An old old story about Israel has become the new story of everyone who has put their hope in the Jewish King, Jesus. And this old and new story is the only hope for humanity that is able to extinguish the hostilities that exist between the tribes and nations on the earth.

“For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles—assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.”

(Ephesians 3:1–13 ESV)

We are the Temple of the living God being built by Jesus our King. In this teaching we discover what the Temple meant to the people living in Jesus' day, how Paul's audience would have responded to learning that they were the Temple of God, and how that informs us as a community of faith and how we ought to live out this reality as God's Temple in Waxahachie now. 

“And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”

(Ephesians 2:17–22 ESV)

The gospel isn't just saving people from judgement. It's also saving the world from the blight of sin and the destruction that sin brings upon human culture. In particular, with relevance to this text, we learn that Jesus came to destroy the dividing wall of hostility that existed between Jew and Gentile in his body upon the cross. But it isn't just that hostility that Jesus destroyed. It's also the walls of separation that exist in our own culture today that he comes to knock down. Hostilities between races, culture, the sexes, and politics, they're all knocked down because of what Jesus has come to do.

In this teaching Pastor Josh is joined by Andre Grey.

“Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands—remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostilityby abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace,and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.”

Ephesians 2:11–16 ESV

The good news that Paul is proclaiming in his letter to the disciples at Ephesus tells us what Jesus has rescued us from. We've been saved from God's wrath against sin, we've been rescued from death, slavery to the evils of corrupt culture, and that lies of Satan himself. But that's not where the good news in Paul's letter stops. He does tell us what Jesus has rescued us from, but he goes on to explain what we've been rescued by and what we've been rescued for. And if you slow down to listen, you might discover that Paul's news is much better and much bigger than you might have at first thought.

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sinsin which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

(Ephesians 2:1–9 ESV)

The good news that Paul is proclaiming in his letter to the disciples at Ephesus tells us what Jesus has rescued us from. We've been saved from God's wrath against sin, we've been rescued from death, slavery to the evils of corrupt culture, and that lies of Satan himself. But that's not where the good news in Paul's letter stops. He does tell us what Jesus has rescued us from, but he goes on to explain what we've been rescued by and what we've been rescued for. And if you slow down to listen, you might discover that Paul's news is much better and much bigger than you might have at first thought.

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sinsin which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

(Ephesians 2:1–9 ESV)

In this teaching we discover the power of story and how it shapes the way we live our lives. The Father is writing a new story for his people different from the story that the world is telling. We are chosen by him to be holy and blameless in his sight. We have been destined by him to be adopted as his children. And this all is made possible through the redemption that takes place in Jesus and the power of his Spirit.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,”

(Ephesians 1:3–7 ESV)

This week we began a new series on Paul's letter to the disciples at Ephesus. In this teaching you will find an overview of the letter, paying particular attention to the theme found in Ephesians 1:10.

Jesus has sent his Church to continue his mission of making disciples in the power of his Spirit for the glory of God the Father Almighty. In this teaching we consider the gift of prophecy, what it is, what it is for, and whether it is a gift for the Church today.

In this, our fourth teaching in the series Knowing God, we learn about God and his presence by considering how he has dwelled with his people Israel. And how he now dwells in his people the Church in a special and unique way.

Week 28 in our series The Sermon on the Mount: A Manifesto on Life in the Kingdom

In this week's teaching we looked at Matthew 7:1-5 and considered Jesus' command that we not judge one another with improper motives. Instead we are to make righteous judgements regarding our sins first and our brother's and sister's sins second. Jesus doesn't say to point out the speck in your brother's eye, he says take it out. And to take out sin that present in another's life, we must judge rightly and walk alongside our brother or sister to gently remove the sin that's present.