Ephesians

[IKTCA]

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God…(Ephesians 1:1)

If I proclaim the gospel, this gives me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me…. (1 Corinthians 9:16a)

Woe to me, if I do not preach the gospel…(1 Corinthians 9:16b)


Since Paul became an apostle by the will of God, if he didn’t do apostle’s duty, it would be a direct rebellion against the explicit will of God. An obligation was laid on Paul to serve God’s people as an apostle. Woe to him, if he did not serve as an apostle.

Like many of my brothers, by the will of God, I am called to an assignment. An obligation is laid on me to do the assignment. It is not a ground for boasting. And, woe is to me if I am negligent with the assignment.

Father,
Give me a diligence to do the assignment with gladness. Let not woes be on to me by being negligent of the calling.
Amen.

 

[repentandbelieve]

Hi Iktca,

God has a position of duty for each one of us. We should never become uninterested, never careless and inactive; and never fail to perform our duty in accordance with our position of trust.

How long will be our allotted time to work, we know not. But what time we have to labor, let us employ it as those who must give an account.

Our faith in eternal realities is weak, and our sense of duty small, in view of the opportunities that we have to point souls to the Saviour as their only hope. It is our duty to make known the truth, not in our own strength, but in the strong faith, assurance, and confidence that God imparts.

By their good works, Christ's followers are to bring glory, not to themselves, but to Him through whose grace and power they have wrought. It is through the Holy Spirit that every good work is accomplished, and the Spirit is given to glorify, not the receiver, but the Giver.

 

[IKTCA]

God has blessed us in Jesus Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3)

I am not certain if I should receive this passage at the individual level or the church level. I am not certain if I should expect to receive every spiritual blessing personally, or collectively with my brothers. I tend to believe the latter more than the former.

God knows that a church needs prophets, teachers, evangelists, pastors, miracle performers, healers, tongues interpreters, helpers, etc. (1 Corinthians 12:28, Ephesians 4:11) And I believe this passage is a promise that God will bless each church with all these blessings, if believed and requested.

Though I may not have every spiritual blessing, if my church is blessed with all blessings, I am. My church as a pastor. But I do not know if my church has a healer, a prophet, a teacher, or a miracle performer.

Father,
How can I be blessed with every spiritual blessing if my church does not have a healer, a prophet, a teacher, or a miracle performer? This promise came out of the mouth your servant whom you called according to your will. Therefore, Father, uphold this promise and raise many servants in my church, some as prophets, some as teachers, and some as tongue interpreters. And let us be the witnesses of this word of promise. I ask in the name of your Son, Jesus. Amen.

 

[IKTCA]

I read your post attentively. But I would like to learn more from you.

Please share with me how you keep yourself from becoming uninterested, careless, inactive, or failing in performing the duty. When you became disinterested, how did you pull back? Though not disinterested, you must have become discouraged in your duty at least once or twice in your lifetime. How did the Father restore you to the duty?

I am looking for friends.

 

[repentandbelieve]

God has blessed us in Jesus Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3)

I am not certain if I should receive this passage at the individual level or the church level. I am not certain if I should expect to receive every spiritual blessing personally, or collectively with my brothers. I tend to believe the latter more than the former.

God knows that a church needs prophets, teachers, evangelists, pastors, miracle performers, healers, tongues interpreters, helpers, etc. (1 Corinthians 12:28, Ephesians 4:11) And I believe this passage is a promise that God will bless each church with all these blessings, if believed and requested.

Though I may not have every spiritual blessing, if my church is blessed with all blessings, I am. My church as a pastor. But I do not know if my church has a healer, a prophet, a teacher, or a miracle performer.

Father,
How can I be blessed with every spiritual blessing if my church does not have a healer, a prophet, a teacher, or a miracle performer? This promise came out of the mouth your servant whom you called according to your will. Therefore, Father, uphold this promise and raise many servants in my church, some as prophets, some as teachers, and some as tongue interpreters. And let us be the witnesses of this word of promise. I ask in the name of your Son, Jesus. Amen.

This passage should open our eyes to the wonderful possibilities of the Christian life and make it plain that there is no limit to the blessings that the children of God may receive.

Constantly increasing in a knowledge of God, we may go on from glory to glory in our Christian experience, until by "His glorious power" we made " to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints ".

 

[repentandbelieve]

I read your post attentively. But I would like to learn more from you.

Please share with me how you keep yourself from becoming uninterested, careless, inactive, or failing in performing the duty. When you became disinterested, how did you pull back? Though not disinterested, you must have become discouraged in your duty at least once or twice in your lifetime. How did the Father restore you to the duty?

I am looking for friends.

I struggle more with distraction than discouragement. But realizing the worth of souls, and our accountability to God has given me such appreciation of the sacredness of the work that I feel it must go forward..

"The love of Christ," said Paul, "constraineth us." It was the actuating principle of his conduct; it was his motive power. In his labors for his brethren Paul relied much upon "the love of Christ", with all its subduing and constraining power.

"The love of Christ" is so powerful. It not only draws us to Him, but it also sustains us in our work. It not only sanctifies the whole life, it also extends its influence over others.


Self-denial for Christ's sake is the real battle before us, and a lack devotion and consecration to the work can always be traced back to loving self more than loving Christ.

Itkca, I have yet to escape the corruption that is in the world through lust. But I have come to realize that we have a great work to do. To elevate men and women, and win them to Christ. To lead them to choose and earnestly seek to be partakers of the divine nature.

 

[IKTCA]

In him we have redemption through his blood,
forgiveness of our trespasses,
according to the riches of his grace
that he lavished on us. (1:7)

Redemption through his blood.
Forgiveness of trespasses.
Riches of his grace.

These are the essence of my faith. But somehow after many repetitions these words fail to stir my heart with thanksgiving and praise. I pause and go back to when I was found, when I first asked Jesus to be my Savior.

The moment when joy displaced despair, and peace anxiety. The day when I was shown that my truth was a deception, my light a darkness. I go back to the hometown for my soul, where understanding came as a lightning, and God revealed Jesus to me.

Redemption through his blood.
Forgiveness of trespasses.
Riches of his grace.

As I read these words again, my heart is stirred with thanksgiving, my hands lifted in praise, my head bowed in submission.

Lord Jesus,
I do not dare to say that I know the true greatness of redemption and the true depth of forgiveness. But in your riches of grace, you lifted me from the pit of death to the inner court of your kingdom. As I remember the day when I was lost but found, when you declared to the prince of the air that I belong to you from that day on, I cannot but give thanks and praise to you.

Let your apostle’s words stir my heart with thanksgiving everyday. Amen.

 

[IKTCA]

I ... beg you ...
make every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit
in the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:1-3)

For many years I have been looking for a church where people actually read the Bible and their Sunday gathering is indeed a worship event. I visited a church a year, and moved on to another. I can continue church hopping for more years without running out of local churches.

As I read Chapter 4, I feel like Paul is telling me to make every effort to stay with one church. I need to pray about it.

 

[IKTCA]

Honor your father and mother. (Ephesians 6:1)

My mother is alone. I want to honor her and not send her to a nursing home – she specifically asked me not to. And I did volunteer work at a nursing home and know what it is like. (Not that the residents are abused.) But the relationship between my mother and my wife is not good. My mother cannot come to my house and live with us as of now.

I wonder how any two persons can live peaceably when their relationship is worse than when they first met as strangers. Years of interaction only caused more hurts. Is this how we live? Is the relationship between my mother and my wife a representation of any two persons? Aren’t many husbands and wives in a worse relationship than when they first met?

There is only one way to reconcile: to ask for forgiveness in the name of Jesus. Will my mother and my wife ask for forgiveness from each other? Or, are they going to die without reconciliation?

Lord,
Help me keep this commandment. What needs to be done be done in your name. Amen.

 

[IKTCA]

Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling,
in singleness of heart, as you obey Christ (Ephesians 6:5)

It is nearly shocking that Jesus, the friend of the poor and oppressed, said to slaves (through Paul) to obey their masters. Jesus, who is a just judge, knows slavery is injustice. At least, a remark such as “I know your plight,” would be appropriate.

The Lord is tender and meek. But his messages are hard sometimes. When I am mistreated at work, I look for comfort in the Bible. But I find “Go 10 miles,” “Turn the other cheek,” and “Strengthen your feeble legs.” There was time for moaning, but now is time for growing.

Jesus wants me to live like a slave, keeping no hope in this world, placing all hope in the heavenly place. Jesus wants me to live like a slave, not letting matters of the world (even persecution and gross injustice) steal my peace, but binding my mind to the matters of the heaven.

I have not been sued or divorced. But I have been falsely accused in car accidents, cheated in business deals, and betrayed by a friend. If slaves must serve their earthly masters in peace, I must not lose peace on these matters, for there is no excuse in the Bible.

Lord,
Drinking milk was easy, but growing in maturity even to the obedience of a slave is hard. But I know you are not a harsh Lord. I only ask you to make my heart firm and my mind resolved to follow your command. Amen.

 

[IKTCA]

You must no longer live as the Gentiles live in the futility of their minds.(Ephesians 4:17)

How must I not live? What is Gentile’s way of living? I don’t have to go back far. Up until 25 or 30 years ago, I used to live in the Gentile way. I followed the futility of my mind, deceived by the lord of this world. I pursued what my peers pursued, and cherished what they cherished. But the world betrayed me, such a faithful follower.

They are darkened in their understanding,
alienated from the life of God
because of their ignorance and hardness of heart. (v. 18)

Yeah, that was me.

They have lost all sensitivity,
and have abandoned themselves to licentiousness,
greedy to practice every kind of impurity. (v. 19)

I know what this means for I was one of them.

Clothe yourself with the new self, created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. (v. 24)

The difference between the past and now is how much I am clothed with a new self, and how much I have become a new creation.

Lord Jesus,
As I examine myself, I find much difference between then and now. I am thankful for the changes, for they bring much joy and peace. But I also see an area where I am still the old way. Lord, help me see it clearly, separating the old from the new, until I become to hate the old way and yearn for a new way. Amen.

 

[The Julikenz]

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God…(Ephesians 1:1)

If I proclaim the gospel, this gives me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me…. (1 Corinthians 9:16a)

Woe to me, if I do not preach the gospel…(1 Corinthians 9:16b)


Since Paul became an apostle by the will of God, if he didn’t do apostle’s duty, it would be a direct rebellion against the explicit will of God. An obligation was laid on Paul to serve God’s people as an apostle. Woe to him, if he did not serve as an apostle.

Like many of my brothers, by the will of God, I am called to an assignment. An obligation is laid on me to do the assignment. It is not a ground for boasting. And, woe is to me if I am negligent with the assignment.

Father,
Give me a diligence to do the assignment with gladness. Let not woes be on to me by being negligent of the calling.
Amen.

Thankyou Brother, for your humble post. Thankyou Father, that You continually use this man as a servant of the word, and a vessel of Your will for our Lives, Jesus. Father i praise You for Your amazing patience with Me. I continually let You down Father, but You do not shame or hold me to that, You lift me from the dead, set my feet upon the rock, and send me out with Your name on my lips once more. Jesus, change my hard heart, and make it one that recieves Your will for my life, DAILY, as You give it daily. In Your name Jesus, amen.