Our joy will not come from the materialism that this world offers. It will not come from the
tolerant attitudes that this world demands. Our joy will come from seeing the gospel take root in
the lives of people. It will only come from seeing the gospel create change that could only be
credited to the power of God. It will come when we embrace our identity in the new life we have
in Christ and begin practicing the new ethic that identity requires.

Reflection
How were the challenges faced by the Ephesian church similar to what we face today? How does
Paul describe the church in the book of Ephesians? How is that different from the way people
describe the church today? How do you view the church and its role in your life? Is the church
something you just seem to consume or is it the mechanism by which you serve the kingdom? If
you were going to describe the bare minimum regarding what makes a church, a church, what
would those bare minimums be? Does your list of bare minimums reflect a biblical view of church
or a cultural view of church? Take some time to read through Ephesians 1-3 and then summarize
those chapters in just two to three sentences. Do the same for chapters 4-6.