I am moving to Kalamazoo, MI to serve in a small OPC church, Community Presbyterian Church, for a summer internship. The congregation is roughly 30 people (10 families). My responsibilities will include ministering with the pastor to prisoners at a local facility and the homeless in the city. In addition to those responsibilities, I will also lead worship every Sunday night.
Since many of you wanted to explore a book of the Bible in the recent 2012 Summer Blog Poll, I have decided to spend the summer studying, writing, and preaching on the book of Ephesians. The book of Ephesians carries a very different tone than many of Paul’s other letters to area churches. There are two words that best describe this letter: “brotherly unity”.
He writes to a Jewish and Gentile mixed congregation, reminding them of God’s “lavishing” grace and what He has done for them in Christ. As a community, Paul wants that to be foundational to their daily living. Paul will begin the letter looking at the “theology” of the Christian life – establishing a right understanding of what God has done in Christ. He then moves to the practical aspects of living in that reality.
I think the letter has not only a clear and concise presentation of the Gospel but also very practical ways to live a life of grace. In II Timothy 3:16-17, Paul reminds Timothy that “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” Ephesians, along with the plethora of knowledge and understanding God gives us in His Word, illumined by the Holy Spirit, will serve us well as we live the Gospel in life, family, and community.
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