Teaching

Romans 11:25-36

Paul is fully expectant that “all Israel will be saved” (vs26), backed up by the words of Isaiah, reminding us of God’s covenant with his people. Knowing that “God’s gifts and call are irrevocable” (vs29), we are to expect God to pour out his mercy on the Jewish people (vs31) in the same way he showed mercy to us. Paul is not suggesting that the Jews will be saved apart from Christ. Jesus is the only way of salvation, and the expectation is that ‘Israel as a whole’ will come to salvation in time. We are to show mercy to the Jewish people and pray for their salvation.

Sunday 15th September, 9:30 service, George Eapen.

Revelation 2:1-7.

What does God want His church to look like? John Stott writes in his commentary on Revelation; “although their message is related to the specific situations of those churches, it expresses concerns which apply to all churches. By praise and censure, by warning and exhortation, Christ reveals what he wants his church to be like in all places and at all times.”

Notice the reading structure: The Address (2:1a), The Description (2:1b), The Commendation (2:2-3, 6), The Complaint (2:4), The Command (2:5a), The Warning (2:5b), The Appeal (2:7a) & The Promise (2:7b).

Christ commends His church for their activity in ministry and observes the suffering that they face, yet what Christ seeks above all is their love; love being the mark of a true and living church. Jesus seeks our love.

How might we repent of our activity being given greater priority then our first love, Jesus? Christs appeal, his invitation is to pay attention to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. How might we listen to the Spirit at this time in our church life?

Other passages that relate to the life of the church in Ephesus: Acts 18:19-21, 24-26, Acts 19, leadership transition 1 Tim 1:3.

Sunday 9th June, 9:30 service, George Eapen.

Earlier in the chapter, Paul sets the theological framework: that because Jesus died and rose again so we are dead to sin and alive to His life. In this part of the chapter, Paul begins to unpack what that life looks like when it’s lived out.

We might be tempted to think that because we live under grace, that we have free license to sin and live however we want to. Paul compares this idea to slavery. That in living in sin, we become obedient to it. Instead, we are to be slaves to righteousness, fully obedient to what righteousness asks of us. We don’t have to work to become righteous, but we live from a place of knowing our righteousness is won for us.

The second dispute between God and his people focuses on worship at the temple. The people are bringing offerings that are blemished or defiled in the temple, going against the Levitical Law and demonstrating that they don’t truly honour God. Their half-hearted, duty-bound devotion even prompts God to wish the Temple doors would be shut so they’d stop bringing these offerings. To make things worse the priests are complicit in this, participating in the shameful worship instead of pointing the people towards true, obedient worship. The very people chosen to uphold the high standards or worship are the ones defiling it.

How can we, as Christians, be guilty of similar? When do we bring our half-hearted offerings to God and think that’s enough? How can we ‘offer [y]our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship (Romans 12:1)?

George Eapen speaks from Matthew 26: 6 – 13 on the importance of worship; even more important than serving the poor is our worship of Jesus. Mary pours extravagant perfume over Jesus and washes His head. In this act of worship, we are challenged to ask the question: how much do we prioritise our worship of Jesus over and above all else?  How can we lavish our love on Jesus?

George Eapen speaks from Matthew 22: 34 – 40 on how we are to love God, in the ways we serve Him, worship Him and think about Him. We are also to love our neighbours. How do we show our love for God each day? What are the ways in which we are tangibly loving our neighbours?

George Eapen speaks from Micah 6: 6 – 8 and Luke 19: 37 – 44 on how we are called to walk humbly, overflow with mercy and act justly in all our various contexts, so that we can truly worship Jesus and walk in His light.

George Eapen speaks from 2 Corinthians 12: 1 – 10 on how the challenges we face are an opportunity for us to lean into God and be transformed more and more into the likeness of Christ.

George Eapen continues our series on rebuilding after a time of exile. We are journeying through the book of Nehemiah. Today we are called to boldly proclaim the good news. George speaks from Nehemiah 2: 1-20.