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Showing posts from June, 2014

The Mystery of Christ Made Known

The Mystery of Christ Made Known Normally a mystery is an unknown secret but in this context, it is a secret that has been revealed by God to His people. In our present study, Apostle Paul explains the mystery of Christ in Ephesians chapter 3. First, Paul tells the Ephesians that he is a “prisoner of Christ Jesus for the Gentiles”. Paul is writing from the prison (house arrest) in Rome. He ended up in prison because of his efforts to preach and bring the gospel to the non- Jews, the Gentiles. His own Jewish brothers accused him and wanted to kill him and he appealed to Caesar and now in prison in Rome. Ephesians 3: “For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles— 2 if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, 3 how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, 4 by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), 5 which in other ag...

Is Any Body Home? - The Holy Spirit

Is Anybody Home? – The Holy Spirit As we continue our study of the Epistle to the Ephesians, let’s zero in and pay attention to the person and work of the Holy Spirit. The Godhead is always present and work in union with each other - The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. It seems we often forget the work of the Holy Spirit and even who He is. Francis Chan wrote a book: Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit. Here is a summary capsule of the book from Amazon.com: "Francis Chan offers a compelling invitation to understand, embrace, and follow the Holy Spirit’s direction in our lives. In the name of the Father, the Son, and … the Holy Spirit. We pray in the name of all three, but how often do we live with an awareness of only the first two? As Jesus ascended into heaven, He promised to send the Holy Spirit—the Helper—so that we could be true and living witnesses for Christ. Unfortunately, today’s church has admired the gift but neglected to open it....

Are You a Member of God's Household?

Are You a Member of God’s Household? As we continue in our study of the Epistle to Ephesians, Paul by the Holy Spirit has established how individuals are saved by grace of God. Now in our present study, Paul shifts to the establishment of the Church, the body of Christ. The “modern family” is what we have today? There is a TV show with that title that depicts the evolving nature of what constitutes a “family”. The modern family is a mixture of all kinds of set ups (married at least once, with step children and step fathers and step moms, etc.). It is unlike the traditional family with one dad and mother and the children. How do these compare to the household of God – God’s Family? What is God’s family like and what constitutes God’s Household? Let’s listen to Apostle Paul in Ephesians 2: 14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained...