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 is Christ.
Whether I’m a pastor or not, as a believer, my identity must be serving Christ:
- My identity must be the Word of God and prayer.
- My identity must be teaching the Word of God.
- My identity must be leading and vision casting.
Everybody’s identity should be Christ first, family second and career third.
Focused Thinking: (Eph. 1:1b)
To Whom is Paul writing?
1…to the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus.
What does the word saints mean?
It means little holy ones.
How do we become little holy ones?
The Holy One makes us holy by the death, burial and resurrection.
The Holy One makes us holy by His blood.
Ephesians 2:8–9
8For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
It is possible for a saint to have a season of unfaithfulness, but not a lifestyle of unfaithfulness. True saints are faithful saints.
Personal Application:
- I need to do a study of the word “faithful”.
- I need to prepare this study for the advanced discipleship program in the fall
of 2010.
Interactive Prayer:
Father, give me the ability to make my identity Your identity. I donít need an identity apart from Your identity. I desire for people to see You when they see me. Father, give me the faith, love and obedience to pursue You and You alone. Donít allow me to take my eyes off of You for any reason.
Father, give me the ability to build a church that builds disciples. Give us the ability to write 12 lessons for new believers and 90 lessons for advancing believers. Give us Your wisdom and the anointing of Your Spirit so that we can create followers instead of attendees. Father, build the qualities of Paul into me. I pray that You will use me to bring Your grace and peace to our people.
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