God's Perfect Plan for Imperfect People

Have you ever struggled to understand your role in God's master design? Tom Jones will take you through the letter of Ephesians and convince you that, even with your imperfections, God's plans involve you. Someone has said that the book of Ephesians is shallow enough that the newest babe in Christ will not drown, but deep enough that theologians will never touch bottom. Reading it is like looking at the Grand Canyon by the light of a fireworks display. It is as deep as the mystery of God, as wide as the grace of God and as high as the love of God. And it speaks clearly to each and every one of us who are the church, a building that "rises to become a holy temple in the Lord" and "a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit" (Ephesians 2:21-22). This short letter is full of treasures and truths that are as eternal as God. It is saturated with words like" all, every, fullness, riches, mystery, love, unity, grace" and "glory." It speaks to our security in Christ, the amazing grace of God and the glory of the church-the building, body and bride of Christ (Ephesians 2:21, 4:16, 5:25). It illustrates our positions in Christ-we sit, we walk, and we stand (Ephesians 2:6, 4:1, 6:10-11 KJV). It reveals the work of Father, Son and Spirit in God's plan of redemption. It proclaims a love that is wide and long and high and deep. It encompasses God's eternal purpose-before creation, now and in the age to come. It portrays "one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all" (Ephesians 4:6). And finally, it is a call to the highest possible unity in the church, between Jews and Gentiles, husbands and wives, slaves and masters, children and fathers, and in the cosmos itself-the heavens and the earth (Ephesians 1:10). Yet, as is often the case with Scripture, it is ultimately a call to practical Christian living-you are sons of God; therefore live lives "worthy of the calling you have received .... Be imitators of God" (Ephesians 4:1, 5:1).