JOY

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SUNDAY 28 OCTOBER 2018

Ephesians deals with topics at the very core of what it means to be a Christian—both in faith and in practice, it invites us to continue our journey of “Shema” - hearing and responding to the invitation and challenges God is placing on our hearts as individuals, households and as a community.

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The book of Ephesians is a letter written to the early church, around 30 years after Jesus died by a guy named Paul who was a significant leader in the church - he was in prison for preaching about Jesus and writes this letter as instruction on how to live the fullest, best life that embraces who you were created to be and what you are made for.

And where we are up to is a passage that gives insight on how to be happy -  the interesting thing being that happiness, or joy is something much deeper than circumstance (remember he’s writing this from prison!)…

So today we are looking at happiness - what is it and how can we keep it!  Praying that together we will see, know and understand the truth that sets us free

Power in Relationships and Living Counter Culturally

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SUNDAY 21 OCTOBER 2018

Ephesians deals with topics at the very core of what it means to be a Christian—both in faith and in practice, it invites us to continue our journey of “Shema” - hearing and responding to the invitation and challenges God is placing on our hearts as individuals, households and as a community.

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Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. - Ephesians 5:21

Today we step one verse further into our year long journey through the book of Ephesians. James shares with us on the appropriate use of human freedom and power, with reference to the love of Jesus.

The human temptation is to stop trusting God, to take power into our own hands and rule over others as a way to keep ourselves feel safe; and one of the places that that outworks itself - in the most horrible way - is in marriage relationships, parent/child relationships and workplace relationships.

Our challenge is, as the loved and liked children of God, called to be a kingdom of priests called to represent justice and mercy, to live out sacrificial love - then how do we do relationships differently.

Instructions for Christian Households

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SUNDAY 14 OCTOBER 2018

Ephesians deals with topics at the very core of what it means to be a Christian—both in faith and in practice, it invites us to continue our journey of “Shema” - hearing and responding to the invitation and challenges God is placing on our hearts as individuals, households and as a community.

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Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— for we are members of his body. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. - Ephesians 5:21-33

Children of the Light

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SUNDAY 07 OCTOBER 2018

Ephesians deals with topics at the very core of what it means to be a Christian—both in faith and in practice, it invites us to continue our journey of “Shema” - hearing and responding to the invitation and challenges God is placing on our hearts as individuals, households and as a community.

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For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness,righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” - Ephesians 5:8-14