Pray: Humbly ask God for wisdom. Ask Him to teach you as you read the following section of the Bible.
Read: Ephesians 2:1-7
There are a lot of parallels between the city of Ephesus and present-day Tallahassee. They’re really not that different. Much of what Paul wrote to the Ephesian Christians is also written to us here in our city. Tallahassee is an influential city, in one of the most influential states, in one of the most influential countries in the world. What happens in Tallahassee matters!
So how do we have a Gospel influence in Tallahassee? It may begin with realizing that how we live our lives, really does impact others, and collectively has an impact on the world. We need to be reminded of this often and so did the Ephesians. I love this chapter because it’s packed with powerful reminders that should be constantly reviewed if we want to lives to be changed in Tallahassee.
I don’t know about you, but when I think of being a Christian in Tallahassee, I have a tendency to separate myself from the problems of our city. The ones who don’t know Christ, the “lost,” are the ones who need our help. How easy is it to forget that we were all lost at one point in life? There is a distinction between someone who is lost and found, but it is a bit more severe than being ‘lost’. We were spiritually dead.
In verse 1, Paul is reminding us that: we all, Christians and non-believers alike, are dead without Christ. We all deserved nothing more than God’s wrath, and nothing we did on our own could fix that. Only God could. In His love and mercy, God sent His own Son Jesus to die for us and our sins, to make us spiritually alive – Do you believe this?
How easy that is to forget! This is why Paul is reminding us. It is so easy once we are saved to never look back at who we once were. The truth is, every day we need to own our need for a Savior, because there’s no moment in time where we can save ourselves. Lets remember that as we make much of Jesus together in our city.
Reflection Questions:
1. Why do you think Paul takes the time to write about our past trespasses and sins if we already believe in Jesus?
2. Compare your present-day self to who you were before you became a Christian. What are the differences? What would you like to see different?
3. Your story of coming to know Christ needs to be told, and the story starts with being helpless on our own. What are some ways you can tell this story to others this week?
Memorize: Ephesians 2:4-5