We want our church leadership to be Biblical. Usually by this, we mean that we want to appoint people to the offices we find in Scripture and mirror the structures we find there. The problem is that there is often a lot of disagreement here because in fact the New Testament doesn’t really have that… Continue reading Ephesians and Church leadership
Tag: Ephesians
Ephesians and mission
What does Ephesians have to say about the mission of The Church and our part in it? Well, to start with, it begins with the mission of God. It is the Father himself who chooses to love and bless us by seeking us out when we were far off, dead in sin, aligned with and… Continue reading Ephesians and mission
Slaves and Masters
Ephesians 5-6 applies the way God’s love poured out to us is reflected in our love for each other in four relational examples Encouraging one another in the church Marriage Parents and children Slaves and Masters Here is some background reading relating to the 4th example with a look at church history and the movement… Continue reading Slaves and Masters
Husbands, love your wives … wives, let them
This title might be seen as a possible TL:DR of one of the crucial applications of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians (ch 5:21-32). Back in 2010 for my MTh dissertation I had the privilege of studying that particular passage in depth. You can read the results of that study here:
Spiritual Warfare in Ephesians
What comes to mind when you hear the phrase “Spiritual Warfare”? You perhaps think first of all about demon possession and exorcism, perhaps too about witchcraft and sorcery. Perhaps you will have in mind some famous secular films like the Exorcist or popular level Christian literature. Well you would not be wrong to think about… Continue reading Spiritual Warfare in Ephesians
Marriage health-check (applying Ephesians 5)
In my previous article, I suggested that we should be cautious about attempting to be over prescriptive about what it means to practically apply Ephesians 5:21-32. I’m convinced that rather than looking at each aspect individually to see if wives are submitting, husbands are being good heads etc that we do best to look at… Continue reading Marriage health-check (applying Ephesians 5)
Strengthened in love (A sermon on Ephesians 3:14-21 for Pentecost)
What is love? Famously, a set of cartoons back in the 1980s offered the answer “love is…” with lots of examples. Perhaps, given he was not too sure himself at the time and what was to follow, they were unwise in one suggestion “Love is Charlie and Di” We might suggest that love is our… Continue reading Strengthened in love (A sermon on Ephesians 3:14-21 for Pentecost)
The Church United
If Ephesians is about God’s purpose for his people, then this means that a central focus is on the church. In fact one of the ways that we might express Paul’s overall theme is that God’s people should be united together in love to Christ first and then to one another as his beautiful body.… Continue reading The Church United
Predestination in Ephesians
One of the most controversial statements in the New Testament is found in Ephesians 1:5 where it says: “ he[b] predestined us” It’s controversial because if God has determined from eternity what will happen to us, then where does that leave free will. It seems that everything has already been decided. If, God “chose us …before the foundation… Continue reading Predestination in Ephesians
The Spirit in Ephesians
A central theme in Ephesians is the work of the Holy Spirit. If this is a letter about God’s purpose for his church, about how to be united in love as his alternative society and about standing firm in spiritual warfare, then the Holy Spirit is crucial to all of that. But before Ephesians is… Continue reading The Spirit in Ephesians
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