Ephesians 6 v 10 - 21 - Armour of God

Armour of God!
So I did a little diagram to explain the first half of this passage (this is a lot better than the drawing I did in my notebook . . mine has a floating head and a veil so :P)

And my bible did a really nice summary of the armour of God, and a little background info so:

Image	Background	Spiritual Weapon
Belt	Isaiah 11v5	Truth
Breastplate	Isaiah 59v17	Righteousness
Feet fitted	Isaiah 52v7	Gospel of peace
Shield	Psalm 35v2 & Isaiah21v3	Faith
Helmet	Isaiah 59v17	Salvation
Sword	Isaiah 49v2	Spirit / prayer / word of God

Paul then asks them to pray:
- for the Lord's people
- in the spirit
- in all occasions
- for all prayers
- for all requests
- and lastly for Paul

then v21-24 is the general goodbye, he tells them he will send Tychicus and yeh, that's the end!

Ephesians 5 v 21 - 6 v 9 - Marriage, Families and Work

Husbands and wives (5v21-33)
- submit to each other
- wives submit to husbands like submitting to Christ. The husband is the head, like Christ is head of the church. Submit in everything
- Husbands love as Christ loved the church that he died for it, love her as you love your own body as you care and look after it
- leave families and be united as one
- wife respects, husband loves

Families (6v1-4)
- children obey parents
- father's don't exasperate (be unreasonable) towards children. train them up and instruct them in the Lord

Masters and slaves (6v5 -9)
- slaves obey earthly masters like they are obeying Christ, to do the will of God
- serve wholeheartedly, serving the Lord and the Lord will reward
- masters shouldn't threaten the slaves, the have the same God who has no favouritism.

We may not be married, but we need to know how to act within a marriage, and we won't be slaves, but it's in the position of having someone higher than you like a boss or leader or etc :)

Ephesians 4 v 17 - 5 v 20 - Christian Living

Today was title "Instructions for Christian living" - eek bit of a challenge again. It's kind of split into 4 different parts.

Part 1 - overview of what not to do (4v17-19)
don't live like the Gentiles, their life without God is meaningless. Their understanding has darkened, they are separated from God, and their hearts are hardened. They've given themselves over to a sinful life, as they indulge in every kind of impurity

Part 2 - overview of what to do (4v20-24)
That's not how we're meant to be, not what we've learnt about Christ and his teachings. We're told to put away our old selfish self with old desires. To have a new attitude and to be like God in true righteousness and holiness

Part 3 - specifics in what to do / not to do (4v25-5v7 & 5v15-20)

DO	DO NOT
Speak truthfully	In your anger do not sin
Share with those in need	Do not steal
Speak only what is helpful and benefitting	Do not let anything unwholesome come out of your mouth
Be kind and compassionate	Get rid of bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, slander, malice
Forgive as Christ forgave	Not any sexual immorality
Walk in love as Christ loved	No impurity
Be wise	No greed
Make the most of every opportunity	No obscenity
Be filled with the spirit	No coarse joking
Worship	No immorality
Give thanks to God	Do not be foolish
	Do not get drunk

Part 4 - to make sure we're in the light, not the dark (5v8-14)
We were once in the darkness, now in the light. live as goodness, righteousness and truth. We should be nothing to do with the darkness, but expose the darkness without dwelling on it. Everything exposed from the darkness becomes a light -> God's effect

So, simply how we're meant to live, but it's never that simple. What do you need to stop doing, or start doing?

Ephesians 4 v 1 - 16 - Big Stuff

Paul calls the people to have a life worthy of the calling that they have received. To be:

• humble
• gentle
• patient
• bearing each other in love
• keeping unity of the spirit through peace

He reminds them that they have ONE body, ONE spirit, ONE hope, ONE Lord, ONE faith, ONE baptism, ONE God and Father of all that's all been given by grace. 

He says a bit about JC coming to earth and that he ascended into heaven. And that he equipped people for the service of the body of Christ to be built up until we reach full unity, knowledge and maturity. We won't be then swayed and influenced by the world, we'll respect, we;ll grow in love and work and build up the church and body of Christ.

There's a bold challenge. Not being influenced by the world, but be in unity with Christ and other Christians around us!

Ephesians 3 v 14 - 21 - Powerful Prayer

So Paul is praying, and this is his prayer for the people in Ephesus

• God would give the people power to be strong inside through the holy spirit
• Christ would live in their hearts by faith
• Their lives would be strong in love and built on love
• All God's people would understand how wide, long, high and deep (you know you want to sing it ;) ) and the greatness of Christ's love
• To know Jesus' love surpasses all knowledge
• To be filled with the fullness of God

And he ends with the amazing verse about how God can do immeasurably more that we can ever ask or imagine, through the holy spirit through us

Start praying for yourself and the people around you for the things that Paul prays, and remember that God is more powerful than we know and he can and will do more for us that we can imagine.

Ephesians 3 v 1 - 13 - Open Secret

Ephesians 3v1-13
The big picture is that God's mystery is being revealed and we will be united as one church as equals. Paul is revealing God's administrative plan for the church that Paul knows through divine revelation. There's a continuity from the day before's verse, repeating the word together emphasising that Jews and Gentiles really are united now and this unity hadn't previously existed. The eternal purpose is to create a church where people are united under the headship of Christ. 
Paul is under house arrest here because he spoke out about Christ, and even he thinks he is unworthy. We're lucky to live in a country where there is opposition, but not much persecution, but yet how much do we talk about Christ and speak out? 

Ephesians 2 v 11 - 22 - Free Peace

This passage is all about the salvation of the individual! 

v11
The gentiles are all those who are not jews and who haven't been circumcised, which marks a massive difference between the two groups of people, but in this passage it shows how Jesus united them

v12
Paul reminds the people how they used to be, firstly they had not known Christ and secondly, they were not citizens of Israel - the Jewish nation, and thirdly they didn't have a part in the convenents of promise that God made with the Jews. These Gentiles in Ephesians were without hope and without God. 

v13-14
So through Christ there's this massive reconciliation between Jews and Gentiles, and their reconciliation to God. Before there was a massive barrier that meant they were separated from each other, and from God but Christ's death smashed through that. And Christ is peace, he makes peace between people and people, and people and Christ. But also between Jews and Gentiles, as the Jews thought pretty high of themselves but Jesus smashed through the barrier and the diving wall of hostility! 

v15-16
The Jewish people thought that good works would get them their salvation. So they had two kinda rules, the 10 commandements, and the ceremonial law in Leviticus about eating and washing and etc. Christ destroys that barrier by abolishing the ceremonial law which stopped gentiles before. He made both Jews and Gentiles one - believers. They were members of one body. He made peace between them two, and between God, through the cross. 

v17-18
Everyone now has equal access to God through the spirit - they did then and we still can now :D

v19-21
the Ephesian Gentiles are now fellow citizens in God's households and we were like that too! The foundation of the church is God's word and the cornerstone is Christ. the Jewish temple no longer exists, the church is God's holy people. And we are the church, we are united with each other and God's spirit lives with us :D

This is like us with sin, when we weren't Christians, the sin was our barrier but Jesus smashed that barrier through his unfair death on the cross. And this means we have a place with our name on it in the eternal kingdom! Now, Jews Gentiles and us all can be with Christ, building up the church to be people and a community where the Holy Spirit is

Ephesians 2 v 1 - 10 - Amazing Grace

Okay, so in chapter one Paul is talking all about the plans and purpose of God with Christ as the head and all for God's glory. Chapter 2, is the steps in which God will accomplish his purposes, starting with salvation of individuals. 

v1-2
We were all dead in our sins, in the way we used to live. Our spiritual condition, and the fact we were spiritually dead meant that we were separated from God. 

Colossians 2v13 - When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave all our sins.

Ephesians 2v 11-13 - Therefore remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called "uncircumcised" by those who call themselves "the circumcision" (which is done in the body of human hands) - remember that at that tie you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Romans 11v30 - Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience

1 Corinthians 6v11 - And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Christ and by the Spirit of our God 

Colossians 3v7 - You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 

Titus 3v3-5 - At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. 

So, as you can see there is quite a bit in the bible about this :P They used to follow the ways of the world and they used to follow Satan who is at work in those who are disobedient. the Ephesians were really wicked people and their nature was evil. 

v3
We lives among them at one time, gratifying our cravings and desires. We deserved the wrath and angry of God. We as Christians are also really sinful and we are punishable by God. But our ending is different to non Christians. No sinful man can escape of God's wrath and anger, and those who are not saved will have to face this wrath. 

v4-5
BUT, the massive but, God has amazing love, rich in mercy made us alive with Christ even whilst we were dead in sin  because of the grace we have received. This is the ending we will receive, because God isn't angry at us because we have accepted God and all that he has done for us! 

v6-7
God has raised us up, to sit with Christ and in the future, and to demonstrate his grace for future demonstrations - 1st purpose in saving us. 


v8-10
Because it's grace that has saved us, not through our good works but through faith that ultimately is from God. We therefore can't boast, because it's nothing we have done. We are God's work and he's created us for some reason and made us part of his kingdom for some reason, to do good works. This is how Christianity differs, we don't have to do any good works, pray a certain amount of times a day or anything to get to heaven. Only through Christ's death are we free and blameless and can be seated with God. God has saved us so that we do good works - 2nd purpose of saving us. 

Luce's song of the day: Casting Crowns - Who Am I? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBcqria2wmg
"Not because of who I am, but because of what you've done. Not because of what I've done, but because of who you are"

Ephesians 1 v 15 - 23 - Power-filled Prayer

v15-16
Paul is saying he's heard a lot about these people's faith, and love for God and his people, and he's never stopped giving thanks to God for them, and always remembers them in his prayers. That's a pretty fantastic faith, Paul has never seen these people, but he knows they love God and his people. Big challenge for us - we want to be known as loving people, who love God and love people. Does our everyday life reflect this? Paul prays for them, which is very important for us too. It's easy to pray for the non Christians we know but we need to be praying for the Christians around us too, that they keep their faith and show their love to all the people around them. Ask Christians around you what they need prayer for recently!

v17-18
He carries on, saying he also asks God to give these people wisdom and revelation of God to know him better. Another thing for us to pray for our friends and Christians, that they'll get to know God better and they'll get a better understanding and wisdom on him. He wants them to have an understanding in their heart to know the hope which he's called us, and know the amazing blessings God gives his people. We place our hope in so many things, but we need to fix our hope onto Jesus and his coming again. We have a glorious inheritance of eternal life, and however scary that may seem, it's an amazing gift to us to be living and reigning with Jesus!


v19-21
God's power is great for those who believe, because it's the same power and strength that God used to raise Jesus from the dead. And this power is amazing! It gave Christ to rule over all, in this world and the next, and over. It gave Jesus power to reign over Satan. This amazing power has no limits, and it's available to us! The same power that raised Jesus from the dead, who can do the impossible, is available to us through the Holy Spirit. It's just mind boggling! 

v22-23
God put everything under his power and made him head of everything in the church which is Christ's body. Everything has been placed under God's feet, so when we're weak with our situations, when we're overwhelmed by sin and life remember everything has already been put under God's feet! The church is filled with Christ and he fills everything which means he's the head and we're the body. 

God gives us this amazing power, and he gives us blessings day by day. Sometimes we need to just step back to realise what they are.