Ephesians chapters 1-3 teach us about what God has done for us in Jesus. The love of God is life changing and the Apostle Paul prays for the church to grasp how wide, long, high, and deep is the love God in Jesus our Lord. As we are filled more and more with the love of Jesus through the Holy Spirit then we not only live worthy of the “calling we have received” but we also live new. Everything about our new life hinges on what God has done through Jesus. We gain a “new self” and a new attitude putting off our old self.
It is by grace and love that we are made new and it is by grace and love that we live into our newness. In Jesus, you are made new. Become what you are.
Live New
March 10, 2019 • Jovan Barrington
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Ephesians: Live a Life of Love
Live in Obedience
March 31, 2019 • Jovan Barrington
Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free. Ephesians 6:7-8 (NIV) In Ephesians 6:1-9, the Apostle Paul addresses the Christian ethics of children, fathers, slaves, and masters. Paul appeals to children to honor their parents because it is right. Fathers are not to frustrate their children but nurture them in the ways of Jesus. Slaves are to respect and obey their masters as though they are serving the Lord who gives rewards and judges what all people do on earth. And finally, masters are to mutually submit to slaves because both slave and master submit to Jesus who shows no favoritism. Paul moves beyond the golden rule in his appeal to Christian ethics in how we are to treat each other. Instead “treat others as you want to be treated.” We are to treat others as we would treat Jesus.
Live in Submission
March 24, 2019 • Jovan Barrington
Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Ephesians 5:21 (NIV) Submission is defined as placing oneself under the authority of another. No wonder this passage gets such a bad rap. The word “submit” appears antiquated in the context of marriage. When many read it, what is implied is dominance and oppression. In our relationship with God we are to humbly submit to Him in order to give him honor. Jesus taught and modeled a life of humility and service. “…whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” – Matthew 20:26-28