I have to give a 5 to 6 minute type of lecture on these two verser and I have no idea as to what to say...they gave me the hint faith and love. Please help!
2007-08-30 07:53:49 · 5 answers · asked by ... 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
"15For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers."
It's not saying a whole lot, just what it says. He heard that the Ephesians had come to believe in Jesus and to love their brothers and sisters in the Church. When he heard about that, he was grateful and thanked God for it, and always remembers them in his prayers.
I can imagine a situation where, say, I found out that my sister had come to believe in Jesus, and how grateful I would be. I would certainly thank God and pray for her. That would probably be my very first instinct.
Maybe you could talk about how it's natural to feel gratitude when you hear about someone coming to the faith, because as a Christian you are concerned for their welfare and their eternal destiny. The Holy Spirit in us always moves us to feel gratitude and to want to intercede (pray) for others. Maybe this is part of all of us belonging to the Body of Christ -- we watch out for each other's welfare and pray for each other. We're sad when other members are sad, and grateful when they're happy. And most grateful of all when we gain a new brother or sister, when they become saved from their sins by faith in Jesus Christ.
Good luck with your lecture!
2007-08-30 08:18:05 · answer #1 · answered by Agellius CM 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I gave you two links of research information. Read both, read the verses and you'll be able to combine all of it into an excellent lecture using examples.
Ephesians 1:15-23 is a prayer of the apostle Paul in response to the theological treatise of verses 3-14. There Paul tells believers what they possess in Jesus Christ. He discusses the believer's election, redemption, and inheritance.
Good Luck on the lecture - you'll do great!
2007-08-30 15:03:18 · answer #2 · answered by YankeeBelle 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Ephesians 1:15-16
"For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers."
I preached a sermon on the first 14 verses once about 3 years ago. They speak of all of our blessings "in Christ".
It concludes with us having been "sealed" by the Holy Spirit of promise in verse 14......who is the guarantee.....or literally "the down payment" of our salvation.
The next 2 verses are a culmination of what Paul just got through speaking about.......the word "Therefore" or "for this reason" refers back to everything he just spoke of.
So if I were you, speak about eternal security for the true believer in Christ. Talk about our blessings "in Christ" (there's 6 of them mentioned in the previous verses)
Hope this helps a little....
-Primo
2007-08-30 14:58:31 · answer #3 · answered by primoa1970 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
What Jesus Christ taught his disciples and what has been passed on to all Christians down through the centuries by means of the Word of God constitutes true Christian faith. (Eph. 1:15-17) In the early days of Christianity, when the disciples of Jesus spoke the things that Jesus had taught them, many believed and put faith in Christ Jesus and his teachings. The disciples gave priority to this work of preaching and teaching
2007-08-30 15:04:27 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Paul greets his audience before speaking to them about what he came for. He is thanking the church of Ephesus for praying for him as an apostle. My best advice is to read some surrounding text, and also to find a Bible that has a page of background information on each book before each book begins. This will give you a better understanding of the context.
2007-08-30 15:03:41 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋