Goals to make Serve Like Jesus Disciples

Christianity rises or falls based on who Jesus is. Accepting the biblical declarations of the Person and Nature of Jesus, we are made aware that he was the bearer of good news. This good news offers us the privilege and responsibility of being part of the elect community for whom God has prepared great things (Ephesians 2:10).

 

The spirit of this essential of the faith is introduced in Paul’s statement to the Corinthians, “I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it” (1 Corinthians 9:23). Thus, the vision of this section is “Learning to participate in the Gospel,” the good news of Jesus. Since we have already discovered that the gospel is the call to participate in the elect community, the purpose of this article will be to examine the nature of this unique culture. To accomplish this task, we need to set the background for it. Thus, we will discuss the two concepts of the community elected to be “in Christ.”

 

The most concise statements regarding the  concept  of being "in Christ" is in Paul's writings to the Ephesians. He uses some form of the "in" statement ("in Christ," "in Jesus," "in the Lord," "in Him") twenty-eight times. Once he uses the term "in God" and three times "in the Spirit" in reference to the Holy Spirit (once in reference to the human spirit). Thus, it is appropriate to explore Paul’s concept in the book of Ephesians regarding being “in Christ.” It does not take very long to identify this group and tell us something of its nature. Paul does this in the first chapter. It takes only ten verses to disclose an administration suitable for this. thus, an examination of the administration he describes regarding those who are “in Christ” offers a background to our study. Paul's introduction to this "administration" is Ephesians 1:3-23.

 

Ephesians 1:3-14 lays the foundation for the introduction to the participation in Christ. In this passage, you will discover five distinct concepts that Paul is impressing on the Ephesians. Paul’s intent seems to be in his repetition of fundamental ideas reflecting his understanding of the elect.

 

As you read this passage, you will see that Paul jumps around but has reoccurring themes. Because of this, it will be beneficial for us to consider these issues together so that we can see how they occur in the text. For your convenience, I have grouped these together by topics, providing the verse numbers.