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STT: Ephesians

I did a study Ephesians a few years back and it is one of the most powerful books in the New Testament. It was written by Paul from a Roman prison and contains a balance of doctrine and application. I love chapter 2, the way it starts with our hopeless condition, and then everything changes at verse 4 with the words, "But God". Chapter 2 also includes those familiar, life-changing words "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God."

How to study Ephesians

The book divides easily into two parts. Chapters 1-3 are a doctrinal lesson, giving us powerful truth about what God did for us through grace and where we stand as a result. Chapters 4-6 guide us on living as believers in a range of relationships from the church, to the family to business dealings. Keep track of what you learn in each section.

Ephesians has several key words: riches, grace and filled/fullness. What do you discover about each one as you read?

Paul gives some key information about the church and how it should operate. What do you learn about it? What mystery does he explain?

There is a beautiful prayer in the middle of the book (3:14-21). What requests does Paul make? Can you imagine him praying that for you? Could you pray that prayer for someone in your life?

Finally, chapter 6 contains a section about the armor of God. What makes up our armor and our weapons? What do we need to guard against?

What's your favorite passage in Ephesians?

Filed Under: Study Tip Tuesday Tagged With: application, Bible study, church, doctrine, Ephesians, faith, grace, Paul

All Access

By Paula

If you're not a basketball fan, there were a lot of games this weekend, and even more in the coming weeks. Monday, I saw that one of the coaches was giving away his signed lanyard from the tournament his team played in over the weekend. His name and college team appeared on the badge and in large letters at the bottom, it read "all access" with the dates and event name.

As cool as a lanyard was, and even though it has "all access" stamped on it, it has limitations. It is limited to the venue, the event and the days on the badge. It doesn't grant the coach lifetime admission to every event from now on.

However, three different times in the New Testament, we as believers are granted an all-access pass through Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:2 says that through Jesus Christ "we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand."

Ephesians 2:18 "[W]e have access by one Spirit to the Father."

And in Ephesians 3:12 "[W]e have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him."

Grace, the Holy Spirit, confidence, boldness.

Our access is unlimited, and it never expires. However, it's up to us to take advantage of the benefits.

Are you using your all access pass?

Filed Under: Devotional Tagged With: access, badge, boldness, Christ, confidence, Ephesians, event, faith, grace, New Testament, Romans

Should

By Paula

The other day, my five-year-old sat in the corner, hugging her knees close as she sobbed. When I picked her up and asked her what was wrong, she managed to choke out , "I don't know how to tie shoes." No doubt some other kids in kindergarten can tie their shoes and she determined that she should, too.

Should.

She didn't realize it, but undergirding her frustration was the heavy weight of unmet expectations. I've been in the same spot as my little girl, not over tying shoes, but suffocating and pushed to the breaking point because I couldn't measure up. Maybe you have too.

Should can be one of the most insidious words in our language. It drips with shame, recrimination and judgment. "I should be over that by now." "I shouldn't eat that." It speaks of burden and failure. "I should do this." "I shouldn't have said that." It's even worse when someone else piles the "shoulds" on you.

However, our Father God redeems the "shoulds." Framed by His grace and borne out of His perfect love, "should" transforms. It's about setting things in order. It's His vision of our potential and redemption. Like in these verses – Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love. (Ephesians 1:3-4)

Holy. Blameless. Loved.

Embrace that instead of "should."

Filed Under: Devotional Tagged With: blessed, Ephesians, failure, God

Accepted

By Paula

"to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved." Ephesians 1:6

Accepted.

From the Greek, God "graced" us. He poured it out on us.

That act bestowed high honor and great favor on us.

We don't have to earn it.

We don't have to perform to maintain it.

It is grace.

And we are accepted.

Filed Under: Monday Meditations Tagged With: accepted, Ephesians, grace

Grace and the T-shirt

By Paula

The other day Jon brought me a t-shirt. The Red Cross had been to the refinery and he gave his latest pint on his way to five gallons. Along with the usual juice and cookies, they offered him a nice long-sleeved shirt, and he picked one in my size.

See that?

I got something free, because someone who loved me shed his blood to secure it.

Ephesians 2:7 says God saved us, so "that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus."

It is beyond my comprehension to imagine what God has for us, all obtained by the blood of Christ.

And now I have a t-shirt as a gentle reminder.

Filed Under: Devotional Tagged With: Christ, Ephesians, grace, Jesus, Jesus Christ