#1512. Peace, Love, Faith, Grace (8/5/26)

Welcome to this Come to Jesus Daily Devotional (posted, at present, every weekday) as we continue our Ephesians series: Ephesians - To the praise, for the purpose, in the power of God.

God wants to teach us about and fill us with peace, love, faith and grace. 

To watch this devotional, please select the link below:

Today we come to the final part of our series in Ephesians, finishing with Paul’s benediction of peace, love, faith, and grace.

1. Peace 

Firstly he prays for, ‘Peace to the brothers and sisters.’ 

This peace, first of all, speaks of peace with God. In other words, he is calling them to remain gospel-centred—to be a people who continually celebrate the grace and peace they have received through Christ. This may sound obvious, but do we truly believe that real peace with God—in our lives and in our minds—is found in Christ alone and in the gospel?

Secondly, this is about relational peace within the church. Paul is praying for a loving and united community. The devil seeks to divide, but it is God’s will that we:

2. Love

Secondly, Paul expresses his desire that they be a church family marked by love.

Firstly, this is about knowing and experiencing God’s love for them—may they be a church family saturated with the love ‘from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.’ This echoes his earlier prayer:

Secondly, this is about love for God. Paul wants them not only to know God’s love for them, but to respond in love towards God—becoming a people of genuine, heartfelt worship.

Thirdly, this is about love for one another. A community that is filled with God’s love, and overflowing in worship, will also be rich in love for each other. Our experience of God’s love becomes the foundation for healthy relationships within the church family.

3. Faith 

He expresses his desire and prayer that they be marked by ‘faith’—which translates the Greek pístis.

Firstly, faith is their trust in God and in Christ. May they be full of faith toward God. This faith is centred on Christ and the gospel—may they be a church family that places their confidence in the finished work of the cross. This is expressed in Paul’s opening to the letter:

Secondly, faith is about faithfulness. Paul longs for them to be faithful—to God and to one another.

Faithfulness is expressed in love and loyalty. Yet many people are tempted toward a consumer mindset in church life—treating church like a television programme: I’ll engage as long as it entertains me or meets my needs. But Christian faithfulness is different. It is shaped by God Himself—‘from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.’ As He is faithful to us, so we are called to reflect that faithfulness in committed love and loyalty to our church family.

4. Grace 

Finally, he prays:

Firstly, let’s notice that a Christian is defined as those who ‘love our Lord Jesus Christ’. The grace of God in our lives - the work of the Spirit in our hearts - leads to love for Christ and love for the gospel. 

Finally, this closing phrase expresses Paul’s desire that the church would both know and experience God’s grace and love in a deep, personal way. He longs for them to be fully convinced of the “undying love” of Christ. He wants their lives to overflow with the assurance that God’s love is truly undying. The word translated here comes from the Greek aphtharsia, meaning “incorruptible” or “imperishable”—a love that cannot decay, diminish, or be overcome. Those who have received the peace, love, and faithfulness of God will never perish, because the love of God for them is imperishable.

Community Group Study

(This week is ‘SIV’ (Serve, Invest and inVite) Week, so we’ll be focussing on this during our time together. 

1. Notices

It might be good to begin with notices. Please share from this week’s Church News. 

2. Worship together

Let’s begin our time together by lifting our eyes and hearts to worship our great God. Perhaps you have readings and songs that you would like to use together. Let’s be open to the gifts that the Spirit wants to give in order to encourage one another.

3. Study and pray together

(This week is ‘SIV’ (Serve, Invest and inVite) Week)

What is SIV? 

SIV stands for Serve, Invest and inVite. This is our very simple strategy to help bring our community to Jesus. We believe that God has placed us in relationships and in specific locations to be 'salt and light.' and to ‘fish for people’.  We can effectively bring people to Jesus by: 

• 'Serving' them - Demonstrating the love of Christ in practical ways; 

• 'Investing' - Investing in the ‘people of peace’ those whom we feel the Spirit is leading us. 

• 'Inviting' - Inviting them into our homes by showing hospitality and inviting them to church events, to Alpha, and ultimately, inviting them to come to Jesus through the gospel. 

In your groups: 

• Share stories – Have you had any recent opportunities to Serve, Invest in, or Invite someone toward Jesus? Let’s encourage one another by sharing stories of how we’ve seen God at work through simple faithfulness.

• Think about practical next steps – Who might God be placing on your heart at this time? Are there any “people of peace” (see note) in your life—those who seem open, welcoming, or receptive to spiritual conversation?

Pray together:

• Pray for courage, wisdom, and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit in our Serve, Invest, and Invite opportunities.

• Pray specifically for the ‘people of peace’ in our lives - that God would open hearts and deepen relationships.

• Pray for our Alpha ministry and Phil Mash who heads up this team 

• Pray for our mission in Roehampton - that He would lead us in reaching that community with the gospel. 

• General prayer: how do people want prayer at this time?