ephesians

When Paul wrote to God’s people of Ephesus, he praised God.  Why?

• God blesses us with every spiritual blessing because we are united with Christ. 

God loved us and adopted us into his own family, by making us holy and without fault in his eyes through Christ...

• Who is part of God's family? [LINK]

Paul then explains God’s plan regarding Christ:

1. Everything would be brought together under Christ’s authority
2. We receive an inheritance from God because we are united with Christ
3. United Jews and Gentiles into one people by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations and thus all who hear the truth about Jesus, and believe, bring praise and glory to God

• What is God's plan? 
• What did we receive and who received it?
• How did Jesus do this?
• What are the implications?

God put everything under Christ’s authority.  He is the head of everything for the benefit of the church (his body).

• Who belongs to God’s family?
• Who does the church need to be led by in order for it to benefit?
• What are the implications when we place someone or something as the head of the church?

Therefore Paul begs people to lead lives worthy of being called by God. To always be humble, gentle, patient, make allowances for one other’s faults, and united in peace.  Why?  There is one body (church), one Spirit, one hope for the future, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father.

• What is your calling? A ministry or that Christ calls us to follow him?  Explain
• If we choose to follow then how should we live?  Read also 1Corinthians13
• Why?

However, he gave each one of us a special gift through Christ: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers.

• Does this mean each individual receives these things directly.  Or something else?
• What is their responsibility?
• Who are these gifts for?  Why?
• How should the success of these gifts be measured?
• What is the responsibility of God's people?
• How long will this exercise take?  What does that look like?
• How can success be measured?

Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

If God’s people do what God asks of them and are equipped by the ‘fivefold ministries’ to do so … what will the church look like

What is Christ’s role in all this?  What are the implications for us?

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God's heart: an overview

introduction

We are confronted with a choice: feed our own personal desires or align ourselves with God’s purposes. Are you fighting for your own rights, preferences, opinions, and visions or those of God's? Are you, are we ready and able to do as God requires? (Preparing the Army of God).

Currently, the church is fragmented. It recognises itself as a single unified people in theory only. Christians identify themselves more with where they meet and who they meet with than Christ himself. Listen to how people talk, "Which church do you belong?", "My church is ...", "Are you (insert denomination)?"

Protestant or catholic, pentecostal or charismatic, traditional sunday service or home church. There are so many denominations, movements, and gathering types that it is hardly worth counting. Style, social connections, revelation, doctrine are just some of the building blocks of these differences.

Does God care about any of this? Should we?

The following is a summary of a series of dreams and visions I have had. Whether or not they mean anything is for you to discern. See the links for details.

compassion and oneness

The boundaries separating people from one another will crumble, both within and between churches/parishes as well as between church and community.

preparation and empowerment

God's people being realigned by, with, and to God’s heart and purpose

implications

God desires to transform us from being a scattered people without hope into a nation, called by the his Spirit, protected, equipped, and able to follow command. What does this imply? (scattered bones: Ezekiel 37:1-14)

• Are God's people scattered today?
• Yes or no, what does God reveal about being gathered as one people?Is it fair to question the hope the church has?
• What are the implications of not being protected, equipped, and able to follow what God asks of us in the context of church (local or otherwise)? For who?
• We need to acknowledge our beliefs and actions, and where needed, apologise, seek forgiveness and pursue God's.
• We need to let go of self-oriented identity and engage in an identity in Christ.
• We need to accept responsible for our own choices, actions, growth and stop passing it over to others.
• We as a people have been presented to God the Father as complete, not with the burden of intimidation, but acceptance.

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life in a city church

Saw a beshabbled woman in a prison cell.  Her hair wild.  Her fingernails long.  She was picking at the scales of the bars.  However, these scales were not paint or rust.  The scales were like dried mucous or pus, hers she had once put there but now spent her time picking and flicking off.  Yet her mind was not even focused.

Josh claimed a desire to have a local church with global outreach.  There is a desire for Canberra commitment.  Yet there is an issue of recognition, connection to a specific core group due to fears of people doing things properly and not getting messy.  The other matter is that our central connection is Christ not an original group.

That would ignore our history and origins, trying to recentre it around us.  The other is what is properly?  Implies lack of trust let alone equipping and freedom.

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assuming authority over others

introduction

When Paul first came to the church in Corinth he didn't speak about God's plan with big words and impressive wisdom.  Instead, he chose to focus only on Christ and rely upon the Spirit:

• Paul used plain words
  ... people understood not because of what he said
• Paul was timid and trembling
  ... because did not know what would happen next

Why did Paul behave this way?  Because he wanted people to trust in God's power not human wisdom (1Co 2:1-5)

Yet, when he was among people who claimed to know God well, he chose to use words of wisdom.  Why? Because God gave us his Spirit so we can understand his thoughts.  Without his Spirit we cannot understand him.  As such:

• people who know God, have his Spirit and thus can understand spiritual truths when they are shared to them, however,
• people who don't know God, cannot understand, no matter how much they claim to know him.  It sounds foolish to them.

how this is generally applied in local churches

In some churches these passages are interpreted to mean that

• God sends certain people of authority to "speak into our lives", as justified by Paul speaking to the church of Corinth.
• And, because they are appointed "over you" "you need to submit to them".
• However, if you disagree with them, this evidences your own personal pride.

But what if the speaker is wrong?  Do you have the opportunity to discuss the matter?

please read again 1 Corinthians 2

Does Paul state anywhere that some people are "placed in our lives to speak into our lives"?  Can this be fairly justified because it Paul, an authority, was the one who spoke?  Who does Paul say is speaking into our lives?  How?

Who does Paul suggest we need to submit to? A person or God?  How?

Finally, what are we to make of comments like "a person is prideful if the won't receive from others" or "people won't agree with what I tell them, but prefer to wait to hear from God"?

Does these comments reveal more about the person or the person claiming authority? (1Thes 5:19-22; 1Jn 4:1-3)

Is it wrong to first consider and seek God's counsel before doing what someone asks of you?  Or is it wrong to ask someone not to do this and just do what you ask of them.

conclusion

It is one thing to be willing to be fully submitted to Christ.  It is another to submit to another person simply because they claim to have godly authority.  Yes, they might have this authority.  But what if they don't?

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