Gospel Dynamite with J. Allen Mashburn

Why Christmas?

In this message, Pastor Mashburn examines why Christmas had to happen to accomplish God's Will, Purpose, and our Salvation.

Paul's Letter to the Ephesians | Ephesians 4:1-6 | Part 2

In our last study of this chapter, we talked about the unity of the church.
We spoke specifically about the plea for unity issued by Paul in verse 3. In that verse, Paul challenges the church to work toward the goal of “unity”, or “agreement”, within the church. He goes on to tell us that this is only possible when we allow the Spirit of God within us to cause us to walk together as one.
 

Resting in Prayer | Matthew 6 | Allen Mashburn

This message was preached at the Berean Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, NC where Pastor Mashburn examines the Scripture and helps us rest in prayer.

Paul's Letter to the Ephesians | Eph. 4:1-6 | Part 1 | Allen Mashburn

In verse 1 Paul calls the church to remember where we came from and all that the Lord has done for us in Christ. He uses the word “therefore” to call to our minds all that He has taught us thus far in the book of Ephesians. He has been writing about doctrine, precept, and belief. Now, he turns his attention to duty, practice and behavior. The phrase at the end of verse 1 that reads, “walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,” is worth another quick glance.
 
The word “vocation” refers to “a calling; or a career.” It refers to “a person’s life’s work.” The calling we received from God to come to Christ by faith was not a call for a weekend getaway. It was a call to live a radically changed life for the glory of God. We are called on to live differently because we now know Jesus. We are live lives that are “worthy” of what we have been given in Christ. The word “worthy” means, “to balance the scales.” We are to live lives that prove we belong to the Lord. We are to live lives that glorify Him in the world. We are to live such weighty lives that we “balance the scales” with God.
 
Having told us what God expects of us, Paul now moves to tell us how to bring this to pass in our lives. He teaches us in these verses how to walk the worthy walk. One of the clearest ways the church can prove the reality of what it teaches is by living out the essence of what Paul talks about throughout the book of Ephesians.
 

Paul's Letter to the Ephesians | Ephesians 4:1 | J. Allen Mashburn

The fourth chapter of Ephesians introduces a change of direction for the book. The word “therefore” in verse 1, signals this change. Paul is saying, “because of what I have said, this is what I want you to do.”
The first there chapters of this book are among the most thrilling and most profound in the Bible. Over the course of just 66 chapters, Paul lays out a wonderful catalog of divine truth. 
In the first three chapters of this book, Paul’s focus has been on doctrine. He has been telling us about the doctrinal truths we believe. He has also been teaching us about our positional standing in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Join us as Pastor continues this powerful study in the Book of Ephesians.
 

Paul's Letter to the Ephesians | Ephesians 3:20-21 | J. Allen Mashburn

Up to this point, the book of Ephesians has been one long theological exhalation. Paul has emptied the contents of his soul as he has revealed mysteries that were hidden from the foundation of the world. The first three chapters of Ephesians are a theological goldmine. The verses we have studied to get to this point in the book are so embedded with heavenly nuggets of spiritual truth that it is impossible for mortals to fully grasp all they teach. 
After this great outpouring of truth, Paul concludes this chapter by giving voice to the praise that dwells in his heart. As Paul writes the words of this great book, he is overwhelmed by the truths he has been privileged to learn. So, after he prays for the Ephesian saints, he lifts his voice in praise to the One Who made all this possible.

Paul's Letter to the Ephesians | Ephesians 3:16-19 | J. Allen Mashburn

The verses before us today reveal a man in prayer. Beginning in verse 14, Paul turned his heart toward the Lord to pray for the believers in Ephesus. In our last study, we looked at verses 14-15 and talked about Paul’s Pattern In Prayer. Today, we way to consider verses 16-19 and think abut Paul’s Petitions In Prayer.
 
As Paul prayed for the Ephesians believers, he made some very specific requests on their behalf. It is interesting to note what he did not ask for when he prayed. He did not pray for anything physical, material or financial. He did not pray for the healing of their sick. He did not pray that they would be delivered from persecution. He did not pray about the economy in Asia Minor. Paul did not occupy his prayer with so many of the things that seem to mark our own prayer lives.
 

Paul's Letter to the Ephesians | Ephesians 3:14-15 | J. Allen Mashburn

If you are a praying person, you know the difficulties associated with prayer. The flesh hates to pray! Not only that, but the mind is easily distracted during prayer. Have you ever stopped to pray and started off well enough, only to have your mind get sidetracked? Have you ever found yourself thinking about matters that are not even remotely connected with your prayers? If you have, welcome to the human race. We are a short-minded people who are easily distracted.
 
It seems Paul had this issue as well. He started to pray back in verse 1, and then he became sidetracked and spent the next twelve verses describing the “mystery” of the church. Just for the record, Paul was not distracted by any fleshly motives. His mind did not lead him down some primrose path. The Holy Spirit distracted Paul. He was so overwhelmed by the truth that he had been given that he spent some time both exalting and exulting in the revelation of the “mystery” of the church.