Safe in Jesus: Part 2 By Andrew McChesney One afternoon, 16-year-old Almira decided to take a nap after returning home from school, exhausted from months of fitful nights. She lay down on a couch, her face to the open door of the room. She was at home alone. Suddenly, she sensed the presence in the … Continue reading –>
Further Thought: Study carefully the following preamble to the discussion questions listed below: What is the specific context in which Paul writes Ephesians 2:11-22 as he describes the sweeping effects of the Cross on human relationships? He is addressing the relationships between Jewish and Gentile believers who together are members of the church. He expresses an obvious … Continue reading –>
What culminating set of images does Paul use in Ephesians 2:11-22 to signal unity between Jews and Gentiles in the church? Reviewing Ephesians 2:1-22, we recall that verses 1-10 teach that we live in solidarity with Jesus, while verses 11-22 teach that we live in solidarity with others as part of His church. Jesus’ death has both vertical … Continue reading –>
How does Paul summarize the ministry of Christ in Ephesians 2:17-18? The concept of peace is important in Ephesians, with the letter beginning and ending with blessings of peace “from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 1:2, NKJV; compare Ephesians 6:23). Earlier in Ephesians 2:11-22, Paul argued that Christ personifies peace, “For He Himself is our peace,” … Continue reading –>
What action does Paul say Christ took toward “the law of commandments expressed in ordinances” (ESV)? Why did He take this action? (See Ephesians 2:14-15.) Paul probably alludes here to the balustrade or fence that surrounded the court of Israel in Herod’s Temple, with its death threat. Paul imagines this wall coming down and Gentiles being granted full … Continue reading –>
“For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility … that he might … reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross” (Ephesians 2:14-16, ESV). How does Paul describe the cross and the impact of Christ’s work there in … Continue reading –>
Compare Ephesians 2:1-3, Paul’s earlier description of the Gentile past of the addressees, with Ephesians 2:11-12. What does he accent in his fresh description of their past? Gentiles who were now believers in Christ and members of His “body,” the church, were once totally separated from Israel and the salvation God offered. Paul judges it important for … Continue reading –>
Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study: Ephesians 2:11-22; Romans 3:31; Romans 7:12; Isaiah 52:7; Isaiah 57:19; John 14:27; 1 Corinthians 3:9-17. Memory Text: “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” (Ephesians 2:13-14, ESV). You are a Gentile, a Greek, who … Continue reading –>
Terrified in Russia: Part 1 By Andrew McChesney Unusual events began occurring at home after 16-year-old Almira signed up for courses on the supernatural in the Russian republic of Bashkortostan. The year of 1992. The Soviet Union had collapsed the previous year, and public interest was high in once-banned religion. Two Russians from Moscow showed … Continue reading –>
Further Thought: Underlying the Epistle to the Ephesians is a story that is often rehearsed in part or alluded to in it. The major events in the narrative are these: God’s choice of the people “before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4-5, Ephesians 1:11). Their past, lost existence (Ephesians 2:1-3, Ephesians 2:11-12; Ephesians 4:17-19, Ephesians 4:22; Ephesians 5:8). The intervention … Continue reading –>
