Yesterday I completed our series studying the book of Ephesians. This has been one of the most powerful that I have shared at The Community Fellowship.
Are you ever amazed at what you find in the Bible and how God uses it in your life? I have to say YES to that. He does more than I will ever know. From the first chapter to the last there were pieces that God uncovered and were amazing.
I would encourage you to read and study this book. Dig in.
The following quote sums up the book very well, and I want to share it with you because it hit me. I will share some key verses from Ephesians at the end. But
QUOTE
This letter lifts us to a new vantage point from which we are united with the risen and ascended Christ. Believers are not to have a limited or merely earthly perspective. When we view life from the heavenly realms (1:3), we can understand that the church's strength is not in human resources but in the grace and strength of God alone. The church's warfare is not with people but with spiritual powers (6:10-17). The church, the people of God, does not function merely to carry out routine activities. It is to reveal the wisdom of God and to proclaim the rich redemption provided by Jesus Christ (1:3-11; 3:2-13). This grand book gives us a purpose for living in line with God's purposes in history (1:10). This is accomplished as we live in submission to Christ, the head of the church, indeed the head over all things (1:22).
Here are a few of the verses that stick out to me from Ephesians…
Ephesians 1:3 NLT
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.
We are blessed!
Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT
God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a rew
ard for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
We are saved by grace and prepared to serve His purpose.
Ephesians 3:20 NLT
Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.
God is able to do more than we ever will know.
Ephesians 5:21 NLT
And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Submit is a good word. Check it out a little deeper.
Ephesians 6:11 NLT
Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.
Get ready for the battle God reminds us about. We have an enemy.
Ephesians is a powerful book. Written by Paul who penned the majority of the New Testament and was passionate about seeing the church of Jesus be the most influential body on the planet.
Jesus radically changed Paul’s life, and this six chapters develops a pattern of discipleship, intimacy with God and purpose alone with giving us insight to some of the toughest questions and situations we will deal with.
Ephesians comes alive because Paul pours his heart out for the people he cared so much about. He wrote to Ephesus from prison. Paul loved the Lord and people. He built relationships with the people he cared about.
We were reminded that People matter. We have learn that we are in Christ and blessed. We learned what the strength of the church really is. We learn that the battle belongs to the Lord even though we are charged to put on the armor and be in it.
Yet We are tempted to make it about us and not about God. It really is all about Him!
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