Loving Christ Sincerely | Lesson 163

In this final message from Ephesians 6:19–24, Josh Strelecki, Pastor-Teacher, highlighted Paul’s remarkable prayer request from prison—not for release or physical deliverance, but that utterance would be given to him to boldly make known the mystery of the gospel. The sermon traced how this focus appears across Paul’s prison epistles and how, even in chains, his chief concern was that Christ be magnified in his body, whether by life or by death. It also drew attention to how his boldness emboldened others, how men like Tychicus faithfully carried his letters and reports between assemblies, and how the spiritual welfare of the saints brought real comfort and joy to Paul’s heart, illustrating the deep, practical fellowship of the body of Christ.The message closed by emphasizing Paul’s last line in the epistle: “Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity.” Loving Christ in sincerity was defined as an unmixed, genuine devotion shaped by the truth of Ephesians 1–3 and lived out in the worthy walk of Ephesians 4–6. Strelecki reviewed those core doctrines—the counsel of God before the world began, the believer’s identity in Christ, the mystery of Jew and Gentile in one body, the heavenly vocation of the church, and the provision of the whole armor of God—showing that they are not abstract ideas but truths meant to permeate every relationship and circumstance of life. His expressed desire as Pastor-Teacher is that this local church would be marked by such sincere love for Christ, walking as children of light, standing firm in the evil day, and living now in a way that reflects who they already are in Him.