Ephesians 1:1a

A thought that has stuck with me from God's Ultimate Purpose by D. Martin Lloyd Jones on the First chapter of the book of Ephesians is this: when I approach God, think about God, or attempt to serve God whom do I think of first? Do I start with myself and move upwards to heaven and seek God or do I start with my eyes toward heaven and descend upon myself?
What's the difference?
The difference is also the main theme of the Epistle; it is the majesty and glory of God. It is seeing God as sovereign.
Ephesians 1:1a ESV

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,

Paul has barely begun to write and he is acknowledging that he is writing not of his own will but "by the will of God."
Lloyd-Jones' God's Ultimate Purpose was copyrighted back in 1978 and what he had to say about the importance of how one comes to the reading of God's Word is just as significant today. He says,

The Bible is God's book, it is a revelation of God, and our thinking must always start with God. Much of the trouble in the Church today is due to the fact that we are so subjective, so interested in ourselves, so egocentric (Lloyd-Jones 13).

And further on he says,

We must not start with ourselves and then ascend to God; we must start with the sovereignty of God, God over all, and then come down to ourselves (Lloyd-Jones 14 {emphasis mine}).

Seeing God as sovereign means that I also accept that there is a mystery to the ways of God. In verse 9, Paul spells out that Jews and Gentiles being united under the redemptive work of Christ was a mystery to them for ages. Even though it was revealed to the prophets and apostles by the Spirit, Paul was now at liberty to proclaim that this mystery was now known!
So why is this mystery important in how I view God?
Again, it is because I must view God as majestic and sovereign. God's ways are still a mystery to me, and I must start with my eyes on Him and His greatness. I must recognize that He alone is God over all and I should not dare to think that with my finite, sinful mind I could ever fully understand the will and ways of God.

But take heart and be comforted with me as I unpack this, that starting with a view of God and His sovereignty is a fertile ground for faith and trust to grow...and soon we read {verse 7} of the "riches of his grace."

Face to face with Ephesians

I've had to come face-to-face with Ephesians over the past couple of months. I didn't realize it for a long time that God was leading me to this point of deeper study. He is such a gentleman. I hope you know that quality of His love for you too.
So a brief history of how I came to this point and then a purpose statement:
It is difficult for me to pinpoint the very first encounter with Ephesians {and by encounter I mean, indicators/desires for this deeper study}, but the first that I remember was when I picked up this book:  I love the Church of Jesus Christ. The bride. I want to do anything and everything I can to build up the body of Christ.
So I dig into the letters to Timothy.
Then I stumble upon this message by Matt Chandler On church in Ephesus which I actually posted here back in June. After listening to this teaching, I couldn't stop marveling at the wonderful interlacing of the New Testament. Paul at Ephesus in Acts, his letter to the Ephesians, his letters to Timothy {pastor of the Ephesian church}, and John's letters {elder in the Ephesian church} with a major mention of the church in Revelation. I mean wow that is a lot of the New Testament focus. I began to realize that I wanted to know and understand more and more about this church. What was God trying to say to that church? How is church today similar to this church in both good and bad ways?
Another encounter, or encouragement if you will, with this book came from my dear mentor and friend Joe Ann Shelton. She challenged me to find D.M. Lloyd-Jones' Exposition of Ephesians.
And the very next day another dear friend and mentor said the Lord pressed Ephesians into her heart with regards to sharing some specific encouragement to me.
By this time my eyes were opened wide and I still find myself in wonder and awe at the love of God in how He is directing me so clearly.
Now, all that being said, I do not know what the end of this journey looks like. I do not have a 6 part goal in mind. And I don't know why I feel like I should include you {other than to be a possible encouragement, and for the accountability}. So there in lies the purpose: it is simply to deeply study God's Word & the Ephesian church.
And so begins the journey...

WARNING:: I'm Preparing to Make a Change

To whom it may concern:
I'm writing to inform you that I will soon be deleting my facebook account and to encourage you to follow my blog here if you've enjoyed it in the past. Also, if you are following this blog, I hope you will soon be encouraged by more consistent posts on a project I'm working on...I haven't decided on what to officially call it yet...so I will leave you with a little suspense.
Sincerely,
Cara Thompson