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The Ephesian Connection
Some years ago after a rather trying year of much traveling ministry, I decided I needed to stay home for a season. I was not exactly sure how God wanted me to focus my time but I knew He had something in store for me. One evening, as a friend and I sat together at the local Friendly’s ice cream store, another friend who was employed by the nearby Christian radio station unexpectedly joined us. Our conversation soon turned to how the station administrators were looking for local ministers to teach from the Scriptures over the air. My first reaction was somewhat reserved since up till this time I had never considered doing any radio ministry. However, over the next couple of weeks, the thought would not go away. Then the Lord began to draw me to the book of Ephesians.
As I studied, I sensed that He wanted me to share over the radio what He was showing me. My motive for the program was simply to be a blessing for whoever He had listening. At the time, I had no idea that His main intention was to have me use my extensive notes from the on-air sessions as the basis of this book. Over a period of many weeks the Lord opened up the first chapter of Ephesians in a way I had not seen before. The result is certainly not a treatise of exhaustive research but a compilation of insights coming from times with the Lord as we met around the contents of Paul’s epistle.
I believe the Lord’s purpose for The Ephesian Connection is to give prophetic comment on the Scripture as well as to draw the reader into deeper communion with Him. As a result, I am presenting in thirty-one chapters what He revealed, one for each day of the month. Each chapter stands as a unit complete in itself while also contributing to the larger picture of the over-all epistle. Hopefully, this approach will encourage those who read to have both a consistent time of communion with the Lord along with a fruitful time of meditation on His word.
The Book of Ephesians is filled with significant truth concerning God’s eternal purpose. But as much as the apostle Paul had studied the Old Testament Scriptures prior to meeting Christ, he simply did not understand. Then the Lord Jesus appeared to him on the road to Damascus. When Paul bowed in submission to Him, a “connection” was made. And as he lived and walked in intimate communion with Christ, God gave him insight that would affect the lives of millions of people. The “Ephesian connection,” Paul’s intimate communion with Heaven that gave birth to this epistle indicates God’s call on each of us to respond to His presence.
In the final analysis, it will not be those who intellectually know the Bible well who will have the greatest insight and reward, but those who spend time with its Author. They will not only have an intimacy with Him (which is the greatest reward of all), they will also receive insight into His perspective concerning what He has written. Those who respond to God’s primary call on their lives to walk intimately with Him will find their service for Him reflecting a genuine spiritual authority rather than their own ingenuity. The plans and programs of men have not sufficed in building Christ’s Church or in bringing His authority to bear on the nations. The world has seen the best that the Church has to offer and is not impressed. It is time for us to return to our first love and find our true identity in His presence. Then His plan for the earth will become clear. How can we expect the world to respond to God’s authority when the Church does her own thing in His name and then seeks His blessing? Come let us return to the Lord. Let us hear what is on His heart and then go forth in His name embracing His plan in our generation.
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