Ephesians 3:1-21

We have many reasons to worship God.  It is what we were created to do, but we often become so distracted by the activities of each day that we tend to become self absorbed and neglect to make God the focus of our lives and the object of our worship.  There is nothing like the Gospel to call us back from the tedium of our lives on earth to the glory of our eternal God.  In this passage Paul is bowing his knees in an act of worship before God as he reflects on the glory of the Gospel.

PAUL WORSHIPS FOR THE PRIVILEGE OF MAKING THE GOSPEL KNOWN: Paul never seems to quite grasp how God could possibly use him to proclaim the Gospel to the Gentile nations.  He urges his readers to reflect on the great gift that God has given us to be able to be members of body of Christ.  This was a great mystery to those who were Gentiles in the time of the Old Testament.  This is exciting news!  God's plan of redemption is an amazing gift and it is such an honor to be able to announce this Great News to the nations.  Any doctor would be honored to be able to announce to the world that he had discovered the cure to cancer.  God has revealed to us the cure of the disease of sin which is far more deadly than cancer.  We should announce this message with grateful hearts and worship God for the honor of proclaiming this glorious message.

PAUL WORSHIPS GOD FOR THE POWER THAT COMES FROM KNOWING THE GOSPEL: Paul prays that his readers will know the Gospel of Christ fully that they might experience the true power that the Gospel produces in the lives of those who believe.  We have been given the power to overcome sin.  The Gospel has made in possible for Christ to dwell in our hearts.  This is an astounding accomplishment and it provides us with a supernatural source of strength.  Unfortunately, we seldom use this power to its greatest potential.  Paul calls us to recognise the preciousness of the power of Christ that is available to us and then to live in light of that glorious gift.  He truly is worthy of worship for the amazing power He provides to us through the Gospel of Christ.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Isaiah 54:1-17

Hope is a wonderful blessing from God, without which we would be vulnerable to all kinds of destructive tendencies in our lives.  Today’s society is marked by depression, anger, fear, anxiety and self-righteousness, in large part, because of the sense of hopelessness that prevails in our culture.  Isaiah writes to a people who are about to be taken into captivity because of their sin.  God knows that they will feel rejected, threatened and hopeless so He reveals His future plans for the nation in order to give them hope in the midst of the coming trial.  Hope is the expectation of good based upon the promises of God.  Many times when our lives are marked by the sins mentioned above it is because we have forgotten or failed to focus upon the promises of God’s Word. THE PROMISE OF GOD: From the very first day that God revealed His plan for the nation of Israel, He promised numerous descendants.  God chose Abraham, not because he was more righteous than any of the other people of his
Read more

1 Timothy 2:11-15

Let a woman learn quietly   with all submissiveness.    I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.    For Adam was formed first,   then Eve;   and Adam was not deceived, but   the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.    Yet she will be saved through   childbearing—if they continue in   faith and love and holiness, with self-control. There is certainly controversy and confusion about this passage in many churches today.  The idea of a distinction between men and women and their roles in the family and church certainly goes against the flow of many cultures around the world.  Some would argue that the literal and plain teaching of this passage is no longer applicable to today’s culture.  However, it is always dangerous to discard biblical teaching or try to interpret Scripture based on the cultures in which we live.  Certainly, the Spirit who inspired this text was aware of the many changes that would occur in future cul
Read more

1 Timothy 1:1-2

Paul,   an apostle of Christ Jesus   by command of   God our Savior and of Christ Jesus   our hope, To Timothy,   my true child in the faith:   Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. The true sign of maturity is multiplication.  Believers, churches, and ministries that do not reproduce are not demonstrating true maturity.  One of the key characteristics we can identify in Paul’s ministry is that he was constantly reproducing godly believers who were faithfully following the Lord.  Evangelism, discipleship, and leadership training are the hallmarks of mature ministers and ministries.   THE APOSTLE: Paul was called by God to be an Apostle.  Though Paul converted after the resurrection and assentation of Jesus, he met Jesus in the road to Damascus and was instructed by Jesus in the desert.  Paul considered himself to be the least of the Apostles because he persecuted the church and did not walk with Jesus on earth like the other Apostles.  However, God had
Read more