Fellowshipmtz

Ephesians 6:17 - Helmet of Salvation!

Ephesians 6:16-17

We initially take care of a few unfinished details concerning the "shield of faith" -- Did Jesus have faith?  Next we spend a good amount of time considering what it means to "receive" the "helmet (or hope) of salvation".

Ephesians 6:16 - Shield of Faith!

Ephesians 6:16 -  The Interpreter's Bible Exposition Commentary (1953) aptly recognizes: "Orthodox Christianity is right in its bold assertion that the root of sin is not weakness but unbelief.  Faith is the only real cure.  The Reformers were right also in confronting all works-religion with a return to the good news of "justification by faith."  Rehearsal of the great Reformation argument cannot be attempted here. The relevance of the concept, even in its most general form, to the problem of Christian ethics cries out for rediscovery.  The deeper problem raised by human sinfulness is not the what, but the why."

Ephesians 6:15 - Readiness to stand!

Ephesians 6:15 - The popular opinion is that Paul is calling for the Church/Christians to be ready to share with others the Gospel.  But I think the context favors the understanding Paul is reminding the Church/Christians of its own need of readiness to stand firmly in "the gospel of peace" ?

Ephesians 6:13-14 - Belt of truth, Breastplate of righteousness

Ephesians 6:13-14

We finally begin to consider the armor that Paul tells the church to "put on".  We begin with some general (but important) observations regarding the armor.  We end with "the belt of truth" and the "breastplate of righteousness".

Guest Speaker: Jordan McFarland

Titus 2:1-10  - Jordan returns to Fellowship and continues his (sporadic) series from Paul's letter to Titus.  Today's message carefully examines the various roles and responsibilities within the church and home.

Promise Fulfilled! (A Gospel Metanarrative)

Resurrection Sunday 2024

The overwhelming majority of people profess belief in "God" (aka Genesis 1-2) and an "afterlife" of eternal peace and rest (aka Revelation 21-22) -- but what about the 1185 chapters that come between?

Ephesians 6 - via John Owen (English Puritan)

Temptation & Sin / borrowing heavily from John Owen (1616-1683)

Owen wrote on THE ENTICEMENT OF INDWELLING SIN, and before we move forward into the actual "armor of God" I wanted to share some of his key (very convicting) insights.  Lord-willing, Ephesians 6 will resume on Sunday, April 14.

Ephesians 6:10-13,16 - The Devil's Schemes & Flaming Arrows!

Ephesians 6:10-13, 16

Today's message focuses on the reason WHY God's armor is so important, so necessary -- i.e. the Devil's schemes and the Devil's flaming darts!

Ephesians 6:10 - Be Strong in the Lord

Ephesians 6:10

Stuart Olyott is a semi-retired British pastor now in his early 80's.  In 1994 he wrote a commentary on Ephesians that excellently frames this section in relation to the whole:
"The letter's first three chapters have told us of the marvelous blessings we have in Christ.  We are no longer what we used to be.  We are radically different.  And we are infinitely rich.  The next three chapters have made one overall point: being different, we should live differently.  We have been taught how to do this in the church, in the world and at home.  But such Christian living is not easy. In fact, it is a real battle.  Paul would not have anyone believe otherwise. So it is that he closes his letter with his well-known teaching on the Christian's armour."

Ephesians 6:5-9 - Slaves & Masters

Ephesians 6:5-9 
Paul's last pair of "Household Codes" (Martin Luther) is addressed to slaves and masters.  Inarguably, these instructions are the most controversial and offensive to moderns.  Is this proof the Bible is oppressive? or is there more than meets the eye?