Authority from God

DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE EPHESIANS

AUTHORITY FROM GOD

Eph 1:1-2

1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus: 2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

NIV

Not much to see here in the beginning salutation of Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus. However, there is also a lot going on in this salutation. First, we have to notice Paul makes sure he establishes his authority for pastoring these people. That is exactly what he is doing throughout this letter. Paul did not write this letter to address a particular problem that was going on in the local church, but to let them know of the unity of the church as the body of Christ and what a great blessing they have in Christ. He is encouraging them as believers their hope in Christ, the glorious riches they have as an inheritance, and what great power God imparts to those who believe. We will see as we work through this letter that Paul will remind them of their spiritual blessing in Christ and he will exhort them to have a walk worthy of their calling with which they were called.  This is pastoring personified. What Paul makes sure is that his wisdom and pastoral care for them is not of his own making, but by the will of God. We think this is the key to any ministry within the church. Whether we have been called to pastor the church, or sing in the choir, or be a deacon or vacuum the carpet, or lead a small group or teach a Sunday school, each member of the church has been called to be that part of the body of Christ, with Jesus being the head. We all have been called to walk a walk worthy of our calling by God, as a believer and as the part of the body we are to function. Everything is to be done by the will of God and not by the will of man. Paul goes on to make sure they know he knows they are being faithful in Christ Jesus. At least he is encouraging them toward being faithful. We do not know exactly how faithful they were, as we do not know exactly how faithful any member of the church is. We only know about our own faithfulness or lack of it. Yet rather than blast them right out of the gate with condemnation, he encourages them. This again should serve as an example for all who minister the word of God. Words of encouragement serve a far greater purpose then words of condemnation, to assist in the process of transformation in lives. We are all in the process of transformation, always growing more in our faith and our faithfulness, in our trust and obedience to the Lord. This process never ceases and so the task of the shepherd, the pastor, the minister of the word is to assist his flock in that process. However, it is not the pastor’s task alone, for we are all called to encourage one another, to build each other up until we reach the unity in the faith. It is always a good word to pronounce the grace and peace of our Lord upon our brothers and sisters in Christ. Those words always serve as the best greetings ever. Paul speaks those words as one with authority from God.