Intro to Ephesians - Praying for Spiritual Growth

Pastor Miles

1. Paul's letter to the Ephesians.

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 1:1, 2 ESV) 

for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. So that you also may know how I am and what I am doing, Tychicus the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord will tell you everything. (Ephesians 6:20, 21 ESV)

2. Paul's visit to Ephesus. Acts 18-20
First visit:

After this, Paul stayed many days longer and then took leave of the brothers and set sail for Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he had cut his hair, for he was under a vow. And they came to Ephesus, and he left them there, but he himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. When they asked him to stay for a longer period, he declined. But on taking leave of them he said, "I will return to you if God wills," and he set sail from Ephesus. (Acts 18:18-21 ESV)

Second visit: Acts 19:1 - 20:1

And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. And he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" And they said, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." And he said, "Into what then were you baptized?" They said, "Into John's baptism." And Paul said, "John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus." On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. (Acts 19:1-5 ESV)

Paul spent over two years in Ephesus. He leaves after the riot.

Third visit: Acts 20:17-38

Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him. And when they came to him, he said to them:
"You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. (Acts 20:17-21 ESV)

Paul writes letters to Timothy from Ephesus.

3. Paul's purpose in writing the letter
A) That you know God more clearly:

(Paul prays) that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, (Ephesians 1:17 ESV)

B) That you love God more dearly:

so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, (Ephesians 3:17, 18 ESV) 

Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible. (Ephesians 6:24 ESV)

C) That you follow God more nearly:

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 5:1, 2 ESV)

Daily prayer for spiritual growth:
Lord, help me to
Know you more clearly
Love you more dearly
And Follow you more nearly.

Honor God With Your Finances

Pastor Miles

We are called to honor God with our entire life.

1. You honor God by acknowledging that everything belongs to Him.

Therefore David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly. And David said: "Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name. "But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you. For we are strangers before you and sojourners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no abiding. O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own. (1 Chronicles 29:10-16 ESV)

The first step in honoring God in our lives is to acknowledge that everything belongs to Him.
God is the manager and we are His stewards to manage His gifts wisely.
We need to sign over the deed of our possessions to Him, to acknowledge that He is the true owner of all that we have.

2. You honor God by giving Him the first fruits of what we have.

Honor the Lord with your wealth
and with the firstfruits of all your produce; (Proverbs 3:9 ESV)

As soon as the command was spread abroad, the people of Israel gave in abundance the firstfruits of grain, wine, oil, honey, and of all the produce of the field. And they brought in abundantly the tithe of everything. And the people of Israel and Judah who lived in the cities of Judah also brought in the tithe of cattle and sheep, and the tithe of the dedicated things that had been dedicated to the Lord their God, and laid them in heaps. (2 Chronicles 31:5, 6 ESV)

The best of the firstfruits of your ground you shall bring to the house of the Lord your God. (Exodus 34:26a ESV)

"You shall tithe all the yield of your seed that comes from the field year by year. And before the Lord your God, in the place that he will choose, to make his name dwell there, you shall eat the tithe of your grain, of your wine, and of your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and flock, that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always. (Deuteronomy 14:22, 23 ESV)

Tithing reminds us that all we have belongs to Him. We do it first so that we don't use it up before we give it to Him.

3. You honor Him by having an open hand to the needy.

"If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be. Take care lest there be an unworthy thought in your heart and you say, 'The seventh year, the year of release is near,' and your eye look grudgingly on your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he cry to the Lord against you, and you be guilty of sin. You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, 'You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.' (Deuteronomy 15:7-11 ESV)

Giving to the needy often means going beyond our regular tithe.

Financial Warning Signs

Financial Warning Signs

Pastor Miles

1. My personal debt is growing.

Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. (Romans 13:8 ESV)

The wicked borrows but does not pay back,
but the righteous is generous and gives; (Psalm 37:21 ESV)

2. If I miss one paycheck, I will be in trouble.

One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil,
but a fool is reckless and careless. (Proverbs 14:16 ESV)

3. My spouse and I often fight about money.

What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. (James 4:1, 2 ESV)

By insolence comes nothing but strife,
but with those who take advice is wisdom. (Proverbs 13:10 ESV)

4. I don't put money into savings or retirement.

Precious treasure and oil are in a wise man's dwelling,
but a foolish man devours it. (Proverbs 21:20 ESV)

Wealth gained hastily will dwindle,
but whoever gathers little by little will increase it. (Proverbs 13:11 ESV)

5. I made an impulsive purchase this month.

For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? (Luke 14:28 ESV)

In everything the prudent acts with knowledge,
but a fool flaunts his folly. (Proverbs 13:16 ESV)

The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance,
but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty. (Proverbs 21:5 ESV)

6. Because of my financial situation, I feel I can't obey God.

The rich rules over the poor,
and the borrower is the slave of the lender. (Proverbs 22:7 ESV)

• The weight of our debt has turned us into slaves.

 7. I am often stressed about money.

"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?
And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:25-33 ESV)

• Don't put undue importance on worldly things, but trust in God.
• The key to financial peace is keeping in step with God's plan for your life.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. (James 1:5 ESV)

Your Destiny: Advancing the Kingdom

Your Destiny: Advancing the Kingdom

Matthew 4:12-25

Ves Sheely

1. Our ministry is residential

And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, (Matthew 4:13 ESV)

Jesus took up residence in Capernaum.

2. Our ministry is Gospel-centered

From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matthew 4:17 ESV)

3. Our ministry is highly relational: living out your faith among others

While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." (Matthew 4:18, 19 ESV)

• Ministry is about disciple-making.
• Life-on-life ministry is influential & exponential.

4. Our ministry is radical

And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them. (Matthew 4:23, 24 ESV)

The harvest is "in the margins" where people are desperate.

How will you shape your destiny for this new year?