Thoughts From The Book of Ephesians

Posted on January 7, 2012 by Larry Miles | Permalink 0
I am going to start a series of articles/devotions from the Book of Ephesians. I’ll try to post a couple each week more or less. My aim is to teach God’s Word and make application for us today. Please pray for these lessons.

The Writer and the Recipients (Eph. 1:1)

When people wrote letters back in Biblical times they put their name at the beginning of the letter. We do just the opposite. This is called the “salutation.” The Apostle Paul, at the beginning of this epistle, lets his readers know who he is, what his credentials are for writing the letter and to whom he is writing the letter.

All of this is included in Eph. 1:1. Verse 2 is his greeting. Paul was not one of the original 12 Apostles. His Apostleship is by special appointment from the Lord Jesus. He received this as­signment to be an apostle to the Gentiles. Thank the Lord that he took this privilege and honor seri­ously. If he and others whom he reached with the Gospel had not then we would not be here today en­joying the blessings of salvation.

“…By the will of God.” It was and is God’s will that all mankind be saved and He has provided a way through His Son that all may be saved. But we all know that the majority of mankind, both past, present and future will not accept that way of salvation. Paul was faithful in his ministry (2 Tim. 4:6-8).

Those whom Paul is writing to are named in the latter part of Eph. 1:1. The primary audi­ence of the writers of the Word of God was locally those in the first century, but we can share in these titles that Paul use for the Ephesian Christians on the basis of our faith and obedience to the Gospel.

The recipients of Paul’s letter were the Christians in Ephesus. Ephesus was one of the largest cities in the Roman Empire. Paul give at least 2 names, perhaps 3 for Christians in verse 1. He calls them

  1. “Saints
  2. Faithful, and
  3. in Christ Jesus.”

A “saint” in the New Testament, is not a sinless person, but a saved sinner. Faithfulness to the Lord is required if one wants to enjoy all that God has for him or her. Paul stresses that Christians are “in Christ.” As I said earlier in this devotion: Christians are saved by grace, through faith, in bap­tism, for good works. Let all of us strive to dedicate our lives to the Lord and His Church and help others find their way out of darkness into the marvelous light of the Gospel.

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Articles by Larry Miles, Christian Articles, Ephesians, Living As A Christian

The Christian Athlete

Posted on January 4, 2012 by Larry Miles | Permalink 0

One of the descriptions of a Christian in the New Testament is that of an athlete. The Apostle Paul uses this terminology often. We read in 2 Tim. 2:5: ”An athlete is not crowned unless he com­petes according to the rules.” Paul writing in 2 Tim 4:7 says that “I have finished the race.” In I Cor. 9:25-27 Paul further compares the life of a Christian to an athlete.

During the time of Paul the Greek Games (Olympics) were very prominent and many particip­ated or at least had an interest. Paul used words and phrases that talked about how an athlete pre­pares himself for his “sport.” Then he makes an application for the Christian.

To participate in the Greek games, one had to be a citizen of the city he lived in. Paul talked about “Christian Citizenship” in Phil. 3:20. The person would have pride in his city or country and would seek to bring honor to it. He would be willing to put in all the training so that he would be at a peak performance state when the games began

So it is with the Christian. The participants in the Games were competing for a physical crown, but we, an imperishable or incorruptible crown. Paul wrote in I Cor. 9:25: “Every athlete ex­ercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperish­able.”

The athlete would put all he had into training and would not let anything hinder him in that area. The Christian must be the same. He or she must equip themselves with every thing the Lord has for us. Jesus said he came to give us “the abundant life.” We must keep our eyes on Jesus and ac­cording to Titus 2:12 “renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, up­right, and godly lives in the present age.”

The Christian life is not a bed of roses, rather it is an on going life of commitment and steadfast­ness. In I Cor. 15:58 we read: “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

Let’s run with endurance the race set before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus at all times (Heb. 12:1-2). If we will do that, concentrating on improving our spiritual life daily, we will draw near­er to Jesus! Being a Christian “athlete” will mean you are “growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus!” (2 Pet 3:18)

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Articles by Larry Miles, Christian Articles, Living As A Christian

Ambassadors For Christ

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Larry Miles | Permalink 0

In the Great Commission, (Matthew 18:18-20; Mark 16:15-16) Jesus gave the command that His people were to be an evangelistic church. We have been given the privilege of “taking the Name of Jesus with us.” Wherever we go. We can have a part in reaching the lost for the Lord Jesus.

We are to preach the Gospel! The Gospel consists of

  1.  Facts to believe,
  2. Commands to obey , and
  3.  Promises to enjoy.
  • The Facts: Jesus died on the Cross for the sins of mankind, He was buried and rose again on “third day according ot the Sciptures.“
  • The Commands to Obey: Believe on Jesus, repent of your sins, confess Him before men, and be buried with Him in baptism.
  • The Promises to Enjoy: having your sins forgiven and receiving the Gift of the Holy Spirit.

Everywhere w e go we are to be ambassadors for the Lord of Glory! We must uplift Him as the ONLY hope of this sin-cursed world. Have we been doing this?

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Articles by Larry Miles, Living As A Christian