A Series from Ephesians
| Praising God’s Glorious Plan | Ephesians 1:3-14 |
| Knowing Our Position in Christ | Ephesians 1:15-23 |
| Changing Our Direction | Ephesians 2:1-10 |
| Breaking Down the Barriers | Ephesians 2:11-22 |
| Revealing Hidden Secrets | Ephesians 3:1-13 |
| Igniting Our Spiritual Potential | Ephesians 3:14-21 |
| Walking the Worthy Walk: Called to be One. | Ephesians 4:1-6. |
| Walking the Worthy Walk: Called to Ministry (Ministering with a Purpose) | Ephesians 4:7-16 |
| Walking the Worthy Walk: Called to be Blameless | Ephesians 4:17-32 |
| Waking Up to Sonship | Ephesians 5:1-14 |
| Being Filled with the Spirit | Ephesians 5:15-21 |
| Bringing it all Home | Ephesians 5:21-6:9 |
| Taking Our Stand | Ephesians 6:10-20 |
Over the next several weeks, my son Graham and I will be teaching Ephesians at Highland Church of Christ, Abilene Texas.
GOD’S STANDING OVATION
Ephesians 1:3–14
Temples have been built to honor gods, monuments have been erected to remember the exploits of people, and every small town has some building, park, or statue named after one of its own. My university has buildings and classrooms, endowments and chairs, all named after benefactors. We read about these benefactors on websites, certificates, plaques, and promotional literature. Athletic stadiums change their names due to corporate benefactors. We all have seen this.
More importantly, let us remember the Bible schoolteacher who steadfastly taught on Wednesday nights for the better part of 35 years. She taught both mothers and now daughters of many in the congregation. She taught them about the love of Jesus, the discipleship of Peter, the missionary activity of Paul. She let the faith of Abraham and the patience of Job flow out of her own life to touch every child who crossed the threshold of her classroom. Although her name will not be recorded in annals of history and no monuments will be erected in her name, the ten-dollar silver tray given to her by three generations of students extolling her graces will be cherished everyday by one of God’s dearests and best. As a culture, we reserve the standing ovation for such lives and such performances. The Bible schoolteachers of our lives are our benefactors.
Discussion Question: Who are your benefactors?
But the greatest benefactor of all, worthy of all praise and honor, is God, Yahweh, Adonai, El Shaddai. “Blessed is God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenlies with all spiritual blessings in Christ.” Let us behold what God has done for us. Ephesians 1:3–14, in three stanzas organized in a trinitarian way, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit is our benefactor.
All this God did to the praise of God’s glory. God deserves a standing ovation. We could spend days extolling God’s virtues as we count the blessings one by one.
Paul has a list of how God has blessed us. God chooses us. God predestines us. God redeems us. God makes known to us. And God seals us. Next week I will explore each of these blessing in more detail. Stay tuned!
Hoping to follow along with this study!
Cathy Forte, who despite my boundless energy and inability to sit still in Sunday school, taught me the stories of scripture but more importantly embodied and continues to embody the love of Christ to everyone she encounters.
Who are your benefactors?
This is a great question. When I go through life, I wonder if I will have an impact on others. That used to be my concern, but now I only care that I will bring glory to God with all I do.
For over a decade, I have worked in faith-based addiction recovery. And each day, the men I work with are my benefactors. And that is only half of it. I am a benefactor of every man who comes through our doors.
We are all sinners saved by grace, all living in a fallen world. My currency is not transactional but relational. We have grown from our joint pain and love for one another.
My prayer for each man is that we, as a staff, plant seeds for the Kingdom so that each man can benefit from a relationship with God.
Thanks,
DA