How did Paul encourage the Ephesian church leaders to prepare for the enemies both inside and outside the church and how Is that same preparation for churches today
Answers
Answer:
Paul's job as an apostle was to provide authoritative teaching and leadership to the church. And he did this partly by writing letters. But Paul didn't just want to spread sound doctrine, or record it for posterity. First and foremost, he wanted to minister to the church in his own day by applying sound doctrine. His letters were pastoral and caring, and they spoke directly to the problems that the church faced in the first century.
Normally, Paul tailored his letters to address the specific problems of a relatively localized group of people whom he knew directly or personally. But in Ephesians, he did something different: he responded to the problems of several churches in different locations, many of which he had never met.
Now, Paul's purpose in writing this letter was to deal with the problems of all these churches. But his strategy was not to address each issue individually.
Our discussion of Paul's purpose will divide into two sections. First, we will consider the theme of the kingdom of God in Paul's letter to the Ephesians. Second, we will look at how Paul addressed several challenges to the church in terms of God's kingdom. Let's look first at the theme of the kingdom of God.
This means that as we study Paul's letter to the Ephesians, it helps to begin by asking questions like: To whom was this letter written? And, what significant issues were they facing in life? Knowing the answers to questions like these will help us make greater sense of Paul's teachings.
As we look at the background of Paul's epistle to the Ephesians, we'll focus our attention on three matters. First, we'll discuss Paul's authorship of the letter. Second, we'll identify the original audience. And third, we'll look at Paul's purpose in writing to them. Let's begin by looking at Paul's authorship of the letter to the Ephesians.
Explanation:
People who have lived in more than one country often tell me how difficult it is to adapt to new cultures. Each nation has its own customs and laws and values. And what is appropriate in one nation isn't necessarily appropriate in others. Business people, tourists, and even missionaries have to spend a lot of time learning the ways of the new nation they are visiting.
In many ways, the same is true of the Christian life. We were all born outside of Christ, separated from his kingdom. Many of us spent years learning and following the ways of the kingdom of darkness. And this presents challenges for us as we try to live according to the ways of our new nation, our new kingdom: the kingdom of light in Christ.
This challenge is nothing new. Even in the first century, Christians had to be taught how to live in ways that were appropriate for the kingdom of Christ. Many Christians had been converted from pagan religions. They had spent much of their lives following the ways of Satan before they came to faith in Christ. And they found it difficult to change the ways they thought, felt and behaved. So, as the apostle Paul wrote his epistle to the Ephesians, he directly addressed this challenge by painting a sweeping, cosmic portrait of life in the kingdom of God in Christ.
This is the third lesson in our series Paul's Prison Epistles. And we have entitled this lesson "Paul and the Ephesians." In this lesson we will investigate Paul's epistle to the church in Ephesus, focusing especially on ways he designed this letter to teach Christians how to build, maintain and thrive in God's kingdom.
Our exploration of Paul's epistle to the Ephesians will divide into three parts. First, we will examine the background of Paul's letter to the Ephesians. Second, we'll look at the structure and content of Ephesians. And third, we will discuss the modern application of this letter. Let's begin with the background to Paul's epistle to the Ephesians.
Answer:
Paul's job as an apostle was to provide authoritative teaching and leadership to the church. And he did this partly by writing letters. But Paul didn't just want to spread sound doctrine or record it for posterity. First and foremost, he wanted to minister to the church in his day by applying the sound doctrine. His letters were pastoral and caring, and they spoke directly to the problems that the church faced in the first century.
Normally, Paul tailored his letters to address the specific problems of a relatively localized group of people whom he knew directly or personally. But in Ephesians, he did something different: he responded to the problems of several churches in different locations, many of which he had never met.
Now, Paul's purpose in writing this letter was to deal with the problems of all these churches. But his strategy was not to address each issue individually.
Our discussion of Paul's purpose will divide into two sections. First, we will consider the theme of the kingdom of God in Paul's letter to the Ephesians. Second, we will look at how Paul addressed several challenges to the church in terms of God's kingdom. Let's look first at the theme of the kingdom of God.
Does this mean that as we study Paul's letter to the Ephesians, it helps to begin by asking questions like To whom was this letter written? And, what significant issues were they facing in life? Knowing the answers to questions like these will help us make greater sense of Paul's teachings.
As we look at the background of Paul's epistle to the Ephesians, we'll focus our attention on three matters. First, we'll discuss Paul's authorship of the letter. Second, we'll identify the original audience. And third, we'll look at Paul's purpose in writing to them. Let's begin by looking at Paul's authorship of the letter to the Ephesians.
Explanation:
People who have lived in more than one country often tell me how difficult it is to adapt to new cultures. Each nation has its customs and laws and values. And what is appropriate in one nation isn't necessarily appropriate in others. Business people, tourists, and even missionaries have to spend a lot of time learning the ways of the new nation they are visiting.
In many ways, the same is true of the Christian life. We were all born outside of Christ, separated from his kingdom. Many of us spent years learning and following the ways of the kingdom of darkness. And this presents challenges for us as we try to live according to the ways of our new nation, our new kingdom: the kingdom of light in Christ.
This challenge is nothing new. Even in the first century, Christians had to be taught how to live in ways that were appropriate for the kingdom of Christ. Many Christians had been converted from pagan religions. They had spent much of their lives following the ways of Satan before they came to faith in Christ. And they found it difficult to change the ways they thought, felt, and behaved. So, as the apostle Paul wrote his epistle to the Ephesians, he directly addressed this challenge by painting a sweeping, cosmic portrait of life in the kingdom of God in Christ.
This is the third lesson in our series Paul's Prison Epistles. And we have entitled this lesson "Paul and the Ephesians." In this lesson we will investigate Paul's epistle to the church in Ephesus, focusing especially on ways he designed this letter to teach Christians how to build, maintain and thrive in God's kingdom.
Our exploration of Paul's epistle to the Ephesians will divide into three parts. First, we will examine the background of Paul's letter to the Ephesians. Second, we'll look at the structure and content of Ephesians. And third, we will discuss the modern application of this letter. Let's begin with the background to Paul's epistle to the Ephesians.
Explanation: