… who raised him from the dead—
Summary: When Jesus his raised from the dead, he is not raised up as he was, that is as a mortal. Instead, he is raised immortal and imperishable.
Continue reading “Galatians 1:1c – When Jesus Returned”Galatians 1:1b – A Mission From God
… and God the Father
Summary: Paul is on a mission. He has to correct the thinking of people who are hundreds of miles away while he is a prisoner in Rome.
Continue reading “Galatians 1:1b – A Mission From God”Galatians 1:1a – God’s Treasures
Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by a man, but by Jesus Christ …
Summary: Paul begins his letter to the Galatians with a provocative statement. He is not an apostle sent by other apostles. He didn’t come to the party as a “wanna-be” or a “me too.” Jesus chose Paul personally. He is a man on a mission.
Continue reading “Galatians 1:1a – God’s Treasures”Ephesians 6:23b – Ambassador for Christ
… and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Summary: Sometimes people say things they don’t mean. Paul was not like that. He represented Jesus to the Gentiles, and he took his work very seriously.
Continue reading “Ephesians 6:23b – Ambassador for Christ”Ephesians 6:23a – The Peace of God
Peace to the brothers and sisters …
Summary: When Paul says “Peace to the brothers and sisters …” he means more than just a sixties vintage hippy dippy nice saying. He is transmitting the peace of God.
Continue reading “Ephesians 6:23a – The Peace of God”Ephesians 6:14a – The Belt of Truth
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist,
Summary: Paul’s words require that we take a close look at the gear that Roman soldiers wore every day.
Continue reading “Ephesians 6:14a – The Belt of Truth”Ephesians 6:6 – God and Me
Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.
Summary: Why be nice to our boss if the boss isn’t nice to us? The answer has to do with our relationship with our God.
Continue reading “Ephesians 6:6 – God and Me”Ephesians 5:31 – Uncontrolled Growth
“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”
Summary: Following the bread crumbs in Paul’s thinking leads us to a meditation on how cancer affects the body. How does the metaphor of cancer provide guidance for the modern family and church?
Continue reading “Ephesians 5:31 – Uncontrolled Growth”Ephesians 5:11 – Good Guy or Bad Guy?
Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.
Summary: Paul’s instruction in this passage seems simple on the surface. The challenge is trying to agree on what it means to be “good” and “bad.” Turning to God’s Word is the only reliable source of finding out.
Continue reading “Ephesians 5:11 – Good Guy or Bad Guy?”Ephesians 4:16 – What if God Sneezed?
From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
Summary: Paul continues with his description of the body of Christ, and with it, we continue our exploration of what that means.
Continue reading “Ephesians 4:16 – What if God Sneezed?”