Ephesians 1:3-6, 15-20: Living Life With Eyes Open

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, - Ephesians 1:3-6, 15-20

 "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened..." There is so much in this world that cannot actually be seen. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control to name just a few. They are real and we feel their effects every day. The problem with these is that we can be conditioned so that we do not recognize them and we are tempted to write them off as mere fantasies.

In these verses, Paul prays that the "eyes of our heart may be enlightened" to see three key intangibles--real but likely to be overlooked because of the default manner of our thinking. He wants that we should see "the hope to which he has called us" and the "riches of his glorious inheritance" and "his incomparably great power". We can't touch, taste, smell, hear or feel these but, for the believer, these suffuse reality. So we need a new sense--a new awareness--to what God is doing with his people.

Without it, we might be left with the depressing, limited reality of the senses we were born with. With  it, we find we are surrounded with the amazing, infinite, plentiful reality of the kingdom of God we were born again into. So I pray I can live life with eyes open, not shut.

Call To Worship: We Are Listening (Eph. 1:18-19b, Col. 3:1-3)

We Are Listening – Ephesians 1:18-19b, Colossians 3:1-3

L: Lord, you are not silent.

C: Lord, we are listening.

L: Lord, we confess. We do not always hear. We do not always see. Worse, we do not always want to. We are disappointingly content with a heaven-less kingdom.

C: Open the eyes of our hearts, Lord, that we may know and want to know the hope to which you have called us-the glorious inheritance of your holy people and his incomparably great power for us who believe.

L: He raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms.

C: We have been raised with Christ, set our hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

L: God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way

C: Set our minds on things above, not on earthly things. For we died, and our life is now hidden with Christ in God.

L: Lord, you are not silent.

A: Lord, we are listening. Amen.

Ephesians 1:8: Grace Lavished

If you're going to give, go over the top. Yes, they could get by with X and be happy. But why not go the extra mile and give them X + 1 and let them rejoice exceedingly, abundantly (see Matt. 5:40-42)? This isn't about money or stuff. It is about helping and loving, with everything that entails.

Why are we such stingy givers? Here are three reasons I have found in my own life:

First, we gauge our gift based on the perceived worthiness of the recipient. They don't need it. They will waste it or misuse it. There are others who need it more. Even in church (see James 2:2-4). But God doesn't act that way towards us. "Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won't he also give us everything else?" (Rom. 8:32) I want my love to look more like grace, not like a transaction based on return-on-investment.

Second, we don't get appreciated for our gift. We do the right thing but no one-including God-seems to notice. We resort to subtle reminders to let others and God know what we've done. No need for trumpets  (Matt. 6:2) when the off-hand comment and self-deprecating remark will do the trick. Down that path is resentment and disappointment. Rick Warren commented, "What you get out of service is joy. You don’t get approval. God approves of you, but it’s not because of what you do. He approves of you because of what Christ did for you already. That’s grace."[1] I want my love to look more like grace, not a barter economy.

Third, we need to ration our giving. We might run out. If I give too much here, there won't be enough there. But this isn't a limited grace universe.  Paul comments, "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe." We live like the impoverished when, in fact, we have access to God's inexhaustible resources of hope and power. I want to give like I am rich in God's grace.

His grace is lavished upon us. Lavish it on others:



[1] Is Legalism Killing Your Ministry, Rick Warren, http://pastors.com/legalism-in-ministry/, retrieved on 26 February 2015

Ephesians 1:7: "In Him"

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace. - Ephesians 1:7

In a passing aside in his book "Justification", N.T. Wright mentions that the phrase "in him" is the key to understanding the chapter 1 of Ephesians, where it is mentioned several times as the position of those who are saved. While Jesus uses similar language in John 15, there it is used to refer to fruitfulness and answered prayer, rather than salvation itself. Since that time, I have tried to pay more attention to this little two-word phrase, seemingly so insignificant in English.

I have to admit, I don't have a full grasp on this key idea and, surveying various theological materials, it seems to be a matter of some debate. But, I have learned a few things:

1. My restored relationship with God is tied to this position. In Ephesians, it says that my purchase from the slavery to sin (redemption) and the wiping of the record of my sins (forgiveness) are tied directly to my position "in him."
2. God's goodness flows to me because of my position. "In him...in accordance with the riches of God's grace." That is, I am only favored because I am in Christ.

In my mind, I picture this position as a sort of shelter or (to use an Old Testament phrase) "the shadow of his wings." Life flows through our connection with Jesus. In fact, Jesus himself said: "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them." (John 6:56) This graphic imagery shows the close ties that the phrase "in him" implies. We are so closely identified with Christ that "in him" we partake in the benefits of his blood. Not just covering our sin, but transforming within.

Once we are "in Him" we must "remain in Him." Jesus (in John 15) paints the ridiculous picture of a branch that might somehow strive to be separate from the vine. A sort of self-pruning! In contrast with this are those who "remain in" or "abide in" Jesus. If Jesus is the source of our life, then strengthening that relationship widens the conduit through which his goodness can be manifested in our goodness ('fruit') If we don't value that relationship, the connection shrivels, the conduit shrinks and the branch needs to be pruned.

Rejoice that you are God's dependent. Thank him for his life-giving, soul-changing influence in your life. Guard against envious thoughts that perceive fulfillment in a way other than closeness with God.