Forge Church

Having taught the Ephesians concerning the House Law thatt Holy Spirit was implanting into the churches regarding husbands, wives, slaves, master, parents and children, Paul concludes his Epistle by introducing, by Holy Spirit, his cosmology, his knowledge of the demonic forces arrayed against the churches of Asia Minor. He urges the new believers to "arm up" to resist Satan and to stand, using the armor of God.

Pau; laid out the "House Law" for husbands an wives, and now turns to Parents and children, and masters and slaves. All the above were in the house churches scattered throughout Asia Minor. Children were to obey their parents, an honor them, while Fathers took responsibility for them. Slaves were to relate to Masters even as they trusted Christ. Masters, likewise, were to trust Christ, give up threatening, an be godly owners.

Paul chose to set the controlling verb of this section in v. 21 "be being in submission to one another, in the fear of Christ." That pours over into his teaching to husbands and wives. The order is the reverse, but the weight of instruction falls mostly on husbands. Paul has changed his outlook on marriage from 9 years previous in 1 Cor. 7, to the point where he must apostically address the exploding churches in Asia Minor regarding God's "house law."

Paul is concluding his teaching to the churches of Asia Minor by way of his circular Epistle to the Ephesians. He urges them to Walk in Light and not partner with darkness. Further, he turns to teaching them about wisdom, not folly, as they follow Jesus as Lord. He concludes with commands concerning drunkenness vs. being filled with Holy Spirit, the singing of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to one another as evidence of that filling, and the giving of thanks.

Paul commands that each and every Believer strive to become an imitator of Christ. Then, he turns to issue of the immorality that saturate the Gentile culture, and made its way into the churches with the new converts. He commands that immorality, impurity, and greed not even be named among the believers. At the root of much immorality is idolatry, which takes away the access to the Kingdom of God.

Paul shifts from his instructions to the new Gentile converts and begins to address general needs in the churches scattered over Asia Minor. He begins with teaching about anger and its necessity and its bitter hook of sin. Then he moves on to a lifestyle of thievery, teaching radical Gospel correction, and finally to the command to not grieve the Holy Spirit.

Paul urges the new Gentile converts to lay down their old, tattered wardrobe of blindness, hard hearts, and recklessness, and take up the new wardrobe of life which has been taught to them by Christ, and have their minds renewed. Neither of those two take place once and for all....it is a daily laying down of the old and putting on of the new.

Today, Isaac, a young man whom I have known all his life will teach us from Ephesian 4 about the 5 fold ministry that is gifted from God to help lead and unify the Body of Christ. Paul is urging the new Gentile converts to accept the graced gifts from God so that the unity of the Body is clearly evident, and godly leadership sets righteous boundaries.

Paul writes from house prisoner Rome to the new Gentile believers, urging them to walk worthy of their being called out from eternity past, adopted as sons and daughters, and made into one new race. This "worthy" walk focus on humility, gentleness, and forbearance with one another. The power to do so is drawn from the the one faith, one hope, one baptism in Christ, made possible by the One God who is in all, overall, and through all.

Paul prays for 3 specific blessings to come to the new believers who are part of the Third Race....the Church made out of the converted Jews and Gentiles, together. The prayer is for strength, for love, and fullness of God, poured out for them. At the end of the passage, Pul shifts from doctrine to doxology, from theology to high praise.

Paul takes a side journey in v. 2 after he begins to pray for the Gentile believers in v. 1 This parenthesis goes through verse 13. He wants the Gentile to know that he is imprisoned in Rome because of his ministry to them, but it is Jesus Christ who holds the key. Paul wants his new Brothers and Sisters in Christ to understand that God planned their conversion before time began, planned the filling up of the Church with Jew and Gentile as well. And with those plans come great spiritual riches.

Paul continues to teach the Gentiles that though they were one far off from God, alienated from His revelation to the Jew, NOW through the blood of Christ, they are brought near, He, God Himself, has made a third race of Born-Again Jew and Gentile believers. He, by the blood of Jesus removed the dividing wall of bitterness and death between Jew and Gentile, and made those converts "living stones" in the new Temple that Holy Spirit is building to house the very presence of God.

Paul want to be sure the new believers in Asia Minor know where they came from before they came to Christ. It was spiritual death. Then he follows up with the power of God that raised them to life with Christ, and seated them with Him in the Heavenlies. Mercy opened the door, grace was a free gift, and faith (belief plus trust) drew that free gift into the spirits and souls of the new believers. Paul finishes with the reality that God created us with His workmanship, and set us on a path of good works in His Name.

Paul, in this section of Chapter 1, adds 3 prayers for the Brothers and Sisters who are to receive the circular letter, routed through Ephesus. He prays for them to have the eyes of their heart enlightened, that they discover the immense value that Father God places on them as His inheritance, and that they would be introduced to the awesome power of God that is extended on their behalf. That power resurrected Jesus from the grave, and set Him at the right hand of the Father, with authority over all.

In the first 14 verses, Paul celebrates his being made apostle to the Gentiles; he celebrates God's choosing us out before time began; he celebrates God's adoption of those he called out; he celebrates the redemption of all sinners who choose Jesus as Savior, and he celebrates the praise lifted to God.

This is an introduction to the life and city of the Ephesians, dominated by the temple of Artemis (or Diana). "Sacred prostitution, banking for the city, and being know as the protector of Ephesus, Artemis was a goddess whose temple was 4X the size of the Parthenon in Athens. Paul the Apostle came to proclaim the Risen Saviour to the Synagogues, and when rejected, he took over the School of Tyrranus to teach and disciple, reaching out too all of Asia Minor with the gospel message.

The LORD God had His prophet deliver the dire warning of "Yet 40 Days and Nineveh will be destoyed," but the people of the city repented of their wickedness and violence. The LORD God relented on His warning of destruction. Jonah was blazing angry, seeing God's hoice of mercy as evil. God asked Jonah if he had a right to be angry, and Jonah assured God that he was right in his hatred of the 120,000 souls in Nineveh. Jonah went out of the city and sat under a structure he built to watch for the fate of the City. The LORD appointed a plant, a worm, and a wind, all to get Jonah's attention.

Jonah obeys the LORD and goes to Nineveh to deliver God's message to the Assyrian city. One day's preaching results in the cities conviction for their wickedness and violence. They Assyrians set themself to fast and wear sackcloth, even the king.The cry from the city that had arisen before the LORD has changed, and He rescinds His judgment.

We begin this time with the LORD instructing the great fish to vomit up the prophet Jonah on dry land. Immediately following this, the LORD commissions Jonah to go the Ninevah, the second time. Then the Psalm of Jonah follows, cross referencing some 20 Psalms, but the prophet blames God for his circumstances. When he prays, he does not pray to the LORD in heaven, but to the Temple in Jerusalem, the only place he can conceive God's presence dwelling.

The prophet Jonah was commissioned to travel 550 miles to Ninevah, a mighty city in the Assyrian Empire, and proclaim to that city the coming judgment of Yahweh.Instead, Jonah fled to Joppa, chartered a ship, and went down into the hold as it departed for Tarshish, on the coast of Spain. A huge wind rose up and threatened to break the ship. The sailors cried out to their gods, threw the cargo overboard to lighten the ship, and finally desperately tried to row for the shore. Ultimately, they cried out to Jonah's God, Yahweh Elohim, before casting Jonah into the sea. The storm ceased immediately, and terrified the sailors.

Jonah was a prophet of Yahweh in the nation of Israel, after the 10 tribes split off of Judah, and worshipped the gold calf idols in Hebron and Dan. God's message was to Ninevah, in Assyria, one of Israel's enemies, that had made Israel a vassal nation. We all know the plot line for Jonah, but let's press in to Holy Spirit for what lies behind the plot.

Paul finishes his epistle to Timothy, and through him, to the Ephesian churches, with exhortations to Timothy to flee the false teachings and passion for quick wealth, while pursuing righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. Then Paul turns to Timothy and imparts a title, "Man of God," on him while urging him to fight the good fight of faith. Then he addresses those in the churches that have wealth, and how to use it. He closes with "Grace be with you" to Timothy.

Paul addresses Timothy with the needs in the churches of Ephesus brought about by slaves and masters in the congregations. He then shifts over to pointing out a further set of errors by the false teaachers, this time in relationship to financial greed.

Paul is instructing Timothy, by Holy Spirit, regarding Church Discipline in the churches of Ephesus. Those Elders who lead well, teach the Word of God with passion and clarity, are due the double honor of financial support and honor for their position. Those elders charged with sin are to be accosted by two or three witnesses to clarify the events leading up to the accusation. If they repent, so be it. If they will not, they are to be rebuked in public. Paul urges Timothy to take great are of his own life, land to not lay hands quickly on repentant church folk.

Paul's words to Timothy about caring for the many widows in the churches of Ephesus laid down principles for the church for the next 2000 years. A widow could not inherit her husbands estate, and that put her before her family, threw her into the marketplace to make a living, or into destitution. Paul lays out categories of need to help Timothy and leaders discern how to care for those most vulnerable in the churches.

Paul turns from dealing with the issue of false teachings, to charging Timothy how to minister to leaders of the house churches and their groups as a pastor and overseer in the midst of confusion and persecution. Those wisdom words apply to us as well.

Verse 16 of Chapter 3 probably should be the first verse of Chapter 4. In that verse, Paul records the elements of the mystery of godliness, that mystery that was hidden until the coming of Christ. In six lines, Paul lays out the essence of the life of the Risen Messiah. In chapter 4, he launches into instructions to Timothy regarding the core false teachings that were plaguing the house churches Timothy was pastoring.

Paul continues to instruct Timothy how the house churches of Ephesus are to be led. Qualifying men and women will have met the list of 15 qualifications that are here in Chapter 3. The problems that arise is that translation committees that help publish English language Bibles have chosen to trust other English translations over the Greek Text of Chapter 3. Here is a treatment of the text that is faithful to the Greek manuscripts.

The Apostle Paul is instructing Timothy how to lead in times of persecution and confusion. Pau, with a fatherly, gentle manner, tells the women in the house churches in Ephesus that they too are to pray, to dress so as not to draw attention to themselves, to sit quietly and learn all they can, at that time. Further, Adam was created first, and sets the stage for men in the churches to lead and protect the women. Women's salvation (SOZO) does not come from their fecundity, but from THE child-bearing of the Messiah, through whom men and women are saved.

The Apostle Paul tells Timothy where to start....with prayer! Then he lays out 4 distinct prayer forms, which together please the Lord God. The hook in praying for all men is that Timothy is to pray for Nero, and all others in authority. Nero has launched a genocidal plan to remove Christians from the earth. Paul says: Pray for him, because God wants all mankind to come to the knowledge of the truth and repent.

Pau begins with his own testimony of savage sins against the church, and his experience of God's mercy and grace, knowing that Timothy needs those words to be strengthened to pastor the house churches in Ephesus. Paul commands Timothy to draw on the prophecies spoken over him, and his faith and good conscience to campaign against false teaching and false teachers. Paul give an example of how church discipline works.

How does the blood of Jesus, which was spilled in 11+ places as he moved towards the cross, relate to the resurrection that we celebrate on Easter? Enter into heaven's shout!

Why was Jesus of Nazareth on the road down the Mount of Olives towards Jerusalem on the first Day of the week before Passover, in AD 32? The olt of a donkey that he rode was not a war horse, but the Passage in Zechariah 9 says he was there as the son Of David, representing a Kingdom that the crowd did not recognize. Even while he was fulfilling prophecy, he was viewed as disposable and hated.

Timothy, whose name means "he who honors God" had been with Paul on Missions Journeys for 12 years, when Paul urged him to stay behind in Ephesus, to pastor the house churches. Quickly, Paul wrote a letter to Timothy, with his directives on how to deal with false teaches and false doctrines. Paul then laid out the reason the Law Of Moses was set in place so that those who rejected God would have a mirror to see their desperate state.

As we begin to study 1st Timothy, we need to remember that Timothy had been a faithful ministry partner with Paul through his missionary journeys in Asia and in Macedonia, Corinth, and Rome. When Paul asks Timothy to remain in Ephesus to shepherd the Church and confront false teachers, Paul knows that Holy Spirit made Timothy adequate for that assignment. We are about to be infused with that Holy Spirit adequacy as we study under Paul's encouragement, for our individual assignments.

Daniel 10, 11, & 12 are a unit, with the same Angel speaking to Daniel. Here in Chapter 12, there is the statement that great suffering is coming to Israel, greater than at any time since thy became a nation. But, the Archangel Michael will stand up and fight for them. Daniel is told of a coming rescue for his people. and a resurrection from the dead for the righteous as well as the wicked. He is instructed to seal up the prophecy and keep it until the end of days. The 3 1/2 year prophecy is repeated out of the mouth of the pre-Incarnate Messiah, who swears an oath by the Living God that the prophecy is true.

Daniel 11 is filled with 135 fulfilled prophecies from the time of Cyrus to the time of Antiochus Epiphanes. Those are followed by more prophecies of the rise of the "little horn," the Anti-Christ, who will defeat the King of the North and the King of the South and their forces.All this was spoken by an Angel to Daniel that he might know the future of his people, Israel.

Daniel is standing by the Tigris River when confronted by a Theophany, an appearance of the pre-incarnate Christ. He is dropped to the ground, but lifted by a Messenger angel sent from the LORD to inform Daniel of what his vision about future warfare meant. The Messenger from God had been in battle for 3 weeks with the prince of Persia, a fallen angel, who resisted God in all ways. Finally, Michael, the archangel came to war with the prince of Persia and got the messenger released. Chapter 10 is the introduction to the Chapters 10-11-12 unit.

Chapter 9 of Daniel has 2 parts. The first is a radical repentance led by Daniel for the sins and rebellion of Judah and Israell against Yahweh. AS he begins to pray, God sends Gideon with His answers for Daniel. The summary of what is coming is God's plan to finish transgression, to make an end to sin, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up prophecy and vision, and to anoint the most Holy. The last 3 are yet to come. Then Gabriel lays out the 70 weeks of years.

Old Testament Prophets would present a long term prophecy and a short term prophecy. Here in Chapter 8 of Daniel, he is given two short term prophecies to confirm the long term prophecy of chapter 7. He sees the destruction of the Persian Empire, and the four kingdoms that will take what Alexander's Greek Empire won. One of those four would see a figure rise that abuses the Jews, blasphemes God, and dies. Antiochus IV Epiphanes prefigures the little horn of chapter 7, the Anti-Christ.

As Belshazzar started to reign, Daniel received a dream very like the dream of Nebuchadnezzar with the figure made of metals. The dream of Daniel revealed 4 beast that rise from the earth, directly paralleling Nebuchadnezzar's dream. It is the 4th beast with 10 horns that troubles Daniel. Another horn rises on the head of the 4th beast with eyes like a human and a mouth that speaks great blasphemies against God. Daniel watches the rise of this evil leader and his demise. The Messiah, the Son Of Man is introduced, and shows that he will be coronated and give a kingdom. Daniel keeps all these scenes private to ponder and wonder over.

Daniel was named one of three "commissioners" to oversee all trade and taxation in the Persian Empire by King Darius, knowing that the Persian world was rife with corruption and greed. Daniel did such an exemplary job that the King planned to elevate him to the role of Prime Minister. The other two commissioners and many local satraps conspired to pull Daniel down from leadership. They got Darius to sign into law a 30 day rule that all prayer and petition had to be mediated through the King, or individuals would be thrown into the pit of lions. Daniel prayed to God Most High, and was caught, and was cast into the pit to be executed. God sent an angel to shut the mouths of lions. The King was astonished, ruled that the God of Daniel was to be honored.

King Belshazzar sets a feast for 1000 of his nobles that have fled into Babylon ahead of the encroached Medo-Persian Armies. The King orders the gold and silver goblets taken from Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem to be used in the orgy. Suddenly, a hand appears and writes 4 words on the wall. The King is terrified, his magicians fail to read or interpret the words. Daniel is summoned to the room to read and interpret the handwriting on the wall. Bottom line, Belshazzar has been weighed int he balances and found wanting. He will die at the hand of Medo-Persian warriors that very night for defying Yahweh, and living a profligate life.

King Nebuchadnezzar was awakened from a troubling dream. He called for his court magicians to come interpret the dream. When they failed, Daniel arrived, but he was appalled at the interpretation that God revealed to him. The King was about to be struck down, with loss of his mind, to live as an ox for 7 years. Then Nebuchadnezzar would lift his eyes to heaven and acknowledge God Most High.

Ten years after Nebuchadnezzar had installed Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah to his court, there was a rebellion in the Empire. After the revolt was suppressed, Nebuchadnezzar raised a 90 foot tall idol, and summoned all the Empire's infrastructure to come for a loyalty check. The thousands who came were to bow to the ground in front of the idol and the King. Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah did not bow, and were dragged before the King. When they refused to bow, they were bound and thrown into a super-heated furnace. They were seen by the King as they walked about in the fire with a 4th figure. When the came from the furnace, there was not even the scent of smoke on their clothes. Nebuchadnezzar gave credit to God Most High.

King Nebuchadnezar had a disturbing dream and sleep left him. He summoned his magicians, enchanters, conjurers, and astrologers to read back to him his dream, and interpret it. Great rewards were offered, but if they could not solve the dream puzzle, they would be executed. His "conjuring crowd" rejected his demand, saying it could only be done by a god. They were consigned to execution. Daniel discovers that he, too, is condemned. He prays with his friends to Adonai, Sovereign God, and receives an identical dream. He plays all that back to Nebuchadnezzar, and is rewarded.

Daniel, of the Royal house of Judah, is taken captive and placed in the School Of Babylon...to equip him to be one of the king's counselors. He is given meals from the king's table, but as an observant Jew, those foods were unclean AND dedicated to Babylonian gods. Daniel asks that he and his 3 friends be given vegetables and water as a test. The four youths from Judah shone when put up against the other international students in the School of Babylon after 10 days trial. Further, the four of them excelled to the point of being the best of the class, and were placed as king's counselors.

The book of Daniel displays the providence and sovereignty of God even over his people of Judah who were sent into captivity to Babylon. God raises up Daniel to discover that the length of the captivity was limited to 70 years. Daniel also was part of the manifestation of miracles of Yahweh to the court of Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel received astounding prophetic downloads about future nations, and the coming of the Son of Man, Jesus Christ.

Paul begins this passage by saying he and his missions team are working together with God. He continues with what his apostolic ministry has experienced, and the resources from heaven that have carried him forward. In all of that, he displays holiness. Given that he is writing to the Corinthian Ekklesias, and to us, we, too, are called to demonstrate holiness.

Paul began v. 18 of Chapter 5 with the words "now all thise things are from God." He is reflecting back to the list of characteristics of the New Covenant Ministry that began in Chapter 2:14. This amazing list has created a ministry platform for Corinthian believer and for us. From that platform, we proclaim the ministry of restoring mankind to a face to face meeting with God. Paul mantles the Corinthians and us as ambassadors in Christ, and then points out that Christ was a moral miracle.

Paul begins this section with a reference to the fear of the LORD. Looking back, that ties in with the Judgment Seat of Christ, but there will be awe, reverence, wonder, and fear....not terror. Then he shifts to speak concerning those who oppose him, and their focus on "face."The New Covenant Ministry focuses on the heart. There were those who opposed Paul who thought he was crazy. Paul locks in his high doctrine of Christ with the statement "One died for all, therefore all died." And beyond that, old things have been dropped and left, and we are new creations in Christ.