Category: Series
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Strength to live (Ephesians 1:19–21)
What do we do when we feel weak in the face of the powers that be? One response might be just to shut down, close ranks and find a bitter satisfaction in our identity as victims. Another response might be to try to fight as hard as we can to exert our power and dominance…
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What’s the point of theology? (Ephesians 1:17–18)
The full name of the college I teach at is “Moore Theological College”. That word “Theological” says something important about who we are. It reminds us about what we’re on about. Yes, the Bible is at the centre of everything we do. Yes, we seek to train people for ministry. Yes, we’re driven by the…
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Prayer: What are we actually doing? (Ephesians 1:15–16)
“A Muslim, a Jew and an Anglican Minister walk into a classroom”. This was the advertising blurb for a local Community College seminar I participated in a few years ago. I joined a Muslim educator and a Jewish academic (who is also a friend of mine) to give a series of presentations on different aspects…
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The Holy Spirit: Our security (Ephesians 1:14)
The Stanford Marshmallow Experiments are a favourite illustration of motivational speakers. The lesson is this: If you can learn how to delay gratification early in life, you’ll do better in later life. Sounds reasonable, doesn’t it? But unfortunately, like many popular conclusions drawn from famous psychological experiments, it doesn’t stand up to closer scrutiny. The…
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The message is the mission (Ephesians 1:13)
What is God’s mission? What means is God using to bring about his purposes in Christ? What does that mean for our own mission as Christians and churches?
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Rejoicing in the blessing of others (Ephesians 1:11–12)
Although the Bible is always relevant to us, not every sentence is directly about us. When we realise this, we can rejoice in God’s blessings even more.
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So here’s the plan (Ephesians 1:8–10)
The God of the universe has a plan to sum up all things in Christ. He’s revealed that plan to us, and is putting it into effect through the gospel.
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Are you trying to redeem yourself? (Ephesians 1:6b–7)
When it comes to God, we can’t redeem ourselves. Redemption is something that God has to do—and has done—for us. This is why it’s such a wonderful thing.
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What if it’s not about me? (Ephesians 1:4–6a)
The Bible gives us a vision for living life that’s the exact opposite of the narcissistic attitude. This is highly confronting, and profoundly comforting.
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#inChrist (Ephesians 1:3)
Ephesians starts with an explosion of praise for the ‘blessings’ God has given to us. But they’re different from the kind of blessings we often talk about.
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This God (Ephesians 1:2)
Many people believe in ‘God’. But the word ‘God’ means different things to different people. What does the Bible say about God: who he is and what he’s like?
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Amazing holiness (Ephesians 1:1b)
God sees believers in Jesus as holy. This fact is amazing, especially when you grasp the history of the gospel going out from Israel to the nations.
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Paul: in his own words (Ephesians 1:1a)
Who do you think the Apostle Paul is? It’s worth listening carefully to the words Paul himself chooses to define his own identity at the start his letter.
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Lift Your Eyes: Introducing Ephesians
When believers in Jesus were in danger of losing heart, Paul wrote Ephesians. This letter lifts our eyes to see God’s amazing plan through Jesus Christ.