Book Report~Ephesians

Author: Paul
Date: 60,61 A.D.
Theme: The Glorious Church

Paul wrote to the Ephesians while imprisoned in Rome.
Jesus addressed the Ephesians when He gave messages to John recorded in Revelation.
Jesus rebuked them for leaving their first love and praised them for not putting up with evil.
(See Rev.2:1-7)

Paul explains what the purpose of the church is.
The bottom line is this:
The purpose of the church is to be a dwelling place for God here on earth.
He wants to express Himself in all His fullness on the earth through the church.
He does this by giving us gifts, which we are to use in order to help each other to grow to maturity.
He wants us to be a stable, unified church, resistant to the winds of opposing doctrine, and full of love for each other. He wants us to be equipped, mature, and victorious over evil through His Son, Jesus Christ.
This is all for the praise of His glory.
He is committed to build a glorious church, without spot or wrinkle.

Just as our body is the temple of the Living God,
so His church body is the temple of the Living God.

We are His dwelling place here on earth.

I love Ephesians.
Because of who we are in Christ, we do the things that portray His nature.
We don't do those things to earn a position in Christ.
We have the position; we have been forgiven; therefore, we act in this way.

Eph. 2:20b-22~...Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,
in whom the whole building, being fitted together,
grows into a holy temple in the Lord,
in whom you also are being built together
for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

Eph. 3:9,10~...and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery,
which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God
who created all things through Jesus Christ;
to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God
might be made known by the church to the
principalities and powers in the heavenly places,...

Eph. 4:11-16~...And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets,
some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,
for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry,
for the edifying of the body of Christ,
till we all come to the unity of the faith
and of the knowledge of the Son of God,
to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature
of the fullness of Christ;
that we should no longer be children,
tossed to and from and carried about with
every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men,
in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,
but, speaking the truth in love,
may grow up in all things unto Him
who is the head-Christ-
from whom the whole body,
joined and knit together by what every joint supplies,
according to the effective working by which
every part does its share,
causes growth of the body for
the edifying of itself in love.

He has given us gifts to edify the body. We use them to bless the body.
We have children's programs, and S.S. programs and Bible Studies, and Youth group.
We do those things to edify the body; to bring it to a place of maturity.
We do this so Christ can have a healthy body to live in on the earth.
He wants to show His glory through the church.
If He is able to show His glory through and in a healthy church, others will want to be a part of what is happening.

Having a holy place for God to dwell is our motive, our focus, and our goal.

If we build it, they will come.
If He is among us, they will come.
If we are an Honor to His name, they will come.
The lost will come and be found and will grow up in a healthy family.
And Christ is the head of this home.