Ephesians 6:10-24 - The Armor of God

Now this is what I call a "Grand Finale"!! Paul has spent the past several chapters expanding on the mystery of God and our place in all of it. Now he ties it all together by pulling back the curtain to reveal the reality we can't see and the amazing symbolism of the Armor of God.

For many, this section of scripture is memorable because of the imagery (especially guys). And I'm no exception. But, having gone through the whole book of Ephesians with the Scripture Outlining method, I can honestly say, I'm now better able to tie this section into the rest of the book and the entirety of scripture. Please be encouraged to share any feedback and thoughts in the comments section below.

Join us this week as we wrap up The Alps of the New Testament: Paul's Letter to the Ephesians!

Ephesians 5:21-6:9 Emulating Christ in Our Relationships

Relationships! Ultimately, isn't that what it all comes down to? And in the relationships closest to us, are we living out our faith? are we "putting on Christ" as we deal with our spouses, kids, co-workers? Whatever your answer, the truth is we can always work to grow in these areas. 

This week Paul lays out some biblical truth about how we are to walk in Jesus footsteps when it comes to dealing with the people closest to us. Join us as we dive into some really practical scripture about how we relate to those that know us best. 

Ephesians 5:1-20 Out of Darkness & Into the Light

Out of the darkness and into the light! This week we dive into the first half of Chapter 5 of the Book of Ephesians. We are examining Paul's cautionary words to the church to walk in the light, and turn from foolish, worldly lifestyles. And, taking it even further, Paul says that we should seek to bring all sin into the light. Expose it. Confess it. Deal with it. Don't bury it or ignore it. And I'm pretty sure that Paul is talking about ALL sin...yours too. Not just your neighbor or spouse or boss or whoever. All sin should be brought into the light, and in so doing it actually adds to the light.

Amazing principle. Hard to consistently put into action. But Paul goes on to to encourage believers to make careful choices and use our time wisely and with Kingdom purpose.

Enjoy the podcast and, as always, our outlines and notes are below.

Ephesians 4:17-32: Putting off the Old

Paul gets a little more literal and direct with his words as we go through the second half of Ephesians 4 this week. The last few weeks we've tackled some deeply spiritual text, and in the weeks ahead we will be there again when we dive into notions of Spiritual Warfare. But thankfully, Paul gives us a slight reprieve with a message about "putting off the old and putting on the new". Hopefully, this passage will convict you as it did the three of us about how can we better reflect the light of Christ as we live our our faith in a fallen world.

Ephesians 4:1-16: Maturing in the Faith

If you've been following along with us through Ephesians, let me say "thank you".

This week, we are really excited to venture further this incredible book. Earlier you heard Paky refer the the first half of Ephesians as the "Doctrine" and the second half as the "Duty"...well, here we are at Chapter 4, and Paul starts shifting from who we are in Christ and into what we are supposed to do with it.

For starters, Paul writes we should be growing and maturing in Christ. and then goes on to say that this maturity will guard us and unify us. What a beautiful vision of the Church.

Listen in as Paky, Jesse & I explore these verses and walk through our Scripture Outlines. It's a short passage so if you haven't done a Scripture Outline with us yet...today is a great opportunity. Please join us as we go through our Content, Aim, Divisions and discuss how we are able to apply these verses to our daily lives.

Ephesians 3: God's Mystery Revealed

Here we are at the third Chapter of Ephesians and so far Paul has been talking about who we are as individuals and as a group of believers in Jesus. Paul has recalled the power, the gifts, the promises and the community that we claim as being believers.

Now in this third Chapter, Paul starts to transition into how this all relates to God's ultimate purpose and how we fit into that. He concludes by sharing a prayer that we all come to fully absorb the deep truth he has been sharing up to this point.

Listen in with Paky, Jesse & Richard as they dig in further to this beautiful passage...

Review: Called & Accountable

Hey everyone, Richard here! I wanted to share with everyone a Devotional that I recently finished with a Lunch Group that I meet with each week. Called & Accountable: Discovering Your Place in God's Eternal Purpose is the study that this 52-week devotional is based upon.

I was first introduced to the name Blackaby about 6 years ago when a small group I was part of worked through the highly acclaimed Experiencing God Bible Study. It remains to this day, the most challenging study I've been through and I can honestly say that my walk with Christ truly matured upon completing it. I highly encourage any believer, new or old, to rise to the challenge presented by the Experiencing God study. If you are one of the lucky ones to have first hand knowledge of this study, please leave your thoughts in the comments below.

But back to Called & Accountable, which Henry co-authored with his brother Norman. This devotional is a year long journey with the Blackaby brothers designed to push the reader towards examining your walk with Christ and are you maturing and growing as we are...well...called and accountable according to the Living Word of God. 😉

Each week begins with a passage of Scripture that sets the tone for the following short devotional. Then ends with some practical questions and a prayer to recite throughout that week as you meditate upon the theme discussed. The chapters build upon what you've read to date, but can surely stand on their own just as well. As you go through the year, you'll come across some familiar verses and ideas, but also be challenged with introspective and convicting study questions.

If you like a spiritual challenge and are looking for something to keep your daily thoughts anchored on Jesus, but don't want to commit to a lengthy book, please take my recommendation for Called & Accountable. Each week takes about 10-15 minutes to read through, while the acompanying prayer and passage  are short enough to memorize and carry with you as you go about your week. I hope you find it as engaging and accessible as my lunch group did.

The book is available on Amazon.com and make sure you look for the 52-week devotional not the book itself. We had more than one of our group make that mistake. Not knocking the complete study book, but it won't serve as well as a weekly devotional. If you've been through this devotional, I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.


"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path"
                                                                         - Psalm 119:105