, but he encouraged them not to be sad because it was all in God's plan for His glory.
The second half of this chapter picks up on the prayer that he started in 3:1 before he broke into an explanation of the "mystery." Some commentators say there are four requests with one flowing out of the other and some believe it is just one request asking they would be strengthened (krataiōthēnai, “be strong to overcome resistance") with power (dunamis, dynamic living power) in their innermost beings. Strengthened and power were both words used in the prayer in Ephesians 1:19. This first request leads into prayer for a deeper experience of Christ so that they will grasp God's great love resulting in them being filled to all the fullness of God. Here is a little diagram to illustrate the progression of this prayer:
REFLECTION
The goal of this prayer is fullness!
God has granted us everything we need to live a godly life. He wants us to truly know Him and all the richness we have in Christ Jesus.
Our Identity in Christ:
APPLICATION
Quiet Talks on Prayer
is one of my favorite books on prayer, and there is a free Kindle version. (It is "dated" but profound!)
It is so meaningful to pray the prayer in Ephesians 3:14-21 for yourself and others.
Pray Ephesians 3:14-19 for yourself and others. May you be filled to all His fullness today. Do not settle for junk food!
BACKGROUND
Paul was commissioned as a steward of God's mystery; that mystery was that the Jews and Gentiles were joined together as one into a new Body, the church, with Christ as the head. Paul was commissioned to preach the Good News of the riches of Christ to the Gentiles (Romans 11:13; Galatians 1:16; 2:7-8). He would even make it known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms. These rulers and authorities refer to both good and evil angels (1:21; 6:12; Colossians 1:16; 2:15; 1 Peter 1:10-12). The angels would learn the "manifold wisdom of God" through the church, and the evil angels learn that their leader, Satan, is not wise (Ephesians 3:10)!
Paul's preaching brought about suffering for Paul, but he encouraged them not to be sad because it was all in God's plan for His glory.
The second half of this chapter picks up on the prayer that he started in 3:1 before he broke into an explanation of the "mystery." Some commentators say there are four requests with one flowing out of the other and some believe it is just one request asking they would be strengthened (krataiōthēnai, “be strong to overcome resistance") with power (dunamis, dynamic living power) in their innermost beings. Strengthened and power were both words used in the prayer in Ephesians 1:19. This first request leads into prayer for a deeper experience of Christ so that they will grasp God's great love resulting in them being filled to all the fullness of God. Here is a little diagram to illustrate the progression of this prayer:
The goal of this prayer is fullness!
Nature abhors a vacuum. This explains why air or water will automatically flow into an empty place. The divine nature abhors a vacuum. God wants us to experience His fullness. (The Bible Exposition Commentary: Volume 2, Ephesians 3:19b, p. 33)God wants to fill the "divine vacuum" with Himself. He is the only one who can fill it, but we try to fill it with other things, and this leads to sin. I alluded to this in the reflection on Ephesians 1 and cross-referenced 2 Peter 1:3-4:
Seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.Doesn't a good nutritious meal taste absolutely amazing when you are ravenously hungry? What if, at the end of that, someone put a junk food meal in front of you and told you to eat up? Would it be as appealing to you? Probably not. God has created a hungry cavity inside each of us that only He can fill. As we are filled to the fullness of God, we become partakers of His nature, and we do not want to sin because we are already too full! The "junk food" of sin just does not appeal to us anymore.
God has granted us everything we need to live a godly life. He wants us to truly know Him and all the richness we have in Christ Jesus.
The reason many churches are weak and ineffective is because they do not understand what they have in Christ. . . All of His divine resources are available to those who sincerely want to do His will and help Him accomplish His purposes on earth. (The Bible Exposition Commentary: Volume 2, Ephesians 3:11-13, p. 29-30)Here is a summary of what we have in Christ from the first three chapters of Ephesians:
Our Identity in Christ:
1:3 We are blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ
1:4 We are holy, blameless, and covered with God's love
1:5, 6 We are adopted as God's children
1:7 Our sins are taken away, and we are forgiven
1:10, 11 We will be brought under Christ's headship
1:13 We are marked as belonging to God by the Holy Spirit
1:22 We are members of Christ's body, the church.
2:6 We have been raised up to sit with Christ in glory
2:10 We are God's work of art
2:13 We have been brought near to God
3:6 We share in the promise in Christ
3:12 We can come with freedom and confidence into God's presence (The Life Application Bible
, p. 2133)
, p. 2133)APPLICATION
"We cannot all argue, but we can all pray;
we cannot all be leaders, but we can all be pleaders;
we cannot all be mighty in rhetoric, but we can all be prevalent in prayer.
I would sooner see you eloquent with God than with men."
Charles Hadden Spurgeon
One of the girls I discipled many years ago told me once that she loved it when I would say in my "Carol" way, "I'll pray." I remember back then when I had many girls coming to me for counsel and help in their spiritual growth, I would be at a total loss to know how to help them, but I knew that I could always pray. Anyone can pray!
Paul knew the importance of prayer! Prayer does not require elegance or a leading presence. It is just you and me before our God, and He can change the world as a result!
Quiet Talks on Prayer
is one of my favorite books on prayer, and there is a free Kindle version. (It is "dated" but profound!)2023 Update: In July 2019, I had a tibial plateau fracture. I was on crutches for weeks and could not go back to teach Pilates at the university in late September. At times, it was very hard, but God met me so powerfully in my early morning times with Him. Ephesians 3:16 was a key verse I prayed. Physically, it was a difficult remainder of the summer, but spiritually, I found myself filled to such fullness in Him.
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| August 5, 2019 |
It is so meaningful to pray the prayer in Ephesians 3:14-21 for yourself and others.
PRAYER
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Ephesians 2 - Death to Life through Christ
LINK: Ephesians 2
BACKGROUND
We were once dead spiritually and followed a non-believing value system that was created and energized by Satan. Most non-believers would not say that they are, but Satan is crafty and a tempter. He makes things of the world look attractive and makes us think it is our idea to pursue them. Because of this spiritually dead condition and the desire to gratify our flesh, we were objects of the wrath of God because disobedience and unbelief led to His wrath (Romans 1:18-2:29; John 3:36).
But because of God's mercy, He has provided a way of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ. This is because He is a gracious and wonderful God, not because we can do any righteous works. We cannot claim any credit for our salvation. Because we are "with Christ," we are made alive, raised up, and seated in the heavenly realms with our position in heaven secured. What hope! It is ALL because of Christ, not because of anything we have done or will do. What an affront to a holy God to think that anything we can do would merit salvation! We are God's workmanship (poiēma means a work of art or masterpiece and where we get the English word, "poem") created by God in Christ Jesus. God will perform His good works through us. We cannot do them on our own.
The Ephesians, as Gentiles, were once separated from God and the Jews; but in Christ, Jews and Gentiles have been united with God and with each other into one Body. They have been brought near by the blood of Christ (2:13; 1:7).
To understand this passage, we need a short Old Testament review. "Uncircumcised" was a derogatory term for Gentiles. Circumcision was a sign of the covenant between God and the Jews (Genesis 17). The "covenants of promise" that Gentiles were excluded from included the Abrahamic (Genesis 12:1-3; 15:18-21; 17:1-8), Palestinian (Deuteronomy 28-30), Davidic (2 Samuel 7:16; Psalm 89:1-4), and the New (Jeremiah 31;31-34; Ezekiel 36:24-30). These all pointed to the promise of the Messiah (Jesus) and the blessings through Him, but we know from our study of the Abrahamic Covenant in Genesis that God did not choose Israel and exclude the other nations. God chose them so they could reach all the other nations and include them in His eternal plan. They were blessed to be a blessing, but they did not understand this (Genesis 12:1-3).
The result of this union between Gentile and Jew is peace with each other and with God. This makes one body and one building with Christ as the chief cornerstone. In ancient times, the cornerstone was carefully placed, and the whole building was lined up with it (1 Peter 2:4-10). God's people are His New Testament temple for all the world to see!
REFLECTION
I'm not who I was! YIPPEE! Perfect song for this passage.
The passage also looks to our present and future citizenship in heaven. We are to fix our hope on this.
I just have to use another C.S. Lewis quote about our hope:
BACKGROUND
We were once dead spiritually and followed a non-believing value system that was created and energized by Satan. Most non-believers would not say that they are, but Satan is crafty and a tempter. He makes things of the world look attractive and makes us think it is our idea to pursue them. Because of this spiritually dead condition and the desire to gratify our flesh, we were objects of the wrath of God because disobedience and unbelief led to His wrath (Romans 1:18-2:29; John 3:36).
But because of God's mercy, He has provided a way of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ. This is because He is a gracious and wonderful God, not because we can do any righteous works. We cannot claim any credit for our salvation. Because we are "with Christ," we are made alive, raised up, and seated in the heavenly realms with our position in heaven secured. What hope! It is ALL because of Christ, not because of anything we have done or will do. What an affront to a holy God to think that anything we can do would merit salvation! We are God's workmanship (poiēma means a work of art or masterpiece and where we get the English word, "poem") created by God in Christ Jesus. God will perform His good works through us. We cannot do them on our own.
The Ephesians, as Gentiles, were once separated from God and the Jews; but in Christ, Jews and Gentiles have been united with God and with each other into one Body. They have been brought near by the blood of Christ (2:13; 1:7).
To understand this passage, we need a short Old Testament review. "Uncircumcised" was a derogatory term for Gentiles. Circumcision was a sign of the covenant between God and the Jews (Genesis 17). The "covenants of promise" that Gentiles were excluded from included the Abrahamic (Genesis 12:1-3; 15:18-21; 17:1-8), Palestinian (Deuteronomy 28-30), Davidic (2 Samuel 7:16; Psalm 89:1-4), and the New (Jeremiah 31;31-34; Ezekiel 36:24-30). These all pointed to the promise of the Messiah (Jesus) and the blessings through Him, but we know from our study of the Abrahamic Covenant in Genesis that God did not choose Israel and exclude the other nations. God chose them so they could reach all the other nations and include them in His eternal plan. They were blessed to be a blessing, but they did not understand this (Genesis 12:1-3).
The result of this union between Gentile and Jew is peace with each other and with God. This makes one body and one building with Christ as the chief cornerstone. In ancient times, the cornerstone was carefully placed, and the whole building was lined up with it (1 Peter 2:4-10). God's people are His New Testament temple for all the world to see!
REFLECTION
I'm not who I was! YIPPEE! Perfect song for this passage.
The passage also looks to our present and future citizenship in heaven. We are to fix our hope on this.
I just have to use another C.S. Lewis quote about our hope:
Hope is one of the theological virtues. This means that a continual looking forward to the eternal world is not, as some modern people think, a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but one of the things a Christian is meant to do. It does not mean that we are to leave the present world as it is. If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next.
The apostles who brought about, on foot, the conversion of the Roman Empire, The great men who built up the Middle Ages, the English Evangelicals [Like my hero, William Wilberforce!] who abolished the Slave Trade, all left their mark on earth, precisely because their minds were occupied with heaven. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. Aim at heaven, and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you will get neither. (Mere ChristianityAPPLICATIONby C.S. Lewis [Another one of my heroes!])
Worship God and thank Him that you are not who you were! Watch the video. What would your two-sided sign say?
Key verses to memorize from this chapter are Ephesians 2:8, 9
PRAYER
Thank You that I am not who I was, Lord! YIPPEE. Thank You for Your grace that is given freely to me through the blood of Jesus Christ. It is all your initiation and not because of my works. I am in awe. Thank You for the blessed hope that I have in You. Thank You for making me a citizen of heaven. Amen.
Key verses to memorize from this chapter are Ephesians 2:8, 9
PRAYER
Thank You that I am not who I was, Lord! YIPPEE. Thank You for Your grace that is given freely to me through the blood of Jesus Christ. It is all your initiation and not because of my works. I am in awe. Thank You for the blessed hope that I have in You. Thank You for making me a citizen of heaven. Amen.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Ephesians 1:15-23 - Prayer for True Knowledge
Link: Ephesians 1
(Full disclosure: This is one of my FAVORITE books, and Ephesians 1 is in my top five favorite chapters. (Primarily because of the "Golden Memory" of God grasping my heart that I shared yesterday.) I have studied it about ten times over thirty years and memorized all of Ephesians 1 many years ago. It is so important to digest and understand. So, savor it, soak in it, and pray through it!)
BACKGROUND
This entire section is one sentence in Greek! Paul has just presented some amazing truths about the spiritual blessings available to believers. Now, he prays for enlightenment so that believers can fully comprehend them. Generally, he prays for a spirit (not the Holy Spirit but a disposition or attitude) of wisdom and revelation. Wisdom (sophia) is the practical ability to apply God's truth to a definite situation and to act on what one knows and believes. Revelation is the unveiling of God Himself. Paul prays for this so that the believer might know God better. This word "know" (epignōsei) is not just intellectual but a personal and intimate knowledge of God and intimate awareness of His character and will. (I will have a lot more to say on this in 2 Peter! It is so key to understand this!)
Paul specifically prays that we might comprehend (have factual, personal, intimate knowledge of) the . . .
C.S. Lewis hits at the heart of this chapter:
As I meditated on this chapter today, I prayed that person would understand the forgiveness and grace of God emphasized in the first part of Ephesians 1 and for an intimate "true" knowledge of God emphasized in the prayer in the second part!
When we truly "know" Him, we see the filth of those mud pies on our fingers and can begin to smell the salt air and feel the cool ocean breeze beckoning us to come for a holiday by the sea! (See also 2 Peter 1:3-4 - the Greek word for "know" is the same one used in Ephesians 1. The true knowledge of God deters us from sin and allows us to become partakers of the divine nature!)
APPLICATION
I am praying this prayer for my friend, for you, and for me today! I hope you can do the same.
Here is a question from Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible, Ephesians 1:15-23:
Pray through Ephesians 1:15-23 for yourself and those you love.
(Full disclosure: This is one of my FAVORITE books, and Ephesians 1 is in my top five favorite chapters. (Primarily because of the "Golden Memory" of God grasping my heart that I shared yesterday.) I have studied it about ten times over thirty years and memorized all of Ephesians 1 many years ago. It is so important to digest and understand. So, savor it, soak in it, and pray through it!)
BACKGROUND
This entire section is one sentence in Greek! Paul has just presented some amazing truths about the spiritual blessings available to believers. Now, he prays for enlightenment so that believers can fully comprehend them. Generally, he prays for a spirit (not the Holy Spirit but a disposition or attitude) of wisdom and revelation. Wisdom (sophia) is the practical ability to apply God's truth to a definite situation and to act on what one knows and believes. Revelation is the unveiling of God Himself. Paul prays for this so that the believer might know God better. This word "know" (epignōsei) is not just intellectual but a personal and intimate knowledge of God and intimate awareness of His character and will. (I will have a lot more to say on this in 2 Peter! It is so key to understand this!)
Paul specifically prays that we might comprehend (have factual, personal, intimate knowledge of) the . . .
1) Hope of His Calling - Hope means "assurance for the future." Christ will return again for His bride, the church (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 John 3:1-3). You'll find out in the next chapter what it was like before Christ when we were "without hope" (Ephesians 2:12). In Christ we have a "living hope" (1 Peter 1:3) because of His resurrection. The "call" is what we had when God first drew us to Himself and called us out of darkness into light (Romans 8:28-30, Ephesians 4:1,4; Philippians 1:3-6;19-21; 2 Timothy 1:9-12; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24).
2) Riches of the Glory of His Inheritance - This is the second of six times Paul will refer to "riches" in the book of Ephesians (1:7, 18; 2:4, 7; 3:8, 16). This could be referring to the present riches in Christ referred to earlier in the chapter, to the future heavenly possession of the riches and glories of God, or at the resurrection of all believers when God will inherit those He has bought through the precious blood of Christ and according to the riches of His grace (1:7).
3) Surpassing Greatness of His Power - Power, dunamis (a spiritually dynamic and living force, power in action), is followed by three big Greek words to emphasize God's resurrection power that is available to us:
enérgeia - working, energetic power
krátos - manifested power, presence of significance of force or strength rather than its exercise
ischús- strength afforded by power (krátos)
"The use of two or three terms for divine power is a common and intentional one that is designed to bring out its greatness" (Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, p. 379).REFLECTION
C.S. Lewis hits at the heart of this chapter:
If there lurks in most modern minds the notion that to desire our own good and earnestly to hope for the enjoyment of it is a bad thing, I submit that this notion has crept in from Kant and the Stoics and is no part of the Christian faith. Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased (The Weight of Glory, p. 1-2).
(Update: I was able to go to the church in Oxford, England, and stand at the pulpit where C.S. Lewis gave this powerful sermon in 2016!) Amazing!)Once again, God's timing is impeccable. Recently, I sat listening to someone who is settling for those mud pies, and making them has brought only temporary satisfaction and guilt because of the sin (because mud pies are dirty!).
As I meditated on this chapter today, I prayed that person would understand the forgiveness and grace of God emphasized in the first part of Ephesians 1 and for an intimate "true" knowledge of God emphasized in the prayer in the second part!
When we truly "know" Him, we see the filth of those mud pies on our fingers and can begin to smell the salt air and feel the cool ocean breeze beckoning us to come for a holiday by the sea! (See also 2 Peter 1:3-4 - the Greek word for "know" is the same one used in Ephesians 1. The true knowledge of God deters us from sin and allows us to become partakers of the divine nature!)
APPLICATION
I am praying this prayer for my friend, for you, and for me today! I hope you can do the same.
Here is a question from Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible, Ephesians 1:15-23:
Do we not for a little pleasure often part with our peace?PRAYER
Pray through Ephesians 1:15-23 for yourself and those you love.
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