After reminding the Ephesians of what they had learned from Jesus, namely to put off the old and put on the new, Paul explained five areas to take off and put on. Like the removing of old garments and the putting on of fresh ones, the Christian life is one of putting off and putting on.
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Paul, longing for the church to become fully united to the love of Christ, has prayed for the Spirit to build up our inner person and for Christ to settle in our hearts through faith. Here, he continues his request by asking that the love of Christ would establish us.
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Paul saw the church as a body. When healthy, the body can run and jump and move with ease. When sick, the body is hindered from moving the way the mind wishes.
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Paul now concludes his prayer for us to become more fully united to the love of Christ. One facet of this telescoping prayer remains: for us to “be filled with all the fullness of God.” A bold request, Paul longs for us to have all of God in us, everything God has for us. (3 Minutes / 500 Words)
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Even though the church is unbreakable and one, we are diverse and varied. Paul tells us “grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.” The grace Paul writes of is not the saving grace of Christ, but the enabling grace of Christ. (2 Minutes/600 Words)
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In this episode of the Jesus Famous Podcast, we will have a conversation about Pastor Nate’s article entitled “The New You” where he discusses “reminding the Ephesians of what they had learned from Jesus, namely to put off the old and put on the new, Paul explained five areas to take off and put on. Like the removing of old garments and the putting on of fresh ones, the Christian life is one of putting off and putting on.”
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Even though the church is unbreakable and one, we are diverse and varied. Paul tells us “grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.” The grace Paul writes of is not the saving grace of Christ, but the enabling grace of Christ. This is roll-up-your-sleeves-and-work grace. (2 Minutes/500 Words)
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Paul, wanting to urge the church to walk in the Father’s light, uses a quotation to exhort his readers. Many think the quote is a mashup of a few exhortations in Isaiah; some think it an early Christian hymn. Paul takes it and urges, “Wake up!” (3 Minutes/400 Words)
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Not only is our Father a God of love (Ephesians 5:1-6), but He is also a God of light (Ephesians 5:7-14). In the passage before us, Paul tells us we are now "light in the Lord." We are to walk, Paul says, "as children of light." The fruit which is born from our lives is to be the fruit of light, that which is good and right and true. (4 Minutes / 700 Words)
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Paul has just instructed his readers to imitate the love of God as demonstrated in the sacrificial cross of Christ (Ephesians 5:1-2). Our love is to be one which lays aside the self and lives for the betterment of others. It might seem odd, then, to hear Paul immediately move into an exhortation to flee sexual immorality, sexual impurity, and sexual covetousness. How is this an imitation of the love of God? (800 Words / 4 Minutes)
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