My church recently finished off our Ephesians series, and in our concluding sermon we came across the exhortation from Paul for us to 'pray in the Spirit'. But what does that mean? Is it some special kind of prayer? If so, certainly it must be some kind of extra-spiritual prayer... but how do we know… Continue reading What does it mean to ‘pray in the Spirit’?
Tag: Ephesians
The Full Armour of God
Ephesians 6 is a familiar passage, a memorable section of Scripture that encourages us to put on righteousness, truth, faith, and salvation as if they were clothing, so that we will be prepared for the Christian life. There's much to be gained from looking at this passage and thinking about how these different things –… Continue reading The Full Armour of God
Wives, Submit to Your Husbands
As promised, this post is written by a guest-blogger, the lovely Alex Smart. Just as last post was written specifically to husbands on what it means to live out the biblical pattern of marriage in Ephesians 5 (loving their wives), so this post is to wives on what it means to submit to their husbands. Before… Continue reading Wives, Submit to Your Husbands
Husbands, Love Your Wives
This post is a follow-up to the one I put up earlier in the week on Ephesians 5:21-33 and what the Bible teaches about gender roles in marriage – that husbands are to sacrificially love their wives as Christ loved the church, and wives in turn are to submit to their husbands. But what does that… Continue reading Husbands, Love Your Wives
God’s Controversial Gift for Husbands and Wives
This past week my church looked at Ephesians 5:21-33, a controversial passage where God gives us a window into His good and perfect plan for marriage. It's unfortunate that I have to use the word 'controversial' in there, but the reality is that this passage – wielding provocative concepts like headship and submission – is… Continue reading God’s Controversial Gift for Husbands and Wives
Are you “filled with the Spirit”?
At my church we are continuing to move through our series in Ephesians, and this past Sunday I preached on Ephesians 5:8-21 (you can listen to it here). There's one particular phrase in this passage that's of particular interest for this post: be filled with the Spirit. Paul exhorts these new Christians to be filled with… Continue reading Are you “filled with the Spirit”?
Why Church Leaders Should Not Be Called ‘Ministers’
Many churches call their leader the 'minister'. But does this reinforce an unhelpful misconception about what ministry is and who does it? To answer that question, let's have a look at Ephesians 4, a pretty key New Testament passage that talks about what ministry actually is, who does, and the role that church leaders play:… Continue reading Why Church Leaders Should Not Be Called ‘Ministers’
Theology and Life – Connecting the Dots
We're currently going through Ephesians at my church, and we have just crossed the halfway mark of the book. This seemed to me like a great place to have a think about the structure of Ephesians, because embedded within it is a great lesson about how the Christian should view the relationship between theology (or… Continue reading Theology and Life – Connecting the Dots
Our True Father
Last Sunday I preached on Ephesians 3:14-21, an eye-opening passage that gives us a window into Paul's prayer for the Ephesians (you can listen to the sermon here). There is one really important phrase in the passage that I didn't have time to look at: "For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every… Continue reading Our True Father
God’s Amazing Grace
Last Sunday I preached my first sermon since graduating Bible College, on Ephesians 2:1-10. It is an amazing passage about God's grace, and there are a lot of deep truths in those ten short verses, so it was hard to keep the sermon down to 20 minutes. For this post, I want to dig just a… Continue reading God’s Amazing Grace