the Body of Christ

July 7, 2025

The Armor of God

Ephesians 6:10-24

Paul’s final instructions to the Ephesians are a charge to be prepared for the spiritual warfare that they will face as a Church. Put on the full armor of God that you all may be able to resist in the evil day and to stand firm. Truth…righteousness…gospel of peace…faith…salvation. We could sum it up this way…the Word of God and prayer.

We have a real enemy who seeks to steal and kill and destroy. He would like nothing better than to bring down the Church. Both individually and corporately. That’s why it’s so important that we stand firm together. That we journey down Torah Road together. That we pursue Jesus together. Each part doing his or her part. Doesn’t mean that it will be easy and that the struggle won’t be intense at times. That’s life this side of the garden. But it does mean that whatever comes our way, we will face it together. As the Church…the Body of Christ…the one New Man.

And the good news…Jesus promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against His Church.

I pray that our time in Ephesians has been profitable for you. That you understand more what it means to be a part of the Body of Christ. That you’ve been reminded of the importance of time spent in God’s Word. And that you’ve been challenged to discover the part that the LORD is calling you to play in this thing called the Church.

pro rege

This post is based on a sermon from our Ephesians series. Download the podcast at: Central Christian Church Main Service, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X or Threads: @ccclancaster. You can also download our Central Christian app in the iTunes App Store.

April 28, 2025

The Gospel

Ephesians 2:1-10

For by grace you all have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. A dead man can’t do anything to save himself…he’s dead! He must be made alive again.

The bad news…if you have not yet trusted in Jesus, you are dead. Your sin has killed you. And if something doesn’t change, nothing will change. You will remain dead. Separated from God forever. Not a very pretty picture. In fact it’s a very grim picture. An unsettling picture. But an accurate picture. The bad news is you’re as bad off as you can possibly be without Jesus.

The good news…Jesus came to change all of that. He came to give you life. His death has taken care of the sin problem, His resurrection has taken care of the death problem, so that through faith in Him you can can be saved because of His amazing grace.

It’s as simple as recognizing that you are a sinner in need of a Savior. Believing that Jesus is the Savior that God promised would come. He lived a perfect life. He died a sacrificial death on your behalf and was raised the third day conquering both sin and death, so that by faith in Jesus you can have forgiveness of sins and eternal life.

pro rege

This post is based on a sermon from our Ephesians series. Download the podcast at: Central Christian Church Main Service, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X or Threads: @ccclancaster. You can also download our Central Christian app in the iTunes App Store.

April 7, 2025

Paul’s Prayer for the Ephesians

Ephesians 1:15-23

Paul prays that these Ephesian believers will understand what it means to be in Christ…what an incredible thing it means to be a part of the Church. All because of Jesus.

Where will that understanding come from? The words of the Apostles and Prophets. The Scriptures. That was true for them, and it’s also true for us. We will only understand what it means to be “in Christ” through the Word. That’s why it’s so important to spend time in it everyday…so that we not only get to know the LORD better, but we also get to know who we are in Him.

So, I’m going to continue to challenge you to spend time in God’s Word everyday. Ephesians is a great place to start. Six chapters…a chapter a day leading up to Sunday. If you commit to doing that over the next several weeks while we are in the book, you will certainly grow in your understanding of what it means to be in Christ.

pro rege

This post is based on a sermon from our Ephesians series. Download the podcast at: Central Christian Church Main Service, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X or Threads: @ccclancaster. You can also download our Central Christian app in the iTunes App Store.