Throughout the Bible - and even in the Christmas story - God carried out his plan through people and circumstances that seem illogical to us. In our text, Paul tells the Philippian Church that his imprisonment, which seemed like a bad thing in their eyes, was actually being used by God to further the gospel. Come and be reminded this week that Christ is proclaimed in some of the most surprising ways.
This Sunday, we begin the second of Paul's Prison Letters - the Letter to the Philippians. And even as he writes this letter in chains, the theme of joy is prevalent throughout. Even though struggles and strife occur in our lives, we have the hope of Jesus' Second Coming - and the even greater hope that it is He who has prepared us for that day. Come and rejoice in that hope with us!
Just before closing his letter to the Ephesians, Paul gives one last practical exhortation. These practical exhortations have been his focus since Chapter 4, where, after calling the Ephesians (and us) to unity, to intentionally living "in the light," and to be people who submit to one another (in reverence to Christ)... Paul now says: "Be strong in the Lord" as he speaks of armor and spiritual forces of evil. Welcome to the battlefield, Christian soldiers!
This Sunday we enter the final chapter in Ephesians where Paul continues to discuss what our Christian walk looks like. Last week we saw how the Gospel impacts our marriage life.
This week we see how it affects our family life and our work life. And through this passage, we see that to be Christ-like in these areas of life, the Law can't truly change us. True change comes by the Holy Spirit changing us from the inside out, through the transforming work of the Gospel.
In this Sunday’s text Paul points us to the Ideal Marriage. We will see how this Ideal Marriage is grounded in God’s Law, guided by the Gospel of Christ, and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Paul then shows us that the Ideal Marriage is Christ and the Church. As justified children of God, we navigate through our everyday relationships from a position of freedom and strength, even though we still struggle against the sin within us. The question is then, what would it look like if the Gospel was at the center of our relationships? What would it look like for us to imitate Christ in our marriages, and in each other relationship we have?
As we get into Ephesians, chapter 5, Paul begins by encouraging us to imitate God. He calls us to pattern our walk after the only one who ever walked this earth perfectly, namely Jesus. How does your Christian walk stand up to this standard? Come and hear where our hope is found and why we can still be encouraged in our walk - even though it will never be perfect.
As we get into the second half of Ephesians, chapter 4, Paul calls us to put off the old and put on the new. Unfortunately, this is not always easy. As we daily walk in the newness of who we are in Christ, there is always a pull to walk in our old ways. Join us as we rejoice in the fact that not only does Jesus make us new; he gives us the power to walk in new ways.
This week Ben and Sarah Hosch, missionaries in Taiwan, will be sharing about their ministry. We will join together for Intergenerational Sunday School where Ben and Sarah will show us how they reach out to their neighbors with the Gospel in local parks. Then, during the Worship Service, Ben will be preaching from God's Word.
This Sunday, as we get into Ephesians chapter 4, we turn a corner in the letter. Paul's focus pivots from the doctrinal to the practical. He begins to answer the question, "Now what?". Up until this point in Ephesians, Paul has been proclaiming who we are in Christ how we became the Church. From this point on, he will be instructing us in what the Church is called to do and what the Church is supposed to look like.
The problem in the Ephesian Church was pride. This led to disunity. What was needed was right thinking, that would lead to love of God and the neighbor. We are weak. Unable to accomplish this, Christ must dwell in our hearts so that we love, and the Gospel must inform our thinking so that we see others the same way God sees us. It is for this reason Paul is driven to his knees, so that the glory of God would dwell in the Church through the glory revealed in Christ. That the glory of Christ would dwell in our hearts and minds!
