So, what’s next?

What’s next is a deep dive into an amazing letter from the Apostle Paul, one of his “prison letters,” the letter of Ephesians.

So why Ephesians?

Ephesians, in a way, was (is) Paul’s magnum opus about the church: what it is, who it is, and what it can be at its best. Ephesians is the church’s best Snapchat or Instagram photo of itself; it is the church dressed up and designed to catch the eye.

Part of this is due to its being a circular letter (aimed to be read at multiple churches across a region) rather than something composed for a specific church (Romans, for example). The broadness in the letter, however, far from rendering it unrelatable, lifts the reader to consider if he or she and their Christian community are really leaning into all that God has promised and Christ has purchased for them.

Even my own background work for the series has caused both consternation (I’m not living up to what is offered) and conviction (it is possible, by Christ’s empowering grace) to rise in my heart.

Above all, however, Ephesians presents the church to the world as a vehicle through which God fills it and defeats powers of darkness. It’s a supernaturally-tinged letter, set against the backdrop of Ephesian idol worship, and the letter is full of references to powers of darkness. It also provides powerful tools for addressing cultural conflicts and ethnic tensions, as the location of the city led to its multicultural makeup.

IG photos plus cultural conflict plus supernatural battles?

Oh yes, and much more.

So get ready, as, through Ephesians, the Holy Spirit, through Paul, announces to the world that the church of Jesus is “coming soon to a city near you.”

I can’t wait to begin a deep dive along with you, as we will look at (almost) every section, week by week through the summer.

Morgan