Finally starting my series on Ephesians which i'm studying for QT now... this is the 2nd time i'm reading this book, cos the first time i dun think i absorbed it a lot... its a commentary by James Montgomery Boice... think u all must have seen before, at least for the Genesis 3 thick books =) well the Ephesians one is only 1 book and a lot thinner.. well this time i'm sure after blogging about it, will be able to retain much more and apply it in my life (",)
Ok.. so what's Ephesians all about? the preface of the commentary says that basically, Ephesians is about the Church, beginning with God's work and ending with His glory. Its a "mini course in theology" =).. so its good for people like me.. and you...
"Like Romans, Ephesians deals with the most fundamental doctrines. But even more than any other great doctrinal book, it stresses the sovereignity of God in salvation and the eternal sweep of GOd's great plan, by which believers are lifted from the depth of sin's depravity (corruption) and curse to the heights of eternal joy and communion with God."
"This letter is a combination of Christian doctrine and Christian duty, Christian doctrine and Christian life, what God has done through Christ and what we must be and do in consequence." - John Stott
Chapter 1
Ephesians 1:1-2
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesus:
- a place like modern day cities! (Eg. Singapore)
- political and commercial centre of a large and prosperous region
Where was Paul when he wrote this? When was it?
Most likely:
- In prison
- Already accomplished much for God (imagine like one of us bring many many many friends to church and they all become disciples. Something more than that.)
So, why did he not introduce himself like this: "Paul, an apostle of Christ who planted the many churches scattered around asia"? Because he wanted to emphasize how he became an apostle instead of what he has acheived. The important thing he wanted to bring across was the work of God and not his own achievements. If not for the "will of God" in choosing and saving Paul (and us too), there's no chance we can ever become His children or serve Him (this concept will be covered more in time to come).
Next, Paul addresses them in 3 ways. Looking at these 3 ways, we can learn something about ourselves as Christians:
- the saints
- the faithful
- in Christ Jesus
1. Christians are saints.
In today's society people use "saint" to describe someone who's good. This wasn't the original meaning. In the Bible, to be a saint means to be set apart (dedicated). Once we become Christians, we have a new nature, a new set of loyalties, and a new agenda. We belong to the kingdom of God. We change citizenship from the current world to Heaven. But there are things we need to continue to set ourselves apart for God. We need to change a lot of our priorities, our way of thinking, our value system, our goals in life, the things which make us happy or sad, and the way we handle life. Are we really set apart for God? If we are, i'm sure many problems will seem smaller and many daily worries will be gone cos we know that God will provide. Its the way to true joy.
2. Christians are faithful
Faith has 3 elements.. Intellectual, Emotional, and Volitional (Commitment). When we hear the gospel and the Christian beliefs, we respond to it intellectually and we accept it as truth. But we also have another aspect which is the emotional loving response and gratefulness that we feel for our salvation. Then, we must make a personal commitment (which involves the will - decision) to God. All these are already done in the past since we're already Christians, but how are we faring today? DO we continue to respond to God and love Him and make a commitment to serve Him?
3. Christians are in Christ.
We are joined to Jesus in one spiritual body. This means that we will be glorified together with Him in future... In fact our joining to Christ was planned from eternity in the past by God the Father and will be fulfilled fully when, soon, we share in Christ's eternal glory forever and ever. There will be no end to it! Thinking of this makes me happy =) ... When life gets tough, especially when its tough to be a Christian, we can remember and be comforted.
Finally, Paul says "Grace and peace" to them.. Only with God's grace and peace can we continue to survive in this world so full of temptations and difficulties... in the coming posts, look out for more on how to live as Christians here in this world... :)
Okay... wah.. seems like a loooong post.. if u made it this far, congrats.. haha... thanks for reading my thoughts.. most of them are summarised from the commentary but i added some myself... ok hope that this helps u all also in your walk with God...
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Anyway, today went gym with my brother and Wei Hong... not too bad, thank God for the time and that i finally got to exercise.. it always takes extra effort to achieve something good.. well continue to pray for my grandma, she seems a bit better today but its probably cos of all the anitbiotics and stuff... yup... ok thats all for now... going to sleep soon... see you all... guitar pics? er... soon.. soon.. =P
