Ephesians, Chapter 3-4
Pastor Marc Wragg
The Mystery of God Revealed, Part 1
January 12, 2014 • Pastor Marc Wragg
What are the marks of someone who is prepared to pour out their life for Gospel ministry? We need look no further than the Apostle Paul to find our answer. The apostle had an obvious passion for teaching the truth, but that passion was rooted in a profound conviction that his life was not his own, and it was tempered by a knowledge that opposition to the Gospel message would cause him great suffering. Paul understood that God had entrusted a stewardship to him, and his love for God fueled his determination to see Christ exalted even if that meant his own death. What about you? Are you prepared to go wherever the Lord leads, or lose your wealth, reputation, friends, or even your very life if that's what faithfulness and love demand? Great usefulness for the Kingdom is often accompanied by great personal suffering and loss, but greater still is the hope we have in Jesus Christ.
The Mystery of God Revealed, Part 2
January 19, 2014 • Pastor Marc Wragg
We want a grace that makes our lives easier, but the grace that God gives radically transforms those who embrace it. It is a free gift that cannot be earned by any act of devotion or service, yet demands that we surrender everything earthly to pursue the treasures of eternal life with Christ. Sustained by this grace alone, we must learn to patiently bear every burden, and to humbly accept whatever honor God chooses to give. Confident in the message of this grace alone, we must resist the pressure to compromise the gospel for fear of man, or to dilute its power with fleshly and novel ideas. We preach the mystery of God revealed to the apostles and prophets, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the only message that unites man with God and conforms the sinner into the image of the Son!
The Mystery of God Revealed, Part 3
January 26, 2014 • Pastor Marc Wragg
The inclusion of Gentiles in God's redemptive plan is glorious news, but the shock of it is lost on modern ears. The early Church struggled with the idea that the idolatrous Gentiles, historic enemies of Israel, could become fellow heirs of the blessings and promises of God. Some believed that Gentile converts must first become circumcised Jews before they could be saved in Christ. The controversy over this error caused great anxiety in the Church, but fear and uncertainty gave way to praise as God clearly revealed that He would magnify His name throughout all the earth by saving a people who had never sought Him, and uniting Jew and Gentile into one new man in Jesus Christ. Then as now, the gospel is both a wonderful and difficult truth. If we preach any other message, we may temporarily change a man's circumstances, but we can never change his heart.
The Mystery of God Revealed, Part 4
February 2, 2014 • Pastor Marc Wragg
What is ministry? Many believe that ministry is anything we choose to do in the name of Christ, but that isn't so. We are servants of the Most High God, and therefore we are successful in ministry when we faithfully carry out His plans in His way. Though we are undeserving of this privilege, He has given us the message of the gospel, unfathomable riches of grace which are freely available in Christ, and bid us to proclaim it and to teach one another to obey God and humbly submit to His Word. We carry out this work not only before the world, but before a cosmic audience of angels who praise God's unmatched wisdom as sinners bow the knee and redeemed saints grow in obedience and wisdom. Remember this as you toil in service of Christ: Your charge as a faithful servant is not to make God popular with the world, but to make Him evident to it.
The Mystery of God Revealed, Part 5
February 9, 2014 • Pastor Marc Wragg
In striving to climb a mountain, we often don't see the importance of the terrain we cross until we reach the summit. It is the same with this passage on the revealed mystery of God. We have seen that God's grace has made the minister both a diligent steward and a willing prisoner, that the message has been revealed by God Himself, and that it reconciles Jew and Gentile in Jesus Christ. We have also seen that the ministry of this mystery is undeserved because it cannot be accomplished apart from dependence upon God's power, and that its wisdom is unmatched because it solves the riddle of how sinful man can be accepted by a holy God. Now at the pinnacle of this section, we see the unmistakable purpose of this mystery: It is all for the glory of God. The angels marvel as they see God's redemptive plan unfolded before their eyes, and their response is praise and adoration. How much more should we, the objects of His grace, humbly bow and give glory to our great God and King?
The Mystery of God Revealed, Part 6
February 16, 2014 • Pastor Marc Wragg
When we suffer in the course of ministry, we can be tempted to lose heart. Hopes are crushed, relationships are strained, and the pain of loss and rejection causes despair. We may even begin to doubt God's love, or doubt His sovereign control of our circumstances. Such thoughts demonstrate that we are becoming consumed with our own sufferings, and have strayed from God’s glory. When fears begin to overshadow your faith, refresh yourself in the purposes of Christ’s suffering and our salvation: It is all for the glory of God! Fix your heart on this truth, and you will have the strength to run with endurance. Finally, remember that through Christ, even the least of saints can approach God in prayer with boldness and confidence. When suffering inevitably comes, know that He hears you, and He cares for you. Strive to do what is right, and simply trust Him.
A Prayer of Petition and Praise, Part 1
March 2, 2014 • Pastor Marc Wragg
What do you pray for? Do you ask for relief from trials or for more pleasant circumstances? How do you pray? Do you follow a certain method or pray in a particular position, believing it best honors God and will gain a favorable answer? We should indeed pray expectantly and with boldness, but not when we're seeking our own selfish desires. Confidence in prayer is well-founded when we petition God to perform His will, and when we understand that humility is not evidenced by methods or form, but by the inclination of the heart. Do you want to see God answer your prayers in marvelous ways? Pray for yourself and the Church according to the abundant grace that is fully ours in Christ. Pray for supernatural strength to walk in obedience, for a surpassing knowledge of the truth, and for vibrant spiritual life. Salvation is a gift from God that can never be lost. Pray for believers to respond by working diligently to ma
A Prayer of Petition and Praise, Part 2
March 16, 2014 • Pastor Marc Wragg
If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, the power of God is at work in you today. That power isn’t evidenced by the ability to perform signs and wonders, but rather by the transformation of the inner man; the thoughts and desires of your heart, mind, and soul. While God’s power is available to us from the moment of our salvation, accessing it is not a one-time event, but a pattern of life. We must continually refresh ourselves in God’s power and grow in faith, so that we will consistently seek His ways and do His will. Christians who strive and press forward to walk in His power are rewarded with spiritual maturity, while those who seek external change and an easy road choose to mire themselves in immaturity. Do you want your desires and your character to be a true reflection of Christ? Pray for supernatural strength to cast off entangling sins and weaknesses, and then walk by faith, not by sight.
A Prayer of Petition and Praise, Part 3
March 30, 2014 • Pastor Marc Wragg
In the contemporary Church, the success of the ministry is often measured by the wrong standards. We’re impressed by large congregations, celebrity pastors who preach clever sermons based on popular movies titles, and multimedia and stagecraft worthy of Hollywood. These pulpits provide just enough truth to placate the conscience, and an abundance of entertainment to amuse the mind. But this doesn’t make for relevant and vital ministry. We should look for churches that are yielding themselves to God’s commands, and who are living expressions of faith in Christ. God did not save us to wallow in immaturity. He desires that we fully grasp the greatness of His power as it is demonstrated in the love of Jesus Christ. He wants us to not only know this love with our minds, but to experience it in our lives. Refresh yourself in the humbling truth of the gospel, and commit yourself to obeying God, yielding to the sanctifying power of His love, and encouraging fellow believers to do the same.
A Prayer of Petition and Praise, Part 4
April 6, 2014 • Pastor Marc Wragg
Our salvation is entirely a work of God, but spiritual growth is a cooperative effort as the Christian works together with God to become spiritually mature. This process is sometimes difficult and painful. Discouraging anxieties can rise up as we battle with sin, and we may grow cold in our affections. Yet the Lord commands that we press on, and be filled up to all the fullness of God. This fullness isn’t evidenced by signs and wonders, but by the miraculous transformation of our character. We are to be so filled with His holiness, love, faithfulness, peace, wisdom, and truth that there’s no room for the things of the world. This should be our consuming desire, and our heartfelt prayer for ourselves and the Church. We must invite His sanctifying work, seek it, and yield to it. And when the battle threatens to overwhelm and your strength seems small, remember that you are not alone. God’s power to transform can overcome all obstacles, and His limitless grace will see you through.
The Christian's Worthy Walk: Personal Reformation, Part 2
May 11, 2014 • Pastor Marc Wragg
God calls each of us to personal reformation. We are to know the truth and submit our lives to it, holding back nothing for ourselves. But while sound teaching is essential to Christian growth, God also uses the truth lived out in the church to shape and transform us. Mature and godly saints provide wonderful examples to emulate, faithful brothers and sisters in the Lord hold us accountable to walk in the Spirit, and relationships expose our sins and weaknesses so that we may repent, learn, and grow. As we live life in the local body, God works to form in us four essential characteristics of holiness. He teaches us humility, which we learn as we compare ourselves with the perfections of God rather than the failings of men. He teaches us gentleness, which is not timidity but rather power under control, being slow to anger and yet firm and unyielding in the truth. He teaches us patience, which always looks for the faithful way through rather than the easy way out. Finally, He teaches us forbearing love. It is the love modeled perfectly by our Master: a love that is self-sacrificing, a love that endures, and a love that cannot be extinguished.
The Christian's Worthy Walk: Personal Reformation, Part 3
May 18, 2014 • Pastor Marc Wragg
God’s intent has always been for His people to dwell together in unity. His New Covenant work is to make us a people of one heart, mind, and purpose under submission to Christ. But let’s be honest, we separate over many things and have divided into many denominations over the centuries. Yet we know that Scripture says that there is only one Body, one Spirit, one Hope, one Lord, one Faith, and one God and Father. Does this lack of unity in the Church mean that God is no longer working? No, but it is evidence that we are naturally susceptible to immaturity and strife, and that we have a very real enemy who desires the destruction of the work of God. Does the presence of disunity mean that we should all return to the Catholic Church? No, because not all division is wrong. We are not to pursue unity itself, but Christ. And pursuing Christ means conforming ourselves to the truth of His Word, not the traditions of men. So pursue faithfulness, and walk worthy! Be diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, and remember that unity is not the idol we worship, but the fruit of walking with God.
The Christian's Worthy Walk: Corporate Transformation, Part 1
May 25, 2014 • Pastor Marc Wragg
Unity is always the direct product of holiness. As we draw closer to God, our hearts become more unified around the love of Christ and His Word. On the other hand, disunity is always the inevitable result of sin and false doctrine. Disunity breeds conflict, and finite human wisdom will tempt us to cover conflict with a veneer of man-made unity that tolerates sin and silences the bold proclamation of the truth. Knowing our own frailty and the cleverness and tenacity of our enemy, how has Christ provided for the protection and nourishment of our corporate unity? The answer is in the grace He has given to the Church in the form of godly leadership. All born again believers are given gifts meant for the benefit of the Church, but Christ has uniquely gifted some men to teach, shepherd, and lead His people. Men who will declare the truth, live it out, and encourage others to do the same. These faithful leaders are vital to the work of maturing the body of Christ. They rightly divide the truth to produce for God the peaceable fruit of righteousness in His people, and God in turn blesses the Church with a vigorous love for Jesus Christ, and a unity with one another that transcends human wisdom and ability.
The Christian's Worthy Walk: Corporate Transformation, Part 2
June 1, 2014 • Pastor Marc Wragg
Christ gave grace to each of us according to the measure of His gift. That grace is the gift of spiritual leaders to the Church. These gifts are given for the health of the Body, and we each benefit from them as part of life in the Body of Christ. But the Church suffers when we diminish God’s means of blessing and strengthening the Church, or worse, when we embrace false and dangerous ideas about spiritual leadership. Today, Christian bloggers and media personalities often have more influence over the Church than recognized and proven pastors and teachers. What’s more, we even have men who declare themselves apostles, and who therefore operate without any biblical accountability. The vitality and influence of the Church depends upon faithful and qualified spiritual leadership. Do you want to see unity in your local church, and enjoy the blessings of faithful leadership? Don’t seek out men who are successful or who fit the mold of the times. Find men who look like Christ, who l
The Christian's Worthy Walk: Corporate Transformation, Part 3
June 8, 2014 • Pastor Marc Wragg
Some believe that the offices of apostle and prophet are still active and operating in the Church. But the Scriptures are clear that an Apostle of Jesus Christ must have seen the risen Christ, been personally chosen by Him, and be able to authenticate his apostleship by performing miraculous signs. That begs the question- since Christ has given Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, and Pastors/Teachers as gifted leaders to His Church, how does the Church benefit from these offices today? The apostles and prophets of the First Century laid the foundation for the Church. They delivered the Word of God, which is the full and final revelation of God to His people. Though their ministry has come to an end, we still benefit from it every time we read our Bible. Evangelists declare the message of salvation to unbelievers. They take God’s Word to the world and tell everyone of their accountability before God, and the forgiveness that is only found in Christ. Pastors teach the revealed Word of God to the Church, and then exhort and shepherd us so that we walk out that truth in our lives. Each office is understood in its relation to God’s Word: The apostles and prophets accurately wrote it down, evangelists faithfully proclaim it in hope of seeing the birth of new spiritual life, and pastors skillfully use it to nourish that spiritual life to maturity.