The Fall of Rome (Ephesians 6)

The Fall of Rome (Ephesians 6)

Ephesians 6.10-11 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. [nkjv]

The Roman Empire was one of the most powerful and influential in human history. At its territorial peak, it controlled approximately 6,500,000 square kilometers of land surface. In fact, Roman influence on language, religion, architecture, philosophy, law and government are still evident today all around the globe.

One of the strengths of the Roman Empire was its military. The Roman army was highly structured and one of the most disciplined military organizations ever. Soldiers trained daily. The threat of severe punishment was used to keep order in the ranks. Minor punishments included the reduction of a soldier's food ration, while corporal punishment and execution was used for more serious offenses such as falling asleep on duty or leaving your post during a battle.

But this vast empire met its downfall. Although there are many contributing factors as to why this happened, most historians agree that Rome brought about her own demise.

Having conquered the world, soldiers became more relaxed and stopped their daily exercises and training. They convinced their officers that their weapons were too heavy and so the sword and shield were put aside. Eventually the neighboring Goths and Huns attacked and the once powerful Roman army was easily overwhelmed.

As Christians, we are in a fight and our adversary is the devil. It's a spiritual battle. To be victorious Paul is telling us that there are two things we need to do; we need to be strong in the Lord and we must put on the whole armour of God.

It's not enough to just do one without the other. If you take a weak man and put him in the best armour, he will still fall. And if you take a strong man and give him little armour, he is exposed and vulnerable.

The Amplified Bible says that to be strong in the Lord is to 'be empowered through our union with Him'. This 'union' is crucial. Our strength in battle is directly related to the strength of our relationship with God. We need to ensure that we don't neglect doing those things which help build that relationship. Things like prayer and reading God's Word.

Just like the Roman soldiers, when we relax and stop our daily disciplines, we put ourselves in a dangerous position. The attack may not come straight away but it is inevitable. The question I ask myself is, if the enemy launched an attack on my life today, would I stand or would I fall?

Read more »

Lionheart! (Ephesians 5)

Lionheart! (Ephesians 5)

Ephesians 5.18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit [nkjv]

Jesse Martin was just 18 years old when he became the youngest solo yachtsman to sail non-stop around the globe. Sailing in his 11-metre sloop, named 'Lionheart', the trip covered 50,000 kms and took 328 days to complete. To Jesse, the dream of sailing was perfect weather, with a nice breeze pushing you along so you can just be steering the boat. His dream of sailing the globe became an adventure of a lifetime and an inspiration to many.

Paul tells us in this verse to be filled with the Spirit. Immediately my mind pictures someone pouring water into a glass until it is filled to the brim. Having grown up in Pentecostal circles, we are told constantly to lift up our hands and be filled with the Holy Spirit. But in thinking about it, once the glass is full, then what? It can't get any fuller, unless of course some spills over the sides.

The picture Paul is trying to paint for us is not a glass being filled but rather of a sail on a ship catching the wind. As the sail is hoisted up, it fills with wind, propelling the boat forward. To me one of the most amazing signs of a Spirit filled life is the ability to move forward in the journey. We are not meant to stand still. A Spirit filled life is not a stationary one. There is movement and energy associated with it.

Just like young Jesse discovered, a boat with wind in its sails can lead to all sorts of adventure and will be an inspiration to many.

Read more »

Signs of the Times! (Ephesians 4)

Signs of the Times! (Ephesians 4)

**Please welcome Dom who is guest blogging today's s2s post

Ephesians 4:17 So I tell you this, I insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. [niv]

As Christians we know from the Bible that we are not meant to conform to the culture we live in. We're not meant to be like the other people who don't live for Christ. We're meant to be different. It's hard though, we are children of the culture we live in. We are completely wrapped up in it, completely dependent on it, right from birth.

We're told not to live as Gentiles do, which is to say, those who don't know Christ and worship him. It's a hard task, a very broad task, a task that seems hard to start. Fortunately for us Paul gives us a great sign post; "in the futility of their thinking."

As Christians we have Christ in our hearts. We live in His power. We thrive in His power. We glow with His power. We don't have to think futile thoughts like "I can't, it's too hard." If we are walking in Christ, we can! We are empowered by Him to live large, active, exciting, joyous lives. We are told to go out and be adventurous, take risks, fall over, knowing that our Saviour will pick us up again, stronger, healthier more vital than before.

Don't be caught thinking you're not big enough, strong enough or clever enough. You've got the Creator of the universe on your side, backing you up. With that, there's nothing you can't do. Don't think there's no hope, you have hope in Christ. Don't think you're not good enough, you're washed by the blood of the Lamb.

Futile, hopeless thoughts are the domain of people who don't know Christ. For us, we have hope, joy and love eternal, right from the top.

Read more »

A Place to Call Home! (Ephesians 3)

A Place to Call Home! (Ephesians 3)

Ephesians 3.17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love... [nkjv]

In June 2003, Cindy Kennedy was traveling on a bus in Nepal when she read a newspaper article about a 6-year old girl, Lalita, living in a prison with her father and his girlfriend. The two adults had murdered Lalita's mother. Kennedy had arrived in Nepal just 10 days earlier to begin the final stages of setting up Namaste House, an orphanage for Nepali children.

"I had sat here (in the United States) for years reading the internet news and not being able to do anything," says Kennedy. "So now that I was there, in Nepal, we had to go get this girl!"

Kennedy and a Nepali colleague got on another hot crowded bus the next day and travelled 13 hours to the prison where Lalita had been living for nine months. For five days Kennedy patiently tolerated what she calls "a lot of bureaucracy and hurry-up-and-wait." But Lalita was ultimately released. She became the first child to find a home at Namaste House.

Today 27 children, ages 3-12, live at Namaste House. Even though each has a unique story, they all have a common thread of hardship, abandonment and neglect. And despite the difficulties they have had to endure at such an early age, they now not only have a mother's love but also a permanent place to call home. They have been given a gift which will change them forever.

Paul's prayer is this verse is that "Christ would dwell in our heart." The word 'dwell' conveys the idea 'finding a permanent home.' Jesus is not looking for a holiday house where He can come and visit but rather He is wanting to set up permanent residency in our hearts.

If we truly understood the implications of this, just like the children at Namaste House, our lives will never be the same again.

Read more »

Seven Pounds (Ephesians 2)

Seven Pounds (Ephesians 2)

Ephesians 2.4-5 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved) [nkjv]

I recently watched the movie Seven Pounds. Will Smith plays a mysterious man who calls himself Ben and who spends all his time looking for strangers who need help, people dealing with illnesses, or in financial troubles or caught in abusive relationships. As selfless as that sounds, he has a personal reason for helping these people (don't read on if you intend to see the movie!)

Ben is trying to atone for his past. One night, in a moment of distraction, he caused a car accident which took the lives of seven people, including his own fiancee. Burdened by the guilt of this night, he goes to great lengths to find seven deserving people and help them, even if it costs him everything.

This film could have had a very different ending had Ben read Ephesians. We have all sinned. If God hadn't intervened we would been doomed to carry the guilt of our failures with us all through life. Yet God, so rich in mercy, because of His great love for us, even when we were lost in sin, made a way for us through His Son Jesus.

God offers to all of us His gift of grace, but we need to accept it. Like Ben, so many of us acknowledge our failures, and even realise just how undeserving we are. But the real tragedy is that many stop there. Instead of surrendering to God and receiving His gift of grace by faith, many try in their own strength to deal with the guilt, the shame and the hurt.

Some, like Ben, try to earn their redemption through good deeds rather than receive it by faith. At the end of it all, the peace that we are so desperately looking for, is only found in Jesus.

If we are willing to accept it.

Read more »

A Cinderella Moment! (Ephesians 1)

A Cinderella Moment! (Ephesians 1)

Ephesians 1.5 Long before He laid down earth's foundations, He had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of His love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago He decided to adopt us into His family through Jesus Christ. What pleasure He took in planning this! [msg]

After leading worship at Beijing International Christian Fellowship on Easter Sunday in April 2004, Steven Curtis Chapman left through the back door and ran into some missionaries who let him hold one of their Chinese babies. When Steven asked if she was theirs, they said no, but they were trying to find a home for her. He asked, "What is her name?" They said, "Maria". Immediately, a song Steven wrote years ago, called, "Who's Gonna Love Maria," started playing in his head. Steven couldn't believe the coincidence of her name, and was shaken to the core. When thinking about this, he broke down crying and called his wife, Mary Beth, explaining the strong connection he made with this little girl named Maria.

Steven couldn't get Maria of his mind, but he certainly had not planned to adopt another child. Because Maria was a special needs child and was already placed with an agency in a special needs program, Steven thought maybe they were just supposed to help her find a home. But when he returned to the states, Mary Beth already had the paperwork out and said, "I think we're supposed to go and get Maria."

The pieces fell into place, and a couple months after Steven first met Maria in Beijing, he once again returned to China to pick up Maria Sue Chapman. She had a heart condition which classified her as "special needs", but the Chapmans have a different idea regarding why she was special: she was theirs. Before they completed the adoption, she was re-diagnosed as being healthy, and her healthy heart began to constantly overflow into the hearts of those around her. As the youngest of the family, she was certainly a handful, but Steven and Mary Beth knew that their family would never have been complete without her.

For four years, the Chapmans grew together, through laughter and tears, joy and pain. Steven Curtis Chapman has sold more than 10 million albums, has had dozens of No. 1 Christian radio hits, and has won more than 50 Dove Awards, exceeding any other individual artist. Yet he would much rather talk about his family or his work with adoptions and orphans. In addition, they have seen the ministry they founded, Shaohannah's Hope, help over 1,600 waiting orphans find their forever families, raise awareness and champion adoption and orphan care in spheres throughout the secular and Christian arenas, and begin projects such as the home in Luoyang, China, that will care for special needs children.

Throughout it all, Maria has been the beloved youngest daughter in the Chapman clan. Quick to greet you with a big smile, and the first to throw up the "rock fingers" for a little bit of sass. She was also one of the two inspirations behind Steven's hit, "Cinderella". Boisterous and full of life, she loved flowers, ladybugs, birds, anything with wings, coloring, washing dishes, playing make-believe, the color pink, being "butt-naked", water, and her family. Her life was a picture of God's beauty; her adoption was a picture of God's love. Her family certainly loved her, and through the love of her family, she became beloved by the entire world.

On 21st May 2008, in what local authorities termed 'a horrible tragedy', Maria was accidently struck down by a car driven by one of her teenage brothers as he was backing out of the family driveway. She was rushed to hospital but passed away later that day. Over the last year the family have been healing but found great peace in the thought that Maria's eternal adoption was at last finalized on that day, as her Heavenly Father took her home to be with Him.

Just like the Chapmans opened their hearts and home to one poor little girl from China, God has also done the same for us. Through Jesus, we have been adopted into His family as one of His precious children.

According to Roman law, the person who had been adopted had all the same rights as a legitimate child in that family and lost all rights to their old family. All debts and obligations connected with their previous family were abolished as if they had never existed!

This is an amazing picture of what God has done for us through Jesus. He is now our Father and we are His children, free from all that previously held us captive. When the reality of this sinks in, our life will never be the same again.

Read more »