Ephesians Up Close and Personal

Ephesians is a very practical letter written by Paul, talking about our new life in Christ and it is incredibly relevant for all Christians, young and old, and in between! Every Wednesday night at 6pm we met at Destino Cristiano to study one chapter at a time. The first week we learned the history and context of the book, which provides a backdrop and better understanding of how to interpret it for ourselves today. Ephesians is a ‘Prison Epistle’ meaning it’s one of the four letters Paul wrote and sent out while he was in prison. It is believed to be written ten years after Paul first went to Ephesus to spread the Good News and is addressed to the saints of Ephesus (or Asia minor), the faithful in Jesus Christ.

We noticed that Paul is not writing to special ‘Super-Christians’ who are labeled saints, but to the faithful in Jesus Christ, who ARE saints. The word ‘saint’ is hagios, or ‘holy ones, sacred; pure, consecrated.’ As the faithful to Jesus Christ, we are set apart as saints! That’s who we ARE and it is very important to know our identity. In the first three chapters, the letter describes how God has brought us near, into new life with Him (purely by his grace!), and then in chapters 4-6 Paul describes practically how that should look! As hagios, the holy, sacred, pure, consecrated, set apart faithful to Jesus Christ, how are we to live with our fellow saints, husbands and wives, kids, etc.? What do we do with the evil around us that’s constantly knocking on the door, and what is the Holy Spirit’s role in our new lives? The book of Ephesians is both practical and powerful!

We just came to the close of this six week Bible study and feel encouraged by the knowledge of what God has done for us, empowered to live our lives in the Holy Spirit, and inspired to go be a light and witness to those around us. God’s Word is life-changing, so don’t miss out on the next study!

Back to Christian Basics

Why Did Jesus Die?

crossSometimes we just need to get back to the basics. To remember where we were before, and to see how far God has brought us. To remember that moment when we realized that the love of God has always been with us: that he loved us enough to send Jesus to die in our place. That memory should break our hearts, and at the same time, our hearts should be overwhelmed with gratitude and joy!

But we forget, don’t we? Over time, we just do church as if we have always done it. We begin to speak in Christian clichés and talk about Biblical principles as though we have always lived them. We learn so much that we become teachers, who no longer feel the need to know more and go deeper.

It’s time to remember why Jesus died. Forget all the niceties and the need for others to see how spiritual and smart we are. Jesus died because we were lost and in sin and in need of saving. Jesus died because we still sin, and still need a Savior. Jesus died so he could rule and reign in our hearts and we could be kingdom dwellers who feast at the table of our Lord. Jesus died for our resurrected life! He did it. We simply receive the benefits of this great love.