Ephesians 4:1-32

Ephesians 4:1-32

When we talk about unity in today’s culture we see the idea that we are all supposed to agree and be on the same page in belief and action. When we look at unity within scripture however we see how you can have unity without agreeing.

  1. Unity is in our United Faith

Ephesians 4:3b “Maintain Unity of The Spirit in the Bond of Peace” Our desire for unity must rest within the idea of having a Spirit of peace we see it furthers the idea of “one body,  one Lord, one faith, one baptism One God.” Our Unity is supposed to be with believers of like faith.

  1. Unity in the Truth of Scripture.                                                                                        As faithful believers who place the truth of God’s word above personal preference we see in “Ephesians 4:25a  Putting away falsehood speak the truth with his neighbor” Our unity with the body of believers holds us to keeping the truth of scripture and to compromise on that would be foolish.

We must be willing to be united in the body of Christ with believers of like faith, but if they do not hold to the truth of scripture as you do, move on don’t fight over it. If you must then try to speak that truth with your neighbor and if they disagree move on remember that one verse at the end of Ephesians 4:32 “Be ye kind one to another tenderhearted forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” If you truly are concerned for your neighbor who disagrees with you gives them up to God, He is best suited to change the heart of man.

By Pastor Thor Williams



Ephesians 3:13-21

Prayer for Spiritual Strength

Ephesians 3:13-21

Strength, we all would like more of it. Even if you go to the gym on a regular basis it is something you have to work on. Now we may not all want the same strength some want financial strength, educational strength and some may even want spiritual strength. We know how to get physical and even financial strength, so how do receive spiritual strength.

When we look in this portion of scripture if we want to be spiritually strong we have to pray. Ephesians 3:14 Paul is praying for the Christians in Ephesus that they would be strengthened in spirit from the power of God. We as believers in Jesus Christ should be praying for each other; churches should pray for other churches and believers for other Christian brothers and sisters that they will be spiritually strong and grow in Christ. When we ask of God these things in accordance with His will HE will answer. So the simple truth is we should be praying for Spiritual Strength and when we dive into scripture we see this truth.

Pastor Thor



Ephesians 3:1-12

The Mystery of the Gospel!

Ephesians 3:1-12

When we think of mysteries I always think of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. You see in most mystery novels there are only little clues dropped throughout the story that eventually lead to the climax at the end when we discover that the butler or the greedy relative was the one who committed the crime. When we look at Ephesians 3:1-12 we see something different.

Paul in Ephesians 3:3 we see that the mystery of the Gospel has been revealed to him so he can write about it to us. That is the amazing truth with the Gospel! It is not to be some mystery that we have to discover at the end of the Bible it is first and foremost in Scripture. God’s free gift of Salvation is no mystery and that is the blessing and great truth of salvation it is there for us to take all we have to do is accept Christ as our personal Lord and Savior and Believe He is the only way to heaven and confess our sins to Him. The Mystery of the Gospel is revealed. Praise the Lord

Pastor Thor



Ephesians 2:11-22

In Tacoma we were attending a church blessed with building a new church structure in a new location. At the time I was in Jr. High and it was always fun going to the site and seeing the construction done and of course the most important part of that construction is the cornerstone. There is currently a small one resides where people can see the church build date and dedication to serve God.
 

This week we are looking into Ephesians 2:11-22 and today specifically verses 19-22 being built on the cornerstone of Christ. When we look at scripture we see Christ as the rejected cornerstone (Acts 4:11; Luke 20:17). When structures are built the foundation and the cornerstone are most important to keep the building standing. Any structure without these things will shortly crumble down. Believers of Christ are in the situation if we build our lives on anything other than God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit our building will collapse.

Today ask yourselves who or what are you building your life on, and will it stand the test of time? If it is not God the great three-in-one then you are building on the wrong foundation. Make sure that you are consistently building on Jesus Christ our Cornerstone do not reject Him in your life!

Pastor Thor Williams



Ephesians 2:1-10

August 25th 2016
 

One of the most debated religious questions today is “How does a person make it to Heaven? How would you answer that question today? 

Today as we look at Ephesians 2:1-10 we discover how people today make it to heaven and that, my friends, is grace. Grace is truly the defining attribute of the gospel. It is completely outside of man’s ability. He cannot work or earn it. He cannot buy it nor through a lifetime of good deeds and achievements could he ever obtain it.  It is completely an undeserved, free gift from God. Ephesians 2:8-9 says it best.

Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV) “For by Grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is a gift from God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast”.

Even today, with Scripture being so clear some people after accepting God’s free and complete grace still try to obtain perfection through good works and deeds. Today remember to put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ as the only thing you need, for the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses all of our sins and makes us white as snow.

Pastor Thor Williams



Ephesians 1:15-23

Ephesians 1:15-23

This Sunday the 21st of August we will be looking at prayer and how we as believers of Jesus Christ should pray. What I want to zoom in on with our devotional however; is in Ephesians. 1:17.
 

What we see here ties into our last devotional that is the phrase “the Father of Glory”. We as Christians always, or should always, be focusing on giving God all the Glory for the things we accomplish through Him.

Let us look at the term Father here in Ephesians 1:17. It is not the relational Father (Αββᾶ, Abbathat we can claim in Christ through our adoption, but the idea that he is the Father (πατήρ, pater) the originator of all creation. This meaning is important because it shows us that all glory everywhere at all times originates from God. He is holy, all-powerful, and the only source of all glory ever! The God that created the world is the only source from where glory flows. The question remains, will you honor the source of the glory or will you honor yourself and try to claim what never was yours to begin with?
 
By Pastor Thor Williams


Ephesians 1:3-14

 
When we talked about Spiritual blessing on Aug, 7th 2016 in our time together, I wanted to bring extra attention to verses six, twelve, and fourteen. We see in those sections of scripture this theme of “To the Praise of His Glory”.
 

So what is Glory? With the 2016 Olympic happening in Rio this year we see many individuals creating their legacy and being glorified by their home countries and the world for their skills in a huge variety of sports. The athletes of course are not the only ones who benefit from a win; the entire nation can claim some of the pride and glory that comes from a gold medal.

 Now let us take a look, and dig a little deeper into what Paul is saying about the Lord’s glory. The Greek word here is doxa (δόξα) and is described as celebrated, renowned, eminent, exalted and of course glorious or glory. These spiritual blessings that are given are all for God’s glory, but they all benefit us in amazing ways: forgiveness of sins, sealing of the Holy Spirit, being adopted into God’s Family; and so much more. All these things are for God’s glory but benefit us. Consequently the glory that God receives and the blessing we gain from trusting in Jesus Christ outweigh any gold medal.
 
Pastor Thor Williams