Laura J. Davis
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​Unlocking God's Word

The Armor of God

3/5/2023

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Read Ephesians 6:10-18

Throughout the book of Ephesians, Paul encouraged and warned the new pagan converts on several issues. He showed them their spiritual blessings in Christ and the meaning of spiritual wisdom. He has explained why good works will not save them and how Jesus' sacrifice unites humanity. He showed them how they should live in light of their salvation. He also explained to them the importance of Spiritual Gifts and what it means to submit to one another. So far, it seems, everything Paul has shared in this letter is to help the Ephesians understand who they are in Christ and what their lives should look like. But he has one final word of warning for them.

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How to Have Peace At Home and at Work

2/26/2023

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Read Ephesians 6:1-9

And now, we come to the last chapter of Ephesians. After instilling in the Ephesians the importance of submission and what that looks like for married couples, Paul continues to instruct these new Christians on how they should treat their children and their servants and how they should respond to those in authority over them.

Interestingly, Paul's underlying submission theme can still be seen in his instructions in three little words, "in the Lord." For it is in the Lord we abide, and through our reverence for Him, we submit to one another and learn to live in peace with each other.

For children, this meant obeying their parents, and it came with a promise from God "that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth." Their act of submission to the Lord was by obeying their parents. But there was an added warning from Paul when dealing with children. It is specifically addressed to the fathers, "Do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord."

In the pagan world of Paul's day, most men ruled their families with rigid and domineering authority. The feelings of wives and children were seldom considered. But Paul is showing them a new way to raise children. The word "admonition" is nouthesia in Greek and means "the training by word," whether of encouragement or, if necessary, by reproof, so Paul is showing the fathers the importance of being the spiritual head of the home. For it is through the Word of God that we find our peace. Putting God first above all in the home had a "trickle-down" effect. Women would submit to their husbands out of reverence for God, and children would obey their parents out of reverence for God. 

The same principle was put into practice for those with servants. Servants were to serve their masters as they would serve Christ, and masters were to do the same thing. The only exception is regarding a command that involves clear disobedience of God’s Word, as illustrated in Acts 4:19, 20.

In today's world, we are to serve our bosses (however disagreeable they may be) as we would serve Christ and vice-versa. Submission to each other "in the fear of the Lord" (reverence for God) is how peace within the body of Christ is established and the only way the church will survive in this turbulent world.
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.  - Colossians 3:15
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How Submission Really Works

2/19/2023

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Read Ephesians 5:22-33

This will be a long post but stick with me because, in the end, you will never have a problem with the word "submission" again.

​Today we will carefully examine a section of Scripture that most women have struggled with for centuries. The modern woman of today finds it highly offensive, and some Christian men misinterpret it and use it as an abusive form of control over their wives. It stems from this verse: "Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord." Let's look into the Word of God and find out precisely what it means to submit to our husbands. And how some churches use it as a form of control over the women in their congregations.

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Eight Keys to Godly Living

2/13/2023

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Read Ephesians 5:8-21

Paul has laid out the basics for the converted Ephesians on how a Christian should live and behave. In today's reading, he reminds them again who they are now in Christ. He seems to be really trying to get this concept of who they are now across to them. It must have been hard for the Ephesian converts because their former lifestyles were so completely and utterly dark. Yet, Paul repeatedly assures them that's not who they are now.

Sometimes we must be reminded that what we were is not who we are now. Some new Christians are so hard on themselves that they find forgiveness for their former lifestyles hard to accept. They have a hard time forgiving themselves, so they reason Jesus must also have a hard time doing it. We come out of the darkness, yet it somehow still clings to us in the form of regrets. Paul's words in today's verses remind us and encourage us to walk in the light of Christ and in reverence of Him.

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Six Behaviours Christians Should Avoid

1/14/2023

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Read Ephesians 5:1-7

Previously I talked about how Christians should live in light of their faith in Christ. In today's reading, Paul continues to instill in the Ephesian Gentiles the importance of how they behaved regarding their newfound faith.

Again, the Ephesian believers Paul was talking to came out of idol worship and paganism that employed some of the lewdest and detestable acts you could ever imagine. It was, therefore, imperative that Paul drove home that their previous behaviour of "devotion" (lewd acts, drinking blood, debauchery, orgies, etc.) towards their former gods was unacceptable to the one true God. He continues from Ephesians chapter four with more advice for them on how to behave. He begins with an appropriate admonishment in the first two verses - "Be imitators of God, as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma."

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How A Christian Should Live

1/7/2023

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Read Ephesians 4:17-32

If you have followed along with me in Ephesians, you will have begun to notice a theme Paul had with this letter - one of unity within the body of Christ. In my last post, we learned how each Christian's spiritual gifts are to be used - to equip us for ministry and to edify each other in the Lord. With the theme of unity and spiritual gifts in mind, Paul now tells the Ephesians (and us) how we should be "walking the walk" as followers of Jesus Christ.

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The Purpose of Spiritual Gifts

12/18/2022

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Read Ephesians 4:7-16

In my last post, we learned that we have been called to walk in unity with each other. For the Ephesian Christians, this was quite a challenge. Not only were these Gentile converts coming out of paganism and idol worship, but they were adopting for themselves the promises God gave to the Jews. This ultimately caused friction between the Gentile converts and the Jewish converts, which the apostles solved by giving them only three rules to obey: that they abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from eating animals that were strangled, and from blood (Acts 15:19-20). There was wisdom in this edict because what the Gentiles had come out of (idol worship) involved all those sorts of practices.

But Paul reminds them that there is now one Lord, one faith and one baptism. One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all (Ephesians 4:6).

And in today's verses, we are shown how God makes that unity possible. We learn in Ephesians 4:7 that to each, "grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift." For the church to remain unified, each member was (and still is) bestowed "a measure of grace," or a gift from God, to be used by each individual to create unity within the body of Christ. So what gifts of grace were available to the early church, and are they still available to us today?

What are Spiritual Gifts
And What is Their Purpose?​
​

All of the gifts were given for the following purposes:
  • For the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry.
  • For the edifying of the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:12).

How long are these gifts supposed to last?


  • Until we all unite in faith and knowledge of the Son of God.
  • Until we are perfected.
  • Until we measure up to the stature of the fullness of Christ.
  • Until we are no longer children, tossed to and fro with every kind of false doctrine.
  • Until we speak the truth in love, growing up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ.

So what are the gifts listed in Ephesians?


  • Apostles
  • Prophets
  • Evangelists
  • Pastors
  • Teachers

Are there more gifts than these? Yes! They are listed in 1 Corinthians 12:1-10, but we are dealing specifically with what is listed in Ephesians. Paul lists in 1 Corinthians 12:28 the order and importance of the gifts -  
first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations and varieties of tongues. There is much to discuss on Spiritual Gifts, which I will devote attention to in the New Year. For now, the point of the gifts is clear - they were given to further enhance our unity in Christ. One perfect body (the church) is equipped to not only edify and build each other up but to equip us for the work God has called us to do. So if you doubt that you don't have what it takes to fulfill what God has called you to do, rest in the truth of these words - you have already been equipped for your particular ministry. Now, trust God and go!

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Five Ways God Calls Us to Unity

12/4/2022

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Read Ephesians 4:1-6

If you have followed along in my look at Ephesians, you will have noticed a theme by now. Paul was trying to instill in the Gentile converts at Ephesus who they now were in Christ. He was also trying (in a not-so-subtle way) to remind the Jewish converts that because of Christ, the promises given to the Jews also now belonged to the Gentiles. This, of course, could lead to friction. So, since Ephesians chapter one, he has expounded on who they are in Christ and the importance of unity within the body of Christ (aka - the church).

​In today's verses, Paul urges the Ephesians to walk in a worthy manner befitting their calling (their new life) to salvation. I think the church as a whole needs to take this to heart. So how do we "walk in unity" with our fellow believers when so many have differing opinions on Scripture and what it says? In today's verses, Paul explains how.​

Five Ways God Shows Us How to Walk
In Unity With Each Other
​

Walk in Humility - The KJV uses the word "lowliness". In other words we are to have a humble opinion of ourselves. The Greek word used is tapeinophrosynē and means "a deep sense of one's moral littleness." 

Walk in Gentleness - The Greek word used is praotēs and means "meekness". In today's culture, meekness is not considered a virture, but in the ancient world those who were meek were considered very virtuous. For example, a meek person is one who is guided by God's Spirit and able to accept God's ability to direct events in their lives. Meekness is not a resignation to fate, or a passive submission to life events (there is no virtue in that), but it is more of an ability to see the "larger picture" and is therefore an active and deliberate choice to accept God's sovereignty over all aspects of an individual's life.

Walk in Longsuffering - Longsuffering is an excellent word choice in the KJV because it means patience. This isn't just in reference to someone's personality traits that rub us the wrong way. To practice patience also means that we need to recognize that every individual's spiritual journey is different. Everyone has at some point met that person who insists you are wrong about your beliefs. They question why you go to a certain church and they have "dug in their heels" about what they believe (even if it is contrary to Scripture) to the point where they are more annoying than a mosquito. But what we need to realize and remember when dealing with difficult people, is that God deals with each of us in different ways. What you learned twenty years ago in your walk with God, may take someone else a longer time to learn and accept. But we all get there eventually. We just have to trust the Holy Spirit, who resides in everyone who has accepted Jesus as Saviour, to lead us into all truth, which Scripture has promised He will do (John 16:13). But, that leads us to the next point on keeping unity.

Bearing With One Another in Love - No, this does not mean "putting up with each other". The original Greek uses the word 
anechō and is translated as "forebear" which means, "to hold up, to sustain, to bear, to endure." In other words, we need to help each other stand firm in our faith in Jesus Christ. So if you see your brother or sister in Christ falling away, or perhaps they have been deceived and are listening to false doctrines like the prosperity gospel for example, don't stand idly by and watch them falter or be deceived, rush in, help them to continue to stand firm on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Help them grow in their faith.

​Endeavour to keep unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace - I love the word used for "bond" in Greek. It is syndesmos and it means "that which binds together, a band, a bond." It is the Holy Spirit that unites us. It is the Holy Spirit that gives us peace and because we all share in the same Holy Spirit, we are "banded" together as one. Think about that for a minute! There is no other unity like this on earth in which people are capable of sharing equally. We have different talents, we come in different colours, shapes and sizes, we are some poor and some rich, but it is the Holy Spirit alone that unites us as brother and sister in Christ when we accept Jesus as our Saviour. This peace should be something we all cherish and go out of our way to keep unified.

And so Paul reminds the Ephesians once again (and us) how truly united we are in Christ, with the following words:
There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all (Ephesians 4:4-6, NKJV).
As we celebrate the birth of Christ this Christmas season, let us rejoice together that we are united as one because of Him.
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The Mystery of Christ

11/28/2022

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Read Ephesians 3:1-21

​In Ephesians three, Paul talks about a "mystery" which was revealed to him and the other apostles and prophets of that time that was hidden from the "sons of men" (children of Israel) that went before them. The mystery, of course, was that the Gentiles (all those who weren't Jewish) would now, because of Christ, be partakers in the same blessings God had promised the Jews (Ephesians 3:6-7). In Ephesians chapter two, Paul goes into great detail on what that unity for humanity now meant.

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How Jesus Unites Humanity

11/14/2022

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Read Ephesians 2:11-18

In my last post, we learned through Paul's letter to the Ephesians who we are in Christ and that trying to "work" our way into heaven is futile, for our salvation is secured through faith and God's grace alone, not by works. 

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