Sorry this is late today...appointment at 8 and then some errands in the lovely snow! Also had a lamb born last night so its been busy and will be for a while. I will respond to your comments from chapter 4 later today when things calm down some for me!
I think we will call her "Cupid" (not the best pic- but that's the best that I could do).
Paul starts with an easy comment (vv 1-2)-- be like God, love like Christ! That's easy to do...right? As Christ's love was a sweet sacrifice to God for us,let our lives be a sacrifice to God. It is hard to be like God and love like Christ. I find myself saying it and preaching on it- but it is tough!Why is it so tough to live and live like Christ?
Paul then goes through a list of things that "children of God" should not be doing (vv 3- 5). As I look at the list- I see many things in there I am guilty of! Yikes! One of my kids did something one time and I was not happy about it! I let her know what she did wasn't right and that she represents our family. People see her and they think of us. She felt quite bad. Is that how God feels when God see us or catches us doing something on "the list"?
Paul talks about being children of the Light and we should be acting that way. There is no need for us to be living in the dark, there is no need for us to listen to people that are against God, there is no reason why we have to associate with them. Light brings goodness-- I feel much better when it is sunny and bright outside than when it is dark and cloudy...that's what Paul is saying here= be of the Light- bring goodness, bring cheer, bring happiness- even in the dark days-. Martin Luther King once said, "Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can. Hate cannot drive out hate,only love can." This would be a great thought about this passage from Paul. Again, why is it so hard to love?
Paul uses a likely worship phrase in v 14b: Wake up, sleeper, arise from death..." The thought is Paul is saying that we were asleep in Christ before, but now it is time to realize what Christ has done and know what our "tasks" are; we can't be asleep anymore. When we sleep, that is when darkness can take over and when we do things from "the list" Don't misinterpret Paul- sleep and rest is good, bu we can't be sleeping on the job! We can get complacent with things and that is the sleep Paul is talking about. Do we get complacent when it comes to doing God's work? or "doing" church?
It sounds like Paul is talking about now (v 16) when he references "these are evil times" and that we have to be aware of what is around us! He reminds us to be filled with the Spirit-- the Holy Spirit (opposite of the alcohol Paul mentions in the previous verse) stimulates us to "do good" and be in an attitude of worship when we are doing that good. Do you feel the stimulation of the Holy Spirit when you do God's work?
We get into some conversation of husbands and wives (vv 21-33). We need to remember that the text was written in 60-ish AD and Paul was single. That being said...the essence of this set of verses is that spouses should respect each other; one is not better than the other. the love we have for our spouse should be the same as the love God/Christ has for us. I have heard people use these verses (and some in other letters) to "scripturally prove" that women should be submissive to their husbands and "obey" them! You obviously know my position on this! The overall theme is love and respect for each other (spouses and non-spouses) and for the church. Again- there cannot be hate and mistrust if you are Christian. There was a FB meme that had as one line "A hateful Christian is an oxymoron..." That is the essence of this set of verses. Do you respect your partners? Do you respect others? Why is it so hard to respect some people?
Enjoy the snow today! Yahoo...more snow! Chapter 6, the last one for Ephesians, is tomorrow. We then move to Philippians (only 4 chapters there).
Shalom+
Pastor Paul
All of these chapters certainly make you stop and think. Don’t let anyone fool you with foolish talk. Even though I am not afraid to speak my mind I have found myself getting caught up in a conversation and later thinking. That isn’t the way I felt I should have said this. Rather it is right or wrong we do sometimes judge children as a reflection of their parents. I believe it is easy to love when all is going well and good but a bit harder during challenging times. I absolutely feel the Holy Spirit while doing gods work.
ReplyDeleteI had to laugh at the end of this chapter with regard to the wife obeying her husband while he was to respect her. I thought if we were all together this would make for a great discussion. I am guessing we would all agree we should respect each other.
Cindy, I saw you reply to a post on Facebook with thoughtful comments but you disagreed with the person's point of view, as did I. You had the courage to respond- letting the person know your feelings. I didn't have that courage and said nothing. I admired you for that.
DeleteSometimes it is tough to use the right words...I have said to myself, like you mentioned, Well, that could have been said better!
DeleteYou're right- we do judge the parents of children...it's always the parents fault- right?!
I would have loved to have this group together when talking about husbands and wives...spouse talk is always so interesting and fun...especially when both of the people are present!
How exciting to have a baby lamb!
ReplyDeleteI am up to four this year so far!
DeleteEasier said than done to be so like God, we can strive and i think that we do but after all we are human and we sin and do wrong. Can we rate our sins as Donna was saying yesterday . I am thinking possibly so a bad thought , a little white lie to not hurt someone's feeling , a murder Aren't these sins some of them far worse than others, but than again God is the judge so I guess it's up to him.
ReplyDeleteTry to stay out of situations where you can be easily led to do wrong. Paul is not saying not to drink he is saying I believe not to overindulge We can celebrate by singing God's praises, I think he is saying and living in Jesus's Light .
Paul's view on marriage is rather harsh in today world after all women were treated as slaves in those days However We do even have the right to vote nowadays(LOL) I think though that Paul is saying respect each other and love each other as should be in any marriage.
True- a white lie isn't going to hurt anyone! Right?!
DeleteThe whole idea of Paul's discussion is to respect- you're right- and wait till you read chapter 6- its all about respect and honor again!
Good points CLara!
I agree with Clara- easier said than done. Paul advises us to stay on the straight and narrow which isn't the "human" way. I guess we just have to do our best and hope for forgiveness when we fail.
ReplyDeleteI have to tell you all a family story. I have a niece who is 4 months older than my daughter. Now they are 31. When my niece got married about 6 years ago we went to the wedding in Phoenix. While talking to my niece, who is a very fundamentally religious person, I noticed that she had a big tattoo on her arm. It said Vs 22. Her husband-to- be had vs 25 on his arm. I was shocked that in this day and age they had permanently put these verses on their arms.
I know that as I get older and have more experiences in life I have changed a lot and so have my beliefs. I guess I'm glad that I never had anything permanently put on my body that I might not agree with later :).
It is tough to stay on the straight and narrow- I wonder why--even when we know it is the right thing to do!
DeleteI have no issue with tattoos- I have one on my lower leg (cross, vines, butterflies, anchor, wedding rings-- all symbolic of things in my life)- but I'm not sure I would have those tattooed on my arm! V 25- about husbands loving your wives- is good, but for women to be subjective to their wives! Sherri- my wife- would never stand for that one!!
Thanks for sharing and offering your comments Cathy!
God makes life sound so easy, but we are sinners, making mistakes. Marriage, personally differ, but sommer or latter we become one, but not so for some. I had a hate,in my life for a while, but I forgive and only through love did it go away. Yes I have good feelings when I do good work.
ReplyDeleteRoseMarie- I think we have all had hates in our life- and it is good that you were able to rid the one you had...love does win and it is easier to love than it is to stay angry at someone!
DeleteGreat comments RoseMarie- thanks
Paul continues to tell us to love, forgive, live in unity. But there is a vs. in this chapter that did strike home with me - vs. 16, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. My translation says that Paul meant “The foolish person has no strategy for life and misses opportunities to live for God in an evil environment.” Looking back on my life I sometimes feel that thats how I lived my life from time to time. Not only giving into the desires of the flesh, but passed up so many opportunities when I could have lived a better life for God. And I agree with everyone here that sometimes we do judge children’s parents according to how their children behave. So if God feels that people judge Him according to how we behave, then there are times in my life that I disappointed God. I do regret that I have let those opportunities slip by. But as I got older, and as my children grew, I tried harder to see those opportunities and live better! I also agree with everyone about Paul’s statement telling women to submit to their husbands. But Paul writes many versus telling husbands they are to love and respect their wives as they love themselves. If husbands loved their wives that much, they would never be unkind to their wives or make a decision that would hurt her. I am not sure I understand vs. 32 - “There is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church”. Does Paul mean that we don’t understand the relationship between Christ and the church? I agree, Cathy, my thoughts have changed greatly through the years (I hope for the better) and every time I read a passage in the Bible my interpretation can change!
ReplyDeleteThat's an interesting commentary on v16! I have missed opportunities to work for God-- some of my own doing probably! Like you, now that the ids are gone and I am retired (semi-retired) I have more opportunity to do God's work...I hope!
DeleteYes on v 32- we don't understand that great mystery- and the mystery of death and resurrection- but that is faith!
Regarding interpretation- my thoughts sometimes change from when I wrote a message to when I give it on Sunday!! I am always looking through the lens of my life when I interpret Scripture- and some small thing can cause me to look at something totally different!
Thanks Donna!
Pastor - in my Bible Paul says heavenly places in Chapter 1 vs. 3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.” And again in Chapter 2 vs. 6 “And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
ReplyDeleteSo here, Paul is comparing earthly blessings to the blessings from God-- a more heavenly place where our "new" citizenship will be...the idea is that we have Paradise/heaven to look forward to...does that help some?
DeletePastor, in my Bible Paul mentions heavenly places in chapter 1 vs. 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” and in Chapter. Vs. 6 “And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”
ReplyDeleteWhen I was raving about our cold weather, I had completely forgotten that Morgan spent a year in Alaska. The temperature she saw was really cold. (The forecast here for Thursday is for a high of -12 and a low of -20.) The fellow next door is from Alaska, but I haven't seen him for a few months. It's amazing that you don't even see your next door neighbors in the winter. It was that way in New York as well as here.
ReplyDeleteI helped Dan move from Montana to Wyoming several years ago at Christmas time. I got off the train in Shelby, MT (about 90 miles north of here) and the temperature was in the -20s (maybe -27). It gets cold here in the winter, but this is the first bitter cold spell we've had, so I'm not complaining. It will be history by next week.
When I started this chapter, I thought Paul was going to recite the 10 Commandments. I still believe that he was summarizing them in the first part of the chapter. He was teaching the Ephesians how to live a good God fearing life. This was quite a feat when one remembers that he did this from prison. Paul was certainly a gifted man if he was able to accomplish all this from a prison cell. I don't know what prisons were like in Paul's time (certainly not a pleasant place to pass the time), but I'm sure he couldn't do it from one of today's prisons. If someone were preaching about Jesus in prison today, he probably wouldn't escape with his life. This is another part of the sad commentary about how far we have gone down today.
You wrote: "...there is no need for us to listen to people that are against God, there is no reason why we have to associate with them." What if one of them is in your own family? I understand why he feels this way and I wish I had the magic words to bring him back into God's Kingdom. There isn't much that you write that I disagree with, but I had to mention this.
You mentioned Dr. Martin Luther King's speech about hate and darkness. This made me think of a railroad bridge in New Jersey that I drove under when I was delivering tuxedos a few years ago. On this bridge, in graffiti, was written: "Hate cannot fix what it began. Only love can." This was, I think, a reference to 9/11, but the message is loud and clear. I decided one week that I was going to find a place to park (difficult) and take a picture of that graffiti the following week. However, that week I was re-assigned and I never went that way again. Hate is a terrible thing. There is so much of it in this country and around the world. It seems to be worse than ever and I pray that it will abate in the near future.
Do I feel the stimulation of the Holy Spirit when you do God's work? The answer is "yes". When we as a church were picking up trash along Rt 858, I had a tingling in me and I felt so good that I was really doing God's work. I also felt that way when I would pick up people in need and take them to the hospital when I was on the Apalachin Emergency Squad.
In verses 22-24, you might get the idea that Paul is teaching that wives should submit to their husbands. In other words, the husband is "king" and wives "shall" obey. I don't believe this and I don't believe that Paul meant it either. Can you imagine the uproar if someone actually tried to "teach" this today? Later in the chapter, Paul says some words that sounded very familiar: (to paraphrase:) a man shall leave his parents and cling to his wife. I think I have heard that at every wedding I have ever attended. I don't remember much of my wedding, so I don't know if it was said there! I believe that this is very true and that every husband/wife needs to be a team. Give and take. I believe that this is what Paul really means in this entire section.
No snow here, tonight. I'm just going to bundle up and try to stay warm!
Re: weather-- I was at the post office yesterday. Someone was complaining about the cold and snow. I said "This is New York in the winter!" This is the first real winter we have had in a while! People (including me) have forgotten what winter is usually like!!
ReplyDeleteI think the prison system is open to religion and people finding God, but I imagine you have to be careful who you are preaching to!
Hmmm...I see your argument with what I wrote- and I appreciate the comment. I find it difficult that kids don't always follow in our footsteps when it comes to religion...but then there are my kids! Neither attend church but they do watch the LM FB worship on most Sundays. Morgans struggles with finding a church that is open and accepting and calls the church hypocritical (as do I often); Lauren is just busy with the kid and the UMC near them is semi-conservative.
Hate is a terrible thing and the railroad graffiti was a good comment- hate seems to get us into things that we struggle getting out of! Imagine if there were no hate!
I would have loved to have us all together to discuss Paul's writings about husbands and wives! Oh I can almost hear the walls talking now!!
Thanks for the great thoughts and sharing Jack!