As we complete our trek through Paul’s letter to the ecclesia in Ephesus, let’s pause to consider his final words of blessing in this beloved letter. In so doing, we will see inside the heart of this great leader, the deep ties of love in the early Christian community, and the great gifts that Paul longs for them (and us!) to receive.

Becoming New Creation people means that we believe "the Good Life" is the life Jesus calls us to live. But this is contrary to the ways of this world. Today we explore the armor which God gives us to ensure that we will be able to stand firm in the face of spiritual conflict.

By and large, our lives are lived in two arenas: at home and at work. Ephesians has been teaching us that the resurrection of Jesus and the outpouring of his Spirit enables us to become new creation people: fully actualized human beings. For the past two weeks, we’ve looked at how this takes place in our homes; today we consider what it looks like to become “new creation” people at work.

How do "new creation people" approach parenting? Today's message gives us practical instruction for this all-important aspect of our lives.

As we have been discovering throughout the book of Ephesians, God is in the process of making us new creation people -- teaching us (by his Spirit) how to embrace the fully human potential we were designed to enjoy. Nowhere is this more needed than in the area of the family. What does a “new creation family” look like? We’ll explore that question today.

Jesus’ ascension signaled the close of his earthly ministry, and his enthronement at the right hand of God. Ten days later, on the Jewish holiday of Pentecost, Jesus poured out his Spirit upon this followers, and the worldwide ministry of Jesus through his church (ecclesia) was begun. Why was the church born on Pentecost, and what significance does this have for us today? We’ll talk about that his morning.

There are four important events in the Christian calendar celebrating the life of Jesus: Christmas (His Incarnation), Good Friday (His Crucifixion), Easter (His Resurrection), and Ascension. We know about the first three, of course, but what about this one? Why is it important? What does it mean? Let’s take a look at that this morning.

We have seen that since Jesus is raised from the dead, his resurrection life is available to us. We are now able to live the fully human life we were meant to live. We no longer need to be trapped in darkness; we can “walk as children of light” (5:8). But where do we find the strength to live this way? We find it in the Spirit.

Ephesians 2:1-10

Christians believe in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. It is an essential tenet of our faith, giving us an assured hope for future beyond the grave. That’s great of course, but what difference does the resurrection of Jesus make in our day-to-day lives? Let’s talk about that today.