In this talk we see who we fight - the Devil and his demons - what we fight - the Devil's evil schemes - and how we fight - by putting on the armour of God, which represents the great truths of the gospel.
Gospel Shaped Homes and Workplaces - Ephesians 6:1-9
A person of integrity is someone who allows the the truth of the gospel to permeate and shape every part of their life. In this passage we particularly explore how the gospel shapes the relationships between children and parents, and masters (employers) and slaves (employees).
Thriving Marriages - Ephesians 5:21-33
Our community are constantly feelings the effects of broken marriages and families. We are left with the question: what is it that will enable marriages to not only survive, but thrive? In this passage we see that our marriages will thrive when husbands and wives seek to live in line with God’s design for marriage with their eyes fixed on Jesus.
Walking the walk - Ephesians 5:1-20
Paul’s letter to the Ephesians reminds us that Christians have been chosen, forgiven and adopted by God. We did nothing to earn this, but as his children we’re called to imitate him. That means living radically different lives, living – or ‘walking’ - the way Christ did. In the realm of sex, this means being pure with ‘not even a hint’ of sexual immorality either outwardly or in our thought lives. The antidote to immorality is thankfulness. In how we relate to the darkness of the world around us it means living distinctive lives which expose the darkness: not seeking to please other people but to please God. And in the realm of daily life we’re to live wisely: not surrendering our powers of judgement to alcohol, but joyfully submitting instead to the controlling influence of God’s Holy Spirit.
Real Change - Ephesians 4:17-32
All of us want to change. We struggle with the gap between who we actually are, and who we want to be. In this passage we see that if this change is going to happen we need to see three things - first, the reality of our old lives - second, the vision for our new lives - and third, how we can change from our old lives to our new lives, by putting off the lies that shaped our old life, and putting on the truth that should shape our new life.
Building Building - Ephesians 4:1-16
We build up the body of Christ when we commit ourselves to walking worthily, guarding unity, expressing diversity and pursuing maturity.
Powerful Christian Living - Ephesians 3:14 - 21
Paul prays that the Ephesians might have their core, their heart, transformed by Jesus. He wants them them to truly grasp Christ. As well as looking at the content of the prayer, we will explore a few practicalities of prayer. We finish by thinking about how we can cultivate Jesus love in our lives.
United for a purpose - Ephesians 3:1-13
Paul's letter to the Ephesians turns to the cosmic significance and implications of Jews and Gentile being joined together as one family. Paul reminds the Ephesians of his conversion, and commission by God, and the Ephesians of their mission, and the supernatural purpose and impact that their mission has to the heavenly realms and the wider church.