SUMMARY OF EPHESIANS
Chapter
1 – We learned that when we trust in Jesus, we are graciously adopted into the
family of God. The mystery of the Gospel is that the Holy Spirit dwells in
every believer regardless of nationality or background. In Christ, we are
redeemed, rich, and recalibrated to be suitable for the work of the Lord.
Chapter
2 – We found that we had been spiritually dead-men walking until the Holy
Spirit awakened us to salvation through Jesus Christ. Once we have trusted
Jesus, we are held by the grip of His grace and cannot lose our place in the
Family of God. We learned that all Christians are equal – there is no Jew, no
Gentile, no man, no woman, no rich, no poor – we are all transformed into God’s
precious jewels.
Chapter
3 – Since we are one body, one Messianic community, there should be no
discrimination among believers. Jesus gives all believers the ability to
approach God’s throne boldly as His blood covers our sin and makes us
reconciled to the Father. Paul prayed passionately for the Ephesian believers,
a prayer we can use as an example for praying for our brothers and sisters in
Christ.
Chapter
4 – Paul again emphasized that all Christians make up one body of believers.
Then he gave instructions for building up that body, strengthening our relationships
with the Lord and each other. A part of this process is to take off the “old
man,” the sinful lifestyle of our past and put on Jesus, dress ourselves in His
righteousness.
Chapter
5 – We are to imitate Jesus – be His mini-me, the child imitating the Father.
Jesus has delivered us from our former way of life in the shadows of sin and
enabled us to live in His light to the glory of God. We are to be characterized
by submission, first to the Lord Jesus and then to one another. In so doing, we
will put God and others before ourselves.
Chapter
6 - Proper submission in our earthly
relationships brings honor and glory to the Lord. God equips us with the armor
needed to engage in daily spiritual warfare against Satan and his influence.
Finally, Paul instructs us to be persistent in prayer always for all believers.
Colossians
Introduction
Author: The
Apostle Paul is identified as the author of this letter to the church at
Colossae in the text itself. This has also been confirmed by many scholars of
the early church and by the fact that it closely correlates with the letter to
Philemon which is universally recognized as being written by Paul.
Recipients: The
letter is addressed to the church at Colossae but was to be circulated from
there to the church at Laodicea. Colossae had been an important trade city
until the trade route changed to move through Laodicea. It was near Ephesus,
and the church was founded by Epaphras who apparently was saved during a trip
to Ephesus. Although Colossae was a Roman city, there was a large Jewish colony
there. So, the Colossian church was a mix of Jews and Gentiles. The letter may
have been written at about the same time as Ephesians and the letter to
Philemon. Tychicus was delivering the letters and escorting the runaway slave
Onesimus, now a brother in Christ, back to his master Philemon who lived in
Colossae. Epaphras was a student of Paul and had made him aware of the problem
of heresy in the church at Colossae.
Themes:
1.
Chapter
1
· The person of Christ
· Reconciliation
· Paul’s work
2.
Chapter
2
· Warning against heresy
· Sufficiency of Christ
· Mistake of reverting to bondage
3.
Chapter
3
· Forgiveness
· Putting off and putting on
· Relationships
4.
Chapter
4
· Religious duties
· Commendations
· Greetings
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