Crosstalk – August 30th, 2009
Current series: “Ephesians – A Spiritual Stimulus Package”
This week’s scripture focus: Ephesians 6:10-20
Review:
Ephesians is one of the letters (or “epistles”) written by Paul. Ephesus, located in modern day Turkey, was a major city in the Roman Empire’s Asian province. Paul spent three years establishing the Church there – more than any other place he visited. His work was so succesful there that worship of the chief diety of the city, the goddess Diana, began to decline, and merchants who profited from her worship eventually forced Paul out of town. The Apostle John eventually settled in Ephesus, and possibly oversaw the church there until his death.
Paul wrote Epheisians from his Roman imprisonment. Unlike most of Paul’s other letters, it wasn’t written to combat false teaching or settle disputes, but to encourage the Church to be faithful and remain united.
Background:
“Finally…” Paul has reminded the believers of the great spiritual blessings they have in Christ. In light of these blessings, he encourages them to unite, not letting race, sex, status, or traditions divide them. He then gives very practical advice on the types of speech and behaviors that cause division. In his concluding remarks, Paul charges his followers with remaining strong in the face of overwhelming odds – not with political, military, or human effort – but in the power of God.
“Put on the full armor of God…” Paul was under house arrest. Roman guards were constantly at his door, and at times even chained to his side. In the same way that soldiers must be properly equipped to fight geographical battles, disciples must not enter the spiritual battlefield unprepared. Paul reminds his readers that the devil’s attacks are usually not frontal assaults, but covert “schemes”. “Flaming arrows” were sections of cane, filled with flammable material, lit, and aimed at ships and embankments. Their initial hit wouldn’t do much damage, but their fire could spread quickly to weaken or destroy. Truth, goodness, peace, salvation, and faith were crucial elements of defense against hits from evil powers.
“…pray in the Spirit…” The only weapon listed is the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Paul teaches the Ephesians that through living the words of God, in speech and in prayer, they can overcome the enemy. When the Ephesians were engaged in divisive, unwholesome talk, they could not speak the truth in love, leaving themselves “swordless”.
“…I am an ambassador in chains…” Ambassadors are used to maintain positive communication between nations. To put another country’s ambassador in chains would be a major violation of peace and a sure sign of hostility. Paul, though a prisoner of the Roman Empire, remains a representative of Christ’s Kingdom. He knew that the true enemy was not his “flesh and blood” jailers, but the spiritual forces behind them.
Today’s focus is on working together for spiritual victory.
Five Questions:
1. What’s happening in your life since last Sunday? What can we pray with you about today?
2. How many days this week did you read your Bible and pray?
3. Why do you think Paul uses Roman armor to illustrate Christian virtues?
4. What enemies do Christians face today?
5. (For thought) What piece of spiritual armor are you missing?
Crosstalk – August 23rd, 2009
Current series: “Ephesians – A Spiritual Stimulus Package”
This week’s scripture focus: Ephesians 5:3-20
Review:
Ephesians is one of the letters (or “epistles”) written by Paul. Ephesus, located in modern day Turkey, was a major city in the Roman Empire’s Asian province. Paul spent three years establishing the Church there – more than any other place he visited. His work was so succesful there that worship of the chief diety of the city, the goddess Diana, began to decline, and merchants who profited from her worship eventually forced Paul out of town. The Apostle John eventually settled in Ephesus, and possibly oversaw the church there until his death.
Paul wrote Epheisians from his Roman imprisonment. Unlike most of Paul’s other letters, it wasn’t written to combat false teaching or settle disputes, but to encourage the Church to be faithful and remain united.
Background:
“Let no one deceive you with empty words…” The instructions for living together in Christian community have become more and more specific as Paul moves forward. In chapter five, he addresses matters of speech. False teachers abounded in the first century church, often getting a foot in the door through words that sounded correct at first, but often lead to open sin, such as sexual immorality. The way to avoid this trap is to stay away from impure talk altogether.
“Wake up, O sleeper…” There words from Isaiah were likely used as an early baptismal hymn. Paul may be addressing new converts again here, reminding them that they must live differently after being baptized into Christ. We don’t know what specific situations Paul was writing to in Ephesus, but we can be assured that he wasn’t just sharing truth. Paul was concerned that time was short before Christ’s return, and he didn’t want anything to cause disruption and take focus from the church’s mission.
“…psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs…” Three contrasts given in today’s passage are wisdom vs. foolishness, drunkenness vs. being filled with the Spirit, and coarse talk vs. thanksgiving. Understanding the days were evil, Christians were not to foolishly waste time on unwholesome idle chatter, or risk addiction to intoxicants, but were instead to experience joy in the Lord, and encourage one another with songs of praise. We don’t know what type of music was used in early worship, but we know that simple singing was an important part of Christians gatherings from the beginning.
Today we will focus on how our attitude and actions throughout the week impact our community gatherings.
Five Questions:
1. What’s happening in your life since last Sunday? What can we pray with you about today?
2. How many days this week did you read your Bible and pray?
3. What do you think Paul means by “foolish talk” and “coarse joking”?
4. How can you experience God in worship when you don’t like the music/preaching/person sitting across from you/etc?
5. (For thought) Did you come today with a proper attitude for worship?
Crosstalk – August 16th, 2009
Current series: “Ephesians – A Spiritual Stimulus Package”
This week’s scripture focus: Ephesians 4:17-5:2
Review:
Ephesians is one of the letters (or “epistles”) written by Paul. Ephesus, located in modern day Turkey, was a major city in the Roman Empire’s Asian province. Paul spent three years establishing the Church there – more than any other place he visited. His work was so succesful there that worship of the chief diety of the city, the goddess Diana, began to decline, and merchants who profited from her worship eventually forced Paul out of town. The Apostle John eventually settled in Ephesus, and possibly oversaw the church there until his death.
Paul wrote Epheisians from his Roman imprisonment. Unlike most of Paul’s other letters, it wasn’t written to combat false teaching or settle disputes, but to encourage the Church to be faithful and remain united.
Background:
“…and insist on it in the Lord…” Remember that Paul’s main point in Ephesians is unity in the church. He cannot overemphasize the importance of living in such a way as to maintain that unity. When new believers were “gentiles” (pagans who lived by no moral code), they had no motive to guard their speech or actions, since they lived only for themselves. However, since the Ephesians came to Christ through love, they must live out the love in relationship with other Christians.
“In your anger do not sin…” This is another quote from Psalms (Psalm 4:4). Anger is a normal part of human experience, but Paul knew it leaves us vulnerable to temptation when left unchecked. He warns against all forms and degrees of anger (bitterness, rage, brawling, slander, malice). The longer anger remains in our hearts, the easier it is to take root, giving the “devil a foothold”. Therefore, he admonishes to resolve issues immediately, rather than sleeping on them!
“Be imitators of God…” Paul often speaks of imitating himself or Christ, but rarely of imitating God. This refers back to the maturity emphasized in the first portion of chapter four. When a Jewish boy reached a certain age, he underwent a special ceremony, reciting the words of the Torah he had learned from the elders. Paul may have this in mind when he challenges young followers to “grow up”, speaking the words of God, rather than engaging in unwholesome, foolish chatter.
Today we will focus on how angry attitudes can have a negative impact on our relationships with God and others.
Five Questions:
1. What’s happening in your life since last Sunday? What can we pray with you about today?
2. How many days this week did you read your Bible and pray?
3. When is it ok to be angry? When does anger become a sin?
4. What is “unwholesome” talk? Do you think there’s any connection between unresolved anger in our hearts and the words that come out of our mouths?
5. (For thought) Who are you angry with, and what can you do right now to begin letting that anger go?
Crosstalk – August 9th, 2009
Current series: “Ephesians – A Spiritual Stimulus Package”
This week’s scripture focus: Ephesians 4:1-16
Review:
Ephesians is one of the letters (or “epistles”) written by Paul. Ephesus, located in modern day Turkey, was a major city in the Roman Empire’s Asian province. Paul spent three years establishing the Church there – more than any other place he visited. His work was so succesful there that worship of the chief diety of the city, the goddess Diana, began to decline, and merchants who profited from her worship eventually forced Paul out of town. The Apostle John eventually settled in Ephesus, and possibly oversaw the church there until his death.
Paul wrote Epheisians from his Roman imprisonment. Unlike most of Paul’s other letters, it wasn’t written to combat false teaching or settle disputes, but to encourage the Church to be faithful and remain united.
Background:
“As a prisoner of the Lord, then…” Ephesians 1-3 was a celebration of who we are in Christ. The rest of the book gives more practical instructions of how we should then live. Paul reminds his readers that he is imprisoned, both literally under Roman house arrest and figuratively by God’s love. He admonishes them to remain united by that same love.
“One body…one spirit…(etc.)” Though the Christians at Ephesus may come from many different backgrounds (Jews and Gentiles, men and women, rich and poor, slave and free), they are all building blocks in one holy Temple (see chapter 2). They are joined together by a common faith, hope, and Lord, who doesn’t just dwell above them, but actually lives inside of them.
“When he ascended on high…” This is a reference to Psalm 68:18, in which God is pictured as a victorious general, receiving the spoils of war from His enemies. Jesus shows us a different way. He doesn’t take from His subjects – He gives to them. Paul reminds the Ephesians that each of them has been given a special gift to build up God’s body. The more those gifts are exercised, the more the body matures.
“Then we will no longer be infants…” Verse 14 is the opposite of 13. It’s a picture of an immature, “baby” church in which no one uses their gifts to serve others, but everyone instead seeks after their own interests. This is a recipe for allowing deceptive teaching and instability into the body of Christ. Only when we are mature can we “speak the truth in love” to combat error in the Church.
Today’s sermon focused on being One so we can reach the “ones”.
Five Questions:
1. What’s happening in your life since last Sunday? What can we pray with you about today?
2. How many days this week did you read your Bible and pray?
3. Why do you think it’s easier for people to focus on their differences, rather than their similarities?
4. What gift (talent, strength, passion, or skill) do you feel you’ve been given in order to serve God and His people?
5. What is one thing you will do this week to use that gift?
Crosstalk – August 2nd, 2009
Current series: “Ephesians – A Spiritual Stimulus Package”
This week’s scripture focus: Ephesians 3:14-21
Review:
Ephesians is one of the letters (or “epistles”) written by Paul. Ephesus, located in modern day Turkey, was a major city in the Roman Empire’s Asian province. Paul spent three years establishing the Church there – more than any other place he visited. His work was so succesful there that worship of the chief diety of the city, the goddess Diana, began to decline, and merchants who profited from her worship eventually forced Paul out of town. The Apostle John eventually settled in Ephesus, and possibly oversaw the church there until his death.
Paul wrote Epheisians from his Roman imprisonment. Unlike most of Paul’s other letters, it wasn’t written to combat false teaching or settle disputes, but to encourage the Church to be faithful and remain united.
Background:
“For this reason…” Paul begins chapter three by continuing to build on the foundation laid in chapter two. Paul’s “reason” refers to the new people God has raised for Himself as a holy temple. As is typical of Paul, he then makes a long digression, reminding the Ephesians of his special calling to the gentiles. He picks up his original thought from the beginning of the chapter in verse 14 by repeating the phrase “for this reason.”
“I kneel before the Father…” The normal Jewish stance for prayer was standing with arms outstretched towards heaven. The fact that Paul kneels shows both his servant’s heart towards the Ephesians, and the intensity of his desire for them to be one.
“How wide and high and long and deep…” Ancient people were very concerned with the size of their temples. The bigger the building, the greater the god’s power. Paul again shapes the idea that the followers of Jesus are God’s temple, and His power is displayed in their lives as they understand and act according to His love.
“Now to him who is able…” This portion of the scripture serves as a bridge between the first section of Ephesians, a testimony of praise to God, and the second section, which deals with practical expressions of God’s love. It is known as a doxology, a short hymn of praise to God used to conclude worship.
Today’s sermon reminded us that real power is found in a position of prayer.
Five Questions:
1. What’s happening in your life since last Sunday? What can we pray with you about today?
2. How many days this week did you read your Bible and pray?
3. What position are you normally in when you pray? Do you think it matters?
4. It is often said that the church today doesn’t experience God’s power like it once did. Is this true? If so, why?
5. What is one thing you will do this week to experience more of God’s love?