Ephesians 1:15-23, Part 3 Did you know that your heart has eyes? And no, I’m not referring to anatomy. Stay with me here. After praying that the people would have the spirit of wisdom and revelation to know God better, Paul has another powerful prayer request for them. Here’s what he writes in Ephesians 1,Continue reading “The importance of the eyes of your heart”
Tag Archives: spirituality
What to do to know God better
Ephesians 1:15-23, Part 2 Do you want to know God better? That’s one of those questions Christians kind of have to answer yes to, right? If I were in a group of Christians and I said, “Raise your hands if you want to know God better,” I would wager I’d get a pretty decent response.Continue reading “What to do to know God better”
How to know if you faith is true faith
Ephesians 1:15-23, Part 1 How do you know if your faith in God is true faith? In Ephesians 1:15-23, before Paul prays for the Christians, he describes true faith. When he describes true faith, I find it fascinating what Paul doesn’t say. He could have said, “I see your faith because you gather for worshipContinue reading “How to know if you faith is true faith”
How ethnic segregation in the church is out of line with the Gospel
Ephesians 1:3–14, Part 5 In Paul’s day, there was a major division in the church: Jew and Gentile. It was an ethnic problem, based primarily in the Jews’ exclusive view of their covenant with God. They thought they were special in God’s eyes, and the other peoples of the world were pagan, unclean, and thus thereContinue reading “How ethnic segregation in the church is out of line with the Gospel”
Hearing “Nein!” at an exclusive dance club versus hearing God say “Yes!”
Ephesians 1:3–14, Part 4 Have you heard of Berghain, the exclusive dance club in Berlin? I learned about it on this podcast. It is nearly impossible to get in, and the club doesn’t explain why. People line up waiting for hours, hoping to be admitted. Finally, they make it to the door, and the headContinue reading “Hearing “Nein!” at an exclusive dance club versus hearing God say “Yes!””
Who and how God chooses
Ephesians 1:3–14, Part 3 Whether you are the kid at recess who gets chosen last for the kickball team, or whether you are the adult who doesn’t get chosen for a promotion, a job, a contest, it can be very difficult emotionally when we are not chosen. When I submitted book proposals, I experienced theContinue reading “Who and how God chooses”
We know where the heavenly realms are
Ephesians 1:3–14, Part 2 After a greeting, Paul begins his letter titled “Ephesians” with a grand eulogy of God. As I noted in the previous post, while we give eulogies praising people who have passed away, Paul’s eulogy praises God who is very much alive. After saying, “Praise God,” Paul lists numerous reasons why heContinue reading “We know where the heavenly realms are”
A surprising eulogy for God
Ephesians 1:3–14, Part 1 Here’s some insider pastoral info for you: when we counsel the family of the deceased, and when we officiate their funerals, we pastors sometimes straight up lie, talking about how great they were and how for sure they are in heaven. In reality pastors do not know that for a fact,Continue reading “A surprising eulogy for God”
A profoundly important description of church
Ephesians intro, part 5 A close friend from church and I work out on Tuesday and Thursday mornings with another guy. Recently that other guy, who is not part of our church, told us that he was reading the Bible over the weekend and thought the passage he was reading sounded like our church. I perkedContinue reading “A profoundly important description of church”
When mail arrived, they threw a party
Ephesians intro, part 4 We are so used to snail mail being a mundane affair. Mostly we get junk mail anymore. If it even hints of being junk, I usually just toss it straight into the garbage. Our meaningful communication in 2026 is now pretty much all online, accessible through our devices. The reality ofContinue reading “When mail arrived, they threw a party”
Engaging Scripture 