Back Porch Bible Studies

Every book of the bible should be looked at as a whole in order to understand the individual parts. Context is king! We will look over the entire book in this section to see what the author wanted to share and how God is revealed throughout.

Satan attacks on many fronts, and he will aim at any point he considers vulnerable. That’s why we need to be fully dressed in God’s Armor! We can’t select our own armor; we wouldn’t know where to begin. This invisible, spiritual warfare must be fought with “spiritual” armor.  Why else would Paul be so emphatic about putting on the full armor of God, describing it piece by piece, if there were any other option? Think about it! Don’t you think that if God wanted us to fight in any other way, He would have told us? The armor God has provided precisely counteracts the schemes of the devil. Our Father in Heaven never leaves us lacking protection.

Satan uses the allurements of the world and the appeal of the flesh (the first two enemies) to try and get us to do what God prohibits. Satan’s biggest weapon is accusation bringing shame, defeat, and feeling of worthlessness. He wants us to become downhearted and to lose confidence. He works hard to bring depression and despondency into our lives.

The stakes in the conflict between Satan and God are profound and far-reaching: the battle between good and evil, the cosmic struggle for the supremacy of God’s glory, the destiny of every single human being.

You are called by God to be strong in the strength of the Lord. This strength is not merely physical but deeply spiritual, a strength that emanates from the very essence of the Lord Himself. It is the kind of strength that develops within you through the trials you will face. You must face them with the presence of God living within you, His mighty power working through you.

YOU CANNOT WALK IN A MANNER WORTHY OF YOUR CALLING IF YOU AREN’T LOVING PEOPLE!!

Our unity, rooted in mutual submission, and reverence for Christ, serves as a powerful testimony!  Authentically demonstrating the beauty of Christ's love through submission, we draw others towards the life-changing relationship with Christ that leads to eternal salvation.

Join our granddaughter as she narrates the Christmas story as only Caprina can! Your heart will be blessed as she shares this story from a child's view!

We will look at how Paul brings fellowship home: we will see how marriage symbolizes the unity and oneness that God desires in all of our relationships, particularly within the family of God! Just like the husband and wife become one, believers become one with Christ and with each other in the body of Christ.

We were created in His image and to think that to be out of fellowship with one another is no big deal, is as absurd as proclaiming that the Father has no use for the Son, or that the Spirit can exist in isolation from the Father. It's through the tapestry of relationships that we truly experience the divine Fellowship God intended, for it is in embracing one another that we draw closer to the very essence of God.

Jesus says this isn’t about who YOUR NEIGHBOR IS.  This is about “are you a neighbor?”  It’s not, “Who is my neighbor?” “Who qualifies to be loved?” But it’s about “AM I A NEIGHBOR WHO LOVES LAVISHLY?”  Forget trying to decide who qualifies for you to love them and demonstrate love that HAS NO QUALIFIERS. 

Do you ever wonder how much God loves you?? Check out this week's episode on God's Jealousy!!

Romans 15:7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

This love, AGAPE love, might be defined as a steadfast commitment to the highest good of others. That’s good. That was how Jesus loved…That’s a great start, but Love, being such a vast concept, defies a simple definition. Attempting to define love is like defining the boundless ocean with all the teeming life within! And if defining love is challenging, putting love into action proves even more daunting. Encouraging someone to "go love" is like urging them to "go hug an elephant" - an overwhelming and enormous task.

In the book of Ephesians, the call to unity remains at the forefront, as God desires His people to walk in a manner worthy of their calling. And we've seen that by that Worthy Walk we ‘preserve the Unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace’, the unity of believers. Unity, one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all!

Our unity is most pronounced when we are unified with people who are not like us because the source of our unity—Jesus Christ—is put on display.

LOVE IS THE UMBRELLA FOR EVERY OTHER ‘ONE ANOTHER’

AND

CREATES THE PERFECT ENVIRONMENT FOR THEM TO THRIVE.

Wisdom is a skill! Not just having the youTube knowledge of how to do something, but actually becoming good at it!! God's Word is full of both knowledge and wisdom! But do you know how to use it??

As Children of Light, we are called to be a light to the world! Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Is that what the Holy Spirit wants exposed, the darkness in this world? Or is there something else we need to expose? Join us in Ephesians 5:6-14.

Do we really love the way we have been called to love? How can I know that I'm loving people the way that God does? Paul will not only point us in the right direction, he will show us how to please our God in the process!!

What if I told you there were probably only three things that will make us crazy, you know what I mean, when we can’t get it out of our head! When we hold on to that thought or that string of thoughts that keep us churning all night and all day!! Three things: Anxiety, Anger, and Desires

Think about it! These three things can put us on the crazy cycle!! We talk to ourselves all day about it…nothing resolved! We talk to others about it…nothing resolved!!

Today we will discover the power of a Sound Mind

What does Humility, Gentleness, and Patience have to do with me? Is humility weak? gentleness soft? patience a joke? Maybe in the eyes of the world, but God desires for us to grow in the STRENGTH of these attitudes! YES! the people the strength of character practice these three attitudes...let's talk about what they mean!!

How do you get the knowledge in your head to live out in your heart? The moment we engage with God by acting in obedience, we will experience the thrill of the fullness of God!! Just ask Corrie ten Boom!

You can't get water out of an empty bucket!! Sometimes we can feel spent!! EMPTY!! You can't pour out of Empty! When we are mindful of all that God has done for us and through us, we find the source that will fill us up! Don't forget to Remember God!

How big is your God? Our God is far more beyond all we can imagine, but sometimes we shrink Him down to fit into our little world so we can manage who we think He is! So let me ask you again, How big is your God?

When we see someone we love suffering, or a struggle takes longer than expected, it is easy to become discouraged! Paul reminds us to guard against discouragement and to know that when we are living out what we have been called to do...there is Hope!

The Purpose of the Mystery will broaden your view of God's purpose for your salvation!! Come and discover "who" God reveals His secret to...

Ephesians 3:1-12 The Mystery is revealed and wee have been made fellow heirs, fellow members of the Body, and fellow partakers of the promise!!Do you realize what you have been given? Come find your spiritual Heritage in Jesus Christ!!

Paul will remind us to REMEMBER. Remember who we were before Christ. Remember that we were spiritually dead in our sin and trespasses and because of Sin we were separated from God. Now, God has reveled the mystery that through Christ, the Jews and Gentiles stand on level ground at the Cross. Paul is going to challenge our prejudges when he reminds us to REMEMBER that in Jesus Christ we ALL have access in One Spirit to the Father.

BUT GOD...being rich in mercy, made us ALIVE together with Christ!! Paul explains God's reason behind reconciling man to Himself!! BECAUSE He is rich in mercy and His Great love for us!! Every reason for God's mercy and love is found in Him!! We offer nothing and get everything!!

Dead in our Sin = Separated from God

Sin Separates!! Jesus gives us Access to the Father!

Paul writes that, "you were DEAD in your trespasses and sins". The better we understand who we once were in our "dead-nes", the more profoundly we will understand the grace of God in our lives. So, can Dead men Reach? We'll talk about that in this week's episode. Welcome!

5 Spiritual Blessings in Ephesians 1

Gift 1 - Adoption: Chosen by God before the foundation of the world to belong to HIM!

Gift 2 - Grace: A favor done without expectation of return; the absolutely free expression of God's kind intention!

Gift 3 - Redemption: payment for our sin was redeemed according to His grace to set us free from the bondage of sin!

Gift 4 - The Knowledge of the Mystery: a) salvation through Grace, and b) first to the Jew and then to the Gentile

Gift 5 - An Inheritance Sealed by the Holy Spirit - like an engagement ring declares one person to another with a promise of more to come...

Don't forget to read the Card before you open the Gift!!  Ephesians starts out with: 

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms." 

Such a lavish expression of love!! Let's look at the One who gave the gifts and at least 4 reasons why He gave them to us!

1. Because He loves us

2. Because He wants us to KNOW that He loves us

3. Because we are IN CHRIST

4. For the Praise of His Glory...

Welcome Friend to my BACK PORCH!! My name is Debra Ghysels and I'll be your host on this weekly podcast. 

In a world where truth is toted as "Relative" and can't be known, we will learn from the Author of Truth and build our lives on that firm foundation. 

So grab your drink and meet me on....My Back Porch, where we talk about what the Bible says about our God. 

When we do a bible study on my Back Porch, we always start with an Overview of the entire letter so that we can know what was going on and who was involved! Today we will answer the questions, 'Who wrote the letter and to whom was it written?' and, 'What we learn about God in this letter?'. You might even discover a fundamental truth about your Spiritual Legacy.