Lift Your Eyes Forget The Channel

Often we try to fit in with others by the way we speak. But God calls believers to be holy, not filthy, in our speech, even if it sounds strange to others. Read the full post: Holy talk (Ephesians 5:3–4) From Forget the Channel by Lionel Windsor

Christians are God’s dearly loved children, raised from death to life and secure with him, now and forever. This is what gives us the power to sacrifice. Read the full post: Imitators of God (Ephesians 5:1–2) From Forget the Channel by Lionel Windsor

Believers are to forgive, as God has forgiven us. Forgiveness is not only possible for believers, it’s also powerful for our lives and relationships. Read the full post: The power of forgiveness (Ephesians 4:31–32) From Forget the Channel by Lionel Windsor

Christians have a whole new reason to speak. Instead of rotten words or selfish words, we are to speak good words: word that build and give grace. Read the full post: Words with purpose (Ephesians 4:29–30) From Forget the Channel by Lionel Windsor

Paul preaches the gospel to thieves. God’s grace gives us a new identity. That means we have work to do: not so we can take, but so we can give. Read the full post: The gospel for criminals (Ephesians 4:28) From Forget the Channel by Lionel Windsor

Whether our anger is right or wrong, we can’t deny it’s there. But because we belong to Christ, we must make it a priority to deal with anger. How? Read the full post: Grace and anger (Ephesians 4:26–27) From Forget the Channel by Lionel Windsor

Truth is a rare commodity in our world. But Christians are people of the truth. The gospel of Christ demands that we value and speak the truth in every situation. Read the full post: Telling the truth (Ephesians 4:25) From Forget the Channel by Lionel Windsor

The gospel teaches us to change—to put off the old and put on the new. This change doesn’t save us, but it matters. It’s all about becoming who we are. Read the full post: Become who you are (Ephesians 4:22–24) From Forget the Channel by Lionel Windsor

Christian communities are places of learning and teaching. This isn’t just about transmitting information: Christians are people who “learn Christ”. Read the full post: Learning Christ (Ephesians 4:20–21) From Forget the Channel by Lionel Windsor

Darkness, futility, and desire: this is the way the world walks. Paul doesn’t write these things so that we can gloat or judge. He writes so we can repent, and live. Read the full post: Turn around and walk the other way (Ephesians 4:17–19) From Forget the Channel by Lionel Windsor

Paul’s vision for Christ’s body is unity in diversity. It’s not just flat uniformity, nor is it just diversity for the sake of diversity. It’s diversity for a common purpose. Read the full post: Playing your part (Ephesians 4:16) From Forget the Channel by Lionel Windsor

Paul’s principle for the growth of Christ’s body isn’t about presentation or organisation. It’s more fundamental: “speaking the truth in love”. Read the full post: The truth in love: A key principle for church growth (Ephesians 4:14–15) From Forget the Channel by Lionel Windsor

Paul didn’t write Ephesians 4:11–13 to give us a detailed blueprint for how to organise our ministries. He wrote these verses to point us to God’s grace in Christ. Read the full post: Christ’s body: A brief history (Ephesians 4:11–13) From Forget the Channel by Lionel Windsor

In these verses, Paul makes a big deal of Christ going up (to heaven) and down (to be with us by his Spirit). Why? to encourage believers as we face all the ups and downs of living for Christ. Read the full post: Christ: Up there and down here (Ephesians 4:8–10) From Forget the Channel by Lionel Windsor

How should Christians think about our own individual ‘giftedness’? We need to see our own gifts in the light of God’s wonderful, superabundant grace. Read the full post: Gifted beyond measure (Ephesians 4:7) From Forget the Channel by Lionel Windsor

In this part of Ephesians, the apostle Paul makes an unavoidably scandalous claim: The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is the one and only God. Read the full post: The one and only God (Ephesians 4:4–6) From Forget the Channel by Lionel Windsor

In the classic film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the King of Swamp Castle issues an appeal for unity: “This is supposed to be a happy occasion. Let’s not bicker and argue about who killed who!” It’s become a classic line used to poke fun at people who are trying to bring peace and unity without showing any understanding of the reality of the situation or the depth of hurt that’s been caused. While we might never end up being quite as absurd as Monty Python, Christians can sometimes talk about unity a little like this. That is, we can treat unity as some ideal state where everybody just gets on, no matter how deep our differences are and no matter what hurt has been caused. And yet—unity really matters. Christians are called to unity. Christian unity is anchored in the truth of the gospel. Read the full post: This unity (Ephesians 4:2–3) From Forget the Channel by Lionel Windsor

Our step by step living, in all the details of life, really matters for Christians. It’s not an optional extra; It’s intimately connected to our calling. Read the full post: The truth on the ground (Ephesians 4:1) From Forget the Channel by Lionel Windsor

God is nothing like the Elf on the Shelf. God’s power is far beyond us. Yet God’s power is at work in us. So God’s glory is our joyful goal. Read the full post: God: Beyond us—and with us (Ephesians 3:20–21) From Forget the Channel by Lionel Windsor

God’s plans for his world, and his love for us in Christ, are vast and awe-inspiring. They change everything. That’s why need prayer to grasp them. Read the full post: This is huge (Ephesians 3:18–19) From Forget the Channel by Lionel Windsor