Day 20- Our Peace – 6 Weeks of Reflection

· Chris Thompson

Ephesians 2:14 – 16 For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. (see Isaiah 57:19)
Romans 5:1 tells us that because we believe, we have peace with God through Jesus. That is good news indeed. But the above mentioned peace goes further: it seems Jesus desires and provides for peace with others.

Reflection Questions
How did Jesus abolish the enmity?
How can the Law be a barrier to peace?
How far does the peace of Jesus extend?

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Day 19- Brought Near – 6 Weeks of Reflection

· Chris Thompson

Ephesians 2:12&13 ..remember, that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenant of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
‘Separate’, ‘excluded’, ‘strangers’, hopeless, godless: this is us without Christ. Paul tells us to remember these things, but I suggest you do not dwell too long on them.

Reflection Questions
Why do you think Paul instructs us to remember?
How does the ‘excluded’ clause affect you?
We know there is no God without Jesus. So how did you embrace this truth?..and how do you relay it to your skeptical, unbelieving friends?

Every Saturday there is a breakfast at 9 am where we can get together to discuss the reflections and share our thoughts. Please let us know if you plan to come by signing up below:

Day 18- Created for Works – 6 Weeks of Reflection

· Chris Thompson

Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
The JPP (Jesus prepositional phrase) here connects the Son with Creation, your creation. And, we know we are not saved by our works; but post salvation, we should be busy.

Reflection Questions
How do we know that these ‘good works’ are not our own?
Can you list some? (See John 6:29, 14:12)
Is our view of ‘works’ somewhat narrow?

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Day 17- The Believers’ Place in History – 6 Weeks of Reflection

· Chris Thompson

Ephesians 2:7 ..so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
Paul joined the apostles and they started the Church. We have this enduring record in the book of Acts and the Letters.

Reflection Questions
What does this record mean to you?
Do you think the New Testament authors knew how far their letters would reach?
What is it about this record of the early believers that makes it so remarkable?

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Day 16- With/In Christ – 6 Weeks of Reflection

· Chris Thompson

Ephesians 2:4 – 6 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus..
What a transformation! Just look at those verbs: ‘made alive’, ‘raised’, and ‘seated’. We know that Jesus died, was buried, rose again, stayed with His disciples 40 days, then ascended to God’s right hand; then 10 days later reappeared at Pentecost in the Spirit.

Reflection Questions
How does Paul, in the above passage, view the ‘Passion’ for believers? What clues do the PPs (prepositional phrases) give us?
..’raised up’.. Is this a reference to the resurrection or the ascension?

Every Saturday there is a breakfast at 9 am where we can get together to discuss the reflections and share our thoughts. Please let us know if you plan to come by signing up below:

The Fullness – Day 15

· Chris Thompson

Med#15: ..the Fullness..
Ephesians 1:22&23 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
Who are we? There are certainly some issues I have with the church; because it is a people centred entity, it is bound to display some flaws. Just read Revelation 2&3. However, she continues to thrive because of her Leader. And never forget that you and I are people.

Reflection Questions
Do these final thoughts of Ephesians 1 affect your view of the church?
How does v23 define the church?

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More “In Christ” – Day 14

· Chris Thompson

Med#14: ..more ‘in Christ’..
Ephesians 1:19b – 21 These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every other name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
The word ‘resurrection’ is not quoted here but is certainly the main thought.

Reflection Questions
What does this passage relay about Trinity?
Why do you think ‘resurrection’ is not mentioned in the blessings of the first half of the chapter?
What is the significance of ‘every name’ and ‘every age’?

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Pray in This Way – Day 13

· Chris Thompson

Med#13: Pray in this way..
Ephesians 1:17 – 19a ..that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.
So, we have just read an array of the most powerful blessings in the universe and they are now in our heads. Why, then, is Paul praying for us to get it? He must know how leaky I am. Take a minute and pray these concepts over your life…

Reflection Questions
Who is the Father of glory?
Whose inheritance?
How will/has this passage affected your prayers?

We Really Need Prayer – Day 12

· Chris Thompson

Med#12: With all this knowledge, you really need prayer.
Ephesians 1:15&16 For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers;..
When I pray, I make distinctions between weak folks and strong ones where the strong get little or none of my prayer time. Paul hears of their ‘faith in the Lord Jesus’ and it seems that inspires him to do 2 things: give thanks for them and pray for them. Maybe I need to pray less for the weak and strong and more for all the saints.

Reflection Questions
Thoughts?
In which category do you place yourself?
Consider Hebrews 7:25.

Sealed- Day 11

· Chris Thompson

Med#11: Sealed..
Because these verses are so packed with stuff – prepositional phrases included – we will break it into 2 sub meds. The first ‘in Him’ reaches all the way to ‘you were sealed’ as its modifyee.
Ephesians 1:13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation – having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise..

Reflection Questions
What does ‘sealed’ invoke in you?
What is the role of the Holy Spirit?
When some scholars refer to Holy Spirit, rather than the Holy Spirit, what are they trying to convey and how are you affected by that language if at all?
The repetition of the pp ‘in Him’: error or emphasis?

Ephesians 1:14 ..who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession to the praise of His glory.
Notice the repetition, a well-used tool in not only Paul’s writings, but all the NT authors. See II Peter 1:13 and 3:1. ‘Inheritance’, ‘redemption’, and ‘TTPOHG’ (See Meditation #10) are all repeated in this conclusion of ‘the blessings’.

Reflection Questions
Are these repetitions necessary?
What do these concluding words say about Holy Spirit?