Being Respectful - Ephesians 6:1-9

My mother and father tried. Juanita and I have tried as best we knew how and I realize that many of your parents and you have done all the right things you knew to do—but for some reason we [at least many of us] have failed to reach the goal that I believe we should have attained. To my regret and for some very devastating reason we have erased some of the most important words from our children’s vocabulary.

Yes. Yes-ma’am. Yes sir. Yes, please. No-ma’am. No sir. Thank you. You are excused. Excuse me. Please excuse me. Pardon me. Mr. Mrs. Good morning sir. Forgive me. These are just some of the greetings and responses that seem to have gone into oblivion. I am really worried now; for I have just now checked my electronic dictionary for the spelling of “ma’am” and find that it is not in the dictionary. In fact it is underlined in red on this computer as being misspelled.

When I started teaching school in 1949, most of the children in my classroom addressed me with an appropriate greeting or response. I took these courtesies for granted and never realized how important they were until the courtesy was lost. Since I have been out of the classroom for over twenty years and have continued to have a very limited presence among the younger generation. I realize that the new vocabulary has extended far beyond my knowledge but some that are familiar are such as: Ha. Ha dad. Ha Doc. Naw. Aint. A sheepish grin—and say nothing. A shrug-of-the- shoulders—with no comment. What’s smoking? What’s going down? I am not naive, and fully realize that many of you will not agree with me, but that does not change my mind. I may not have made my thoughts clear to you, and/or there may be a better way to express how disrespect actually appears, but there still is no reason for any person of any age not to be RESPECTFUL toward others, especially parents, superiors, and their elders.

It really does not matter what you and I think is important, or whether we agree or disagree—the bible teaches us we are to treat people with respect because God created all humans in His image. Parents are to respect each other and also their children—and this sets the example for the respect that young people should show their parents, teachers, clergy, and elderly people especially.

Time and space will not permit a detailed explanation of a recent incident that I personally observed at the local Wall Mart that depicts what is happening in young families. A mother, father and two small children, eight to ten years of age actually had a verbal outburst that broke into jerking, pushing, shoving and throwing incident that disrupted the whole grocery department. These children had not been properly disciplined at home, and the reaction of the parents let me know that they either had not tried or did not know how to discipline children. In this situation it was obvious that the children did not respect the parents, and it is my guess that it was primarily because the parents did not respect each other and the children even at home.

If you will read the first verses of this letter that Paul wrote to the believers at Ephesus and abide by his admonition to them you will never have to be embarrassed with an incident like the one mentioned above. I realize that this first commandment is short and to the point and requires further explanation and directions, but the fact that it is a commandment with a promised good result makes it very important. READ AND PRACTICE IT!

Because we have immediate access to the news of the day, world wide; and because the news media explodes and projects horror stories because they sell; we hear about many gruesome examples of child molestations and mistreatment. It sometimes appears that mistreatment of children is the worst it has ever been—but the truth is that it has always been a problem—it was in Paul’s day, and that is his reason for his writing these verses.

When Ephesians was written, the world was under the control of the Roman Empire. The Roman law condoned a condition of power known as the patria protests which gave the Roman father absolute power over his family. The father could punish at will and to any extreme including, forcing them to work for him, even in chains. He could sell them as slaves and even inflect the death penalty for disobedience. This power extended so long as the father lived, so that the child never actually became of age until the death of his father, even if the sibling became and elected official with powers of his own.

There was a common custom under patria potestas, in the Roman world, when a child was born, it was placed before the father who could accept or reject the new born. He could accept or reject the child, and if it was rejected it could be literally thrown out of the family. Unwanted children were usually discarded in the Roman forum and were usually collected by anyone that made their living by raising the child to sell as a slave or stock the brothels of Rome.

Seneca, a Roman historian wrote; “We slaughter a fierce ox; we strangle a mad dog; we plunge the knife into sickly cattle lest they taint the heard; children who are born weakly and deformed we drown.” Normal children could be mistreated, but weaklings or deformed children had little hope of survival. We think child abuse is terrible today, but just think how it must have been when Paul wrote this advice to children and parents. Christianity brought a great improvement to the status of both women and children—and it is only because of the teachings of Christ that the laws of man improved to their present day status, which is a significant improvement. My greatest regret is that I believe we are loosing ground and have been ever since the completion of WWII.

The degree of honor and respect that we have for each other came from the teachings of Christ through the gospel, as recorded here in Ephesians. Therefore, if our faith in Christ is real, it will usually prove itself at home first, in our family relationships with those who know us best. Children and parents have a mutual responsibility to each other that they [each individual] must learn by knowing how Christ expects us to treat each other. [There is no professional hand book written by any author that tells us how to treat each other. Spock may have tried, but he sure failed.] The bible does!

I can assure parents of one thing and that is that parents should care, gently and prayerfully for their children even when the child is disobedient and unpleasant. Discipline is absolutely necessary but it must be done in love and concern and not in wrath. Do not discipline your child while you are exhibiting a fit of anger—wait until you can look them in the eye and let them know you love them. Remember the bible tells us that we should never let the sun go down on our anger—therefore you should never have to wait more that 24 hours to discipline. The delay will enhance the benefit.

I can assure children of one thing, they should honor their parents even if the parents are demanding and unfair. I am sorry that I have no specific advice that will always work when your parents are unfair, but there are some things you can do that will usually improve the situation. Never lie. Do not be deceitful. Never slip around and try to hide your misbehavior. Always be responsible! Show your appreciation for what they do for you every time. Do not act and or be selfish. Ask yourself why they respond as they do…it may be your fault and if it is make the correction necessary and let them know that you have changed. If all fails, you should seek council from your pastor, a Christian counselor, a trusted teacher or friend. You are not alone and unloved, someone cares and will help you. God cares and will guide you, but you must seek his help by first showing that you trust Him.

Jesus Christ is the best counselor for both parents and children, and He tells you that your are to love each other with the same agape love that he has for his bride, the church—that is with the same love He has for you and He died on the cross because he love you so much. There can be peace in the family; and it will happen if both parents and children put the others’ interest first. It is not easy but—you must submit one to the other. Remember the promise in verse three—“Things will go well with you and you will enjoy a long life on earth.”

Parents, remember the purpose of discipline is to help children grow mentally and spiritually and discipline is not to be exasperating and provoking, driving them to anger or discouragement. The bible teaches in Colossians 3:21, “Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.” Dad, Mom, you need to stop and realize that your child did not choose you as their parent—you forced yourself upon them. If you did not rally want a child in your life, you should have acted responsively. Now that you have each other, you should take the first responsibility of making this a happy time together.

Parents, your greatest promise is that if you will bring your children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, in their latter days they will not depart from it. That means you will experience a happy ending. My God bless your family is my prayer.

Being Married - Ephesians 5:22-33

The majority of us who have grown older do not mind being asked our age. It is usually one of our prized moments when we are able to tell our inquiries that we have lived four scour and six years and that we have also been married to one precocious spouse for the last sixty-six of those years. When both are still living fairly normal, healthy lives, assisting each other over the troubling spots each day, the joy is compounded. As one qualified to write from personal experience I can attest that being happily married is one of the most important accomplishments of my life.

I have personally known several families that seemed to have everything going right, and all were happy in their family fellowship and relationship so long as they practiced the teachings held forth in this lesson today. But a time came when they failed to love and honor God as he loved his church, and difficulties arose and the family life was destroyed. Nothing has ever brought more unhappiness into the lives of the family or a nation than for us to ignore God’s teaching regarding the family and church. I doubt that anyone reading this passage of scripture regarding the importance of a Godly home can fully realize how great it really is. Literally stated, only the mind of God knows the spiritual value of the family unit.

We are living in evil times just as the Ephesians did in the days of Paul’s writings to them approximately 2055 years ago. Whether we survive and prosper and live to enjoy our lives today or meet total failure all depends upon our being willing to depend upon the plans that God has established for us to live by. Paul was faced with the dangers being taught by the Jewish faith regarding the condition or place that women held in their Jewish society. Very simply, women were looked down upon to the point that one of their prayers thanked God that the Jewish man was created as neither a slave, a gentile, nor a woman. Paul and other writers faced these teachings when they started teaching that all men and women were alike in the sight of God.

As a result of the early teachings of the church and its leaders, throughout the years the Christian view of marriage has come to be widely accepted. I hope and pray that it is still recognized as the ideal family relationship even in these permissive days in which we live. Since we live in the days of mass communication instantly available we immediately know about the perverted practices regarding sex and marriage that sometimes appear as something new. We must realize that the sins against the family started as early as the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, as recorded in the Old Testament, and even where practice has fallen short of the ideal, marriage has always been in the minds and hearts of Christian men and women.

In 5: 22 and beyond, Paul talks about the submission of the wife to the husband. He states that the woman must be submissive to her husband as she is to Christ. This is true because they have promised to love each other and it is not based on any fact that says the husband should be in control. He goes on to explain some of the things about the love that a husband must bear, show, share with his wife.

1. Man’s love for his wife must be a sacrificial love. Paul says that the husband must love his wife just as Christ loved the church, and gave himself for the church. This must not be a selfish love. One must love his wife not for what she can do for him but because of the ways he can serve her.

2. The love between husband and wife must be a purifying love…just as the agape love of Christ for man.

3. The love for a woman must be caring love. Love her as you love yourself and take care that both are equally served, equally blessed. The relationship of marriage always involves three people…a man, a woman and Jesus Christ as the unseen guest who is always present.

It is not difficult for Christian people to understand why so many marriages are failing today. I do not know the percentage of marriages that occur between believers, but my guess would be that that they are in the minority. Therefore since many [maybe most] marriages occur between two people who have not accepted Christ, they do not realized the sacredness of the marriage union. These marriages are selfish in nature and generally speaking, they are marriages to get rather than to give. I only wish I had the ability to explain to unbelievers the dangers they are facing—for the bible strictly teaches that we should not be un-equally yoked together.

Are you contemplating marriage in your near future? The best advice that I have for you is that you consider the great number of people that will eventually be affected by your decision. Study the bible until you understand fully what your obligations will be to all concerned. Remember that it is a lifelong commitment to your wife and many others. Above all—look up the meaning of DIVORCE, and realize that it is not a biblically accepted reason to end a marriage. Do not establish a divorce as an acceptable way to end your relationship just in case it does not work. When this occurs, it is a selfish decision that does not take in to consideration the horrors of a broken home that usually destroys the happy lives of children and families.

Being Careful - Ephesians 5:15-21

Beginning on the day we learn to talk and listen with understanding, the most common admonition we have ever experienced is the phrase “You be careful now! Do you hear?” Parents realize that children are constantly faced with dangers with which they are not familiar and are warned of the problems that can arise. Playing or running over rough ground can cause a dangerous fall. When swimming, water runs deep and there are dangerous undercurrents. Some animals and bugs are poisonous and will sting or bite. You never know what the oncoming driver will do, so you must drive defensively: and remember that a speeding car is more likely to cause a serious wreck. Be careful now! And please do not attempt to cross the rails of a speeding train when the warning lights are flashing and the bar is down.

The book of Ephesians has two distinctive parts. The first three chapters teach biblical doctoring with many themes including God’s blessings to man, God’s power, believers’ unity in Christ, and God’s wonderful salvation plan that comes only through faith and by God’s grace to man. Then the last three chapters deal with man’s responsibility to practice what he knows to be truth in his daily life. The Christian has grown up and now is the one that must learn to be careful. In these last chapters Paul uses the term WALK six times to refer to our duties that come as a result of the teaching of Christian doctrines. Paul uses the word WALK as a metaphor for living the Christian life and includes positive ways that we should walk and dangerous ways we should not walk.

The very first verse in today’s lesson makes it seem like Paul is thinking much as our parents did when he tells us to “Be VERY CAREFUL how you live.” I learned from my educational supervisory experiences that master teachers use a certain amount of repetition in their teaching. They will review what they taught yesterday as a way to introduce today’s theme. Paul did that very thing here. Look back to verse 8 and following. They were once unenlightened and living in darkness because their deeds were evil. The men of light were wise and the dark were unwise. Now, “Do not live as unwise men, but like wise men. Use your time with all economy for these are evil days.” This sounds like 2010. I do not know where 2009 went or how it went by so soon. But I do know that it passed so swiftly that we need to rescue every good day we can from the workers of evil that are trying to steal our Christian way from us. Our lives operate as a vacuum and are constantly being filled with something [either good or bad]. The heathen has always and will always find his happiness in filling himself with wine and with worldly pleasures; the Christian found his happiness in being filled with the spirit. In this passage Paul relates some facts about how the early church spent its time in worship during its days of worship.

The early church was a singing church. People used psalms and hymns and songs that made worshipers happy and made men sing. The early church was a thankful church and its instinct was to give thanks for all things coming from God. They were still dazzled with the fact that God’s love had stooped to save them. Members of the early church honored and respected each other. We must do likewise; therefore we must be very careful how we live life each day at a time.

Paul refers to the evil days as a reminder that evil is always present, and that there is always an urgency to deal with it. We must keep our standards high, act wisely and do right at all times. Following the admonition of Paul is just as the heeding of parental directions to always be careful what we do, or say or be careful to whom we listen and heed.

Paul compares the high one gets from drinking too much wine which is temporary and connected with the fulfillment of selfish desires to being filled with the Holy Spirit—which is long lasting, producing good fruit, and proving love for others. The problem we face here is that we must be careful that we not expect to have more of God’s grace—but we must desire that God’s grace owns and controls more of us. We must daily submit to His leading and we must constantly draw on his power.

The general theme changes at verse 21. The idea of complete submission of one person to another is a hard concept to grasp. It is often misunderstood. One thing for sure this submission does not mean becoming as a doormat. Think of what Christ did. He was in complete submission to his Father, even to the cross—but he could be thought of as the ‘open door’ to the Father rather than the door mat in front of heavens door.

Instructions given for women to always be submissive to their husbands are always limited by what is right in the sight of God. If the demands of a husband are wrong or sinful, the wife is not expected to commit sin in order to remain submissive.

In closing these remarks let me remind you again that you must be very careful how you interpret a passage of scripture. Any person with great knowledge regarding the wordage used in the scripture can use many deferent verses to prove or disapprove the same fact. We must be careful and never take the scripture out of its context in order to prove a point that was never intended by the writer.

Being Pure - Ephesians 5:1-14

Nothing should ever be more important to us than to be known as a Christian. Any Christian that attempts to be a ‘Teacher of the Word’ will be held accountable by God for the things we teach. The bible says that a false-teacher would be better off if he had a stone weight attached to his neck and then he be cast into the sea. We must recognize that we must be doers of His Word as well as teachers of the Word. Our lives must be so lived that we are known as teachers that practice what we teach. Above all any Christian teacher must imitate the love and forgiveness of God. We must be imitators of God and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Paul establishes the pathway of Christians in chapter five and encourages the Ephesians Christians and us to be imitators of God, and walk in love—the life of PURITY. Each person is responsible for their actions and should not revert into a life of sin. We must stand against sin; and always do our best to expose it as our enemy and the enemy of God’s plan and purpose for our lives. We must use our time wisely and follow God’s will for our lives. This is possible only when we let the Holy Spirit influence and direct our behavior.

In verse 3 Paul starts looking at different matters that directly hinder in the lives of purity. By the way he shifts to examples of impurity; there must have been a problem of sexual immorality in Ephesus. He tells them that there should not be even a hint of sexual immorality or any kind of impurity, or greed, because they are improper for God’s holy people. Then he adds other examples of impurities such as obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place. Then the list grows by adding some sins that could easily be found in the lives of many of our so-called Christians in the churches of our day.

For this you may be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such as an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them.

You can be your own judge, as you listen to the conversations of Christian people today, do you ever hear yarns, or course joking that have shades of foolish talk. We are taught that we should avoid the very appearance of evil. Paul says here that improper language should have no place in the Christian’s conversation because it does not reflect God’s gracious presence in us. Do the words you use reflect the presence of God in you? There is no doubt that foul language is a sin but an unsaved soul should not expect the conversations at church to sound so similar to what he hears at the pool hall, bar or cattle barn. Our actions and conversations should reflect purity of heart.

At some time around Christmas we are often privileged to see a snow scene with a child who loves their parents walking in the indented footsteps of their father walking in the snow covered pathway to the front door of their home. No painted picture has ever expressed a better example of how we should feel toward our Godly parents, God the father and Jesus Christ his only begotten Son. It is also true that no better example of a Godly life will ever be lived than the one that depicts a Christian walking in the footsteps of Jesus Christ who loved us so much that he died on the old rugged cross to save us from our sins.

It is important to avoid the “Fruitless deeds of darkness” [any pleasure or activity that results in sin] but Paul says that we must go even further and expose these deeds, because our silence may be interpreted as approval. God needs people who will take a stand for what is right and prove their sincerity by the example they set. The conditions of immoral America have reached a high during the last half of the last century because of the way we have lived. The Christians of this area have allowed these unacceptable trends to grow simply by failing to speak out against the ungodly teaching and false practices of the so called New Age movement.

Paul told his converts that they must not allow themselves to be deceived with empty words. How and why did this happen? There were voices in the ancient world, especially the Greek and Roman teachers that taught everyone to think lightly of bodily sin. One line of such thought was called Gnosticism. They believed and taught others to accept a false doctrine which contended that spirit alone is good and matter is always evil. Men are composed of both spirit and matter. God created both man and matter. He did not create evil. In Genesis He tells us that he looked upon each part of his creation and declared it to be good…not evil. Genesis also tells us that the evil came when sin entered the garden through the evil one, the devil. Man is both spirit and matter. We have a spiritual soul and a body made of stuff…matter such as bone, flesh and blood and/or iron, oxygen, nitrogen and etc. The Gnostic taught that the spirit only was good, but that the matter was evil. And therefore it does not matter what we do with or to our body…it is evil anyway. They taught that Bodily and sexual sins were of no importance because they were of the body and not of the spirit. The Christian teaching was that both spirit and soul were God’s creation and so they are equally important. This Gnostic teaching came from without the church.

However, there was a teaching from within the church that was equally as important and just as wrong. Some were perverting the teaching of grace. You will find this teaching expounded in the sixth chapter of Romans. They said that grace was so important and powerful that it could cover every sin and that is true. But they also said that since grace was so powerful, then a sinner saved by grace could go on sinning, living as they desired, and grace would abound over all these sins. They went so far as to teach that our sinning was acceptable by God because it gave grace more opportunities to do its work. Paul simply said…God forbid this kind of teaching.

The gravest sin a false teacher can show toward man kind is to teach him that he can think lightly of sin and get by with it. Why? Simply because the wages of sin is death and the debt must be paid. Man can not pay the sin debt. The debt was paid on our behalf by the sinless Son of God when he bled and died on the cross. We are saved by God’s free grace through our faith in Him and there is no other way. If for any reason you live a life that brings any doubt into the heart of any unsaved person, you will be held accountable. The bible clearly teaches that we are either the light of the world because of our belief in Christ and acceptance of his grace, and the life we live; or we are still in the dark, because sinners prefer darkness that does not reveal their sinful ways.

Being Different - Ephesians 4:17-32

It will be reasonably difficult for any teacher to teach this lesson without hurting the feelings of a friend, or making someone mad because of what they will feel are false accusations. Let me just say up front that what ever I say that offends you also confronts me with the same problems. I believe that sinful church members are the biggest stumbling blocks in the church today. There is no doubt that Christians are called-out people. After they are called, they must continue to live in the world, but they must no longer be of the world—like the world. If you are no different from what you were and who you were before your call or [conversion]—then you are not a Christian. If you are a Christian—you are different and that is a complement.

If you are of the age of accountability and have never accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior you are a sinner on the broad road to hell. If you have acknowledged your sinful state and ask God to forgive you—that means that you have accepted God’s call to Holiness and you are now a different person—traveling the high and narrow road to heaven. The bible teaches that there is a difference in an unsaved person and a saved sinner and in many circumstances that difference is quite obvious to another Christian observer. People are known by the fruit they bear. Christians are known by their works—not saved by works, but known by their works.

Paul is addressing the new converts at Ephesus and he is admonishing them to leave their old way of life and to turn to the new way of life taught by Christ. Far too many of the new members in this new church had verbally accepted Christ as Savior but had not made the changes in their way of life that testifies to the new change.

Ephesus was considered to be one of the greatest cities of the day, known for its commerce, culture, and trade and known for its art, music and theatre. It was one of the richest cities in the Roman Empire and the home of the pagan temple of Diana and one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Diana was the god of sexual cravings and was worshipped in the temple of Diana, a worship center that practiced different acts of sexual sin as a part of the daily worship service. Paul describes Ephesus and the lives of those who lived there as the norm and then tells the Christians who have been called out that they must now be different. “Don’t live like that any longer!”

There is a paradox here that is hard for me to understand. Ephesus is described here as a great city. However, I am forced to ask you and Paul what you used as criteria to make this judgment. Some of the things named such as the temple of Diana would prevent a high rating on the city. Paul says that we can no loner live the life that the Gentiles in Ephesus live. In order to be different we must change. He says that “you must be renewed in the spirit of your mind.” This tells me that Christian people must have a different mind set. Our thinking pattern must change so that the things that we eat, drink or participate in will put us on a different minus.

Living and leading a sinful life on a daily basis has a destructive effect on man’s inter spirit. If one knows Christ as Savior then he also will recognize sinful acts and thoughts as they contaminate the body. You did not become a hardened sinner all at one time [no one does]. A born-again man will feel sorrow and horror when they commit a wanton sin. But if he continues to sin without feeling guilty he is approaching a time when he will sin without feeling anything at all. His conscience will petrify like wood in a hot desert. Paul uses two other terrible Greek words to describe the heathen way of life. He says that they have abandoned themselves to every kind of unclean conduct in the insatiable lust of their desires.

We are directed to judge not—lest we be judged by the same judgment. I can be your daily window to what is right and light unto God. I can use opportune times to make you aware of thing you do or say that seems wrong to me. However, God serves as your daily judge and you are being tried in his court as you face daily sins. Get to know your judge well, and predetermine what his verdict will be. If you are a new Christian your life will be different from what it was before conversion. If you are an old established Christian and not living a more Christ-like life than you did a few years [even months] ago, you can expect to receive a harsh verdict in you daily-life curt. If you think that you are a Christian of any age or length of time and still living life as the Ephesians were—you need to reconsider whether you are saved or still lost.

As your teacher, I can not tell you when you are right and when you are wrong. The bible does tell you, and through the study of His word you can know when you are in the will of God. Do you agape God? Christ has told you that without exception, “if you agape me, you will keep my commandments.”

Which do you enjoy the most—the fruit of the spirit or the daily desires of your lustful flesh? What kind of buildings can you enter and feel completely comfortable no matter whom you meet there? If you knew that Christ would return tomorrow at ten AM, where would you be tomorrow at ten AM? I would guess that here might be two or three choices such as my home, my church, or any wonderful setting so long as my family was with me.

If you knew that Christ would return tomorrow at ten AM, is there any place any where that you would definitely NOT WANT TO BE? If your answer to this question is no—then you need to take a good look in the mirror. Ask yourself where your priorities lie.

On the day of your conversion you must leave the old life and enter the new—put off the old coat that you no longer need because it either does not fit any more or it is too worn and tattered and needs to be renewed. What are some of the things that must be banished from the new Christian life? The first on Paul’s list was falsehood. Without exception the only reason for anyone to lie is to protect them selves or punish the innocent.

A Christian can not live peaceably and in truth if he is unable to control his temper. There will always be anger in life, at some time. Even Christ demonstrated the rightful use of anger…but anger must be controlled. We are told that we must not let the sun set before our expressed anger has been placed under spiritual control. A foul-mouth must be controlled. Thievery is unacceptable. Paul leads us to believe that it is a horrible sin for a Christian to grieve the Holy Spirit. He is our counselor and helper here on earth and we owe Him our love and gratitude.

I don’t like to be misjudged, even by good men and so I try to avoid it when possible. The one thing that will prevent being misjudged is that I use the kinds of evidence that God will use when he sits to judge me. Did I repent of my sins and accept Christ as my Savior? Yes! Am I trying to keep His commandments? Yes. How do I want others to judge my life? Am I living in accordance with the worldly daily desires of most of the good people around me or in accord with God’s will for my life? I pray that others will see me as one trying hard each day to live God’s Holy way.

Being in Step - Ephesians 4:1-16

Any one that has served in the Infantry has done a lot of walking. Regardless of whether the group marching was a squad or a company of soldiers, it was the rule of the Army that the troupes always be IN STEP. This rule became so impacted in our minds that it was very obvious when one or more of the soldiers was out-of-step. When some of the musicians in a marching band are out-of-step the band loses its power of showmanship. A major part of the Christian message is lost anytime members of the church fail to serve in unity—that is, when they fail to walk-in-step.

The first three verses of this fourth chapter of Ephesians introduces a new and major division of the book to the church at Ephesus. There are six chapters in the Epistle that can be divided into two divisions. We have completed the first division which dealt with the doctrinal message of the church—helping us understand the essential doctrines of our faith that are central and vital to our understanding of the plan of salvation. We move now to the second division of the book which deals with the application of this doctrine as we live it out in our daily lives.

The church has always suffered most because its members fail to walk the walk of the Christian way. Some are more faithful than others. Others differ in what they believe to be the right way. Still others strongly believe that they are right more often in their interpretation of what the bible teaches to be the absolute essentials. I believe that a long life of study and prayer has helped me to be more tolerant of those with whom I sometimes disagree.

Before we go any further in this chapter, let me remind you that the central thought in Paul’s letter to this church was to let them know they were disunited as Jews and Gentiles and Jesus is trying to bring this disunited world into a way of unity. A company of soldiers lived separately in many parts of the country and were disunited. When they arrived at Camp Robinson they moved into the barracks, lived together, and leaned to march to the same drummer. Band members may have not known each other until they started to school and joined the band and now the director has molded them into a unit of performing arts specialists. So it is with Christians, who are in the world but not of the world, but are now a unit of Christ like people through their faith in Him—who believe that it is the task of the Church to proclaim the message of good news to the entire world.

Think about this simple illustration. When you join the army, enroll in band, join the Rotary Club, or become a member of the church you take upon yourself the obligation to live a certain kind of life, act or perform in a certain way of life, and if you fail in your obligation you hinder the aims of your society and bring discredit on its name. In our lesson today, Paul paints the picture of the kind of life that a person must live when they enter the fellowship of the Christian Church. In the first three verses we find five of the basic words of the Christian Faith.

The first of these great words is humility. A knee that will not bend in prayer will never allow the prayer to be heard, much less answered. The OT says we must humble ourselves and pray for our land. Before the teachings of Jesus this word was thought of as qualities like cowering, cringing, servile qualities in a person. Humility comes from self-knowledge. Humility allows us to become conscious of our unworthiness. It allows us to place our life beside the life of Christ and fully understand our worthlessness without Him.

When people look at your life do they see one of meekness or gentleness? Or do they see a person with extreme anger. Anger is an absolute necessity of a strong parent or leader. God expects us to believe in ourselves and to be willing to respond to undeserved treatment. But uncontrolled anger is a potential time bomb. So, when we think of a meek or gentleman, I think it should be very complementary. Here is a man that is always angry at the right time but able to control himself—and never angry at the wrong time. The Greek word for meekness is praus. Prau is the Greek word for an animal that has been trained and domesticated until it is under control. A praus man then is a God-controlled man.

Paul’s third great word is long-suffering; in Greek it is makrothumia and really has a two pronged meaning. A long-suffering man will never give up and will always endure in a manly fashion to the end and reap the reward. On the other hand the same Greek word means “patience with other people;” some of which are hard to live with. The best example we have of the use of the word long-suffering is when it is applied to God and his patience with man kind.

Well here comes the biggie…the most important of all—LOVE. The Greek word for love as used here is agape. It is sometimes translated as charity. In the Greek language there are four different words used for the one English word love. 1] eros refers to the sexual feelings existing in and between a man and woman. 2] philia reflects a strong feeling of care between friends.
3] storge, which is characteristically the word used to describe the affection between family members. And then the biggie 4] agape, which refers to the love of God…Christian love…sometimes translated as charity because it is so strong that it will encourage us to be charitable toward each other.

Agape love is always toward others and not inwardly. It develops our desires for the good of others and is not self sustaining in any way. It is so deep that we must love God for who he is and what he has done for others and not just because we were included in his love.

These four great virtues in the life of a Christian—HUMILITY—GENTLENESS—PATIENCE—AND LOVE are our virtues extended to others to bring back to us our greatest possession—PEACE. Peace of mind and heart is what we get for what we have given. Paul’s urgent request is for us to preserve this sacred oneness that characterizes the true Church of Christ and our Living God. The best definition of the word peace is that it is the right relationship between man and man and man and Almighty God. Pride and selfishness have to go—first; our fellow man and God will come in—and then our personal peace is our reward.

The greatest soldier will fall out of step. A member of the super band will miss-step and detract from a perfect performance. The most sincere member of the Lord’s Church must try hard to always be in-step with God’s will.

Paul tells us that there is one body. Christ is the head and the Church is the body. There is one Spirit and one hope in our calling, one baptism which is a picture of the confession of faith, and finally only one God—the FATHER OF ALL.

God's Power Strengthens - Ephesians 3:14-21

If you and I believe in the power of prayer we must realize that we have access to God’s power through our prayer life. I sometimes I feel sad to say that I believe in the power of prayer and then fail to put it into practice to the extent that it stands as proof of my faith. A sincere prayer to our Savior is much like having a conversation with our friends and family in this life that we love the most. Most of us neglect to pray without ceasing, even though we are ordered to do so by most of the writers of the Gospel’s Good News. No matter where we are or what our condition, it is imperative that we maintain a constant verbal conversation with the Lord of our life. Paul was in prison when he instructed the Ephesians to place a high priority on their daily prayer life. He let us know that our intercessory prayers have the greatest priority. Then he proved his belief by going to his knees in prayer for his fellow Christian friends in Ephesus.

In verse 14 Paul said, “It is for this cause that I bow my knees in prayer before the Father…that according to his wealth in glory, he may grant to you to be strengthened in the inner man, so that Christ through faith may take up his permanent residence in your hearts.” In this third chapter Paul tells the church that God has revealed a great mystery to him; the mystery was that both the Jews and Gentiles have been united as one in the body of Christ and that Paul has been called to give them this message. Then he said that it is for this reason—or for this cause that I pray for you to receive the power of God so you can mature spiritually and understand the depth of Christ’s love for you.

There has been some misunderstanding regarding the word mystery as Paul uses it here. It does not mean that this mystery is mysterious or puzzling. It is not like some trick where a magician cuts a body in half and then restores it right before our eyes and we cannot understand how it is done. This word mystery is a technical term that refers to a condition that has always existed but has not previously been made known. God had always intended that both the Jews and the Gentiles were to accept him as their heavenly Farther. This was not made clear throughout the old dispensation and the teachings of the Old Testament. Christ has now made it known to Paul and directed him to teach both Jew and Gentile that they may now understand.

Many have told me that they just cannot pray in public. We do not have to pray in public because God is the object of our prayers and he is here with us, and the chief listener. However, I think that inability to pray in public indicates a weakness in a Christian’s life that needs attention. Charles Hadden Spurgeon said, “We cannot all argue, but we can all pray; we cannot all be leaders, but we can all be pleaders; we cannot all be mighty in rhetoric, but we can all be prevalent in prayer. I would sooner see you eloquent with God than with men.” Just remember that eloquence is not required. One of the most eloquent of prayers is very simple in words—the words are: “Dear God, I am a sinner and lost, please hear my prayer and save my soul.” Here is a very simple example of an intercessory prayer: “Dear God, my child is very ill; please hear my plea asking you to heal him.” Pray your prayer In Christ’s name and expect His will to be done.

Paul says that his mission included more than defining the mystery. He had to show all men alike exactly how God planned and carried out this plan from the beginning explained to the Jews in the Old Testament reaching back to the time of creation. The mystery was not a recent addition to God’s salvation plan but it is just a recent revelation to all the people.

In verse 14, Paul returns to his opening phrase of bowing his knees in prayer. The kneeling process represents humility and reverent worship of God in contrast to the common practice of standing to pray. The kneeling posture in prayer is directed to the Father in heaven—the father of all fathers. His prayer made four requests. The first was to plead for inner spiritual strength of the Christian. Some modern teachers say this is for self-discipline or ‘the power of positive thinking,’ mental renewing or self-talk, or turning a new leaf in you life—but it must mean more than this. This kind of prayer is a fundamental work of God from his spirit to our spirit.

The second request in Paul’s prayer is for deep faith. He did not mean for salvation faith. Why? Because he is writing to Christians who already have that deep faith of salvation. This is a personal revelation of Christ being at home daily in the heart of a Christian. This faith maintains the security of the one who already has a believer’s faith.

The third element of successful prayer is love. We have learned elsewhere that faith, hope and love are all important, but the greatest of these is love. To be where God approves of your action or reaction you must have love in your heart for God and others. This love can come from only one place—and that is the divine love of God, who loved so much that he gave his Son.

The last request is a prayer for God’s fullness. If one is filled with God’s fullness he is filled with the Holly Spirit, which is given by God—only to those who pray for the indwelling of the Holly Spirit on a daily basis. Paul prayed this four pronged prayer for the Ephesians and all Christians who followed them…to this day. In a nut shell this means that spiritually mature believers strengthened by the Holy Spirit comprehend God’s love and are filled with the fullness of God.

The last two verses in our lesson is Paul’s Doxology for this study. He has thanked God for his power to pray and live for Him, and now he praises God for all that He means to us. He is our sovereign God and can do whatsoever he will. This means that the greatest of our prayers or the weakest can be answered according to the will of God. Paul says God is omnipotent—he has all power over everything and manifested it when he created the world; again when he revealed the mystery and made it know to us. We now see His glory and know that all that he has done was to bring Him glory.

Today, as we watch God as he works through Christ in our church, we must respond in praise and worship, always giving God the glory. I hope that I am wrong. I am afraid that I am too close to being right. But I believe that my local church, where I worship condones a prayer life that needs to be strengthened.

We have a special prayer room, set aside and equipped for use in intercessory prayer time. The room is open to prayer partners seven twenty four and even adorned with a beautiful hand carved special door inviting all who will to participate. A calendar is provided which invites us to keep someone on our knees continuously. It just appears to me that the room is empty far too much. With the number of Christian members that attend the church regularly, there should be someone there in prayer most of the time. God forgive me for my neglect. I know many of the reasons given for our neglect, because I have used many of them personally. We honestly think that we are too busy serving God in so many other profitable ways. Are we?

God's Power Comes by Grace - Ephesians 3:1-13

We are saved by God’s GRACE—we do not receive salvation by our own works but we are saved by the POWER OF GOD—by His grace—through our faith in the Trinity…God the Father, Jesus his Son and the Holly Spirit. We then prove that we are saved by our works, because God tells us that if we LOVE HIM we will keep his commandments. Do you continually try to keep his commandments daily?—If you do, then this is your proof that you are saved.

John and Marguerite Barber joined our church several years ago and John became a member of my Sunday school class. They were two of the most faithful members in the church and proved it through daily serving in so many ways. When Brother J.R was called as our pastor a few years later, John became his constant supporter and has remained positive in his work and prayers for our pastor and the church. John recently went to be with his Master and Marguerite moved to live closer to her children, and it is a great loss to our church. What motivates people? What motivated this Christian family to serve our church with great commitment and passion? It must have been the same as that of Paul as he served the early churches because of God’s grace that was demonstrated toward him. They both met God on the road one day—maybe not the same highway by number, but the same name—the road to Heaven.

As you stand in the back of our church and observe you will find it evident that the grey hair, or heads with no hair, outnumber the ones that appear younger. We must find those young ones that will step forward and assume the responsibilities of Christians to serve. God is still calling His people to ministry based on his grace given to the servants. This lesson is a picture of Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles being a gift of God’s grace through his power. The emphasis is on recognizing an opportunity to serve God as an offer of His grace. To all who are younger this is to encourage you to accept the opportunities to serve God with no hesitation or mental reservation.

Please take the time to read and study carefully the short thirteen verses of this challenge. 3: 1-13. The first verses will emphasize the need you have to recognize and accept God’s free gift of Grace. Then in 3 to 6 you must understand and receive God’s revelation of His Grace to you. Then there is no need to receive unless or until you are willing to respond; and finally you must realize that there is a time of rejoicing for those that are willing to participate. That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus [2: 7].

The first verse in our lesson clearly states the message of the second chapter. The message is that Paul, a Jew, came to witness to the Gentiles. These Gentile Ephesians, who had been ‘dead in trespasses and sins’ who were ‘strangers from the covenants of promise and aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, without hope and without God in the world,’ had been—‘made right.’ For some reason Paul digresses from this thought and tells us about his ministry until he reaches verse 14, and then he goes back to his original thought and tells them he has been praying for them and he tells them what he has been praying for them. I emphasize this because Paul had been charged by some critics for his digression in order to talk about himself. It was simply in Paul’s heart that the Gentiles must know that he had his problems to overcome and that they should not be dismayed at their own problems. Both had their problems.

It is now necessary that you consider verses 2-7 all together because it is one statement that has been divided into subdivisions or verses. He did this to help some of the Gentiles who were concerned that he had now become a prisoner. He lets them know that he glories in his prison sentence, his persecution, and that he wants them to be able to find glory, and praise in their persecutions.

Paul thinks that God made the mystery of salvation by God’s grace known to him in order for him to make the same revelation understandable to them and now it is being made known to the Lord’s holy apostles and prophets by His Spirit. No doubt that Paul could and did look intro the future as see the many other great leaders of the church [such as even Billy Graham] that have continued to evangelize the world. It is very difficult for me to realize what a wonderful revelation Paul has made. Most of his listeners were probably just common slaves and now they have become a part of God’s plan—and just by believing they are now a part of the eternal plan of salvation and are included in the scheme of God regarding sinful man. Paul told them that he was glorying in his suffering for God and he wanted them to do likewise.
We often find this word “mystery” used by different writers, so what did Paul and the others mean by the mysteries of God? False teachers would have you believe that the term “mystery’ means that salvation, the Christian message, or faith is something vague and indefinite and cannot be defined. Modern thought is one of God’s mysteries’ greatest enemies. They teach that the moment you try to define it and say what it is, that you have also said what it is not and this tends to destroy the mystery.

PAUL THE APOSTLE COMPLETELY DENIES SUCH AN INTERPRETATON. Paul says that the mystery has been revealed and that he is a preacher of the mystery because it has been revealed to him. It is not even vague and indefinite, but is a message that has been made known to those who know God’s word.

I have gathered from several sources some thoughts that seem to tell us without a doubt that all Christians can know many things but not all things about the mind of God. The word mystery as used most frequently in the New Testament pertains to the truth of God that is so great that the mere mind of man can never know all about it. Man is sinful and so by his own unaided mind he can not fully attain it.

The bible says that “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. BUT GOD HATH REVEALED THEM UNTO US BY HIS SPIRIT; FOR THE SPIRIT SEARCHETH ALL THINGS, YEA, THE DEEP THINGS OF GOD” [Eph. 2: 6 to 10]. It is not a hidden wisdom but the wisdom of God that he has revealed unto those of us who study to show ourselves approved. This is why it is so important for a preacher or a teacher to make sure that they are revealing only that which God has revealed to us as absolute truth.

The Apostles were twelve men selected by God—one failed God and killed himself—and then Paul became the last of the apostles [12 in all] when he was personally called by God while on the road to Damascus. The prophets were men who were given a special knowledge of the truth and were commissioned to teach others. Only the writings of these men became a part of God’s word to man and therefore or also to the church as we know it today. The greatest preachers and evangelist of all time must preach the Word of God which came to us through the biblical writers.

I have heard some of the BIG PREACHERS on TV teach that we Gentiles would never have heard of the gospel if it were not for the fact that the Jews denied Christ. I personally believe that we were a part of his plan. All men were a part of God’s original plan. I do not believe that I am one of God’s afterthoughts. His plan was for me to accept his Son, Jesus Christ, who sits with his Father in Heaven and has invited me to be a part of that Holy Family. So long as I am in Christ I have an open door into the throne of God.

Paul closes this study with a prayer that his Gentile friends may not become discouraged because their best friend and leader is in prison. He did not want them to think that he was in trouble because he had fought for their right to know the secrets of God.

God's Power Changes Relationships - Ephesians 2:11-22

This lesson uses the literature produced by Life Way Publishers that is used throughout the Southern Baptist Convention as its guide in publishing a weekly lesson for this Sunday school classes. Specifically this is the Adult Commentary entitled “Explore The Bible,” My commentary appears in the weekly papers of Des Ark “White River Journal” and of Heber Springs “The Sun Times” and is sent by email to over three hundred class members for their timely use in their classes the following Sunday. The writer started teaching at Griffithville, Ark. in 1947 and had to give up weekly classes in 2009’ but have continued writing as a ‘labor of love’ for God’s Word and His children.

I always try to acknowledge any direct quotations used, and now acknowledge that the following introduction to this lesson is taken from this week’s LifeWay commentary. It is interesting to me that the behavior of elephants teaches us much that we should know about human relationships.

Dr. Ben Garner, author for LifeWay says, “Elephants are amazing creatures…huge, heavy, and slow-moving, they are intelligent, expressive and social animals. They live in tight-knit herds ruled by the oldest female, the matriarch, in family herds of 6 to 12 members that are her sisters and or their offspring. Adult males live primarily solitary lives and only join a family temporarily. A family moves, rests, and feeds as a single unit; they defend each other and care for offspring. If a mother dies, the “aunts” watch over the young much like a human godmother might do. One of the aunts will adopt the cub to care for it as her own.

How wonderful to observe the family unity that is part of God’s design in the animal kingdom! How much more awesome to see God’s plan for family unity being lived out in the church! In this week’s lesson, we learn about God’s work to unite Jewish and Gentile believers into one new people, one family in Jesus Christ…In Christ, we as believers are brought together joined together, and built together.”

In this lesson today we will look at man as he lived B.C. and then as he change in the period A.D. Since Paul was a Jew first and then a Christian, he is making sure that his people think of themselves as a Gentile first and then as a Christian. Read the first two verses of chapter 2. Paul speaks of the condition of the Gentiles before Christ came. He was the apostle to the Gentiles, but he never forgot the unique place of the Jews in the design and the revelation of God. This is his attempt to draw the contrast between the Jew and the Gentile. This contrast is a severe one that still explains why we sometimes have so much trouble accepting those who do not share our religious beliefs.

The Jewish law demanded circumcision, which was a physical man made thing—not spiritual. And Jews called the Gentile the uncircumcision and had a great contempt for them. This was probably the greatest of the divisions between the two. The Jews actually taught that “God had created the Gentile to be the fuel for the fires of Hell.” It was unlawful for a Jew to render help to a Gentile woman in childbirth because this was helping bring another Gentile into the world. Dear Sunday school member, there are some severe differences between the beliefs of some Christians today, but I dare say that none are more severe than these. If a Jew married a Gentile, they performed a funeral for that Jew. Jews were unclean if they even entered the home of a Gentile. Jews often criticized Christ because he visited non Jews.

BC the Gentile had no hope of a Messiah—The Authorized Version of the Bible says that “they were without Christ.” The Jewish hope was a positive direction upward toward heaven—and on the other hand, the Gentile hope was going no where. To the Gentile, history was a march to no where—while the history of the Jew was a march toward God. Then BC became history [Christ was born, lived, died, was buried and resurrected] and AD arrived in what we know as the New Dispensation… Christ came and with His coming the Gentile entered into that new view of history in which a man is always on the way to God…Both Jew and Gentile…Ladies and gentlemen…Christian friends…we were and are the Gentiles…This was the greatest day of our lives. All people, regardless of race, color or creed can accept Jesus Christ as Savior and immediately be on the road to Heaven.

You and I [Gentiles] were aliens from the Israelite society. If you have not studied Jewish history, you may wonder what this means. Their history says that they were hagois laos, or the holy people. Hagois means different; therefore they wee different people from Gentiles. How were they different? They were God’s people. God was their king. The gentiles of this age were Roman citizens under the rule of the Roman Emperor. Others were under a dictator, democracy or aristocracy—but Israel was a theocracy; their governor was God. In Judges 8: 23 Gideon told his people the Lord shall rule over you. The Psalmist sang in Psalm 145: 1 “I will extol thee, my God and king.” He literally meant that to the Jew, their God was both God and King. They had Exodus 6:7 which says “I will take you for my people, and I will be your God.” This promise was under the old covenant which the Gentiles knew nothing about. [Gentiles did not have access to the Jewish writings.]

All through the Old Testament, God’s design had always been worked out through a specific nation. They did not realize that God’s choice of the Jew did not show favoritism or special honor to the Jews—but it was to place a special responsibility on them. They were supposed to accept him and then teach others to do likewise. They failed. They crucified Christ. I personally believe that God turned to America as His special choice to take the plan of salvation to all other people.

The end of this barrier was broken down as you can learn by reading verses 13 retouch 18. The language Paul used here is referring to the construction of the temple which had walls or barriers that prevented the Gentiles first, then the women, the court of the Israelites, then the Court of the Priests, and finally the Holy of Holies which could be entered only by the High Priest. Under law, only the High Priest could enter the throne room and speak to God. When the barriers came down [salvation became available to all who believe] and now we intercede for our sins directly with Christ. Specifically when did it happen? It happened while Christ was on the Cross—the moment He died—the curtain was rent from top to bottom and the throne room was opened to you and me. This event was announced through a mighty storm of lightening and then total darkness during the day and was witnessed by everyone present in Jerusalem that day.

Now under the New Covenant, both the Jew and the Gentile [all, everyone, regardless of race or nation] have the right of personal access to God the Father of Jesus Christ. The word that Paul uses for access to God is prosagoge which is a word of many pictures. It means bringing a sacrifice to God…bringing men into the presence of God…it was used to introduce an ambassador to a national assembly…and above all prosagoge is used to introduce a person to a king. This new unity in Christ produces Christians who are friends with God. Now read verses 19-22.

Paul paints two pictures of the new Christian. A] Gentiles are no longer foreigners. B] Gentiles are now full members of the family of God. Through Jesus Christ we are at home with God. I personally cannot understand how or why so many different men…churches…denominations have decided to enforce their own barriers…barriers beyond what Christ demands. That is why we have the confusion that has been brought about because of these differences of rules and regulations. There should be no rule or regulation required by a specific church that can not be documented as totally scriptural. The greatest tragedy of the Church is that it is sometimes more exclusive than God teaches that we should be. The Bible teaches us that there are many things that we SHOULD do, AND WE SHOULD! But the Bible teaches us that there are only a few things that WE MUST DO—AND IT IS MOST IMPORTANT THAT YOU KNOW WHAT THOSE FEW THINGS REALLY ARE… AND WE MUST DO THEM!

God’s Power Changes People - Ephesians 2:1-10

In the lesson taught last Sunday, Paul told us that the answer ‘yes’ to two questions constitutes the acid test that tells you that you are a Christian. The questions were do you have ‘faith’ in the Lord Jesus and do you have ‘love in your heart’ for mankind. I truly believe that I have the abiding faith necessary, never doubting the saving power of my Lord Jesus. It has been harder for me to be positive that I love all people everywhere. I am sure that I have no hate in my heart toward any person. But then I asked myself this question. If I did not love people would I take the time required each week to prepare these lessons for no other reason but to hope and pray that someone would respond by accepting the Lord Jesus as their Savior or that some hungry Christian might find Spiritual food for thought? These are my reasons. Pray for me that I might be inspired to rightly divide His word so that others may prosper by my studies.

Do you know how to pray for the people you love? From my study of the first chapter of Ephesians I have learned a new way to pray for my fellow believers. I believe that it is important to be able to make every word in my prayers relevant to a known need. In old age, time is our most important asset and we should consume every moment we have in some kind of positive action. Bible study and prayer are excellent ways to use a major part of your growth time.

There are three very important elements of any prayer that God helps me offer up to Him in behalf of those I love. a] My first desire is for God to enlighten [help us to know without a shadow of doubt] us regarding God’s call in our lives. b] I should pray that we fully understand the glorious inheritance that awaits us in Heaven. And c] I should pray that we realize the extent of God’s power and that we appreciate God’s mighty power that can change people and secure their future. People need security and security is only safe and sure by and through God’s power.

Having prayed for these three blessings, then my prayer should give proof that God’s power raised Jesus from his death on the Cross and exalted Him to His right hand in Heaven—far above all other powers now an forever. Then I pray that all believers will know that Christ is the head of the church and therefore over all believers. To complete this prayer for the saints, I now pray that we know that we were spiritually dead in our sins but that God through his Son, Jesus Christ, has raised us from sin’s death and assigned us a seat in heaven with Him. Just think…and know assuredly that we deserved his wrath but received life through God’s power. Please know that I have just now prayed for you that you will immediately obtain these blessings. You may wonder why I say emphatically that you deserved wrath. I only repeated what Paul told you. You should study carefully the first ten verses in chapter two. This scripture is so simple that it looks like there could be complete agreement regarding its meaning. This is not so. There seems to be more disagreement here than about any other passage that contains so few words. Maybe we can find some agreement today.

Paul is writing directly to the saints at Ephesus, the other churches that this letter would be delivered to, and to the Christians [saints] of all time. The letter was not written to unbelievers because he says emphatically that “We all lived the same kind of life as these children of disobedience do.” And this implies that “Christians do not live in trespasses and sins.” When Paul uses the word ‘you’ he is speaking of Gentiles and when he uses the word ‘us’ he is talking about Jews…his fellow countrymen.

Before you were saved—you gentiles were dead in your sins and trespasses. You lived a life of sin just like the unbelievers of today. We were all at the mercy of the desires of our lower nature and deserved nothing but the wrath of God.

Now let us look at the one word that you and I may differ on. At least there are a lot of differences of opinions among many who claim to be Christian. What does the word ‘sin’ mean? We probably agree that a murderer, robber, child molester, drunkard, gangster, terrorist, liar, shop-lifter are all sinners. However, do we agree that all are equal in God’s sight? Some of our audience may lie occasionally, or even grab a snack bar and run without paying because we in a big hurry. Some drink occasionally, but have never been drunk more than a couple of times ever. If we are guilty of some of these, then it is hard to classify all of them as sin.

If you will go to an old Jewish dictionary and look up the terms that describe a shooter of the bow and arrow, you will find that if the shooter misses his target it is called a hamartia. The shooter lifts the bow, and takes aim at a specific object, pulls and releases the string and sends the arrow on its way. If the arrow head goes over, under, on either side, and hits anything other than the target—if the shooter misses the target he will say—that is a hamartia. In Ephesians 2: 1-3, when Paul writes about “sin” he uses the word “hamartia.” He says that anyone that has missed the target of perfection has sinned. We can agree to some degree that sin is sin but since most of us are respectable citizens, really deep down in our hearts, it is hare to admit that I am a sinner. Since I work so hard, always trying to do the right thing, and never intentionally doing anyone wrong, I just can’t see why I am a sinner. Do you resent being called a hell-deserving sinner? The book says that “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” No hunter has ever lived a lifetime with a perfect shooting record, and if he missed one time he made a hamartia and is no longer a perfect shooter.

Are you the best child you can be? The best parent? Do you love even your enemies? Have you ever broken the heart of your parents or your children and saw the hurt in their eyes, and realized that you put it there? When we come to realize what sin is—we can see that it is not something that Paul or other writers have invented. In any sphere of life it is failure to be what you should be or failure to do what you should do. It is simply missing the mark.

By the way—the other word that Paul used here was translated trespasses [in our sins and trespasses] from the original word [paraptoma]…and it literally means to SLIP OR FALL. It means one has slipped away from truth. We may have been headed the right way but slipped and fell back losing our direction. This is not something that we choose to do, but we are born in the sinful condition.

God realized that man was born and living in a sinful condition and decided to send his son Jesus to die on the cross in such a way that his perfection would cover our imperfection. John says that God loved us so much that he gave his son Jesus to die in our place. This gift of Jesus was a perfect act of grace toward sinful man. While man could do nothing to save himself, God extended his grace toward him. And now by grace through faith we are saved.

This plan is so simple that it causes many to miss the mark.

God's Plan Involves Power - Ephesians 1:15-23

God’s word is true! Last Sunday we learned that God’s plan is eternal and today’s lesson tells us that “GOD’S PLAN INVOLVES POWER.” This is not just the kind of power required to lift, pull, or move stationary objects, but it includes all powers available including the supernatural power required to create all things that are from required materials that were nonexistent at that time. For in the beginning the earth was null and void—and from this condition of nothingness—God created ALL that now is. If you believe God’s word to be truth, then you believe or accept this fact by and through your faith. God is sovereign which means that He has always existed. God is omnipotent, [almighty/ all powerful], omnipresent, [always present in time and space] and is omniscient, because He knows all things. God is veracity which means that everything that he has ever said is perfect truth.

Saul was a Jew legally persecuting Christians when God found him on the road to Damascus. [People do not find God. He finds us.] [If you are a Christian—God found you. How? The Holy Spirit invited you. The encounter on the Damascus road left Saul blind and troubled. When he completed the instructions God gave him, he was a new creature, and he was now Paul the Apostle, a new creature in Christ Jesus. In this lesson today, Paul is an itinerant Christian missionary who has traveled from city to city preaching Christ and Him Crucified. He has already visited the Ephesians twice, while he was on his second and third missionary journey.

The second meeting was one to be remembered and the account tells us that there was great love and respect for him. You can learn much more about this final meeting by reading his farewell address to the Ephesians elders in Acts 20: 18-35. “After he said this, he knelt down and prayed with all of them. There was a great deal of weeping by everyone. Embracing Paul, they kissed him, grieving most of all over his statement that they would never see his face again” [acts 20: 36-38].

Now, hit your fast-forward button in time and you will find that he is now a Roman prisoner “in chains” in a prison in Rome, Italy. As a prisoner, he could not visit them again in person, and so he wrote this letter to them. The letter was no doubt shared with other believers in other early churches and we know that under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit it was intended for all believers everywhere and in all earthly time yet to come, which includes all Christian churches today. You and I have never received a personal letter from anyone else, that was more timely and important, and even stained by Paul’s tears.

One of the greatest statements ever made started in verse 3 and ended with verse 14. It covered the problem we have in knowing that we know God, Christ the Lord, and the Holy Spirit and UNDERSTANDING that they are one in three or three in one, all the same but serving and working differently. The Apostle seems to turn now to the Ephesians [and to all Christians everywhere, then and forever] to show the application of what he has been saying.

Remember now, that this is a personal letter that has a practical purpose. Paul was not a theologian that sits down to write a theological disquisition; which is a formal inquiry or discussion, but his object was to help Christians be strengthened and encouraged in their daily lives. Paul believed that the best way to help Christians is to teach them the true doctrines of the Faith and then to apply the doctrine to his students. I think Paul was right and I do not believe he failed, but I believe that we have failed to the point that this is the most dangerous problem in the church today. I believe that far too many so called believers do not actually know and understand biblical doctrines. Most of you will say, “I believe in God” but that is not enough!

Paul had heard that the saints had not only entered into the Christian life but that they were continuing in it. [Remember the two test of a Christian are faith and love]—he had heard that they had both faith and love for each other. How can you know you are a Christian? How can others know that you are a Christian? You are, only if you have a saving faith and love your fellow man, especially your brothers in Christ. The danger of missing the mark here is what the biblical definition of faith and lover really is. No pun here…and no politics here either, but you even must know what “is” really means. You may say you are a Christian. People may believe that you are a Christian. However these are not the proofs. What is the truth?

There are many other ways to judge a man, but Paul says that these two tests are really the only ones needed. Note that faith regards what you believe and in whom you believe and love refers to what you practice. They go together and simply stated we are dealing with faith and works, and James tells us that without faith the other is dead. Paul states that faith comes first and must be in the Lord Jesus, but it must be followed by love. To have faith in the Lord Jesus means that you trust him utterly, entirely, and absolutely without any hesitation or reservation. It is the Lord Jesus and what He did for us in his life on earth, on the Old Rugged Cross, in the grave, in his resurrection and ascension that paid our sin debt and made our salvation free. Without the Lord Jesus and the cross there would be no salvation.

We must not put our manner of living in the first place. There are many good…moral…benevolent…lovable people that may even be your closest neighbors—but they are not Christians. On the other hand there are many who do not claim to be Christians; they may be violent opponents of the Christian faith—but in regards to their daily life and their treatment of others, they may seem to be good people. These statements let us know that this is not the point of our beginning. These attributes are only valid when used in the obituary of one who has died without knowing Christ as Lord. It is so sad to read that a great man has died, and left a vast array of good deeds that he has done, but the writer can not truthfully say that he had a saving faith in his Lord and Savior and loved his fellowman. We must do a word study and pay attention to every term the apostle used. Far too many today just pick and choose what they want to pertain to their salvation—and this will not work. It is very important to note that Paul has already referred to THE LORD JESUS fifteen times in this chapter. These two words refer to the same person, but are not the same in total meaning. Jesus is our Savior but he must also be the Lord of our life. Paul is saying that He has several names—but it is absolutely necessary that we acknowledge the minimum of names…our LORD AND SAVIOR.

Now look at the second term in the test—LOVE. It is hard to love everyone, even your enemies, and only a Christian can do that. Peter in 1:22 says “See that ye love one another with a pure heart reverently. Surely, if any man can do this he must have a new nature. John said in 3:23 “This is His COMMANDMENT that we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another.”

Our lesson today is entitled GOD’ PLAN INVOLVES POWER and we have now come to the Apostle’s third particular prayer for the Christian. It is clear that the Epistle is emphasizing the power of God in the saints rather than the power which God gives to the saints. This introduces two different views. The first is that salvation is the result of something I do, plus the power that is given to me by Jesus—my power or me plus the power of God. The second view is that salvation is the result of God’s power at work in me and through me, and I believe this is what Paul means. Paul is emphasizing the power of God in us.

Surely I also believe that God gives us strength and power, and we would be fruitless and desperate without it. If that were the question at hand we should teach it with all sincerity and belief, and I would.

Paul is deep and very clever and there is no doubt that it is because of his deep inspiration from God. He makes it clear that the call itself is founded on the character of God. Then he has given us a glancing view of the transcendent glory for which we are destined and now he is helping us to recognize the power of God working through us. In his prayers the apostle is concerned about Christians. He knows that Christians are redeemed and safe but he still prays for us all the time. He prays, not that they be saved, but that they may constantly gain a deeper understanding and knowledge of what the Christian life really is and what possibilities it has for all believers. He offered two prayers and this last one became inevitable.

It can not be avoided because not even a Christian can fully understand what inheritance and glory we will have without understand the power of the source—God. We dimly understand the glory waiting, and we fully understand our sinful nature and we are automatically doubtful that our future can be so beautiful. Have you ever thought in the back of your mind—“surely this is not all possible for me.” The weakness in our understanding and knowledge of the gospel truths are the devils tools to cause us to be doubtful. It is not an unpardonable sin to doubt. It is a sin for one to continue doubting without studying God’s word in an effort to find the truth. Truth removes the doubts and sets you free.

V 20 says that God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. The future of the Christian is bright—not because of our works—but because of God’s power at work in us. Have you opened the door of your heart and allowed him to work his power in and through you? If the answer is yes, you have nothing to lose and heaven is your gain.

God's Plan Is Eternal - Ephesians 1:1-14

As we begin our study of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, I confess that I do so with considerable temerity. There are only six short chapters with a total of 154 verses in the Epistle. I have more commentaries on Ephesians than any other book in the bible. I have one set of commentaries that contains eight books with over 3200 pages all devoted to Ephesians and in addition I have at least five other books by different authors. Needless to say, I have a concerned interest in this book and I am not alone. If Paul is one of your favorite authors, you will be pleased as you study his epistle to the Ephesians. If you love God’s Word to man kind, you will enjoy reading this epistle.

It is difficult to write and talk about the book in a controlled manner because of its greatness and its sublimity. Most of the commentary authors have tried to describe this Epistle in regards to its importance to the New Testament as a whole. One said that it is “The crown and climax of Pauline theology.” Another said that it is “The distilled essence of the Christian religion, the most authoritative and most consummate compendium of our holy Christian faith.” [Please read this quotation again, slowly and study it carefully—it is rich.] I surely can not compete with these writers who write as eloquently as these have written.

We have just completed a study of Corinthians where Paul discusses the plan of salvation and tells about many problems that he had with the church at Corinth. However, in this epistle he seems to write from a heavenly perspective; as he says himself it is from ‘heavenly places.’ The results are that there are very few controversies; all he seemed to want to do was let us know of the wondrous and glorious works of God the Father and Christ the Son. Martin Luther says that it is the most important document in the New Testament. I personally can not say that one book is more important than another, it is all inspired by God and there is not an idle word or thought included. I believe all are of equal importance—but I do recommend that you study this book in more depth, because you will find “all you need to know in order to be saved and this writing is the heart and soul of the gospel. There was only one purpose for the Lord’s earthly life, and untimely the death of Jesus Christ. “He came to seek and to save all souls that were lost.” HOW? It is “By His grace and our faith, both given to us by Jehovah God”.

Paul started writing this letter by listing the only two claims to fame that he possessed. First, he wants everyone to know that he was an apostle of Christ, and then he wants all to know that his appointment or call to be an apostle came from God, in a miraculous way. He was blind and was made to see; he was Saul in the hands of Satin and became Paul on a mission for Jesus Christ. Paul is the most productive, and effective of all apostles.

I am thoroughly convinced that most of the problems we face in our homes, in our churches, in our government and country are brought about by only one reason. Far too many do not believe that the Bible is God’s book, and many believe that they can pick and choose the parts that pertain to them. Our thinking must always start with God and not with ourselves. The tragic errors that became our nemeses beginning in the 1950’s came about when the governing majority became so interested in ourselves, overwhelmingly subjective and egocentric and forgot that God is in command, not man. The message in the Ephesians epistle, and in the entire bible from Genesis to Revelation, is God’s plan designed to bring us back to Him, to humble us before God, and help us see our relationship to God.

Paul eloquently develops the theme which brings us face to face with God, what and who God is, and what he has done for us; he emphasizes the glory and greatness of God as the Eternal One, the everlasting one, and absolutely the ONLY ONE—and He is still ALIVE AND WELL.

This great theme appears constantly in the various phrases which the Apostle Paul uses. Here are examples, and I quote: “Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of His will’—‘Having made known to us the mystery of his will, according to His good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself’—‘In whom we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will’—‘God the eternal and everlasting God, self-sufficient in Himself, from eternity to eternity, needing the aid of no-one, living, dwelling in His own everlasting, absolute and eternal glory.” Man can not start by examining his own needs; we must start with God’s ability to meet our needs. Stop; listen; I believe you must be able to hear through your mind’s ear God speaking to you right now as he did to Moses of old when He said; “Take off thy shoes from off thy feet for the ground whereon thou standest is holy ground.”

Oh listen, dear Christian friends, as the bell tolls against public prayer, against the Ten Commandments, establishing laws that are erasing or omitting God’s name, both the proponents and those that do not stand against such actions are treading on holy ground.

Surely you are interested in how you are forgiven. Paul says that we have redemption through the blood of Christ. There is no Christianity without ‘the blood of Christ. It is central, it is absolutely essential and there is nothing without it. Salvation depends on the person of Christ, but in particular, his death, His shed blood which is his atoning substitutionary sacrifice.

The teaching of the New Testament Epistles is directed only and solely to Christians, that is, believers in the Lord Jesus Christ; just ordinary church members. This means that this epistle is directed to us, today. What is a Christian? The Apostle Paul describes a Christian in three main terms. He says we are “Saints” because he wrote this book to the saints at Ephesus. You may say, “Well, I am surely not a saint.” But if you are a Christian, you are, because you have been “set apart”—you have been separated; and that means you are separated from the world in general. You are ‘in the world’ but not ‘a part of the world.’ The Old and New testaments say that we are ‘God’s own people’—‘a chosen generation’—a royal priesthood, ‘an holy nation, and a peculiar people’—we are God’s particular possession and interest. Therefore a Christian is a man primarily who is segregated from the world. We are cleansed inwardly. Cleansed from sin because sin is what separates us from God. Only His blood can cleans anyone from sin.

The second meaning of saint is the term—‘faithful.’ This kind of faithfulness means that we are ‘exercising our faith.’ It is a believing faith. One must believe that God is…that Christ lived, died, and was resurrected. A Christian must truly believe these specific truths that are based on Christ. A Christian…a saint has an unwavering faith [belief] in the God head. You know in your heart of hearts that Jesus was God’s only son; that he became man and dwelt among us…that He was both human and deity…and that he died on the cross to pay the price for man’s sin. “The wages of sin is death.” Someone must pay the debt. Christians believe that Christ paid our sin debt and that we do not have to die in our sins.

The third definition of a saint or Christian is contained in the phrase “In Christ Jesus.” We belong to Him. We are united or joined to him; Paul says that “Ye are the body of Christ”. In Romans six, Paul says that when Christ was crucified we were crucified with Him; when he died we died with him; and in Ephesians he says that “God hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ. I am, and you are a member of the body of Christ. I am not my own but was bought with a price… [His blood paid the price]…He is the head and I am one of the members of his body…All of our blessings come because we are in Christ.

Three of my greatest blessings are GRACE, PEACE AND GLORY. Paul tells us that these are ours because of who we are in Christ. The two greatest words with the most importance to Christians are grace and peace. The human mind cannot comprehend the meaning of grace, and I can not fully explain to you all that it means. It is at a minimum “unmerited favor’ and that means that it is favor that you receive but to which you have no right or title in any other way, other than through Christ. It is his love come down to man—and it is all for free.

The peace blessing is not peace from war—or calm rest—or a quiet mind and spirit. It is all of these, but more because it is an inward feeling or condition that can not be explained. In war, I will not loose; in illness I will not die; in pain I will overcome; in distress I will be comforted; in loss I will realize gain. Paul even said that “For me to die is gain.” It means union even after separation; it means reconciliation will prevail over any kind of separation. Romans 5—“Therefore being justified by faith, we have PEACE with God.” We can have within us “The peace of God which passeth all understanding.”

Oh! How I hope and pray that this feeble effort has made you feel better about the fact that you are a Christian. I fear that I have only scratched the surface and that you will still completely miss the depth of meaning that is contained in the words Christian…saint…believer… and being God’s chosen and set apart child of the one and only Jehovah God.

Relationships: The Improvement Factor - 2 Corinthians 10:1 - 13:3

The author of this lesson as published in LifeWay literature mentioned that he and his wife enjoy the home improvement programs that that frequently shows an older run-down home being completely renovated from foundation to the roof. Changes are likely to take place at any place and old walls removed or new ones added change the space; while new and different flooring materials, colors, cabinets, decorations or even furniture change the looks. He said the results are usually but not always great. And then he wondered why churches do not practice the same kind of improvement programs. To my knowledge, we do not have writers today that have designer abilities in their vocabulary but the weakest of us can look back to the apostle Paul and get some good ideas about how to go about the job ahead.

When we say that God is the same yesterday, today and forever it should ring a bell of consistency in our minds regarding what the church should be. Two thousand years have rolled by, and there have been changes in communication, transportation, and conveniences that should make the job easier for us than it was for Paul. But some things haven’t changed such as sin still exists; and people are still plagued by their sinful nature. The Word of God has not changed; it is just more available in both written and electronic forms, and almost every body has one of these forms available. Generally speaking, the New Testament churches in Paul’s day had the same problems that we encounter today in the twenty-first century churches. Just think about it—there are no problems in the church, family, community, state, nation or the world that are not people related. In other words, a church, state or country does not have problems, only the people in them do—and people haven’t changed that much even since Paul’s day.

If there is one thing that threatens the peace of every church at one time or another, it is the struggle over authority. All good strong churches have strong leaders, someone has to take the lead and the question is always who that will be. There had been a power struggle in Corinth that caused Paul much grief. The extreme of the problem came when some of the members declared themselves to be teachers and apostles equal to Paul and insisted that the church come under their authority rather than the teachings of Christ which Paul had used in its foundation. Our church today faces two problems that are very similar to and maybe even more extreme than Paul and the Corinthians had. One is the struggle over power or leadership that arises between the pastor and the congregation and sometimes between factions in the congregation. This conflict is more visible and explosive and will either divide or skill the church and its witness.

A second kind of problem has grown into magnitude proportions during the last few decades. We are suffering in the United States because of the power exerted by officials that have embraced liberalism to such extreme that it approaches socialism and communism. There are extremes in immorality that have become the way of the people in the screen and television business. These new sanctions that are embraced by the liberals have encroached upon the sacred pews of the church. It requires both a fundamentalist pastor and a Bible centered congregation to successfully battle the sinful encroachment of liberalism into our worship services.

False apostles had opposed Paul in Corinth and he was hoping that his letters against these false teachers might prevent a major church disruption when he finally got back to see them. These false apostles were seemingly accusing him of begin two-faced. They said that he was timid when in their presence, but when away, his writings were bold and strong. There are several times in this chapter where Paul responded by boasting of his past accomplishments and the price he had paid just to survive. No other apostle could use this tactic in a more deserving way. Always desiring to protect the church from error, Paul continued to resist those leaders in Corinth who opposed his authority. If I were a minister of the gospel, I would want my name to be Paul, however, it would be most important that my leadership be as strong as his was.

Paul was planning to return to Corinth for his third visit. He had already been delayed until some were unhappy with him, and he was trying to do what he could to heal the hurts before he arrived in person. It is hard to discipline children when you are with them, even harder to discipline adults by mail. Paul tried. John Calvin once said “Discipline is like a bridle to restrain and tame those who rage against the doctrine of Christ; or like a spur to arouse those of little inclination; and also sometime like a father’s rod to chastise mildly and with gentleness of Christ’s Spirit those who have more seriously lapsed.” Paul knew that his opposition was strong enough to cause difficulty at the time of his return and he wanted to calm things so that his revisit would not be in vein.

Paul encouraged the Corinthian Christians to prepare for his next visit. He especially wanted them to have a receptive attitude so that his time for Christ would no be wasted through conflict. He really did not know how the visit would go. It could be a time of rebuke and argumentation or a time of rebuilding strength in the Lord and he knew that it was really up to the Corinthians to decide.

Paul had never lived at the expense of the Corinthians, but had paid his own way; but for some reason his enemies argued that his return would be very costly for the church. He assured the church that this was not true and that he would not accept money from them for his own personal use. It has been made well known that Paul was a tent maker by trade and that he had worked his way through his missionary journeys. It is amazing how the opposition will use untruths that are very obvious to all concerned and how these untruths will still be successful in blocking good things that should have happened without opposition.

I truly believe that the greatest threat to our church today is the gradual acceptance of liberalism both in our every day lives and our spiritual lives. I only hope that God will find a way during these last two years and the next two to come—to affect our improvement factor in America. Lord, allow our churches and our country to grow stronger side by side, and without any further church and state conflict.

Relationships: The Long-Distance Factor - 2 Corinthians 7:5 - 9:15

Do you ever look back over your life [especially if you are middle age or more] and remember old friends that were at one time close, caring, and concerned; but have become cold and distant. You may not have had a letter, a call or even a Christmas card in years and you may not have sent one. One or the other moved to another location and the long-distance between is a part of the problem. One or both married and became interested in their new family and made new friends and there is nothing wrong with this. It should be that way, but at the same time, old friends that are good friends are sometimes irreplaceable and are worthy of the effort it takes to renew long-distance communication. Just remember that it is never too late to renew old friendships.

We have utilized a considerable amount of our lesson time lately discussing our personal relationships. We have looked at family relationships as well as church related and then just friendly relationships as relating to problems that arise in each category. Beginning with the fourteenth verse of chapter six, Paul introduces a specific problem that is to be avoided whether you are choosing a mate, joining a church, or cultivating a friend. What ever you are doing, there is no exception to this rule that Paul has given us.

Paul speaks plainly and makes it easy to understand when he simply says; “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers.” Since we are discussing and comparing the church family and the personal family and how certain rules apply to both, it is imperative that we consider this statement fully, because it clearly does belong to both situations. If you are a true believer in Jesus Christ you must understand that no matter how much you would like to get married—you should never (not ever) marry an unbeliever. Young people find it very easy to become infatuated with the opposite sex and either think they are in love or maybe actually fall in love with anyone they are dating frequently. Therefore, the only way to avoid an unscriptural marriage is to select Christian friends of like belief. Do not date an unbeliever because it is too dangerous.

This rule applies to any believer that is seeking membership in a church. No Christian should join any church that does not teach and preach the bible as they believe it should be. There is only one way for you to be sure that you are making the right choice. First, you must know what you believe to be the essentials—that is, the basic teachings of the Holy Bible, and then you must know that these basics are being taught in the church of your choice. You should seek help from a pastor or Christian counselor in whom you have a strong faith. However, the only way you can be absolutely sure that you know the basic teachings of the Bible is for you to read and study the Book and pray for guidance in your understanding. Right now, immediately, you should turn to… and read… and study the last verses in chapter six where Paul will give you good reasons why you should not be un-equally yoked together.

Allow me to give you a few examples that are so very simple and even crude that I hate to take the time and space necessary—but theses are realistic examples of troublemakers. You are the believer and you want to go to church Sunday morning, your unbelieving spouse wants to spend the day on the golf course or lake. You want to spend money available to buy needed furniture; your spouse wants a new boat or golf clubs. You want to spend a quiet night at home, the spouse wants to go to a strip joint. You want to save a few dollars; the spouse wants to play the lottery. The children need clothing and food, the spouse buys alcohol or drugs. You want to save and he/she wants to spend.

If you are a true believer in Jesus Christ, and know that you were saved by grace through faith and there is no other way—you will surely become unhappy when the teacher or preacher starts talking about salvation by works. When the church condones false teachers, or tends to be no more than a liberal social organization you will not be happy in this setting. If you believe in water baptism by immersion you probably will not be happy with sprinkling.

Paul’s reason for bringing this subject up is that he was having all kinds of problems with the members of the church at Corinth. He had been there with them, witnessed to them regarding the saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and His will for the church. Then Paul left these good friends in the early days of their Christian life and continued on his missionary journeys. He had planned to get back to see them, to worship with them and teach them more of the truths about Christ’s teachings, but the stumbling blocks of life prevented his return. Their friendship grew cold. They lost their love and trust in and for him and began to marry nonbelievers, and allow their church to be influenced by non-believing leaders that claimed to be Christians. They were definitely all mixed up regarding the teachings about the resurrection of the dead and the second coming of Christ.

Given the problems they had with communication and travel in those days, the best he could do was write them four different letters while they were apart, and try to make sure that one of his helpers got back to the Corinthian Church to help them with their problems. One and possibly two of these letters were lost, and so they actually only received two that we know to be the first and second Corinthians. [We believe that at least a part of one of the lost letters is included in 2 Corinthians.]

If you and I have old friends that have drifted away or from which we have drifted away, our means of communication are much better today, and we literally have no excuse not to reaffirm our love and concern for our old friends or to make new ones. You know what I mean, but to insure that you recognize the simplicity of this task I remind you that you have inexpensive phones of all colors and kind, slow mail that is sure, fast e-mail that is free, a good car that makes it no more than a three day drive anywhere in the country. A plane reduces the trip to only a few hours. We really have no excuse and should maintain important friendships. Somewhere, someone needs an encouraging word from you today.

Paul is my hero. He worked hard and long under some dire circumstances, and I believe he tried as best he could to be a continuing friend to all that he won to Christ. However, he amassed quiet a number that criticized him for not keeping up with his long-distance friends, those he made and then left behind as he started another missionary journey. You and I might be surprised to know the number of old friends we have that would receive a real lift in life if we would let them know anew that we still care and that Jesus our Lord will never stop caring for them.