Ephesians: Walking According to the Call

Why Ephesians?

That is a great question. One I have asked myself many times over the first few weeks of my time at FBC Fairburn

See, when I make a prayerful decision on a sermon series, I take a fairly strict method to my approach. I like to be a little diverse and not weigh on the same subjects. I like to approach different types of Scripture (epistle, narrative, prophecy, etc.) to stretch myself in applying the Word of God as well as exposing our congregation to the fullness of God's Word. I am committed to preaching through books of the Bible or lengthy passages from the Bible. This ensures that I keep close to what the Bible teaches and (hopefully) far from what my opinions and thoughts are on certain topics and subjects.

Here is my personal struggle...I have preached through Ephesians before. Not at my current church, but I have worked through this letter of Paul in a sermon series…twice! That alone is enough to drive me to another book. I don’t like doing the same thing over and over again. I like to preach a passage or book and move on to a new challenge in a new book of the Bible.

But, I can't. I can’t move past Ephesians. Not in the current milieu.

Here's why:

As I sat in my office in May planning out the first year of sermons (yes, you read that right, a year), I knew that I wanted to spend the first several months working through the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7. This was a recent sermon series for me that would allow me time in our transition to Fairburn to build relationships with staff and church members, familiarize myself with the function and process of our church, and get settled. I knew that would get me to Christmas. Where to go next, however was not as readily apparent.

My consideration began to look at what our search team told me about the make up of First Baptist Fairburn. I had only been in one worship service at this point, so I didn’t really know anyone except the eight men and women on the search team. What I knew is that our church had made some intentional decisions in the past few years to become a multi-ethnic church. I knew that our church was desiring to reach a diverse community around us. I knew that Fairburn was special. My heart was drawn continuously to the letter to the church at Ephesus. Although I attempted (many times) to rationalize away the draw to Ephesians, it became clear that this is where God would take our church after the first of the year.

So, I started re-reading Ephesians. Truth be told, it is my second favorite book of Scripture. I can probably quote many parts of it to you. But, when I prepare to preach a book, I read it differently. What struck me as I am reacquainting myself to Ephesians was not that I had already preached this book, but that God was preaching it to me again. It began to hit me once more that what our church needed was not my planned sermons, but God's direction in His Word.

So, here are my top five reasons for why we are launching Ephesians in January:

1. I cannot find a better example in all of Scripture of the collision between what we believe and how it hits us in our every day life. For all of the sway towards practical or principle driven preaching, Ephesians takes us to the very core of our belief and plays itself out in how we must then live: Walking According to the Call.
   
2. Working through entire books of the Bible exposes us to more of what the Word of God actually says and protects church congregations from hearing what I will call "preacher filled" sermons. I'm not saying my way is right and any other way is wrong. However, at the end of my life and ministry God will be the one to evaluate everything I taught and I would personally prefer for it to be as saturated with His Word as possible. Ephesians is proof that verse by verse context driven preaching not only teaches the full Gospel of Christ but places the congregation in a position of developing a love for the Word of God and its application.
3. Ephesians is easy to understand. I'm convinced that the church does not need another sermon (much less another series!) on eight ways to do is or eleven steps towards that. The church needs Jesus, His blood, His ransom, and His Word. Too often we complicate faith by adding good advice that can be found in any self help or how to section at Barnes and Noble. The catch is that when we try to church up advice from Carol Dweck or Dale Carnegie we have short changed our faith for some a lackluster substitute and, in effect, muddied the waters when God's Word offers a clear and simple solution. Enter into the world of Ephesians. Did I mention that it is practical?
4. I love the church at Ephesus. Maybe not to the extent of Paul, and certainly not to the extent of Christ Jesus. But I love this church. Maybe it's because like my church (and yours...don't be mistaken), it is broken. Maybe it's because the people there, just like in Fairburn struggle with matching faith to action. Maybe it's because the church at Ephesus didn't get it right and it's okay. But most definitely it's because this church was unrivaled in influence, save for Antioch. It's a church that shows the rest of us that God will take people like us and train us for a great demonstration of His glory. Husbands and wives, children, bosses and workers, everyday joes and the upper echelon. 
5. The church at Ephesus was building a multi-ethnic body. What better church parallel could we find in Scripture for FBC Fairburn than Ephesus? It tackles the messy work of blending our lives, yielding our background and preferences, and allowing the Gospel to shape our relationships like no other book in Scripture and it does so on the canvas of diversity. What we find is the beauty of Christ at work. That is the basis for what we are doing to reach this city. Let’s grow together so we can.

Why don't you make plans to join us for this journey? I know you will be encouraged by the Word of God. If you have questions about your faith, we will strive to provide biblical answers. If you are seeking ways to apply what you believe, this study will show you where and how. If you are looking for an effective defense of the faith, Ephesians is your place. You will grow with others just like you and learn to live a life that Christ alone can enable.

See you Sunday.