Daily Bread Pastor Mike Anderson 2026

Ephesians 5 - NIV Enduring Word Commentary 21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.  25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of his body. 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father...

Ephesians 4 - NIV Enduring Word Commentary "As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received." If there is one chapter in the bible a church should study, it is Ephesians 4. Chapter 4 moves from who we are in Christ. to how we " live a life worthy of that calling ".  Some people might misunderstand the idea of " living a life worthy of our calling " as earning one's salvation. I.e. I need to try to be worthy enough for God to love me. This would be to grossly misunderstand what Paul is saying here.    " When we really understand how much God did for us, we will naturally want to serve and obey Him out of gratitude ." (Guzik) This should be the singular goal of every Christian to lead a life worthy of our calling. We have been called by God before the beginning of Creation to share the grace He has given us through His Son, Jesus. So what does it mean to live a life worthy of our calling? 1. P...

Ephesians 3 - NIV   Enduring Word Commentary "His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11 according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord." As I mentioned before, Ephesians focuses more than other New Testament on the Church. Paul describes how a healthy church functions to make known the mystery of Christ. The Church is the vehicle by which God's eternal salvation is made known to the world in the power of the Spirit. Paul's letter to the Ephesians will also say, " The Church is the bride of Christ!"   In today's passage Paul says something that I had not picked up on before. One of the advantages of reading the bible many times is that each time you pick up new things. In this case Paul says, " Through church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms....

Ephesians 2 - NIV   Enduring Word Commentary But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms. 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. Usually I focus on verses 8 and 9 in Epheisans 2, which are two famous verses in the New Testament. But today I want to look at verses 4 through 6. I especially want to zero in on the three phrases: "made us alive in Christ", "raised us up in Christ", and "seated us with him".  Notice two things right away. Yesterday, the focus was what God had done for us, not what we did for God. The direction is always God coming down from heaven to earth. We see this in the three phrases above. It is God who did all these things " for us ...

Ephesians 1 - NIV Enduring Word Commentary Paul's letter to the Ephesians is one of the most important letters in the New Testament. The church in Ephesus was probably the most influential church in the early church due to its location and economic influence in the world. The first three chapters are theological in nature and contain many theologically important truths. The second, three chapters give a foundation of how we practice our faith in the church and in the world. More than any letter Ephesians gives the blueprint for how a healthy church operates.   Historical & Cultural Context (The Gospel Coalition) The Location: Ancient Ephesus was a major, wealthy Roman port city in modern-day Turkey, world-renowned for the Temple of Artemis. The Spiritual Landscape : The city was deeply entrenched in occult practices, magic, and superstitious fear of spiritual powers. Paul specifically emphasizes Christ’s supreme authority over all cosmic forces to reassure these believers...

Galatians 6 - NIV Enduring Word Commentary 6 Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. As Paul closes out his letter to the Galatians, he gives some practical instruction. Since he has just been talking about how to overcome the desires of the flesh by walking in the Spirit, he realizes that there will still be times when people fall into sin in the body of Christ. He describes this person as being "caught in sin".  Another translation uses the word "overtaken"  instead of " caught ". I think understanding this word Paul uses is key to interpreting this verse correctly.  Here's what one commentator says,  Paul’s wording here speaks not of a determined and hardened sinner. Instead, the idea is of someone who has fallen into sin, finding themselves trap...