Ephesians Part One

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:  According as he hath chosen us in him (Christ) before the foundation (conception) of the world, (kosmos) that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Ephesians 1:3-4

We have been chosen, picked, or selected.  The choosing is not going on now.  Unlike some would lead you to think, God is not out searching for lost souls.  He has already made his choice. It was completed in the past.  It has nothing to do with what you had for breakfast or how much you drank last night or any other thing you might be trying to do to impress God.  He didn’t choose us then watch us for a while to see how we would perform.  He already knew and chose us anyway.  He chose us before the foundations of world were placed down.  He chose us to be holy.

You may ask: how could I possibly be considered holy.  He has made us holy in Christ and in Christ we are without blame.  Romans 8:1 boldly shouts:  There is therefore now NO condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.  Stop!  There is none!  In Christ we are holy. Holy means clean, pure, blameless, or faultless:  We are holy because God made us holy in Christ.   It’s not of our works!  We boldly go where no natural man has ever gone before. In Christ, we are continually in attendance before the most holy God in love because He has chosen us in Christ.

Neil

Click here to hear the rest of Ephesians Part One

Ephesians Part Two

God only gives one Spirit and He only gives it once.  He only gives it once because The spirit of Christ can not be improved upon.  It is Christ in you the hope of glory.    In Christ is ALL wisdom, knowledge and revelation so if you want your understanding to be enlightened ask Him.  We are in Christ and we have Christ in us. No maybes or ifs: God is faithful.  If you ask for an egg He won’t give you a scorpion.   Now, there are those out there that might just give you a scorpion or want to share their spirits.  Romans 8:9 says that “if anyone does not have the spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.”

Neil

Click here to hear the rest of Ephesians Part Two

Ephesians Part Three

How often we divide Christians into camps by label:  Gentile Christians, Jewish Christians, and in our time we hear about the “Black Church” and the Armenian Church and the Catholic Church and the Baptist Church and the Emerging Church and, and, and …   There is only one kind of believer in Jesus Christ:  Redeemed, justified, forgiven and birthed-into-God’s-family believers.  There is only one Church.  The divisions are all from a fleshly point of view. Galatians 3:28 says that there is neither Jew nor Greek, male nor female in Christ.

Neil

Click on this link to hear the rest of EphesiansPart Three

Ephesians Part Four

If you find yourself struggling to understand “all that you should do” to be a good Christian, then you have been beguiled. Search out the gospel presented through Paul in the first three chapters of Ephesians. It will take you 5 minutes to read. I double dog dare you! Then take 10 minutes to read the little letter of Colossians. You will discover that Christ has done it all, once, for all. He nailed our sins and works to his cross.

Neil

Click here to hear the rest of Ephesians Part Four (The Mystery of Paul)

Ephesians Part Five

Endeavoring to keep the unity (oneness) of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in hope of your calling; oneOne Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.  Ephesians 4:3-7 KJV

Do you notice all the ones?   There is a point being emphasized here with the repeated use of the word one. To understand the gospel of the Mystery, the oneness must be grasped.  Buying into the “many spirits” idea that is so common in the modern Christian religion, clouds the oneness of the body of Christ.  Besides the delusion, the idea of many spirits opens the door to the many evil spirits that are eager to oblige.

Each and every person that believes is given the one and only grace-gift according to the measurement of Christ.  The gift of Christ is both the measurement and the measure. Colossians 1:27 tells us that we have Christ in us which is our hope of glory.  Christ is the gift.  There is only one Spirit of Christ.   There is only one grace gift: Christ in you.

Neil

Click this link to hear the rest: Ephesians Part Five

Ephesians Part Six

The common way to read chapters four, five and six is as a list of things that we are required to do; a to-do list of sorts.  I would like to propose a different perspective that is more in line with the writing and intentions of Paul. 

In the next session we will look at the second half of chapter four and chapter five through the lens of spiritual warfare.  Our armor was given to us for very practical and vital use.  The moment we drop our armor and weapons, we are sifted like sand in the hands of the devil.  In our ignorance, we live far below our potential as sons and daughters of God.

Neil

Click this link to hear the rest of Ephesians Part Six



Ephesians Part Seven

In Chapter two we found out that God has placed us in
Christ in the heavenlies at His right hand: Not based on our
works  but on the completed work of Christ.  If that was not
enough He also has placed Christ in us and declared that we
are His workmanship.   We have absolutely no basis for
boasting in our own accomplishments but can only boast of
the wonder, majesty, mercy and grace of God, in Christ,
in us. 

In Chapter three we learned that the gospel for our age was
a mystery or secret that God held hidden within Himself,
until it was given it to Paul by direct face to face revelation
from the risen and glorified king of kings, Christ Jesus.   

In the first few verses of chapter four we discovered the
oneness of God’s plan.   We are all one in Christ.  Christ is
the oneness factor of God’s plan.  His plan all comes
together in the spirit of Christ.  We have the one and only
hope, Christ in us.  We are part of the one body of Christ. 
We have each been given the one Grace-gift according to
measure of Christ.  

And of course we then skipped forward to the sixth chapter
to learn about our implements of spiritual warfare.  Once
again we found that it is not of our works but His. Our flesh
desperately wants to take prominence in our lives and
thoughts but the Word of God declares our fleshly works
dead.   Our battle is to agree with God that our fleshly works
are dead and resist the fiery darts of the devil. 

So here we are, ready to launch into the list of strategies that
Paul wrote down for us.   These verses have been used for
two millennia to beat guilt and shame into Christians, but
this is a misuse of the Word. 
 
Neil

Click this link to hear the rest of Ephesians Part Seven