Final Greetings

If you knew death  was near and had the opportunity to write one last letter, who would you write to and what would you say?

 

Ephesians was written towards the end of Paul's life while he was in prison in Rome. He didn't know how long he had left and captured the most important things he felt he needed to say to the Church at Ephesus, inspired by the Holy Spirit, in one short letter.

As we’ve studied Ephesians together we've been reminded of God's overarching purpose - for everything to be united under Christ. That's God's bigger picture here.  He chose people to be holy and blameless and adopted them into his family from the very beginning. We have a great hope because God accepts Jesus taking the death we deserve and makes us alive. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection he built one united people - our differences have been made secondary, because our primary identity is in Christ and to be known as his.

With that in mind, Paul reminds us about how we are to live differently. To be play our part in the local church, to reflect Christ in our important relationships, and to fight every day in a spiritual war that Christ has already won, equipped by God with everything we need to enjoy that victory.

All that in one letter!

It's still a wonderfully personal letter from a man who had a deep love and concern for those he's writing to. He wants to encourage them, but also requires their support. So what were Paul’s final instructions regarding unity in the Church?

Paul wanted them to pray, in all situations, for God’s people. Prayer for each other was to be a constant in their lives but Paul also wanted them to pray for him. Here we don’t find the severe and harsh Paul, or the almost-divine Paul that opposing camps sometimes claim him to be. Yes, he’s been chosen to serve God in a particular way, but he’s just a man and is as dependent on the Holy Spirit as any of us. If Paul needed the prayers of others then so do we, and so do the leaders of our Churches.

He also knew that we don’t do well on our own, and that as Christians we’re better together. Paul recognises that in isolation we’re likely to grow cold to the good news of Jesus. That goes for all of us. But it’s not just about what we gain. We’re to be united to serve each other in the Church and to serve. Church isn’t a consumer product – we don’t take it or leave it as and when it suits our needs. We’re committed to being a part, and playing our part in the life of the Christian community.

Finally, Paul’s biggest ambition for the Church at Ephesus was that they might know peace and love, through grace. A deep-centred peace  - the removal of conflict between ourselves and God.  It's a gift through faith in Jesus, which God gave when he chose us before creation. A gift we accepted when we were adopted into God's family solely through his underserved kindness towards us - not because we earned it.

Ephesians reminds us of immense blessings in Christ. Let's use all that we've learnt from this letter to ensure that our lives and this church reflect God's love and peace. That we will be equipped to stand firm, and reflect our undying love for Christ.