Letters
Eph4:1-16
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- Written by: Bill Stewart
UNITY AND DIVERSITY IN THE CHURCH
by Rev Bill Stewart audio
vs. 1-3:
"There is ...
one body,
one Spirit,
one hope,
one Lord,
one faith,
one baptism,
one God and Father..." (see Ephesians 4:4-6)
We get the feeling that Paul is trying to make a point, don't we? And in theory at least his point is simple: "maintain unity":
"I therefore ... beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called,
- with all humility and gentleness
- with patience,
- bearing with one another in love,
- making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (vs. 1-3)
I ask myself, what is driving Paul here? Is he just playing "happy families"? I don't think so. Paul begs the Ephesians to "maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace". Have you noticed how often Paul refers to "Spirit" and to "peace" in his letter to the Ephesians? Paul mentions the "Spirit" 14 times, at least twice in every chapter [read 1:13, 17; 2:2, 18, 22; 3:5, 16; 4:3, 23, 30; 5:9, 18; 6:17, 18], and he refers to "peace" 7 times [read 1:2; 2:14, 15, 17; 4:3; 6:15, 23]. And later in his letter in chapter 6, verse 15 – in that famous passage about putting on the whole armour of God, Paul says to the Ephesian Christians: "As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace". The gospel of peace! For Paul the gospel itself, the "good news" of Jesus is about the creation of peace.
Eph3
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- Written by: Chris Appleby
Paul's Prayer for his Converts audio
Have you noticed how the more you want something the more likely you are to pray for it? And to pray for it consistently. That means if you want to know what someone is really passionate about see what they pray for regularly.
Well Paul is about to let us in on the great desire of his heart. He's about to tell us what it is he prays for the church. He begins, "For this reason ..." Then he stops. He'll continue his prayer in v14, but first he wants to reinforce what he's been saying. He wants to make sure that they understand the significance of 'this reason'. Remember last week we read "you were [once] without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ." Once there were two nations: Jews and Gentiles, separated by a dividing wall of hostility. But now an amazing thing has happened. Christ has broken down that wall. Christ "has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace." (Eph 2:12-13 NRSV) And Paul has been given the ministry of the gospel to bring this change to fruition.
Eph 2:11-22
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- Written by: Bill Stewart
A Single New Humanity audio
"Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" These famous words were spoken by the American President Ronald Reagan in June 1987 during a speech given near the Berlin Wall. They were intended for the ears of the Russian leader Mikhail Gorbachev. At that time almost no one expected that the Berlin Wall would be torn down without a fight. Many of us believed that only World War III could tear down the Wall and that because thousands of nuclear missiles were lined up on both sides of the Wall, all of us might die in the process. You may not have heard Ronald Reagan's speech, but most of us here today will remember – and those of us who don't remember may have seen images on TV – when just two years later in November 1989 over a million people came together to begin to tear down the Berlin Wall.
Eph2:1-10
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- Written by: Chris Appleby
The Saving Grace of God audio
How many people here watch House? I love it. For those who aren't familiar with it, it's a TV show about a physician. In fact he's the world's best diagnostician. Generally the plot line is that someone comes in suffering from a rare and usually life threatening condition and there's nothing they can do about it. They're entirely at the mercy of House and his team of physicians and surgeons. Of course House always manages to work it out in the end, but unfortunately that means he's developed something of a God complex. The patient is doomed unless House can find a cure. Therefore any risk is worth taking if it means House can save them. The people who work with him are driven crazy by this approach because they know very well that he's not God. In fact he's far from perfect even if he's usually right. Still, there is some truth to the plot line. There are times when people find themselves so sick there's only a doctor and a few nurses between them and certain death. That's a situation no-one wants to be in.
Eph1:15-23
- Details
- Written by: Bill Stewart
A Prayer for Knowledge -
by Rev Bill Stewart audio
1. Paul gives thanks for God's grace in the life of the Ephesians (15-16)
Chris mentioned last week that the entire section from verses 3-14 was just one long sentence. Today's reading is just the same. Paul is still exploding with excitement about God's work. He's much too excited to bother with trivial things like punctuation! I'm sure we can all remember a time when we just couldn't wait to share some great news. Perhaps it was the news of being appointed to a new job? Or perhaps it was the news of good exam results? Or maybe it was the news that you are getting married? Or maybe it was the birth of a child or a grandchild? What is the news that Paul was so excited about in his letter to the Ephesians? His first words in this reading are:
15I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints,
