Sword in the Fire

Ephesians 5:21-6:24 C. Submit to one another. 21 submitting to one another in the fear of God. * This portion is a continuation of Paul previous exhortations about life in the Body of Christ. In this passage, he discusses submission. This is such an important topic in the Church and runs throughout its life. We are all subject to one another. No one in the church is an authority to himself. Even the highest ranking bishop is still subject to others and has his own spiritual father to whom he submits. When followed properly, a level of humility is developed that reflects the Trinitarian life of submission. Christ submits to the Father and we follow His example when we submit. St. Jerome: “In the Church, leaders are servants. Let them imitate the apostle. The difference between secular rulers and Christian leaders is that the former love to be lord over their subordinates whereas the latter serve them.” 1. Submission in Family life. 22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as ...

I. Imitate God. A. Walk in love. THEREFORE be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. By using the image of children, Paul evokes our understanding of God as Father. Just as earthly children will imitate their earthly father, we as children of the Father must imitate Him. Jesus exhorted us, “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Just as Christ reflects the Father by nature, those who are in Christ are to reflect the Father by grace. We are also to love as Christ loved. Christ loved sacrificially. The love of Christ is seen in forgiveness and sacrifice. “No greater love …than a man lay down his life for his brother.” To love one’s enemies especially is to imitate Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. To love also is an act of worship. Our lives are an acceptable sacrifice when we love one another. It’s amazing how often Paul uses th...

Ephesians 4 part 2 (4:17-32) - Paul is going to contrasts two types of life in the next passage. One outside of Christ and one in Christ. In doing so he asks them to remember their previous life before Christ. He calls the life outside of Christ, the Gentile life. In speaking this way he is not talking about ethnicity, but those outside God’s people. Those inside the church are neither Jew nor Greek but a new man. -The next thing to notice is that the difference between the lifestyles is not merely outward but inward. In verse 17 and vs. 23, he begins with the “mind”. This word in Greek is “nous” and does not refer to our rational mind that reasons and thinks. It is a reference to the inner man. It is the part of man that is able to communicate with God. -St. Maximos concerning the “nous” says that the “great battle which is waged by the demons is to capture the nous and to attract it to impassioned thoughts.” By defeating the “nous,” as St. Maximos says, the demons “lead it to sin in ...

Ephesians 4 (part 1): Unity and Love in the Body of Christ I. Unity in the Body of Christ (1-16) A. Called to Unity 1-3 “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all humility and meekness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” -“walk worthy” of the calling...here Paul is primarily holding up the unity of the body of Christ. What else are we called to in the body of Christ? We are called to be saints, adopted as children, heirs of God, called to be holy (2 Pet. 1:15). -The life here that leads to unity includes these virtues: humility, meekness, longsuffering, and bearing one another in love. -Meekness is a great word, yet it is often associated with weakness in the modern world. Perhaps the rhyme throws us. It suggests self-control, stability, and being unshakeable regardless of circumstances. It was used in the fi...

Ephesians 3 I. Paul servant of salvation A. Paul’s Revelation 1-6 1. To the Gentiles: For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles-- -Paul is talking about the revelation that he was given to bring to the Gentiles. This is the revelation that he was given on the road to Damascus. Gal. 1:15-17; Acts 9:1-22 2. Steward of the mystery of God’s Grace 2   if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of the grace of God which was given to me for you, 3   how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, 4   by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), -”steward” oikonomos - the steward of the house in those days was the man entrusted with the arrangements and administration of the house; the steward owned nothing but was entrusted by the master with the care of it. -God has given to Paul the authority to speak and deliver this mystery to the Gentiles. -whatever talent ...

Ephesians 2 - Chapter 1 introduced use to the big picture of God plan for the world through the Church. Chapter 2 begins to provide the details of what is happening. Chapter 1 was the why and chapter 2 is the how. This chapter could easily be divided into two parts. The first part describes salvation offered while an enemy with God. The second part describes salvation offered to man who was outside God’s covenant. Because of the ethnic makeup of the church in Ephesus, there was some tension between Jew and Greek. Each of these parts are somewhat directed to each group respectively, in order to show that all are in need of salvation regardless of ethnic or cultural background. I. Saved while enemies with God (1-10) This portion of the chapter seems more directed to Jews than the Gentiles. Not that it does not apply to Gentiles, but it is a reminder to the Jews that their ethnicity did not guarantee salvation. A. What you were (1-3) 1. Dead. 2. Walked with the Devil...

This chapter opens like many of Paul’s letters. First the opening, then a thanksgiving to God, and finally a pray for the church. I. Opening (1,2) -”the saints” Paul is writing to merchants, slaves, men, women, tradesmen, artisans, rich and poor; yet he calls them saints. Amazing! This is not a congregation of monks, but they are called saints because they are faithful. II. Thanksgiving (3-14) A. Vs.3 “We Bless God for He blessed us” Every service in the Orthodox church begins with the blessing of God, because our life is a life of praise and worship to God. Chrysostom makes much of the term “spiritual blessing” as opposed to thanking God for material blessings. Chrys. “You are made immortal, you are made free, you are made a son, you are made righteous, you are made a brother, you are made a fellow-heir, you reign with Christ, you are glorified with Christ; all things are freely given you.” Then he asks, “What more do you need?” B. God Chose the Church (4-6) - “in Him” Thi...

Two weeks ago I began our Ephesian study. Once again our base text for the class is Fr. Lawrence Farley's Prison Epistles . The introduction is history rich. We spent most of the day in the book of Acts going through chapters 18-20. This passage gives the origin of the church. Here are some highlights about Ephesus itself. It was one of the largest cities in the Roman Empire. In the first century there were approximately 400-500K people. It was a coastal city that provide a lot of trade for all of Asia Minor. It became a hub for the whole province and then a hub of Christian evangelism in the early centuries. Even though it was on the coast, its harbor had to be dredged regularly, and today is filed in with sediment. The town of Melitus often provided an easier access to the city. The big claim to fame was the Temple of Diana (Artemis) that was part of the city. The temple itself is considered one of the seven ancient wonders. It could hold up to 25,000 people in the cit...