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Ephesians 4: A Vision of Church Most of Us Have Never Seen
Have you ever felt there must be more to church than good music and friendly faces? Ephesians 4 reveals a vision of community that’s deeper, harder, and more beautiful than we imagine—a people united in love, growing into maturity, and reflecting the multi-coloured wisdom of God.
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You don’t know it, but you need a Kingdom Cell.
You might not have heard of a Kingdom Cell and you may not think you are missing one. Let me explain how it will change the trajectory of your life.
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We actually need a reformation of Christianity so our institutions better reflect the intention that was always meant to define them
As I write I am sitting aboard the Spirit of Tasmania II after a whirlwind visit to Victoria to celebrate my daughter’s 22nd birthday. We came across on Tuesday evening and spent much of Wednesday driving as we visited the Mornington Fusion centre where we had lived for five years before travelling up to Bendigo to be with Maddi. Seeing my little girl now all grown up and returning to Victoria, where I led the Fusion team for five years put me in a reflective mode, particularly in light of what I have been thinking about as I prepare for Sunday. There has been a lot written about the church…
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My role in my kids lives is changing, and that’s not easy, but it is ok.
My son Josh will be waking up in Australia for the first time in four and a half years. That is now two of my children living more than thirteen thousand kilometres away. That reality certainly has had me reflecting. I am realizing that there are two distinct phases of being a parent. In the first phase you are completely responsible for the teaching, care and nurture of your child. In the second phase your only responsibility is as a cheer squad, willing them to win the race of life that lies ahead of them. The problem is that there isn’t really a line you cross to say you have…
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I love the heart, vision, challenge and pathway that I am seeing.
There was a two week period where I attended two conferences that were quite different but at the same time similar, and influenced by a very challenging author and what I was preaching about at the time. The first conference was the National Assembly of the Christian and Missionary Alliance. That was followed by the Deepening Community conference hosted by the Tamarack Institute for Community Engagement. While I was doing all this I had also been continuing to preach through Ephesians chapter four and was processing two books by Danny Silk (Culture of Honor and Keep Your Love on) which have been challenging and inspiring. These diverse experiences and inputs somehow wove…
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Heaven on Earth, we need it now. I’m sick of all of this, hanging around.
It’s interesting to search for “Ephesians 4” on this site and very quickly you discover just how much God has brought me back to this book, and this particular chapter since I started writing. This coming Sunday I will be launching the series by doing an overview of the profound vision that Paul paints in the first three chapters. I was privileged to share a sermon series both in Canada and at my church in Hobart that explored this one chapter. The central idea of the whole sermon series was that Paul’s vision of the church is radical in the proper sense of the word.
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Donald Trump spews cliches. The world is more complex than a cliche will ever capture.
It was an interesting experience being an Australian, living in Canada and watching the U.S. Presidential election race. It’s kind of like watching a slow motion car crash, where everyone knows the outcome is going to be horrible, but they continue to watch. I am reminded of the children’s story, “The Emperors new clothes“, where the whole world saw an emperor walking without clothes, but no-one said anything because they were worried about what other people might think. Eventually, a little child spoke up and it was like the spell was broken. I kept waiting for the little child to speak up, but I’m not sure anyone is listening. Apparently, the reason…
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We’ve got rid of the people who make us uncomfortable and now we wonder why we are not effective!
Ephesians 4:11 makes it clear that some people are called to a particular kind of ministry. The Apostle was to live on the frontiers, bringing the Kingdom to new places in new and unexpected ways. In their wake they left fledgling groups of Christians who were bringing the Kingdom of God into their particular context. These groups were Kingdom Cells. The Prophet was to speak God’s word into this moment, not only to the church but also to the world. It was their job to highlight the places of darkness where the Kingdom of God was still to permeate. The Evangelist had the joyful task of inviting people into God’s…
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Different so we can serve each other
Poatina Morning Tea devotion given today I don’t feel like jumping on a plane and flying to South Africa And the request for a suitcase is real. I have destroyed 2 in my last 2 trips oversees, so if you have a sturdy one that would be great. Getting read to go to South Africa, I was really affected by visit to Robin Island. What would i have done if I was Nelson Mandella Does life happen to you, or do you make life happen? In South Africa White people were in power, and they used that power to oppress the black and coloured people as a way of staying…
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Who is on the God journey?
Solo or together?? I’ve been enjoying the podcasts I have been listening to from Wayne Jacobsen and Brad Cummings. (www.thegodjourney.com) They are two Americans who have been on significant individual personal journeys with God and each week record a dialogue that bounces off emails they have received, current events or things they have encountered. There is one aspect of their dialogue though, that I am not completely convinced about.
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A thought for today
A word from the word Rather than my normal blog today I thought I would simply share a passage of scripture from this morning’s quiet time. I was up to Ephesians chapter 4, and these words have been going round in my head all day. I have my quiet times using the message so these verses are from that version: No prolonged infancies among us, please. We’ll not tolerate babes in the woods, small children who are an easy mark for impostors. God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything.
