Ephesians

Why we need to talk about the demonic (Ephesians 6:12)

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Ephesians 6:12

I want to take a moment to talk about the demonic. That may not be a popular thing to do nowadays. Please do not think I lost it. In our day people feels uncomfortable talking about this, but we need to.

C.S. Lewis said in his preface to The Screwtape Letters: “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.”

We need to have a balanced, healthy appreciation for the demonic. Let me offer a few reasons why I think this.

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Where to look for lasting peace (Ephesians 2:14)

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Ephesians 2:14

Imagine you are in an orchestra. When the orchestra began to play, a horrendous sound went out. All the instruments were out of tune. You tried to fix it by tuning your own instrument to itself. The orchestra remained dissonant. You tuned to the person next to you. Though the two of you sounded good together, still the orchestra sounded like a million cat shrieks. In order for an orchestra to sound harmonious, you need a source tone, a note to which each instrument is tuned.

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Membership Matters Series: The Goals of Growth (Ephesians 4:11-13)

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Ephesians 4:11-13

For many the church is a quaint place where religious people meet. As romantic of a picture as that might be, the church embodies so much more. 

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Fatherhood (Ephesians 3:14-15)

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Happy Father's Day.png

Submitted by Andy McIlvain.

Ephesians 3:14-15

As men, as fathers our model is God the Father.

A good Father is a miracle formed by God. No man has the necessary gifts, strength, and determination to love a woman and their children in a way that happily and selflessly sacrifices for their needs and consistently leads them to Christlikeness.

Many of us grew up with fathers that did not lead their children to God and his love; instead they thoughtlessly and selfishly provoked us to discouragement and anger. Continue reading →

The Old Songs (Ephesians 5:19)

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The Old Songs.png

Submitted by Andy McIlvain. 

Ephesians 5:19

I am not gifted in music, but it punctuates my life in many ways. I hear a song, and it evokes deep memories and associations of times past, whether it be Bach, the band Chicago, or country. Continue reading →

Little Decisions = Force Multipliers (Ephesians 6:12)

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little-decisions.png

Submitted by Andy McIlvain.

Ephesians 6:12

 

One of my previous experiences in life was in the U.S Army as an illustrator for the 4th Psychological Operations Group, 8th Psyops Battalion located at Fort Bragg, N.C., part of the newly formed (at that time) 1st Special Operations Command. Our area of operation was the Middle East. This was in the mid 1980’s, which was a very different world than it is today.
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Prayer that Makes a Difference (Ephesians 6:18-20)

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Prayer the Makes a Difference

Ephesians 6:18-20

The alarm goes off. You bathe, brush your teeth, and get dressed. If you have kids, you get them up and going and eat breakfast. You get into your car and drive to work, maybe you turn on the radio. Continue reading →

All God’s People Have a Position on the Field (Ephesians 4:7-13)

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faith filled Eagles

Ephesians 4:7-13

An estimated 103.4 million people tuned in to watch Super Bowl LII. While the game afforded an exciting opportunity to see an underdog accomplish the unthinkable, it did point out a humorous absurdity about the sporting event phenomenon. Over 100 million people, many of whom were desperately in need of exercise, watched 22 men on a field, many of whom were desperately in need of rest. While such participation is understandable for a sporting event, may it never be so in Christ’s Body, the Church. Continue reading →

Conceiving the Inconceivable

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Inconcievable

Ephesians 3:18-19

There is an old illustration from mathematics that goes like this: “The wider the diameter of light, the greater the circumference of darkness.” The more a person knows about something, the more they discover just how much they do not know about it. Continue reading →