Jan
24
Ephesians 1:22–23
22And He put all things in subjection under His feet and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. Focused Thinking: What is the church? The church is His body. The church is the fullness of Him who fills all in all. That is an awesome definition of the church. That is an awesome vision for the church. What does it look like for the church to be the fullness of Christ? It means that all of us are members of His body. It means that all of us have specific gifts, functions and purposes. It means that He desires to create communities of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control through us. Personal Application: This is what Highpoint must become for the city of Memphis. We must love the city of Memphis. We must save the city of Memphis. We must change the city of Memphis. We must unify the city of Memphis. We must be...
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23
Ephesians 1:18–21
18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might 20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. Focused Thinking: (Eph 1:18–19) What did Paul pray for the people at Ephesus? 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, What is the norm for the eyes of our heart apart from the Holy Spirit? 1 John 2:15–16 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the 15 love of the Father is not in him. 16For all that...
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22
Ephesians 1:15–17
15For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, 16do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; 17that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. Focused Thinking: (Eph 1:15–17) What did Paul hear about the church at Ephesus? 15…having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you 15…and your love for all the saints, When You hear of a church’s faith, what types of things do You hear about? Faith goes beyond believing to obeying. Faith goes beyond believing to loving. 1 Thessalonians 1:3–9 gives a good picture of true faith: 3 — constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.. 6 — You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having...
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21
Ephesians 1:11–14
11In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, 12to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory. 13In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory Focused Thinking: (Eph 1:11–12) What is our inheritance when we are sons and daughters of God, the King of kings? Our inheritance is beyond our imagination. Our inheritance is eternal life as a son or daughter of God. We have been chosen according to His purpose (1:4). We have been adopted according to His purpose (1:5). We have been redeemed according to His purpose (1:7). We have been predestined...
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20
Ephesians 1:7–10
7In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace 8which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight 9He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him 10with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. Focused Thinking: (Eph. 1:7–10) Where does our redemption come from? 7In Him we have redemption THROUGH His blood, What are the benefits and blessings of redemption? 7…the forgiveness of our trespasses. How? 7…according to the RICHES of His grace 8which He LAVISHED on us. He is extravagant with His grace. He is abundant with His grace. He is generous with His grace. What did He make known to us? 8In all wisdom and insight 9He made known to us the mystery of His will. Why was His will a mystery? It...
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19
Ephesians 1:3–6
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. 5He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, 6to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. Focused Thinking: (Eph. 1:3–4 ) Why should we bless and praise God? 3who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Every spiritual blessing — God never gives us less than His best. Every spiritual blessing — everything is available to us, we aren’t lacking anything. 4He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world. He created us to be in relationship with Him. He created us to be loved by Him, to respond to His love with love and to...
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17
Morning Colours
If you are a Highpointer, you know it is well documented that I am tone-deaf and have zero ability to sing whatsoever. Even though I can’t sing, I love music and believe that it plays a vital role in both private worship and public worship. In fact, I believe that private worship makes public worship more authentic, meaningful and powerful. That is one of the many reasons why I ask Josh Maze and members of the Highpoint worship team to write songs designed to enhance one’s priority time. The title of the record is Morning Colours because it is designed to capture the essence of rising early each morning to spend time in the presence of God. The heartbeat behind this project is to help you “be still and know that He is God (Ps 46:10).“One of the lines says, “In the stillness of the morning God your love it heals And now I’m longing to abide in You There is nothing better God, your face is all I need.” The music of Morning...
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17
Ephesians 1:1–2
1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,To the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus: 2Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Focused Thinking: Who is Paul? 1…an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God What is an apostle? An apostle is an ambassador of the Gospel. An apostle is a commissioner of Christ. An apostle is a messenger, a sent one, a delegate. What is the source of Paul’s identity? His identity is found in his relationship with Christ. His identity is found in his role and responsibility as an apostle of Christ Jesus. Did Paul earn this identity? Paul earned his identity as a leader of the Jewish people (Php 3:2–6). Paul didn’t earn his identity as a Christian; he was captured by God’s grace (Ac 9:1–51). God took an adversary to the gospel and made him an advocate for the gospel. Personal Application: What is the source of my identity? It...
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16
Women After God
You probably have fears or at least concerns when you think about the Bible and what it means to have a priority time. You may even feel intimidated. Join Chris Conlee as he interviews three women who have faced these same struggles and overcome them to launch an incredible love relationship with God and His Word.
Read More >>Jan
16
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