Genesis 12:10-19

Abraham had a lot to learn. At this point he was living out of fear. He moved dwon to Egypt because of the famine, though this may have been just a sensible decision, but he was certainly fearful for his wife. Or rather he was fearful for himself! He feared that the Egyptians would kill him so they could take Sarah for themselves. However, if they thought Abraham was Sarah's brother, then they would still take Sarah, but would treat Abraham well. So Abraham tells Sarah to say that she is his sister. Now this was partly true, for she was indeed his half-sister. However, it was not the full truth, so was still a lie.

Things worked out as Abraham had expected, and he was indeed treated well. Moreover, he gained more sheep and cattle and other goods. However, when we sin we become a danger to others not just to ourselves. So it was with Abraham and Pharoah. For the Lord inflicted various diseases on Pharoah's household. Pharoah told Abraham to leaver with all his goods and his wife.

In all this Pharoah comes out of it more honourable than Abraham does. Yet God still protected Abraham. This has some lessons for us in our attitude to Israel. We can sometimes look at Israel and be appalled at some of the things she does (equally we should be aware that the news media sometimes distorts the news and can sometimes have an anti-Israel agenda, but even so Israel is by no means perfect). However, this does not mean that God will remove His protection from her, nor that nations that mistreat her do not put themselves in a place of danger. Israel does indeed need to change, and will only find salvation when she comes to recognise Jesus as her Messiah, but in the meantime we should still treat Israel with respect.

Genesis 12:10

Abraham went down to Egypt because there was a famine in the land. This journey led only to trouble. There are many parallels with the whole nations enslavement in Egypt and the later release from slavery, though the Bible itself does not seem to make much of these parallels. Although the trip led to trouble, there is no indication whether God approved or not of Abraham's decision to go to Egypt. Several commentators take the view that Abraham had certainly not gone there "in faith", and imply that this move was part of the cause of his subsequent troubles. However, in Genesis 26 there was again a famine in the land, and Isaac was told by God to stay in the land and not to go down to Egypt. Isaac obeyed God, but then he went through a very similar "she is my sister" routine that Abraham was about to embark on.

So from all this I conclude that Abraham's decision to go to Egypt is not the key issue. In our own lives we can can often ask ourselves if certain things are happening because I made this decision, or did not make that decision. Now if God has told us to do a certain thing, or not to do a certain thing, then we should definitely obey that command and it matters. However, sometimes God has not said anything to us. (As a footnote, if you haven't heard God speak about an issue in your life perhaps it is because He hasn't said anything!). What matters most is how we react in situations. And if God has spoken to us and we have obeyed, it is still imperative that we react in the right way. Isaac and Abraham were equally wrong to lie. We will look at the incident itself tomorrow.

Genesis 12:6-9

At the time Abraham arrived in the land it was occupied by other people, namely the Canaanites. God appeared to Abraham and promised to give the land to him, or more precisely to his offspring. So there were two key obstacles to the fulfilment of God's promise to Abraham, the fact that he had no children, and the fact that the land was occupied by others. When God gives promises to us there will often seem to be insurmountable hurdles in the way.

Abraham built on alter there. The alter was a reminder of the fact that God had appeared to him and spoken to him. There are times when God says key things to us, or does key things in our lives. These can be important markers in our lives, providing a kind of guidepost to keep us in the right direction. All sorts of things happen in life, but we need to make sure that we let our lives by guided by what God has done and what He has said.

Abraham moved on and built another altar, there he called upon the name of the Lord. This time the altar was marking the fact that Abraham was calling on the Lord, ie it was marking a key decision Abraham had made. The most important commitments we make are ones to trust and follow the Lord. Many things may happen that would seek to divert us from these decisions, but we must be persistent in following Christ.

Abraham then continued towards the Negev, a dry wasteland.

Genesis 12:4,5

Abraham obeyed and followed God. As it says in Hebrews 11:8, Abraham obeyed even though he did not know where he was going. We do not need to know how everything will work out, the key is to have faith in God. We are following the living God, trusting in Him. Who He is is the basis for our confidence and the foundation on which we must build our lives. His cousin

Lot went with him. As subsequent events proved, Lot, unlike Abraham, was not full of faith. When we follow Christ, there will be some who come along, but do not have faith. Abraham left with his wife and all the possession he had accumulated. When Jesus sent out His disciples He told them to take very little (Matthew 10:9-11). There is a time to take little, and a time to take much. One key difference is that this was a permanent move on Abraham's part.

They arrived at Canaan. This was his final destination and he had left much in order to get there, but the true journey had only just begun. Sometimes we can make a decision to start on a new venture for God, or to take up some new position of responsibility in His kingdom. We can be tempted to think that that means we have made it, for we have made this great decision of faith or obedience to God. Or we can think the same of others if they make some such decision, eg going to some far off country as missionaries. The truth is that when we have made some such decision what we have done is put ourselves in the place where God can really start to get to work on us. This is what He would now do with Abraham.

Genesis 12:1-3

Acts 7:2 tells us that God spoke to Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he arrived at Haran. There is no clear indication whether this influenced his father's decision to leave Ur or not. Whatever the case, Abraham now had to leave Haran. Abraham had to leave his household, people and country. Sometimes we have to leave things behind and go to a new place in order for God to do something new in our lives.

Abraham was to go to the land that God would show him, at this stage God had not told him where He was taking him. The emphasis is more on what God would make of him. This is similar to Jesus calling the disciples. All He said was "follow me", He did not tell them where He was taking them, but He did tell them what He was going to make of them (fishers of men). Often we get concerned about the practical details of God's calling, when His emphasis is more on the work He will do in us.

Vereses 2 and 3 contain the great promise, the promise that Paul saw as being fulfilled in and through Christ, and of which we are now a part (Galatians 3:29). Abraham would be made into a great nation, he would be blessed, and his name would be made great. We are part of this promise. It is God's pupose that we are made into a great nation,that we be blessed, and that our names are made great. Sometimes we can react against this, thinking it is selfish or proud to seek such things, but this is because our concept of blessing and greatness are shaped by the world, not by Jesus' definition. If we have children then we want them to have a good name, to be people worthy of respect and honour. God wants the same for His children.

This is not the end of the promise. Abraham would be a blessing to others. Likewise it is God's will and purpose that we become a blessing to others. He would be protected by God. We do not need to fear the cursings of others, for they will only rebound upon them.

All the world will be blessed through Abraham, and we see this happening in the spread of the good news about Jesus Christ.

Genesis 11:27-32

Abraham is undoubtedly one of the most important figures in the Old Testament, arguably the most important (though no doubt strong arguments can be made for Moses and David). In Isaiah 51:1,2 those who seek righteousness are urged to look at Abraham and Sarah. He is equally important in the New Testament. Abraham was at the centre of a dispute between Jesus and the Jews (John 8:39-58). Above all, he plays a key role in Paul's theology, especially in Romans and Galatians. He also features in Hebrews and James.

Abraham is also my favourite character from the Old Testament. He was a man with a big vision, but also a man who struggled to believe. He experienced the difficulties in believing God that many of us do, but he kept on going and in the end reached his goal. In short, he is someone I can identify with.

In this study of Abraham we will start at the end of Genesis 11 and finish at the beginning of Genesis 25.

Terah was Abraham's father, and Joshua 24:2 tells us that Terah and his sons (seems to imply that this includes Abraham) served false gods. So Abraham did not come from a promising background, yet he became the man of God's promise. It does not matter what our background is, if we follow Christ there is no limit to what God can do with our lives.

Lot was the son of one of Abraham's brothers, Haran. Haran died. We will see later that Lot played a big part in Abaraham's life, and it seems that Abraham would have saved himself a deal of trouble if he had not been so concerned about Lot. However, the fact that Lot was the son of Abraham's dead brother is probably the reason that Abraham had such a concern and affection for Lot.

Abram and Sarai were married, but could not have children. As we will see, this was going to be the anvil on which God would shape their lives. They were also going to receive new names, but we will come to that later.

Terah had actually set out with his family from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan, but came to Haran and settled there. Terah also died there. There is no indication of why Terah decided to leave Ur, why he was originally heading for Canaan, or why he decided to settle in Haran. Perhaps there is no reason to worry about why. We like to have a meaning for everything in life, but somethings just happen (at least as far as we can see).

Ephesians 6:21-24

Communication is essential and in Paul's day it relied on sending emissaries. Tychicus would bring them news of Paul. Remember that at the time Paul was in prison (as it says in verse 20, he was an ambassador in chains), but Tychicus will tell them what Paul has been doing. Paul did not let the chains stop him working for the Lord, instead he took the opportunities that were there (Ephesians 5:16).

Paul closes with his common farewell message.

This brings Ephesians to a close. Next I am going to look at the life of Abraham in Genesis.

Ephesians 6:18-20

We are to pray in the Spirit at all times with all kinds of prayers. Prayer is essential, and there is not one kind of prayer. Praying in the Spirit means all prayer that is led and inspired by the Spirit. This includes praying in tongues, but is much more than this. All prayer that is in faith, is led by God, is in accordance with His word is prayer in the Spirit. It includes long prayers, short prayers, prayers for people, prayers for nations, prayers for unbelievers, prayers for the church, you name it, it is included. It can include prayer that is very formal and follows a liturgy, and an include extempore prayer. Equally, both liturgical and extempore prayer can be totally devoid of the Spirit. Praying in line with the Spirit is the key feature.

We need to be alert if we are to do this. I think most of us find that it is very easy not to pray! We need to choose to pray. It is particularly important to pray for God's people. Why? Because God's primary means of acting in the world is through His people.

Although Paul was such a great apostle, he knew that his "success" was utterly dependent upon God. So he needed the prayers of the people in order to have the boldness and wisdom to declare the good news to people. And the prayers of all Christians are powerful, we all pray as God's children.

Ephesians 6:16,17

The Romans used to use arrows that were set alight, this added to the panic element that they caused when an army was assaulted with a volley of these arrows. In the same way the enemy uses fear as one of his primary weapons. He does things to seek to throw us into a panic. We counteract this with faith. This is not just saving faith (ie basic belief in the death and resurrection of Christ for our sins), but faith in God for all things. Jesus spent a lot of time teaching people that their Father in Heaven actually cared for them (eg Matthew 6). Panic does not come from God. When we find our minds and hearts assaulted with things that seek to cause fear we should remember that fear does not come from God (1 John 4:18), it is not God speaking to us. Jesus frequently told His disciples to "fear not", particularly after the resurrection. Now does God ever need to discipline us? Yet, of course He does (Hebrews 12:6), but when He disciplines us He will be specific, not vague, and there will be a clear path of repentance. When the enemy is seeking to put fear in our hearts, it will be vague and seek to engender a feeling of hopelessness.

The helmet of salvation protects our minds. The fact that we have been saved is fundamental. Jesus has died for our sins and risen again to give us new life. We are now part of God's kingdom (Colossians 1:13,14). The awareness of this should protect our minds.

The sword is the only directly offensive weapon mentioned in the armour of God. Paul is probably referring primarily to the good news when he talks about the word of God here. It is the good news of Jesus Christ that sets people free.

Ephesians 6:14,15

Righteousness as a belt was part of the Messiah's clothing in Isaiah 11:5. The belt was used to keep clothes in order. We are to live in truth, to be truthful, and to know the truth of the gospel. All these things make us ready for battle. If we let any of them slip then our lives become a mess.

The breastplate of righteousness protects our chest and the organs associated with it. In Christ we are declared righteous and this protects our very hearts. Linked with this a righteous lifestyle is equally crucial. While this again is a defensive garment, it enables us to go on the attack. In Isaiah 59:17 God Himself is depicted as putting on the breastplate of righteousness, along with the helmet of salvation.

Our feet are to be equipped with the gospel of peace. The Roman soldier's footgear was supportive and protective. The gospel enables us to travel safely over rough ground.

Ephesians 6:12,13

Our struggle is not against flesh and blood. We do well to remember that Jesus came to save men and women. Often it may look as though men indeed are the enemy, but we need to look beyond this and see the force operating behind them. When Jesus was on the cross He said about the perpetrators of His death, "Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34). In 2 Tim 2:25,26 Paul instructs Timothy to deal gently with those who oppose him, hoping that God will lead them to repentance, for the devil has taken them captive. Men are not the enemy. Moreover, if we act as if men and women are the only enemy we will never hit the real target.

Paul tells us again to put on the full armour of God. Only God's armour can overcome the enemy and protect us from him. Satan would love us to use human weapons, ones of revenge, intrigue, underhand methods, lying. For these are actually his weapons and if we use them he is the one who is winning. For he is quite happy for men to be destroyed. God's desire is to see all men come to repentance.

Ephesians 6:10,11

Paul has been painting a great picture of what God has achieved and is achieving in Christ and through the church. In the previous two chapters he has been focusing on how we are to live as individuals. Our main problem is the sin within ourselves, and chapters 4 and 5 focus on this, but we are also in a spiritual battle, with spiritual adversaries. Our first priority should be our own behaviour and attitudes, then we should turn attention to attacks from the enemy. To often we can use Satan as an excuse for our own shortcomings. However, we must also be fully aware of the reality of the spiritual battle, or else we will find things deeply frustrating.

The first step in the spiritual battle is to be strong in the Lord and in His power. We need the power of the cross and resurrection flowing through every part of our lives, and we need to be continually filled with the Spirit.

The succeeding verses amplify what Paul means by being strong in the Lord. He likens this to the armour that a Roman soldier would wear, and just as a soldier makes sure he has his complete kit, so we are to make sure that too have the full protection of God on. It only needs one weak point for an enemy to be able to strike. As Christians we are the ones who are on the attack, we are the ones who are taking ground. It is the kingdom of God that increases without end (Isaiah 9:7), but in the course of this advance the enemy will seek to stop and reverse the advance.

Ephesians 6:5-9

Now Paul turns his attention to the relationship between slaves and masters. Some criticise Paul for not being vehemently against slavery, or even accuse him of being pro-slavery. Such charges are without foundation and display a lack of understanding. Slavery was an integral part of society, so much so that it would be difficult to imagine life without slavery. Even if Paul had turned directly against slavery it is unlikely that he would have got very far.

However, the key point is that the approach Paul takes is actually far more effective and timeless. What he does is to encourage both slaves and masters to have the right attitude. Slaves are to do their work well, not just when the boss is watching. Moreover they are to do their work as if working for the Lord. These principles can be applied to all workers today. Whatever our job, we should do it as if Jesus Himself was our employer.

Masters were to treat their slaves with respect. In society they might be the ones with the upper hand, but in God's eyes all are treated the same. They are answerable to God, and so should treat their workers properly. Again, this can be applied to all work situations today.

Even though slavery has formally been abolished, thanks in no small part to the tireless campaigning of Wilberforce, it still exists. There are parts of the world where it exists, and even in the West, particularly in the sex trade. There are cases too of workers from Eastern Europe being terribly exploited. Even in situations which are "normal" we all know of instances where bosses exploit or bully their workers. Now it is good to have good laws and rules, but in themselves they do not guarantee anything. Paul's instructions are such that against them there is no law, they are applicable in all situations.

Ephesians 6:1-4

Children are to obey their parents because this is right. Respect of children for parents, and indeed for adults in general, is a crucial feature of a healthy society. In our society we see the effects of the breakdown of this order, in schools, in families and in life in general.

Paul refers back to the Ten Commandments, pointing out that honouring our parents is the first commandment to carry a promise with it. One of the key ingredients to a successful life is to obey our parents.

Are parents always right? Of course not, and as the child becomes an adult the person needs to take responsibility for their own life and decisions, but we should still honour our parents, showing them respect (and it may even be sometimes that they are right and we are wrong). Moreover, sometimes showing respect to people is more important than whether a particular decision is right or wrong. An attitude of dishonour is extremely corrosive.

The responsibility is two way, again showing the different attitude there is to authority in the kingdom of God. Parents are not to exasperate their children, ie we are not to use our authority four our own benefit, and are not to abuse it in anyway. We are also to have some consideration for how our children might be feeling or thinking.

Ephesians 5:25-33

Paul's advise that women should submit to their husbands and that husbands are the head is often presented as being anachronistic and just a product of his society that is no longer relevant today. But Paul's teaching does not fit in with any society's view of women. It is probably true that in most societies in most times women have been treated as second class citizens, but Paul's teaching goes against the male chauvinist view just as much as against a women's lib view.

Husbands are to love their wives just as Christ loved the church. That means that the husband is to consider his wife's needs above his own, it means his first priority is to be the well being and the spiritual development of his wife. In the extreme the husband must be prepared to sacrifice himself for his wife.

One of the first things that God will ask us on the day of judgement is "how is your wife?" and "how did you help her grow in Christ?". Any attitude of treating a wife as a servant or their purely for your benefit goes utterly against Paul's teaching. In Genesis it tells is that God created men and women in His own image (Genesis 1:27), and that the two shall become one (Genesis 2:24).

Marriage is meant to be a reflection of the relationship between Christ and the church.

Ephesians 5:21-24

Now Paul turns to various daily relationships, starting with those between a husband and wife. These are not a set of random instructions merely reflecting the social rules of the time, for they are all a consequence of our relationship with Christ. Moreover, they are to reflect that relationship to the world.

The overriding principle is stated in verse 21, "submit to one another out of reverence for Christ". Because we honour Christ we are to submit to one another. Every human being is of value. We know that Christ died for us, He died for our sins. Without Him we were totally unworthy, but He considered us worth dying for. Therefore we should respect everyone else.

Wives should submit to their husbands. This immediately raises the hackles of many, but it should not. Later we will see that husbands are to sacrifice themselves for the sake of their wives, but a few general points are worth making first. In God's kingdom authority does not imply superiority. If you have authority over someone it does not mean you are better than they are, it is just a duty you have towards them. Moreover authority is never to be used for your own ends. Authority is given to you by someone else so that a purpose can be achieved. A policeman is given authority by the state not to achieve his own ends, but to ensure the smooth operation of law and order.

Submission is a reflection of submission to the Lord. The husband is placed as head of the household. He is given this position not to get his own way, but to ensure the family functions in the way God intends it to.

Ephesians 5:15-20

We are to think about how we live, not just letting life drift on by. Through the gospel, and through the Holy Spirit, God has made us wise, He has revealed to us the truth about ourselves, about the world, and about Himself. We are to live in the light of this knowledge.

This is not easy, for the days are evil. The world is opposed to the gospel, it is opposed to God. So it will not naturally want the truth to be made known, therefore when opportunities for arise we are to make the most of them.

We are not to live as fools. One sure way to live as a fool is to get drunk, or to take drugs. These distort our perception of reality, and lead to a loss of self-control, even to addiction in extreme cases. Instead we are to be filled with the Spirit, we are to let Him motivate and direct our lives. This will lead to an attitude of joy and love for others. And we will sing and make music in our heart to the Lord.

The sign of a spirit filled life is one that is always giving thanks to God.

Ephesians 5:8-14

You once were darkness. Not just that we were in darkness, but we actually were darkness. Now we are not just in the light, we are light. Jesus said He was the light of the world (John 8:12), He also said we are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14). So we need to live as children of light. This means living lives of goodness, righteousness and truth. Good behaviour sheds light on matters, the truth shows things as they really are, good behaviour beings life to people. Conversely, bad behaviour brings darkness, it obscures the truth and brings death to people.

The gospel is manifestly not a matter of being "let off". Unbelievers so often parody the gospel as being a matter of "it doesn't matter what we do, because God will forgive us". This is not the gospel at all. It is about a whole new life and a whole new way of life. So we are to have nothing to do with deeds of darkness, instead they are to be exposed for what they are.

We are to wake up to the light that has dawned and live accordingly.

Ephesians 5:1-7

We are to follow God's example. Notice the implicit equality between Jesus and God here. Jesus is God and what He does is what God does.

We are to follow Christ's example not as cowering slaves, but as dearly loved children. We are part of the family. The key elements of Christ's life were love and sacrifice, this is how we are to live as well.

However, living in love does not mean that rules have no bearing. It does matter how we live. In particular there must be no sexual immorality, not even a hint. Sexual relations are the most intimate of human relationships and can only function properly within God's rules. Otherwise they become completely destructive. Not must there be greed or impurity. Obscenity, foolish talk and coarse joking are equally out of place. Instead there should be thanksgiving. All these things are simply totally out of place for the children of God. We have a much higher calling and purpose in our lives.

People who do live like this have no inheritance in God's kingdom. Supposedly clever people advance all sorts of arguments that society has moved on and advanced and all sorts of sexual relationships are OK now. Such words are utterly worthless, and the type of lifestyle they promote will only incur God's wrath.

Ephesians 4:29-32

We are not to indulge in unwholesome talk. This can include crude talk, bad language, gossip, or talk that pulls others down. Instead we are to build each other up. This is very important for in the world people are often trying to do others down in a futile attempt to build themselves up. We should always consider whether what we say will build others up or not, and only say things that are good for others. As in all things, we are to be motivated by live.

The Holy Spirit is a person and it is possible to grieve Him. He is the Spirit of God, and we were sealed by Him for the day of redemption.

Bitterness, rage and anger are the root source of much unwholesome talk and actions. So we should deal with the root as well as with the symptom. We should take all these things to the cross. We actually have no right to be angry or bitter, and if we look at the sacrifice of Christ and what He did for us it puts many things into perspective. More than this, there is healing in the cross. Jesus took our sin, our iniquity and our infirmities upon Himself. We should get rid of all anger, brawling and malice. They have no part in our lives.

Instead we are to be kind and compassionate to one another, with an attitude of forgiveness. Instead of thinking how can we get even, we should ask how can we forgive.

Ephesians 4:25-28

As Jesus said, the devil has been a liar from the very beginning (John 8:44). So one of the first ways in which we put off the old self is to stop lying. If you think about the world it is amazing how pervasive falsehood is in life. Conversely, truth is a defining feature of the kingdom. We should be people who can be taken at their word, and whose words do not need to be treated with suspicion (Matthew 5:37).

Part of the justification for speaking the truth is that we are all part of the one body. If one part of our natural bodies starts giving wrong signals to another part, then something is wrong. Likewise we should be able to trust each other.

We need to be careful with anger. It must not become a motivating force, and needs to be controlled, otherwise it can lead to wrong actions. This can happen in two ways. it can lead to fits of rage, and it can also lead to simmering resentment. Either of these gives the enemy a foothold, an opportunity.

We may come from all sorts of backgrounds and been involved in all sorts of things before coming to know Jesus. Now that we know the Lord we must stop our previous behaviour, but not just stop it, but do something positive instead. In the case of stealing, which deprives others of things that are rightfully theirs, this must be replaced with living a useful life adding to the lives of others.

Ephesians 4:20-24

It is clear from these verses that proclaiming the gospel was not a simply a matter of saying that Jesus died for our sins and we need to believe in Him (all of which is true), but about a whole way of life. Jesus came to give us life to the full (John 10:10), and he declared that He is the life. The Great Commission is make disciples of all people. We ourselves need to learn how to live like Jesus, and to teach and encourage others to do likewise.

This specifically involved teaching people to put off the old self and to put on the new self. Our old way of life, which includes both actions and attitudes, is corrupted by deceitful desires. We need to be wary of desires that come from the flesh, for they can deceive us into wrong actions.

Instead we need to be renewed in the attitude of our minds (Romans 12:1,2). The mind is crucial and it needs to be renewed in Christ. This involves changes in the things we hope for, the things we fear, the things that motivate us, the way we reason. We need to learn to have the mind of Christ, to think like He did.

So we are to put on the new self. This new self is created to be like God, to have true righteousness and holiness. Ie to be truly dedicated to God.

Ephesians 4:17-19

Verse 17 makes it abundantly clear that even though we are saved by grace through faith, completely as a result of God's kindness, it certainly does matter how we live. When we come to Christ we must live a different life. The reason given here is that the way the world lives is a result of futile thinking. The world basically hasn't got a clue. At the moment the world is in the midst of a financial crisis, much of this is the result of people following supposedly clever advise, by banks over borrowing so that they could supposedly make better use of money, of high flyers needing to be paid ridiculous amounts of money because if we didn't do this they would go somewhere else (if only they had!). All this wisdom has been shown to be nonsense.

The same applies to world's supposed wisdom on relationships and sexual practices. The world's way leads to increase in various diseases, and more importantly harms people's emotions. There is precious little evidence that the world's way does anything to increase the sum total of human happiness.

The reason for all this is that the world is separated from God, and so form the life of God. Only God knows the way of life, only Jesus is the way of life. When people become separated from God their hearts become hardened and they descend into increasing ignorance. They lose sensitivity, ie sensitivity to God, sensitivity to the needs and feelings of other people, and even sensitivity to what is happening to themselves. They become self-centred seeking ever more sensual satisfaction in a futile effort to fill the void.

Ephesians 4:14-16

One of the features of a mature Christian and a mature church is that it is not easily tossed about by every wind of doctrine. One example of this is the churches that are easily swayed by liberal teachings which deny the deity of Christ, or the reality of the resurrection, or the authority of the Bible etc. But all branches of the church are subject to this. In the charismatic type churches there is a tendency to be easily impressed by preachers who claim to have visions of angels or dreams, or churches are easily taken by all sorts of nonsense about the last days. We to be mature in our thinking.

Instead we are to hold to the truth in love. The answer to avoiding false teaching is not a dry or harsh correctness, but holding to the truth in love. We are to become more and more like Christ. Under Him the whole church fits together properly. Note the emphasis on unity again, and not a mere formal unity, but a living and functional unity. Mere human attempts to guard the truth have a terrible habit of ending in splits and disunity.

The goal is that each part of the church does its own special work, helping the church as a whole to grow in love and to live as the body of Christ.

Ephesians 4:12,13

The purpose of the ministries is to prepare the church for works of service. As Paul said in 2:10, God prepared works for us to do, now we need to be prepared to do this work. The purpose of the ministries is definitely not self aggrandisement, it is not about "my ministry", it is about the church, about building up the body of Christ.

This work will only finish when we all reach unity in the faith, and in the knowledge of the Son of God. The goal is that all should know the Son of God. We are all to become mature and attain to the whole measure of the fulness of Christ. Paul's goals are absolutely amazing, and he cannot be accused of lacking ambition for the church. Too often we are prepared to settle for too low a level for the church, or for individuals in the church, or for ourselves for that matter. Paul clearly thinks it is possible for any of us to attain to the full measure of Christ. That is the goal we should have for ourselves. It is also the goal we should have for members of our family, and any Christians we have pastoral responsibility for. For not only is this the goal that God has for us, He has the power to achieve it. We need to have a big vision.

Ephesians 4:11

Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers are mentioned here. As with other lists of gifts or ministries (eg 1 Cor 12) the list should not be treated as being exhaustive or exclusive.

Apostles as used in the New Testament was sometimes used as specifically referring to the original twelve disciples (and Paul), but was also given a wider application as well. There is some argument about whether there are apostles today or not. Now in terms of having been a direct witness of Christ while He was on earth there clearly are not any apostles today. I know some claim to have had various sorts of visions of Christ, but I must admit I treat such claims with a fair degree of scepticism (Colossians 2:18), and anyway they are actually not the point. However, if we take apostle as having a wider meaning of someone sent by God to do a specific foundational work, or to provide special direction and leadership for the church (without adding any “new doctrine”!) then there is a place for that. Here we must pay attention to how Paul described his apostleship.

Particularly in 2 Corinthians 11 and 12 and elsewhere he emphasises his weakness and the suffering for the sake of the gospel. Anyone today who claims to be an apostle and is revelling in the “status” or using it to gain glory and money really has not got a clue and has lost connection with Christ. We should pay no attention to such people.

Prophets are also still needed. Some say that because we have the New Testament we do not need prophets, but this argument seems to be without much foundation. From the evidence of the New Testament the prophets did not give doctrine (see Acts), and the New Testament writings themselves were not the result of prophecy. Prophecy is for the edification of the church, and as a witness to the world. It will not add new doctrine, and must be in line with Scripture, but it is definitely needed today.

The other three are generally accepted as still being needed, though it is perhaps interesting that there is a body of opinion against evangelism, saying we should respect other cultures etc. This of course is nonsense, Jesus Christ is good news for everyone.

Ephesians 4:7-10

“But ...”, Why does Paul say “but” when he has just been talking about unity? It is because unity does not mean uniformity. Grace has been given to each one of us, and Paul is not using grace here in the sense of being saved by grace, but in the sense that he was given grace to take the gospel to the Gentiles. Ie it is an effective grace, a grace which enables us to do things, or more accurately by which God does things through us. Now this grace will show itself in different ways in each person. Paul will shortly outline different ministries in the church, but the principle can also be applied more widely. While there is only one church, each branch may function in a different way. The emphasis of one part may be on social action, that of another on outreach to a certain people group, and so on. We need to recognise the diversity in Christ.

Christ made a spectacle of principalities and powers on the cross (Col 2:15), but He did not just defeat the enemy, He also gave gifts to men. Jesus first came down to earth, He came to be amongst us before He ascended back to be with the Father. He did this so that He could fill all things. Paul is so utterly convinced that Christ is everything, He is the focus of it all.

Ephesians 4:3-6

One of the great themes of the first half of the letter has been the unity brought about by Christ. We have a responsibility in maintaining this unity, and it is fair to say we have not been overly successful. If we adopt the attitudes of verse 2 we will be a long way along the road towards maintaining unity.

The grounds for unity are founded on the theology of the church. The church is Christ's body, and so there is only one body. When we are disunited we are malfunctioning. There is only one Holy Spirit. We are all called to the same hope. This latter fact is one of the reasons why Paul prayed earlier that our eyes would be opened to realise what this hope is. We may have our own ideas about what the hope is, but in the end it is God's hope. ie it is not for us to make it up for ourselves and decide what we like, rather it is for us to discover what God's hope is.

There is only one Lord of All, and only one faith. We were all baptised into the same church through faith in the same Lord. Now of course different churches have different baptismal practices, and while it is fine for us to argue and debate about these, we should remember that the fundamental factor is faith in Christ. I happen to think that believer's baptism is what is taught in Scripture, but someone who was baptised as an infant and actively believes in the Lord is in a far better position than someone who was baptised as a believer but is very dilatory about their faith, and is definitely in a better position than someone who was baptised and then fell away.

There is one God and Father, and He is over all and in all. The bottom line is there is only one God, and therefore there is only one church. We need to recognise that no matter how wonderful or doctrinally pure our own branch of the church is, the current situation is not the way things will be when God brings them to completion.

Ephesians 4:1,2

So far Paul's letter could be summarises as :

1. Declaring what God has done for us in Christ
2. Unity between all believers, especially Jews and Gentiles
   
3. Praying that our spiritual eyes will be opened to realise what He has done

Now Paul turns to what our response should be. Although the gospel is about God taking the initiative, and about everything being achieved in Christ, it also demands a response from us. Every part of the gospels, and every letter in the New Testament includes demands and instructions about our lives. The fact that we are saved by grace through faith in no way means that we have nothing to do, nor that it doesn't matter how we live. Quite the opposite!

We are to live a life worthy of the calling that God has placed on us. We have a marvellous calling, it is absolutely amazing what God has done, but our first response to this is humility. This means having due regard for others. We are not full of ourselves, but full of Christ, considering everyone else to be of great value.

There should also be great patience and gentleness. We were saved by grace, Jesus went to die on the cross when we did not deserve anything good from God. So when we see others who are failing to respond to God we should first of all be patient. And in the church we must bear with one another, this gives space for God's grace to work.

Ephesians 3:17-21

We need to be strengthened in our innermost being so that Christ may dwell in our hearts. We often talk about Christ living in our hearts in fat too "soft" a manner. If Christ lives in our hearts it will bring about radical changes in our lives, casting out all sorts of bad stuff (attitudes and actions) and leading us to be very different. It requires strength for this to happen, and strength to be able to live the life of Christ.

Paul then prays that we will have the power to realise the full extent of Christ's love. Often these verses are taken as us as individuals being aware of the extent of God's love for us as individuals. Now it is important for us to know this, but I don't think that is Paul's main thrust here. In the immediate verses he is talking about the church as a whole realising the extent of God's love. Moreover, in the context of the letter as a whole one of his main themes as been that God's purposes extent to all of humanity. It seems better therefore to take this as Paul praying that the church as a whole will understand the extent of God's love in the sense that it reaches out to every aspect of humanity. ie that Christ's mission is truly to take the gospel to all the ends of the earth.

This also ties in with the last two verses. God is able to immeasurably more than we ask or imagine. There are no limits to His purposes. But note that He does this "according to His power that is at work within us". The church is God's chosen means for achieving this. His plan is to achieve this through us.