Ephesians
Prayer For God’s Power And Love
Paul tells how he kneels to the Father in prayer (v. 14), where all beings on earth and in heaven get their direction (v. 15). Unfortunately, many Christians have a very selfish approach to God in their prayer life. They are always asking, always wanting more from God. They want …
Instructions to Husbands
Husbands are to love (Col. 3:19). One of the reasons many wives find it hard to be submissive to their husband is because he refuses to assume his loving responsibility of leadership. This is especially true in the area of spiritual leadership. How many husbands are there wh …
Instructions to Wives
Wives are to submit (Col. 3:18). It is easy to fake a spirit-filled life for one or two hours a week in church, but it takes a real work of the Holy Spirit to exhibit genuine godliness in everyday relationships in the home. Paul explains how this works with the wife (vv. 22-24) a …
How we Were ’Before’ Salvation
This passage uses a similar tactic but to a different end. Paul does paint two pictures for us “ one “before†Christ (vv. 1-3) and one “after†(vv. 4-7). He then brings it all together (vv. 8-10) and tells us what the goal of this comparison is. Int …
Mystery of God’s Grace
God treated me with kindness (v. 7). His power worked in me, and it became my job to spread the good news. I am the least important of all God’s people (v. 8). But God was kind and chose me to tell the Gentiles that because of Christ there are blessings that cannot be measured …
Our Riches in Christ
Man does not save himself, for salvation is of the Lord (John 2:9). You receive spiritual blessings from the Father (vv. 1-6), the Son (vv. 7-12), and the Spirit (vv. 13-14) and in Christ (vv. 15-23), you have all you need for life and service. Paul starts off by addressing his l …
Grieving God’s Spirit by The Way we Live
We can grieve the Holy Spirit by the way we live. Paul’s advice is sound because the longer we postpone mending a quarrel, the less likely we are ever to mend it. If there is trouble between us and anyone else if there is trouble in a Church or a fellowship or any society …
Living Under Authority
Paul is this Ephesian passage is telling servants to be obedient because they are really serving Christ and because doing a good job is the will of God (vv. 5-7). Slaves played a significant part in this society. There were probably over 6 million slaves in the Roman Empire in th …
Stand Protected During Our Daily Battle
To “stand” implies urgency and in place (v. 14). The “girdle” holds the other parts of the armor together in the same way that truth is an integrating force of the victorious Christian’s life. The soldier’s “breastplate” protected h …
Be Holy And Not Sinful
Let the Spirit change your way of thinking and make you into a new person (v. 23). You were created to be like God, and so you must please him and be truly holy (v. 24). Paul was not content to name a principal and then leave it. He even names specific sins which many preachers a …