Dear Friends: The Letters of St. Paul to Christians in America
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Dear Friends: The Letters of St. Paul to Christians in America
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| ISBN-13: | 9781631580253 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Yucca |
| Publication date: | 09/02/2014 |
| Sold by: | SIMON & SCHUSTER |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 160 |
| Sales rank: | 116,976 |
| File size: | 1 MB |
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CHAPTER 1
THE LETTER TO AMERICANS (EPHESIANS)
Dear Friends in Christ in America,
Distracted as you must be by the great issues of world affairs, economic and political, that are debated and contested in your country, I write to remind you that this world and its affairs are passing away and that we have been placed here to live into the greater reality to which we are called by the Lord Jesus who has made known to us an eternal destiny encompassing not only the nations of this earth but the vast universe itself with worlds beyond our present knowledge. Science has changed your lives beyond imagining in the last century and there are many who believe those changes — political, economic, and environmental — have consequences beyond human control. Indeed, these forces are, as they have always been, beyond human control but God has called us to work together in the power of the Spirit to use the gifts we are given to create a realm of justice, freedom, and peace. You have expended both lives and treasure in the search for an elusive peace based on human power but we are promised a peace beyond the understanding or attainment of politicians and powers, a peace that is not simply cessation of strife and conflict, but the fulfillment of all our dreams and potential, a joy that never fades away. That peace is based not on human power but on the power of God. May this peace and grace be yours in the Lord Jesus.
I do not, however, write off this present world as a sphere of no importance, as if the certain fulfillment of a future hope absolves us of any concern for the present. It is that very promise of future joy that impels us to work more earnestly for peace and justice in this present age since we know God's will for us and are assured that we are called to be agents of that will. The same Lord Jesus who died for us taught us to pray for the coming of God's reign of righteousness, and what we pray for we must also work for, and what we work for under God's guidance we work for in sure and certain hope of fulfillment. God's will for us is justice and peace. We see and taste that promise even in the present time.
Among those who built your country were many who sought to live out the gospel in freedom and who toiled and sacrificed for the sake of their vision. So successful have they been that your country has drawn many of other faiths and some without faith who sought the freedom and opportunity for which you became known. Indeed, there are many who strive for that vision who know not the Lord who nevertheless works within them and inspires them, for the Spirit is at work in every place and in all people to accomplish God's purpose in creation.
Since, then, your nation has drawn so many who do not share your faith and since your nation is spoken of throughout the world, you have been given an opportunity to hold up the light of the gospel both at home and abroad for the benefit of those who do not know the Lord Jesus. If you are faithful to that gospel and make it known through lives dedicated to peace and justice and if you dedicate yourselves also to listening to others and recognizing the work of the Spirit in their own heritage of faith, you will be effective witnesses to the Lord Jesus. Christ is the end toward whom all faiths must come but we must be ready to see and learn from those of other faiths what the Spirit has done among them that can enrich our own understanding of God. All this is a part of the plan which God has been working out from the first dawn of creation and which has now been revealed to us who acknowledge Jesus as Lord.
I give God thanks and praise for your presence and witness in the varied communities of your society. God chose you for this purpose before the universe came into being and called you to be holy and faithful, to be adopted as children of God through Jesus Christ, and to offer up praise and thanksgiving for the gifts so freely poured out upon us. That purpose can be seen in you who witness to your faith in your daily lives. I pray that you will continue to grow in grace so that the power of the gospel will be evident among you and in the church which is the body of Christ in whom we find the life that God has promised.
2
Consider the nature of the gift you have received as members of the church of Christ, living as you do in a society that has been shaped in many ways by the gospel and by the servants of Christ but that remains divided by fear of the other, the unknown, and the unfamiliar. The fundamental ideals of freedom and justice which all your fellow citizens acknowledge are principles derived from the prophets and taught to us in the gospel as God's will for all people. Many, indeed, honor these principles with their lips while ignoring them in their lives so you must constantly hold them up as followers of Christ, following them yourselves and calling on others to accept and honor them as well. Yet acknowledgment and even acceptance fall short of our calling which is to be the body of Christ in this world so that Christ is seen in us and the principles we accept are made visible as a living reality.
That reality is not a matter of mere individual morality or even personal holiness but of a society incorporated into Christ, redeemed by Christ in you, and transformed into his likeness. There are many who are satisfied with something less, who live faithful lives as individuals without discerning the body. Such witness is too limited. Your nation, like every earthly society, must be transformed by a vision of justice and that requires a ceaseless battle against those who covet wealth and power for themselves while ignoring the needs of others. If you are a society that fails to care for the poorest and neediest among you, the light of the gospel is darkened and others both within your nation and abroad will turn away from a gospel that speaks of love but fails to make it known.
It is to empower us to serve God's purpose in the world and especially among those in need that we have been saved from our sins by grace and raised to a new life in Christ. Apart from Christ we are as good as dead, but in him we have been raised to eternal life. This is not our doing; it is by God's grace that we are saved and our faith is always simply a response to God's initiative. In proclaiming the gospel to others, we must remember that we have no more natural right to salvation than they; we are all alike inheritors of a human nature alienated from God and incapable of returning to unity with God and each other by our own activity. It is by virtue of the cross and the blood of Christ that we who were estranged from God are brought near. It is his death and resurrection that breaks down the walls of division we erect out of fear of each other and it is his resurrection that brings life to all and unites the divided families of the earth. It is his gift of life that you bring to your society with the promise that those divided in ethnic communities and separated by language and history and every human prejudice can become a new community in Christ. He is our peace and the hope of the world's peace.
3
Remember the commission I was given at the beginning to carry the gospel of life to the nations of the world and how God's eternal purpose was revealed to me: that the nations should be given a share in the riches of Christ and become heirs of the promise together with us and members of the same body. I was the least deserving of all the people of Israel, yet God commanded me to carry this message to the nations and make known to them the wisdom of God in all its richness and power so that all people might see the mystery which was hidden in former times but is now revealed to his servants by the Spirit and is to be made known through the church in all its rich variety, not only to those holding power in governments and other institutions, to the wise and educated, but to the poorest and most forsaken and ignorant as well, for it is God's good pleasure to unite all people in Christ Jesus our Lord. It is in him that we have access to God and are able to approach the throne of grace in boldness and confidence.
Do not lose heart or abandon this hope that we are given. There must be times of hardship and testing without which faith will not come to its full growth. It is for your sake that I have endured much suffering and for your sake that I bend my knee in prayer to our Creator, the One who gave birth to us as a mother gives birth to a child, and who has given us a name as parents name their children so that we may be called the children of God and heirs of God in Christ Jesus.
My prayer for you is that you will not be satisfied with simple answers, rejecting all that is to be learned from biologists and environmentalists of the intricate and beautiful texture of creation and failing to accept the challenge of working with God to preserve and enhance what the heedless and arrogant would destroy, but that growing in wisdom and understanding you will unite faith and reason for the benefit of all. May you sink your roots deeply in the knowledge of Christ so that in him, with all God's saints, you will be empowered to glimpse the height and depth and length and breadth of that love which sustains the universe and which remains beyond the reach of human understanding. May the power of God at work within us accomplish more than we can either ask or imagine; to God be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
4
Since all this is true, I beg you fervently to lead lives that really reflect our knowledge of the glory of God. You cannot do that in anger or arrogance or by quarreling among yourselves. You must make every effort possible with the guidance and grace of God's Spirit within you to live in unity and peace. In spite of the tragic history of Christian divisions, there can be only one body as there is only one Spirit and one hope held out to you; there is only one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God who gave us birth and who reigns above us, works within us, and calls us to be one.
Within that essential unity, each of us is given particular gifts for our ministry and each of us has a ministry to carry out which cannot be delegated to others. These ministries are a gift to us out of the abundance of Christ's blessing. He came among us so that he could give us gifts and returned to his place at the center of the universe so that he might now be present in each of us and in all creation. Those gifts he gives us are many and varied; there are preachers and teachers and bishops and pastors and priests and musicians and missionaries whose work is to enable God's chosen people to do the work of ministry in the world and to build up the church, the body of Christ, until we all come together at last in such unity of faith and knowledge of Jesus that we can measure up at last to Christ himself.
We cannot do this and act like children, quarreling over every detail of faith and life. The world around us is delighted to see us act that way and will be quick to publicize our failures, indeed they will encourage us to display our differences and help us create new divisions. Especially when we attempt to use the law to accomplish our goals do we play into the hands of Satan. We have work enough to regulate our own lives without seeking to govern others. The path Jesus followed was one of humility and patience, forbearance and suffering; never compulsion and power. So we must come to that maturity that has no need of praise or pride and thus play our proper part in the life of the whole body, with every bone and sinew working together in love and selflessness for the good of the whole.
Let me tell you as clearly as I can that we must not live like those around us whose lives are centered on sports, entertainment, and self-indulgence, who have no concern for eternal values or even their neighbor's need. This is not what you learned about Jesus! I know you have heard the gospel and been taught the basics of faith and that you were instructed to put off a way of life centered on self so that you can make room for the Spirit and put on your new self, remodeled in the likeness and image of God in true righteousness and holiness. So live that way, and deal with your neighbors with integrity for we are members of one body. Simple things make a difference: if you are angry, get over it before the day is over; make no room in your life for Satan.
Do not be seduced by false values. Money is a false god; do not give your life to pursuing it, especially by deceiving others, and put aside some of what you earn to share with others. Speak honestly and truthfully so your words will create unity and not division. Put away all anger and discord and argumentativeness and maliciousness. Be kind to other people, and forgive each other, remembering that God in Christ has first forgiven you.
5
Act toward others as God acts toward you and imitate God as children imitate their parents. Make love your priority because Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a beautiful offering to God. Never let greed or any kind of sexual misbehavior even be mentioned among you; why would saints have their minds in the gutter? Obscenity and vulgarity and blasphemous use of God's holy Name have no place in your mouths; you have the gift of speech in order to express your love for each other and to give praise to God. You can be sure that no one who exploits others through sexual misbehavior or greed for wealth has any hope of eternal life with Christ and with God. Don't let people fool you or tell you such things don't matter. It is this kind of behavior that destroys human relationships and corrupts society. Don't be corrupted by those around you but do not isolate yourselves from them either. You must be a light to a society that is losing its way; live as children of the light undaunted by the darkness around you but exposing the evils you see and drawing others to the light. Let the Easter light of the risen Christ be visible in your lives throughout the year and sing out your joy in psalms and hymns, giving thanks at all times to God and in all things to our risen Lord.
Seek for Christ in each other and serve one another as you would serve Christ. Partners in marriage in particular should serve each other, putting the other's needs and interests ahead of their own. You should love each other as Christ loves the church and gave his life for its members to create a holy and unblemished body, washed and purified by the baptism of faith so that it might be united with him in splendor in the great marriage feast to which we are summoned. Marriage is a holy vocation through which the partners learn to submit themselves to each other in joyful obedience so that their marriage becomes a school of heaven and a foretaste of eternal joy. To love another in marriage is to love yourself for you become one flesh and care for the other as you would care for yourself and as Christ also cares for you. This uniting of two human beings in faithful and enduring relationships is a great mystery since it calls us beyond the merely physical life of the body to experience the deeper unity surpassing human understanding to which we are called by God's great love for us. It is in the deepest physical unity that the fullest spiritual unity is discovered for God has created us with bodies that speak most eloquently of those invisible spiritual gifts through which alone the fullest meaning of life is realized. Let your love for each other reflect God's love for you and deepen your love for God.
6
Parents should teach their children the value of self-control so that the human family becomes a model of the church, controlled by love and concern first for the other. Be gentle with each other and seek occasions to be together at meals and in times of leisure. Be patient when times of conflict come and, when there is disagreement, listen carefully to what others are saying. Find your joy in seeking each other's happiness. Above all, center your lives in worship and prayer so that you find the strength and guidance that God alone can give.
In your places of work and in your community also seek first of all to serve. Anger and impatience serve only to create ill will and deepen divisions, but your calling is to work for unity and understanding in the common tasks we are given. Work with enthusiasm for the welfare of others and draw others into the work for many discover the meaning and joy of faith through community service. Serve the needs of others as you would serve the Lord and remember that the Lord will serve and strengthen you in all things.
One last word of advice: find your strength in the Lord and the power of the Spirit. Think of yourselves as athletes in training for a spiritual contest so that you may be able to withstand the temptations and opposition that will come. For our struggle is not simply against opponents of flesh and blood but against the very real cosmic powers of darkness and the spiritual forces of evil that surround us day by day. So put yourself in training and take on the discipline required to excel in any activity. As an athlete finds time to exercise and takes on a diet that will provide nourishment for the whole body, so you must set aside regular times for prayer and for meditating on the word of God and for sharing the bread of life at the Lord's table. As an athlete needs a trainer, so you must seek the spiritual counsel of a wise advisor who can share with you the experience gained through years of practice. Set high goals and work patiently toward them without allowing yourself to be distracted by those without discipline. Rely on the Word of God for guidance and reassurance and let your whole life become an offering of prayer. Pray also for me that I may continue to be able to bear witness boldly to the gospel, that message of grace that is more than any words can express.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Dear Friends"
by .
Copyright © 2014 Christopher L. Webber.
Excerpted by permission of Skyhorse Publishing.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Introduction,
The Letter To Americans (Ephesians),
The Letter To Washington (Romans),
The First Letter To California (I Corinthians),
The Second Letter To California (II Corinthians),
The Letter To Texas (Galatians),
The Letter To Philadelphia (Philippians),
The Letter To Colorado (Colossians),
The First Letter To Florida (I Thessalonians),
The Second Letter To Florida (II Thessalonians),
The Letter To Philip Leaman (Philemon),
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