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Ephesians: Understanding God's Purpose for the Church
Many of the problems plaguing the church today, such as apathy, conflict, spiritual pride, and spiritual abuse, stem from a poor understanding of who the church is in Christ and God’s purpose for her. Whenever we don’t understand the purpose of something, we are prone to misuse it. No doubt the newly founded churches in Ephesus and Asia Minor struggled with a lack of understanding as well and, therefore, were plagued with many of the same issues.
Paul wrote the letter to the Ephesians to help them grasp God’s great plan for the church. He calls many of these insights “mysteries”—truths not fully revealed to past generations, but now fully revealed to us. He describes the church as seated in the heavenly realms in Christ. She is one body—including both Jews and Gentiles. She is God’s temple and his masterpiece. She is the bride of Christ and a soldier fighting demonic forces. The more the church grows in her understanding of God’s great purpose for her, the more she will live it out and display his glory. Let’s study the letter of Ephesians together with The Bible Teacher’s Guide.
“Expositional, theological, and candidly practical! I highly recommend The Bible Teacher’s Guide for anyone seeking to better understand or teach God’s Word.”
—Dr. Young–Gil Kim, Founding President of Handong Global University
Paul wrote the letter to the Ephesians to help them grasp God’s great plan for the church. He calls many of these insights “mysteries”—truths not fully revealed to past generations, but now fully revealed to us. He describes the church as seated in the heavenly realms in Christ. She is one body—including both Jews and Gentiles. She is God’s temple and his masterpiece. She is the bride of Christ and a soldier fighting demonic forces. The more the church grows in her understanding of God’s great purpose for her, the more she will live it out and display his glory. Let’s study the letter of Ephesians together with The Bible Teacher’s Guide.
“Expositional, theological, and candidly practical! I highly recommend The Bible Teacher’s Guide for anyone seeking to better understand or teach God’s Word.”
—Dr. Young–Gil Kim, Founding President of Handong Global University
500 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 1, 2016
34 people are currently reading
15 people want to read
About the author
Gregory Brown
15 books70 followersGreg Brown earned his MA in religion and MA in teaching from Trinity International University, a MRE from Liberty University, and a PhD in theology from Louisiana Baptist University. He has served over twelve years in pastoral ministry, and currently serves as chaplain and visiting professor at Handong Global University, pastor at Handong International Congregation, and as a Navy Reserve chaplain.
Greg married his lovely wife, Tara Jayne, in 2006 and they have one daughter, Saiyah Grace. He enjoys going on dates with his wife, playing with his daughter, reading, writing, studying in coffee shops, working out, and following the NBA and UFC. His pursuit in life simply put is “to know God and to be found faithful by Him.”
To connect with Greg, please follow at http://www.pgregbrown.com/
Greg married his lovely wife, Tara Jayne, in 2006 and they have one daughter, Saiyah Grace. He enjoys going on dates with his wife, playing with his daughter, reading, writing, studying in coffee shops, working out, and following the NBA and UFC. His pursuit in life simply put is “to know God and to be found faithful by Him.”
To connect with Greg, please follow at http://www.pgregbrown.com/
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 2, 2016
Brown continues to give us great effective study tools through his writing. It has required much time and research to put this study together and the information it contains would be valuable to anyone. This book would work well for personal study or for a class. It can reach the heart of a mature Christian through reminding them of the teachings of the apostles and helping them to grow even more in grace and knowledge. It could also be a vital part of helping a new believer understand the importance and purpose of being a part of the body of Christ, the church. The body of Christ needs material like this in our present day.
August 10, 2017
Spiritledpastor
Somewhat a good book. Understanding God's Purpose for the Church. Not as inspiring and inviting as I expected but still somewhat good.
Somewhat a good book. Understanding God's Purpose for the Church. Not as inspiring and inviting as I expected but still somewhat good.
October 20, 2016
The book Ephesians: Understanding God’s Purpose for the Church, A Baptist Teacher’s Guide is a very educated and scholarly work. Greg Brown goes into the history and culture of the people to whom Paul wrote. He explains the text of the letter to the Ephesians with explanation of the word meanings from the original Greek text and he helps the reader understand the metaphors and mythology of the Greek people.
This book is a comprehensive undertaking to understand what and why Paul wrote what he did to the people of Ephesus and the surrounding churches. Not only does Greg explain the text of Ephesians, he helps the reader understand that Paul’s teaching is not his alone. He shows the reader Paul’s theology and doctrine is that of other biblical writers. Greg gives the reader in depth understanding of what it means to be a believer in Jesus Christ, through whom we have the power to walk a life of obedience to Jesus, how to be a church and individual church members, and how to be a Christian family relating the way God intends. Of course, He teaches the most often studied passage of Ephesians, chapter six, and the armor of God.
I highly encourage you to read this book, which is a complete study of the letter of Paul to the Ephesians. It is written in a way that is engaging for the reader that uses a question and answer method of teaching after the initial lesson of the area being studied. All readers will finish the book having learned at least one more nugget of truth from God through His chosen apostle Paul. Pick up the book for yourself and understand Ephesians better and grow more in the image of Christ.
This book is a comprehensive undertaking to understand what and why Paul wrote what he did to the people of Ephesus and the surrounding churches. Not only does Greg explain the text of Ephesians, he helps the reader understand that Paul’s teaching is not his alone. He shows the reader Paul’s theology and doctrine is that of other biblical writers. Greg gives the reader in depth understanding of what it means to be a believer in Jesus Christ, through whom we have the power to walk a life of obedience to Jesus, how to be a church and individual church members, and how to be a Christian family relating the way God intends. Of course, He teaches the most often studied passage of Ephesians, chapter six, and the armor of God.
I highly encourage you to read this book, which is a complete study of the letter of Paul to the Ephesians. It is written in a way that is engaging for the reader that uses a question and answer method of teaching after the initial lesson of the area being studied. All readers will finish the book having learned at least one more nugget of truth from God through His chosen apostle Paul. Pick up the book for yourself and understand Ephesians better and grow more in the image of Christ.
December 20, 2016
As a missionary who teaches through the Bible, I am constantly looking for good resources for studying. I look for things which are balanced, biblically solid, and doctrinally sound. Gregory Brown's Ephesians is all of these things. This is not a quick read, it is full of meat for the believer who wants to dive deeper into the Word of God, to grasp Him and understand His precepts more. It is a guide to refer back to often. As with other books written by Brown, this one is one I will keep going back to for years to come.
I received a free copy of this book in return for an unbiased review.
I received a free copy of this book in return for an unbiased review.
December 12, 2016
"If we do not know God's words, if we do not know theology, then we cannot truly worship him".
That's the premise of this excellent study guide. It wants to help us to know God's word.
It is true to the word, easy to read, but difficult to digest, challenging and digging deep.
This is not a superficial overview of the epistel but a thorough exegesis of nearly every single verse.
"Are you being the church and not just attending it?"
What does this even mean for the church as a whole, for your local church and for you as God's child? How can we really be the body of Christ?
We are God's beloved children, citizens and heirs of His Kingdom, part of His body and soldiers in a spiritual war.
Let's learn to live accordingly.
This study guide is meant as a Bible Teachers Guide, but it can also be used in small groups or in private study. I really hope that many Bible Teachers and Students will use it, because many sermons and messages in our days lack this depth of knowledge.
That's the premise of this excellent study guide. It wants to help us to know God's word.
It is true to the word, easy to read, but difficult to digest, challenging and digging deep.
This is not a superficial overview of the epistel but a thorough exegesis of nearly every single verse.
"Are you being the church and not just attending it?"
What does this even mean for the church as a whole, for your local church and for you as God's child? How can we really be the body of Christ?
We are God's beloved children, citizens and heirs of His Kingdom, part of His body and soldiers in a spiritual war.
Let's learn to live accordingly.
This study guide is meant as a Bible Teachers Guide, but it can also be used in small groups or in private study. I really hope that many Bible Teachers and Students will use it, because many sermons and messages in our days lack this depth of knowledge.
October 19, 2016
Many commentaries are so technical that the average person has trouble understanding and using them. Such is not the case with this study book on Ephesians. The author puts the fodder where the cows can reach it. It is written clearly and is easy to grasp the meaning. The outlines are excellent. This book will be of benefit, not only to pastors and teachers, but also to individuals who want to study on their own. It is not dry reading. The author applies the spiritual meaning to our lives. For those who wish to use the book in group study, there are suggestions in the appendix explaining an effective way to do this. I highly recommend this book.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews