Ephesians 1:1, 2 says,...
Today's verses are Ephesians 1:1, 2, which read,
v.1, 2 - Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Today we launch our morning devotions through the book of Ephesians. Ephesus was the capital city of the Roman province of Asia Minor and the church there was served by Paul, Timothy, Apollos, Aquila and Priscilla and later the apostle John. Positioned on the mouth of the Cayster River on the east side of the Aegean Sea, it was a very important church to the spread of the gospel to the known world. It is also one of the churches that is mentioned in the book of Revelation. Paul will spend three years serving the church after his first visit on his second missionary journey. The church was in a city that hosted one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world, the temple of Diana.
Paul clearly identifies himself as the author of the letter. He calls himself an "apostle" which means "messenger." A messenger of who? Christ Jesus is Paul's answer to that question. A man named Jesus who is the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One prophesied in the Old Testament that would come and has come and will come again. How is he sent with this message? His commissioning is by the will of God given to him on the road to Damascus and his encounter with Jesus.
The letter is written to the saints who are at Ephesus who are faithful in Christ Jesus. They are Christians who believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. They are faithful to live lives that reflect the terms and conditions set by Jesus. They were living holy lives marked by self-denial so that they would love God and others; they were willing to lost their lives for the sake of Christ and the gospel; and they were diligently following and mimicking Christ through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
The word "and" is very important here. Grace and peace to them from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. With the grace of God through the cross of Christ comes true peace, ultimate peace. It is the ultimate that we could have in this world and heaven to come. We need the grace of God and we also need the peace from God in the world that we live in now until we see Him face to face. These two things, grace and peace, are both needed and given by God to us through the cross of Christ.
The second "and" connects God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. The "and" is a connecting word that reflects equivalence between the two. Both are deity. Both are divine. Both grant and are involved in the process of grace and peace.
Paul comes as an official messenger of a man named Jesus who is the Christ, the Messiah. He comes to the holy ones of Ephesus who are holy because they are faithful to the statement and lives that reflect that Jesus truly is the Christ, the Son of the living God. He comes with nothing of himself but with the grace and peace of God and Jesus which is everything. Let's see what this introduction brings.
"Lord, the start of another letter to a church that is in a prominent place to be used by You to show Your grace and peace to the world. Help unfold to us the truths of this book as we walk through it together. May our lives be characterized as saints, holy ones, because we are following after You and not ourselves. May the church that we serve that has been placed here by You reach others with this message that You are the Christ. Amen."
Pastor Adam
v.1, 2 - Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Today we launch our morning devotions through the book of Ephesians. Ephesus was the capital city of the Roman province of Asia Minor and the church there was served by Paul, Timothy, Apollos, Aquila and Priscilla and later the apostle John. Positioned on the mouth of the Cayster River on the east side of the Aegean Sea, it was a very important church to the spread of the gospel to the known world. It is also one of the churches that is mentioned in the book of Revelation. Paul will spend three years serving the church after his first visit on his second missionary journey. The church was in a city that hosted one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world, the temple of Diana.
Paul clearly identifies himself as the author of the letter. He calls himself an "apostle" which means "messenger." A messenger of who? Christ Jesus is Paul's answer to that question. A man named Jesus who is the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One prophesied in the Old Testament that would come and has come and will come again. How is he sent with this message? His commissioning is by the will of God given to him on the road to Damascus and his encounter with Jesus.
The letter is written to the saints who are at Ephesus who are faithful in Christ Jesus. They are Christians who believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. They are faithful to live lives that reflect the terms and conditions set by Jesus. They were living holy lives marked by self-denial so that they would love God and others; they were willing to lost their lives for the sake of Christ and the gospel; and they were diligently following and mimicking Christ through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
The word "and" is very important here. Grace and peace to them from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. With the grace of God through the cross of Christ comes true peace, ultimate peace. It is the ultimate that we could have in this world and heaven to come. We need the grace of God and we also need the peace from God in the world that we live in now until we see Him face to face. These two things, grace and peace, are both needed and given by God to us through the cross of Christ.
The second "and" connects God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. The "and" is a connecting word that reflects equivalence between the two. Both are deity. Both are divine. Both grant and are involved in the process of grace and peace.
Paul comes as an official messenger of a man named Jesus who is the Christ, the Messiah. He comes to the holy ones of Ephesus who are holy because they are faithful to the statement and lives that reflect that Jesus truly is the Christ, the Son of the living God. He comes with nothing of himself but with the grace and peace of God and Jesus which is everything. Let's see what this introduction brings.
"Lord, the start of another letter to a church that is in a prominent place to be used by You to show Your grace and peace to the world. Help unfold to us the truths of this book as we walk through it together. May our lives be characterized as saints, holy ones, because we are following after You and not ourselves. May the church that we serve that has been placed here by You reach others with this message that You are the Christ. Amen."
Pastor Adam
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