Ephesians 6b

I’m just going to quote part of Ephesians 6 verbatim:

Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.

Be prepared.

Take all the help you can get.

Pray hard.

Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up.

Talk about some strong language. Feels like a battle cry!

And there’s that line…so that when it’s all over but the shouting… you’ll still be on your feet. Have you ever been in some of those battles in life? There was the lead-up to it. There was the thick of it, the storm, the heat of the difficulty. And then there was the aftermath. But after the aftermath, it was just a bunch of shouting and words back and forth. I think about it as the folks still talking crap, even after the fight is over. I think that’s what Paul is talking about here. The goal is to still be on your feet. You want to go out with a bang.

Paul had his fair share of battles. And he always remained on his feet. The boxer may get beat up for 12 rounds. But if he’s still on his feet, he has his dignity and he has the chance to win.

How do you stand the chance to win? Through those next couple items: staying full of God’s Word and prayer.

Ephesians 6

Children, fathers, servants, masters… each group is addressed in order.

For the children, they’re encouraged to honor their father and mother knowing that there is a promise attached to it, “so you will live well and have a long life.” Simple enough, right?

“Fathers, don’t frustrate your children with no-win scenarios.” An interesting command, isn’t it? First, it’s interesting because the mothers don’t get called out on any behaviors, nor are they given any commands. Just dads. Second, it’s interesting because that seems like an obscure request. But the more you think about it, the more you see it’s actually a pretty common problem. Dads can give irrational commands to their kids when they get frustrated with them. They can contradict themselves. They can have unreasonable expectations. They can get in a hurry and give impossible instructions. From the child’s perspective, they just need a simple, clear command to follow. And they need someone to deliver that in a concise and polite way, so they can hear it and do it. It’s that simple. There’s a saying I’ve heard many times, “If Momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.” But I think it’s just as true on the flip side, “If Daddy ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.” Dads can make or break their kids, and when they create no-win scenarios, it breaks them.

Now, the word “servants,” at least in this context, could be easily swapped for “employees.” Servants/employees are encouraged in this section to work heartily, to work with a smile on their faces, reminded that no matter who is giving the orders, it is really God who is in charge. It is God who we are serving in our labor. Such a great reminder! And to steal a verse from Proverbs, “See a man who excels in his work; that man will stand before kings.”

Finally, masters, aka bosses, no abuse and no threats. Your master in heaven makes no distinction between you and your workers/employees. You’re all on a level playing field before God. That’s a big deal.

So if you’re a child, a father, a servant/employee, or a master/boss, there’s something in here for you. I wear all of those hats actually, so I really had to listen up and pay attention.

We’ll close out Ephesians with the next entry.

Ephesians 5b

The second half of Ephesians 5 is such a popular passage. It’s often read at weddings because Paul outlines the relationship of husbands and wives, which is really supposed to be an image of Christ and the Church.

I don’t know about you, but a lot of the marriages I see don’t represent Christ and the Church. I’m not ragging on folks either because when I’m really honest, much of my wife and I’s marriage hasn’t been a good representation. It’s a lot easier to be selfish. Looking out for yourself first, without looking out for your spouse and their needs is a big problema. Easy to do; tough to correct.

But after twelve years of marriage, it seems like my wife and I are finally starting to make substantial progress in the right direction. It hasn’t been easy, and I don’t expect it to be. But standing up for your marriage is a worthy cause. The world needs more good marriages. They have the potential to show us so much right and good.

Now, here’s what Paul says to husbands:

Husbands go all out in your love for your wives.

Isn’t that beautiful? When someone goes full throttle in pure love for someone. I’m really trying to get better at that, with God’s help.

Last thing, and then I’ll wrap this up…

I’ve heard this passage in Ephesians preached so many times with so many variations. At the end of the day, it seems like there are two camps of people: those who get it and those who don’t. The people who don’t get it, it comes out as legalistic, authoritarian, and ugly. The people who get it, it comes out as something lovely, admirable, and good.

What I’m speaking about is this:

Ephesians 5:21 sets the stage for all the talk on husbands and wives. Some translations have rendered it “be subject to one another” or “be submissive to one another” but I think that’s an unfortunate translation. Sadly, it’s been used to keep many women down and in abusive relationships, whether physically, verbally, emotionally, etc. The translation that says it best, in my estimation, is from The Message. There are pros and cons to The Message, but here it’s definitely a pro.

The verse reads, “Out of respect for Christ, be courteously reverent to one another.”

  • Be Courteous– polite, respectful, considerate, well-mannered
  • Reverent– showing deep and solemn respect, adoring, devoted
  • To one another– to people and individuals in relationship
  • Out of respect– a feeling of deep admiration and appreciation of one’s character and abilities
  • For Christ– the Good Shepherd, the Redeemer, the Savior, Jesus

What a line?! “Out of respect for Christ, be courteously reverent to one another.”

When you can do that, you win! You win as a husband, as a wife, as a parent, as a boss, as an employee, as a friend, as whatever role you’re in.

May God help us all do better in our relationships, being more courteously reverent to one another, especially in pregnancy.

PS: I wasn’t sure where to fit this in the text of the post, but there are a few things that have helped my wife and I’s marriage over the years: 1) being honest with each other, no holding back; 2) marriage counseling; 3) friends who really care, really listen, and really challenge us to be better; 4) drawing boundaries; 5) personal counseling; 6) dedication to personal growth and our relationships with Jesus.

Ephesians 5

The last two chapters of Ephesians are packed full of goodies. I might make a 5a and 5b like I did for chapter 4. Might even do it for chapter 6. We’ll see. For now, let’s look at the theme of this section.

The theme of chapter 5 is clearly healthy relationships: God’s relationship to us and our relationship to one another. One of the things Paul talks about is the power of the tongue and what kind of talk is acceptable. He has this beautiful line inside, “Thanksgiving is our dialect.”

Man, I want that to be true of me. I want to be one of the most thankful / grateful people around. I try to make it a habit to always say, “Thank you.” But it goes beyond that too. As an individual, I do daily and weekly lists of gratitude. As a family, sitting at the table or in the car with the kids, we all ask each other what we’re thankful for that day. We’re building this tremendous habit of gratitude. Why? Because there is so much to be thankful for. It’s good for your brain, for your heart, and for your soul to express gratitude. It gives you eyes to see.

So that line about thanksgiving gets me.

Then there’s this other line, “Wake up from your sleep, climb out of your coffins; Christ will show you the light.”

Here, Paul is talking to the believers about their relationship to corrupt religious frauds. Staying away from these frauds is important. And this image of waking up is so pertinent, so poignant.

It’s not always easy to see the frauds for what they are. It’s not always easy to face the truth or to face yourself, especially if you’ve been the fraud, pretending to be someone you aren’t.

If you want a visual of what I’m talking about, the rapper NF does a phenomenal job telling this story:


Click here to watch the video. Enjoy!

Ephesians 4b

At the end of chapter 4, there’s something important that I just can’t pass by.

As he’s writing to the Ephesians, Paul says the old way has to go.

What is the old way?

Well, it’s a myriad of things. I’ll list the things Paul mentions here, then I’ll explain a bit of my “old way.” Here’s the list from Paul:

  1. Sexual obsession
  2. Lies
  3. Pretense
  4. Revenge
  5. Stealing
  6. Foul and dirty talk
  7. Grieving God

Now, I’ve been guilty of a few of these things myself. Maybe you have too. And I was guilty of other things listed in other passages of Scripture. Maybe you were too. Thankfully, God saved me from those almost 18 years ago. And I totally believe He can do the same for you, or maybe He already has.

It’s a relief to not be caught up in those sins anymore, to have freedom to act differently. I can’t say I’m without sin altogether. Of course, all of us fall short sometimes. But man, there’s been a massive shift. And I have felt it in my bones. This new life is such a better way to live! It’s a tremendous blessing. I’m oh so grateful!

May you experience being changed from the inside out as well.

See you in chapter 5.

Ephesians 4

There’s an underlying theme in Ephesians 4, and I believe it is this:

Oneness vs. Manyness

Writing to the church in Ephesus, Paul says, “You were all called to travel on the same road and in the same direction, so stay together, both outwardly and inwardly. You have one Master, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who rules over all, works through all, and is present in all. Everything you are and think and do is permeated with Oneness.”

That’s quite the statement. I’ve never seen a church so united. But man, it would be a beautiful thing to see! And it’s a worthy cause to strive for. So that’s the part of the Oneness.

Then Paul says, “But that doesn’t mean you should all look and speak and act the same. Out of the generosity of Christ, each of us is given his own gift.”

Paul goes on to outline each of those gifts here and in a couple other passages in Scripture (Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12). I’d love to dive deep on the gifts of the Spirit here, especially since it’s one of my favorite topics to teach. But I’ll hold back for now and save it for another time. Suffice it to say, there’s uniqueness and manyness in the gifts given, in how they manifest, in how much each person gets, etc. So that’s the part on Manyness.

When you can embrace that Oneness and Manyness, it’s an awesome thing.

Is it easy? No.

Will you ever get it perfect? Doubtful.

But to strive for it is a noble and worthy cause.

May God’s breath and life flow through us so that we grow up healthy in God, robust in love. Happy Friday!

Ephesians 3

In Ephesians 3, Paul is writing about the mystery, the secret, the plan of God that was just now being revealed after the death and resurrection of Jesus. Essentially, the Gospel. He says:

This is my life work: helping people understand and respond to this Message. It came as a sheer gift to me, a real surprise, God handling all the details.

And friends, I feel much the same. Even though my day job isn’t officially a pastor, in the traditional sense of the word, I still feel a sort of calling deep in my bones that is similar to what Paul mentioned here. Writing, teaching, and leading are the core of what I do. I’m just not in church walls, not wearing certain vestments, not administering the sacraments, not preaching every Sunday. But the calling is so sharp, the tug on my heart and soul so strong, I must write. I must teach. I must lead. No matter how much I may fight it on a given day, I’ll feel like garbage if I don’t do it.

Hence, I write on this blog regularly, sharing my thoughts and insights, hoping some nugget somehow someway makes it to the right person and helps their life in a positive way. Maybe it’s a thought on the Bible, on Jesus, on philosophy, on parenting, on marriage, on books I’ve read, on a life situation I’m working through, who knows? But I do know this, if I don’t write, it won’t help anyone. Now back to Paul…

Paul says a little later that he’s here preaching and writing about things that are way over his head. And I feel the same. Especially here at the end of chapter 3. He ends with this beautiful prayer, and it feels like a disservice to even put comments to it. So I’ll just encourage you to read it.

Read it, then pray it. It starts at 3:14 and goes until 3:21. Seven short verses, full of power, truth, praise, and all the rest of it. Go enjoy!

See you in chapter 4 tomorrow!