Ambassador Presbyterian

Standing Firm: The Armor We Bear - Ephesians: Grace in Christ

Ephesians 6:10-20

Before he heads into battle, the well-prepared soldier is issued all the equipment he needs to carry out the mission ahead and to protect him against his enemy. However, it does no good to have the proper gear at your disposal, but fail to take it up and use it properly.  In Christ, God has equipped his church with all we need to stand firm against the devil's schemes, but he calls us to put on the full armor of God in order that when all is said and done, we indeed will stand.  Today we continue our look at standing firm in the spiritual battle, and the armor we bear in doing so. 

Standing Firm: The Enemy We Face - Ephesians: Grace in Christ

Ephesians 6:10-13

As followers of Jesus, God's word reminds us that we are soldiers at war. Our hearts, our minds, our bodies, our relationships, our families, our jobs, and other areas of life are all potential fields of real conflict. This is why Paul ends his letter to the believers at Ephesus with a call to arms for the church to stand firm in the strength of the Lord. To do so, we need to understand the enemy we face and it is not who or what we often think it is. Here we look at the spiritual war we're in and consider the powerful enemy we face.  

Rendering Service as to the Lord - Ephesians: Grace in Christ

Ephesians 6:5-9

How do you view your work? Do you see it as having some lasting value, some greater purpose, indeed as being a means of honoring and serving the Lord in how you go about the job God has given you? For many the relationship of faith and work seems distant, often stemming from a false dichotomy between the sacred and secular. Scripture is clear that work matters, and as Christians, how we approach our work whether as employees or employers is to flow out of God's grace in the gospel and our calling as servants of the Lord Jesus Christ. Today we look at God's instructions for servants and masters to render service as unto the Lord.  

Honoring Parents and Parenting Honorably - Part 2 - Ephesians: Grace in Christ

Ephesians 6:1-4

Last time we looked at God's calling for children to honor and obey their parents as those to whom God has given his authority for their blessing. God also calls parents, and particularly fathers, to exercise that authority with grace and with the goal of leading their children to know and trust the Lord. Join us for part 2 as we look again at Paul's instructions for Christian parents. 

Honoring Parents and Parenting Honorably - Part 1 - Ephesians: Grace in Christ

Ephesians 6:1-4

Just as marriage is an amazing arena of learning and growing in our relationship with Christ as his bride, so God has blessed children with parents and parents with children in order that we might know his care and concern for us as our heavenly Father and how we are to respond to him as his children. As we continue in our look from Ephesians at how God's grace in Christ informs and impacts the key relationships in the family, we see what that means for children and parents.

 

The Ministry of Marriage - Ephesians: Grace in Christ

Ephesians 5:22-33

The covenant bond of marriage between a husband and wife is designed by God as a living parable and reflection of Christ's relationship with his Church. That union is lived out in the beautiful ministry of service between the Bridegroom and his bride, the Head and his body. The union of husband and wife is likewise a beautiful ministry of service together when both understand and pursue their mutual callings in Christ and by the power of his Spirit.  Now we look at the ministry of marriage between husband and wife.  

The Harmony of Marriage - Ephesians: Grace in Christ

Ephesians 5:18-33

To hear a duet sing or see a couple dance in perfect harmony together is a thing of beauty and grace. Two different individuals, each uniquely gifted, each singing different parts or moving to different steps, yet together seeming to sing or move in perfect unison. That is the design and desire God has for marriage, and yet, too often husbands and wives find themselves singing off-key or stepping on each other's toes, rather than displaying the beauty and union we have in Christ and with each other. But God has uniquely gifted and called husbands and wives to live in harmony together in marriage by the power of his Spirit and in the pattern of Christ.  Join us Sunday as we continue in Ephesians and consider the harmony of marriage.

 

The Mystery and Ministry of Marriage - Ephesians: Grace in Christ

Ephesians 5:22-33

At various points throughout Scripture, God uses the analogy of marriage to teach us certain truths about his nature and his relationship with his people. Indeed, his design for marriage in creation was to serve as both an example of an avenue for his covenant love and faithfulness in the lives of his people.  God's plan for marriage has not changed, and by his Spirit God calls and equips husbands and wives to live out the mystery and ministry of marriage in a way that displays his glory and dispenses his grace. 

Jesus the Good Shepherd is Gathering His Sheep

When we think of missions work around the world, we usually have in mind the Great Commission of Matthew 28. However, in John 10 we have a complementary way of seeing global gospel ministry: Jesus the Good Shepherd is going to communities around the world and gathering his people into one flock. When we see this we need to ask ourselves: What does that activity look like, and what might my role be in it in this season of my life?

 

Filled With the Spirit - Ephesians: Grace in Christ

We like fullness.  A full gas tank, a full bank account, a full stomach, a full relationship, a full life are all good things and can provide some degree of satisfaction and joy in life.  But life can be full of all kinds of things, even good things, and still be empty, lacking in that which truly matters and yields true satisfaction and joy. Even the fullest life is empty without the work of God's Spirit in us.  Are you being filled with the Holy Spirit?  God is eager to do so as we walk according to his grace and truth in Christ. Listen as we explore Ephesians 5:15-21.