Learning to Lean on God's Will

In one paragraph

On the Sunday after returning from a week in Guatemala, Pastor Ray preached from Ephesians 1:3-14, running the passage alongside the story of what the team experienced on that trip. The two threads, one theological and one personal, were meant to be read together: what God's Word says about how He works, and what it looked like when He worked through a group of ordinary people who showed up...

Read together

1. Ephesians 1:1-2 Paul's opening greeting, used to introduce the will of God and the question about obedience vs disobedience
2. Ephesians 1:3-6 The section on God the Father, read and expounded as the opening of the long Greek doxology
3. Ephesians 1:7-12 The section on Christ's role, read and expounded as part of the doxology covering redemption through his blood and the plan for the fullness of time
4. Ephesians 1:13-14 The sealing of the Holy Spirit, read as the closing section of the doxology
5. Romans 8:28 Quoted as a parallel to the repeated theme that God works all things according to his will for those who love him
6. Colossians 1:19-20 Quoted as a parallel to Ephesians on uniting all things, referencing the fullness of God dwelling in Christ and reconciling all things through the blood of his cross
7. John 20:21 Quoted as Jesus sending his disciples just as the Father sent him, applied to the body of Christ as God's agency on earth
8. John 20:22 Referenced as Jesus breathing on the disciples and giving them the Holy Spirit after commissioning them
9. 1 Corinthians 11:23-25 The institution of the Lord's Supper quoted during the communion service, covering the bread and the cup

Talk about it

1. Pastor Ray asked the congregation to consider whether they would rather have God work through their obedience or in spite of their disobedience. Which feels more true to your own experience, and why?
2. Paul's doxology in Ephesians 1:3-14 is described as a study of God's glory, with the Father as the one who had the plan, the Son as the one who carried it out, and the Holy Spirit as the seal and guarantee. How does seeing those three roles laid out together shape the way you think about your own salvation?
3. Juan Bautista kept saying 'I have never been sick, I have always been healthy, I have always been able to work,' even as he was the sickest person the team would see all week. In what ways do we resist acknowledging our own need before God or before others?
4. Pastor Ray noted that the Holy Spirit's voice is easier to hear when you are obeying and more difficult when you are disobeying. Where have you found that to be true in your own life?
5. Graciela left the key ceremony immediately to go back to her village and tell everyone what God had done. What is one thing God has done for you recently that you have not yet told anyone about?