Back in the 1990's, mainstream rap artists Hammer had a hit with "Pray". In the lyrics, he says, "We got to pray just to make it today." But do we? Can we make it through life without prayer? This week we continue our series in Ephesians and see how if we want to be the church that Scripture calls us to, then prayer is an non-negotiable part of our lives. ![]()
When you read certain authors,you get to know how they think and how their writings flow. The same can be said for Biblical authors especially within the context of a particular book. This is also true of Paul's letter to the Ephesians. Paul's formula, if you will, is God did "X" to fix what sin broke, now "Y" is also true. This pattern holds up again this week as we see Paul gives us the reason that God created the church out of all nations. ![]()
If there is a theme to the Apostle Paul's writings in the New Testament, it's the notion of unity in Christ breaking down earthly barriers that exist between us. Paul writes about this in Romans, Galatians 1 Corinthians and in our text this week. When the world wants to divide, Christ wants to unite. This week, we will see how Christ broke down the ethnic barrier between Jew and Gentile then apply that to the many things that divide us today ![]()
Have you heard of the law of unintended consequences? A prime example of this is what is known as the cobra effect. During British colonial rule in India,the government became concerned about the high number of cobras in the country. In order to combat this, they put a bounty on the snakes. Unfortunately, enterprising people began breeding the snakes so they could kill them and then collect the money. When the program was ended due to this abuse, the breeders simply released the snakes and now there were more than when they started! There was a problem that God saw before he created the world. That problem required a solution. Thankfully, God's solution not only dealt with the problem but it also had an intended consequence that involves you and me. ![]()
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April 2021
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