Tomorrow we'll be starting a 12-week study of Ephesians entitled Practice Resurrection.

Many commentators have looked at Ephesians and divided it basically in half, with the first 3 chapters dealing with doctrinal instruction and the last 3 dealing with ethical instruction. In other words, Paul tells us what to believe then what to do in response.

While it's certainly true that Christian ethics must be grounded in Christian theology, dividing Ephesians in this way is unfortunate.

As we'll see tomorrow, even the first few verses of the book contain more than just "what to believe." These verses are loaded with implications for living, as is the whole book. Paul is teaching us about practicing resurrection, to borrow a phrase from the inimitable Eugene Peterson.

Instead of a providing us with simply a doctrinal primer or systematic theology, Paul offers us a compelling alternative way of life.

Here are two excellent resources that you can use to go deeper in our study. Use them for personal enrichment and/or to study in your community group.