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It was Written for Us • Jul 01st 1997

The DEEPEST Truth Paul Ever Taught – The First-Century Church & Ephesians

Acts Eternal Purpose First Century New Testament Organic Church Paul the Apostle The Epistles

In this powerful and deeply reflective teaching, Gene Edwards explores what he calls “the deepest truth Paul ever taught” — the centrality of Christ and the church as revealed through the first-century Christian experience. Drawing from church history, Paul’s journeys, and the spiritual realities behind the New Testament letters, Gene challenges modern evangelical assumptions and invites believers into a radically different way of understanding Christianity.

This message examines the early church not as an institution, but as a living expression of Christ shared among believers. Gene describes how he developed a “model” of the first-century church by studying the life of Christ, the Book of Acts, and the journeys of Paul from Pentecost to Patmos. Through this lens, he questions many modern church traditions and urges Christians to rediscover the simplicity, passion, and spiritual depth of the ecclesia.

The teaching also explores:

  • Paul’s church-planting journeys
  • The birth of the churches in Ephesus, Philippi, Corinth, and Colossae
  • The spiritual meaning behind Ephesians (“Second Colossians”)
  • The difference between individual Christianity and corporate church life
  • Experiencing and touching the Lord beyond religious routine
  • The role of spiritual hunger in authentic Christian life

We weave together biblical narrative, church history, and spiritual insight in a way that brings the New Testament world to life. His discussion of Paul’s training of young church planters, the house church movement, and the corporate nature of the body of Christ offers a profound challenge to modern Christianity.

This message is especially meaningful for believers seeking:

  • deeper fellowship with Christ
  • New Testament church life
  • spiritual reality beyond religion
  • insight into Paul’s deepest teachings
  • a richer understanding of Ephesians and Colossians

If you are hungry to know the Lord more deeply and to rediscover the spiritual heartbeat of the first-century church, this teaching will leave a lasting impact.

 

Living Conditions in Century One – Swiss Conference July 1997 Message #1

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Two things. You read your own version. Well, let me do it again. Underline or circle or list all the words that don’t appear again that are a subject, like revelation, wisdom, knowledge, things like that. We’ll find out how many you come up with.

The second thing I want you to do between now and tomorrow morning is compare my chapter 1 with your chapter 1, and just let it soak in. Now, you would be nice to me if you would come in here tomorrow and say, “Gene, I like my King James clearer than yours.” Or you might say, “Gene, oh, I began to see when I was reading it that this was really written to more people than me.” But any reaction you have to it, I do promise you that it won’t be read like this when it’s in the New Testament, but it’ll give you some idea where my heart and hand are.

Two things. Circle words that appear only once. Go ahead and list “riches,” how many times, and “glory,” and how many times, and “grace,” how many times. There’s one other word in there that’s repeated frequently, and the words that are introduced without explanation. Secondly, compare chapter 1 of your Bible with mine. You’ll find yours listed under Ephesians. If you ever read my New Testament, it’s going to be listed “2nd Colossians.” Because it should have never gotten the name Ephesians. Thank you for staying up late with me tonight. We won’t have another meeting this long. I figured that while you were stronger tonight than you will be the rest of the week.

Now then, I have one other thing to say to you, and that is, get ready to spend some time with another brother and sister at least three times a day for the rest of this conference. We are going to learn how to touch the Lord. Not to be preached to, but to know how to touch the Lord. A week is not long enough, but we’ll at least get started. Does anybody want to say anything? Okay.

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