As a newly forming church in the heart of downtown Seattle it is crucial to understand who we are, individually and collectively, in Christ. What is the church? Is it optional? Why are we here? How do we live? Why does it matter? Is the church simply a building, a social club, a mercy ministry? Or, is it something far more significant? There is perhaps no better place to start than with the Apostle Paul’s brilliant letter to the church at Ephesus, known as Ephesians.
Paul describes the church as a radically new people in Christ, a new humanity. Those who follow Jesus are blessed with every spiritual blessing (1:3), chosen from before the foundation of the world (1:4), holy and blameless (1:4), predestined for adoption (1:5), redeemed through His blood (1:7), forgiven their sin (1:7), lavished with grace (1:8), recipients of the revelation of God’s will through the gospel (1:9), sealed with the Holy Spirit (1:14), promised an inheritance of unsearchable riches in Christ (1:11,14) to the praise of his glorious grace (1:6). This is life changing stuff and that’s just the first chapter. Just wait, there’s more.
Ephesians is one of the most theologically rich and intensely practical of all the New Testament epistles. It is filled with profound truths, vivid imagery, the glories of salvation in Christ with an emphasis on the nature of the church. It covers predestination, sin, salvation, grace, gospel, thanksgiving, unity, spiritual gifts, hope, joy, mutual submission, marriage, parenting, work relationships, spiritual warfare, and new life in Christ in six short chapters. There is not one area of life that goes untouched. In sum, it describes a totally new way of being human, in Christ. This is vital for us as a newly forming church in the city.
We invite you to join us as we unpack Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus, a city much like Seattle, and discover how our collective identity in Christ is intended to glorify God, maximize our good and compel us to seek the welfare of our great city.
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