In Paul's letter to the Ephesians we get a bit of a grasp on the work of God in our lives. We learn the perspective God has on us and the perspective we typically have are quite different. We are creatures given to the here and now. We tend to forget there has been a past to this world we live in. Out of our ignorance of the past we tend to repeat the same mistakes as those who lived before us. The mistakes we make are both in our external actions and our internal perceptions of life. We tend to lose our bearings when life gets difficult. It feels like everything is careening out of control. We wonder if anyone is in control of this world and if there could possibly be any purpose to what we are going through.

You must remember that the Bible is not some book full of religious potients to make your life easier. It is God's book of revelation to humanity to inform us as to what He is up to and how we can come to know Him. When Paul wrote to the Ephesisans he was writing to normal everyday people like you and me. They simply lived in a different time and place. They faced all the struggles of humanity that we do. They needed to know if their lives had a purpose.

One thing we learn from this letter is that God does indeed have a purpose and it comes right into your living room. Just take a quick look at the book. In chapter one you will find that God formed His plan for you from before time began. That would be pretty long ago. Makes me think He really is interested in you. The language used expresses that God is quite generous in what He does for His children. What strikes me as interesting about the book however is that God begins before time with His eternal purpose in Christ for all creation but then works His way through Paul's pen to tell us that His plan is so powerful and particular that it affects how we live at home. Go ahead, read the book and see if it is not true. Now that is amazing. What God determined from before the world He has now worked out by His powerful call on my life. This call of His is so effective that it gives me, through His Spirit, the ability to be and do all the things He ask of me in this letter. That means if God has told me to be a certain kind of husband at home, He is with me to enable me to live out this calling. Does life have a purpose? I'd say so!

Interesting isn't it how close God actually is and yet our eyes of faith so obstructed at times that we can hardly see Him and the whole time He is in your living room with you.


Tony

Calvinism in Southern Baptist Life

Doctrine is one of those good words in the Christian vocabulary that's gotten a bad deal. The word doctrine simply means "teaching." In one sense, every word that came out of Jesus' mouth and from the Apostles' pens was doctrine.

Doctrine is not a boring subject that is only for the halls of academia. It is for the everyday believer like you and me. There is a current "fuss" in the Southern Baptist Convention about a particular view and its place in Baptist life. The doctrinal view is called Calvinism, named after the 16th century theologian John Calvin.

So that we can stay aware of what is going on in our convention and so we can grow in our doctrinal understanding, Dr. Tom Nettles and I will co-teach a six week series on Calvinism in Southern Baptist Life. This will be a great opportunity to learn to listen intently to God as He speaks to us through His Word and develop good clear Biblical thinking.

The seminar will be held on the following dates in the evenings at 6:30 PM:

• Wednesday, January 23: Historical Overview
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• Sunday, January 27: Total Depravity (1)
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• Wednesday, January 30: Unconditional Election
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• Wednesday, February 6: Perseverance of the Saints
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• Sunday, February 10: Limited Atonement (1)
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• Sunday, February 17: Limited Atonement (2)
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• Sunday, March 9: Total Depravity (2)
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• Sunday, March 16: Irresistible Grace
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To download these messages, right click "Download" and select "Save Target As..." or "Save Link As..."

Notes:

• The Absolute Need for Grace
• The Earthly Moment of Grace
• The Eternal Purpose of Grace
• The Everlasting Fortress of Grace

Pastor Tony

The Challenge of Scripture

Sometimes it is the little phrases of Scripture that bring to us the biggest challenges. It is those compacted lines in the Bible that hold such life altering truths that make us stop and think if we are really taking God seriously or not.

One such line is in the book of Acts, chapter 20:35. ". . . remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive'."

At this time of year these words of our Lord become even more weighty as we think of him leaving heaven, setting aside his glory and coming to earth to die for us. A close look at these words clarifies what the Lord Jesus said and brings to us the full weight of the challenge of Scripture.

The word "more" is a contrasting word. I think it would be fare to say that the Lord is teaching there is happiness in receiving. Jesus never ignores life's realities. But his emphasis is clearly on the odd thought that there is greater happiness in giving. I am sure you realize that "blessed" means, happy. In making this statement God the Son has just told us an indicative truth about life. It is something like the laws of nature that cannot be altered. It is true, and always will be true in life, that it is more blessed to give than to receive! Oh, one other thought. This giving is a lifestyle. It is not writing a check or delivering a Christmas basket to the needy once a year.

Do you want to be happy? Do you believe God? Well, what are you waiting for?


Tony