Bible Study, Ephesians

Walk

In his book, Sit, Walk, Stand Watchman Nee provides incredible insights into Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus.  ‘Sit’ in Ephesians 1-3 encourages us to sit down and listen to what God has done forus.  In Ephesians 4:1-6:9 Nee observes a shift from sitting to walking lives of gratitude that reflect the result of what God has done for us as we live out our daily lives.  Finally, in Ephesians 6:10-24 Paul tells us it is time to stand and prepare for war, concluding with the admonition to pray.

WALK

Beginning at the end of October we started working through the various aspects of living the Christian life that are detailed by Paul.

Walk in Unity and Maturity (Eph. 4:1-16)

Walk in the Light (Eph. 4:17-5:14)

  • Think Differently (4:17-24)
  • Care for One Another (4:25-32)
  • Imitate God (Eph. 5:1-14)

Walk in the Spirit (5:15-6:9)

  • Be Filled With The Spirit (5:15-20)
  • Love Like Christ (5:21-33)
  • Honor One Another (6:1-9)

SUBMISSION: THREE PILLARS

With the final two aspects of walking in the Spirit (Ephesians. 5:21-6:9), Paul addresses three main pillars of society that are to be subsumed to the Lordship of Jesus Christ: marriage, family and society.  The characteristic, Christ-centered quality of the church is to be one of submission to one another (Eph. 5:21).

PILLAR 1: MARRIAGE

Paul appeals to husbands and wives who submit to one another out of reverence to Christ (Eph. 5:22-30).  Husbands take the lead in providing a headship that chooses to lay down his rights to lead as a servant, to provide spiritual leadership that is holy, cleansing, and oriented towards making her ‘radiant’ (vs. 27).  With this kind of loving and caring headship the husband hopes for the respect of His wife (vs. 33).

PILLAR 2: FAMILY

Children are to submit to parents because it is a command from God that includes a specific promise: “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth” (Deuteronomy 5:16). Furthermore, fathers specifically work towards a Christ-centered love and discipline that does not exasperate (vs. 4).

PILLAR 3: SOCIETY

In Greek and Roman societies the rights of slaves were going through positive transformations.  Perhaps their rights were given impetus, in part, through Paul’s instruction to Christian slaves and masters (Markus Barth, Ephesians 4-6, Anchor Yale Bible Commentary).  Translate to today’s employer/employee relationships and we close the loop to understand that our foremost employer is Christ Himself.  To honor Him we do our best to honor one another as equals.

CONCLUSION

Even today these simple guidelines have proven to be challenging in every realm, across cultures and in societal norms.  One has only to wonder what the world would be like with a voluntary egalitarianism that strives to serve others.

Looking for a church?  Perhaps one of the best predictors of congregational satisfaction for a seeker can be found in churches that exhibit these qualities among one another as well as to others.

“And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

– Jesus (John 12:32)

Bible Study, Welcome!

Imitation

They say that “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.”  In Ephesians 5:1 Paul encourages his readers to “be imitators of God.”

IMITATION: SIT

In our study of the first 3 chapters of Ephesians over the last few weeks we have covered the first half of the book.  Paul tells us that by God’s power, strength and might Jesus was raised from the dead and seated at God’s right hand (Eph. 1:18-21).  More than that, God also 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” (Eph. 2:4-6, NASB).

Simply stated, Paul is telling us “Sit down and listen while I tell you what God has done for you!”  Chapters 1 through 3 are an incredible review of God’s divine plan from before the beginning of time.  Center stage: Christ and the church (Eph. 3:20-21).

Sitting down and resting in what God has done for us in Christ is so important!

IMITATION: WALK

Currently we are in the midst of chapters 4 and 5 of Ephesians. Here Paul places a great emphasis upon how we walk all day, every day.  In fact, Paul literally uses a word we literally translated as “walk” to describe our lives once we have been seated in God’s throne room.  He contrasts between the way we once walked, in the futility of our minds (Eph. 4:17), and the new way we walk, renewed in the spirit of our minds (Eph. 4:23-24).  Likewise, on Sunday mornings, we will spend time on more practical application.

It is in this context that Paul encourages us all to be ‘imitators of God.’ This truly is the sincerest form of flattery plus a few other things like honor, glory and praise.  In his book, Just Like Jesus (1998) Max Lucado gives a great illustration of what this looks like. He asks a simple question: “What if, for twenty-four hours, Jesus wakes up in your bed, walks in your shoes, lives in your house, assumes your schedule?”  Essentially, He lives your life with His heart.  Would anyone notice a change?

This intriguing question is a great focus point for personal meditation, confession, and repentance.  But, more than that, it is a great tool for contemplating the changes that need to occur in our lives.  That’s one reason I love the subtitle of Lucado’s book: “God loves you just the way you are, but he refuses to leave you that way.  He wants you to be Just Like Jesus.”

Ephesians 1-3 keep us from falling into despair when we contemplate fulfilling the challenges Paul places before us in chapters 4-6.  Learning to imitate God is an overwhelming task that is greater than we are.

Of course, God knew that.

This is why He sent His Son, “while we were yet sinners.”

IMITATION: STAND

Lord willing, by December, we will be concluding our study in Ephesians.   We will be talking about how God’s actions (ch. 1-3) have changed believer’s daily lives (chapters 4-6:9).  These people are now ready to make a stand and pray!

Welcome!

Shoreline Church

Jesus is our Shoreline.

Speaking to His people through the prophet Jeremiah, God asks a simple question:

“Have you no respect for me?
    Why don’t you tremble in my presence?”

God’s people, Israel, had messed up terribly, trying to make it through life without God.  Because of this they were suffering heavily and God was warning them that there was more to come.

And so, God tells them,

“I, the Lord, define the ocean’s sandy shoreline as an everlasting boundary that the waters cannot cross. The waves may toss and roar, but they can never pass the boundaries I set.”

– Jeremiah 5:22 (NLT)

God’s point was that no matter how badly the storms may become He is still in control.  He sets the boundaries of the winds and waves,  providing a shoreline of safety to those who will seek Him.

In life we all struggle with wanting to do things our own way instead of surrendering ourselves to God’s ways.  Then, when the storms of life visit us we find ourselves making poor choices under pressure that often make our situations even worse than they were before.

But God is still in control.

So, when we find ourselves in the middle of life’s storms, bobbing up and down in its currents and rip tides, taking on water, we look for the safety of land.  And standing on the shoreline, calling us to safety is God’s Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior.

Isn’t that what church is supposed to be?  A place to safely gather with others who struggle with life’s storms.  A place to rest in the promises of a God who is in control and has provided just what we need to make it.  A place where life makes sense and is filled with meaning and purpose in spite of all of our mistakes.

This is the meaning behind our name: Shoreline.  Here, Jesus stands, arms open wide, welcoming God’s children home.

Jesus is Our Shoreline