The Lord made three promises to his faithful servant Abraham (Gen 12). He said he would make of him "a great nation," He would give him a "promised land," and through his seed, "all nations would be blessed." Jesus is the blessing to all nations, and Paul makes sure the Ephesus church knows that this blessing includes ALL Gentiles.   

There is no longer alienation and strangers to the covenant of the Lord. We are fellow citizens, saints, and members of the household of God. Jews and Gentiles are united in Christ.  

Join us we study how our Lord Jesus "broke down the dividing wall" and has "brought all men near by His blood."

We pause our study to dig into the controversies surrounding this wonderful passage of Scripture. Many use this passage to teach a popular doctrine known as "Calvinism."   

Are we saved by grace or works? Are all "works" attempts to earn our salvation? Could an attempt to avoid one false doctrine lead to another?   

Let's consider these questions and more as examine both sides of this issue and seek to understand what Paul was saying in this beautiful text of salvation. God bless.

This text is the great story of the Bible: mercy, grace, forgiveness, redemption, salvation, and love. It begins with the greatest phrase in Scripture, "But God..."   

Join us as we reflect on the wonderful and merciful love of our Father toward all of us in Christ Jesus.

Before and after pictures are fun to see especially when there has been a drastic transformation. Some people transform their bodies, some their financial situations, yet nothing is more powerful than seeing someone who is "raised" from the dead in Christ.   

Chapter 2 begins with our "before" picture and it's not pretty. We are consumed with sin.   

Sin is "death" because we are...  

Praise the Lord, "But God...." follows this horrible sight. We will discuss being "made alive" in Christ next week.

It is comforting to hear someone say, "I'm praying for you." Imagine if it was the apostle Paul? That's exactly what he does for the brethren in Ephesus. In fact, there are two prayers by Paul in this letter.   

Paul's Powerful Prayer: May God give you wisdom and revelation to know...

Note: The power of the Father that raised Jesus from the dead is the same power working in us.

Please join us as we continue our discussion of the "spiritual blessings" from our Father in Christ.

Let's look at the way our heavenly Father looks at us. Paul begins the letter with a heart-warming list of spiritual blessings that will enrich all believers in Christ.  

Repeated words in the letter: "Father" - loving relationship;  "Us" - the church;  "In Him" - Jesus is our source for all blessings  

Spiritual Blessings:

Paul addresses the church with a standard greeting, but this is far from a standard letter. This is the follow-up to a personal conversation that he had with all the leaders of the congregation (Acts 20).   

A Powerful Prayer

Let me tell you about my Father