1 - In Him

While under house arrest in Rome, Paul writes to churches he had pastored in and around Ephesus (a city on the coast of Western Asia Minor). He wants to be sure that with the passing of time this group, made up largely of converted Gentiles, does not lose sight of the wonderful things God has done for them. He wanted them to keep focused on the fact that they were "in Christ." It's easy for Christians to grow discouraged with themselves and to lose the boldness of faith that makes them spiritually effective. The devil tends to chip away atour sense of being acceptable to God, and as that foundation crumbles, we lose confidence that there is any power in our prayers. By the time he is finished with us, any assurance that we are strong soldiers well-equipped to enter the battle has disappeared. Another of his tactics is to divide and scatter us from one another so that we no longer pull together as a fighting unit. So Paul, knowing how the devil will attack, writes this wonderful letter to keep these soldiers sure of who they are and pulling together against their true enemy, the devil.