Ephesians (Program #38) – The Way to be Perfected

When Christ ascended to the heaven after His resurrection, He brought with Him a train of former captives and presented them to God the Father. Then receiving them back from the Father, He gives them again, this time to His Body, the Church as specific gifts for them to do a particular work.

Listen to Ephesians 4:8 “… Having ascended to the height, He led captive those taken captive and gave gifts to men.’  verse 11 “And He Himself gave some as apostles and some as prophets and some as evangelists and some as shepherds and teachers.”

As we look at the gifts given to men and their proper function according to Ephesians 4.

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Ephesians (Program #37) – The Gifts Perfecting the Saints

There is a wonderful passage in the 68th Psalms that says : when Christ ascended to the Father after His resurrection, He took with Him an offering of all the redeemed sinners, those that had previously been held captives to sins, Satan even death. These redeemed ones were His offering to the Father

Listen to Psalms 68:18 “You have ascended on high; You have led captive those taken captive; You have received gifts among men, Even the rebellious ones also, That Jehovah God may dwell among them.”

The apostle Paul quoted from this verse in Ephesians 4, but he adds to it, making clear that the Son has now given these ones back to the Body, the Church, even to mankind as gifts.  The gifts that Christ had given to His Body that is our topic today.

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Ephesians (Program #36) – The Base of Our Oneness

In Chapter 4 of Ephesians there is a strong word by the apostle Paul regarding the oneness of the Body of Christ and how we as Christians need to keep this oneness diligently.  Verse 3 “Being diligent to keep the oneness of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace:”

But Paul does not then leave it to our imagination as to what this oneness actually means or how we are to keep it. Because he go on to say 3:4-6 “One Body and one Spirit, even as also you were called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism;  One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.“

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Ephesians (Program #35) – Keeping the Oneness of the Spirit

The book of Ephesians is all about the Church as the Body of Christ. With this as its’ topic, it’s no surprise then that the oneness of the believers become an important aspect of this book.  Yet the apostle Paul mentioned nothing about been willing to compromised, to negotiate, even agreeing to disagree as it’s often heard today.

In fact the oneness that Ephesians describes is genuine and inward. And the experience of it in reality requires quality that go far beyond anything we can do in and by ourselves. Listen to Ephesians Chapter 4: 2-3 “With all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, bearing one another in love, being diligent to keep the oneness of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace“

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Ephesians (Program #34) – God Glorified in the Church and in Christ

In Ephesians Chapter 3, the apostle Paul offers a marvelous praise to God. Now that in itself may not seems so remarkable. But what is remarkable? Is that this praise is the highest praise in the New Testament.

3: 20-21 “But to Him who is able to do super abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power which operates in us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus unto all the generations forever and ever. Amen.”

The other remarkable feature is that this praise is offered in the midst of Paul’s unveiling of the Church in its’ highest aspect. To Him be glory in the Church and this highest aspect is as the fullness of God.

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Ephesians (Program #33) – To be Filled unto All the Fullness of God

The church means a variety things to different people.  Its’ lowest perception is that of a building on the corner. Higher yet is there is the gathering of the people of God.  Then to more enlightened students of the Bible is the Body of Christ. This is a more abstract term but certainly a higher understanding.

But finally we come to Ephesians especially Chapter 1, 2 and 3 where we see the highest definition of the Church. The Church which is His Body, the fullness of the One who fills all in all and to know the knowledge surpassing love of Christ that you may be filled unto all the fullness of God. To see it in this light as the fullness of God requires more than simply Bible study.  As we study today, it requires a vision even revelation.

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Ephesians (Program #32) – To Apprehend the Dimensions of Christ and to Know the Love of Christ

Here is an interesting question for you. What are the dimensions of Christ?  Well, you say, I don’t know, the Bible does not tell us how big or small He was. We don’t know if He was tall or short, lean or heavy. That’s right, in His earthly we don’t know. But in resurrection it tells us.

In Ephesians 3 tells us that His height is the height and His depth is the depth and His breadth and length are the breadth and length. This means the dimensions of Christ equals the dimensions of the whole universe.

What about your Christ? How big is your Christ?  Join us for this marvelous fellowship on the unsearchable, immeasurable Christ.

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Ephesians (Program #31) – To Be Strengthened into the Inner Man that Christ May Make His Home in Our Hearts

The apostle Paul offered two great prayers in Ephesians. The first in Chapter 1 was concerning vision even revelation that we would all see the mystery that had been hidden from the eternity past but was now been revealed to the holy apostles and prophets and also to us.

The second prayer, in Chapter 3 is a prayer for our experience because it’s not enough just to see the mystery of God’s purpose, we need to enter into the realm where it’s worked out and accomplished.  These are the two great prayers that the apostle Paul. And our focus today on the prayer for our experience.

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Ephesians (Program #30) – The Church for God’s Wisdom According to God’s Purpose

Ephesians reveals more clearly than any other writing in the New Testament, that the Church is the eternal purpose of God. In fact it goes so far as to say that God’s multifarious wisdom is made known to the universe through the Church. But how can that be? Because when we look at the Church, most often all we see are the difficult people, bringing all their difficult problems and failures with them into the Church. Well, problems and failures and how God deals with them is just exactly the environment He needs to fully display His infinite wisdom, His multifarious wisdom.

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Ephesians (Program #29) – The Riches of Christ Producing the Church

Most people love mysteries. There is something about mysteries that engages us and hold our attention. And may be you even thought if I can just read the Bible like I read a good mystery. Well actually the Bible is the top mystery in the universe. Listen to the apostle Paul in

Ephesians 3 :3 “That by revelation the mystery was made known to me, as I have written previously in brief, By which, in reading it, you can perceive my understanding in the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in spirit, as we look at the mystery of God, the unsearchable riches of Christ.

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