Ephesians 3:1-11

[Shield]

Shield> Ephesians 3:1 This is the reason that I Paul am a prisoner for Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles--
Shield> Ephesians 3:2 for surely you have already heard of the commission of God's grace that was given me for you,
Shield> Paul is making reference to what he had revealed previously
Shield> and in fact he reiterates it in the ensuing verses
Shield> he is referring to his calling to proclaim that the Jew and Gentiles are made one in Christ
Shield> by virtue of the death and resurrection of Jesus
Shield> and so he continues....
Shield> Ephesians 3:3 and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words,
Shield> Ephesians 3:4 a reading of which will enable you to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ.
Shield> what is this mystery to which he is referring?
Hats> Christ?
<Shield> in a sense yes Hats....but what did Jesus do?
Shield> for the Jews...
Shield> for the Gentiles
Shield> :)
Lil_Timothy> Died and rose again
Shield> yes...
Shield> and what did that accomplish?
Shield> for the Jews...
Shield> for the Gentiles
Lil_Timothy> Shed His blood, to reunite them as one family in God
Shield> bingo
Hats> Our salvation
Shield> yes to both
Shield> remember our previous studies...
Shield> to be sure he is referring to our salvation....
Shield> yet he is also referring to reconciliation
Shield> between two estranged peoples....
Shield> and between all people and God
Hats> Yes
Shield> Ephesians 3:5 In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit:
Shield> simply put....
Shield> the Old Testament prophets had not been made fully aware of this mystery
Shield> by that i mean this:)
Hats> Right
Shield> they were aware of Gods redemptive plan....
Shield> they knew a Messiah would come
Shield> i could spend the next couple of years leading you through the relevant OT passages
Shield> however they had no idea it would include those who were not Jews
Hats> Yes...
Shield> yet this is precisely what we see the Apostle Paul saying
Shield> Ephesians 3:6 that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
Shield> :)
Hats> Amen
Lil_Timothy> :)
Shield> I don't know about you but this is shouting stuff:)
Shield> Hehehe
Hats> Amen and Praise to God
Shield> amen
Hats> Thank you..:)
Shield> lets take a moment....
Shield> notice the relational language....
Shield> in verse 6
Shield> what words make mention of relationship?
Lil_Timothy> heirs
Shield> yes
Shield> go on
Lil_Timothy> members of same body
Shield> yes
Hats> The same as the Jews in their relationship to God
Lil_Timothy> sharers
Shield> yes to both
Shield> Hats => you have touched on the heart of the passage
Shield> the same
Shield> now...
Shield> the Bible does indicate that Israel has a special place in redemptive history
Shield> that much is indusputable by any careful scholar
Hats> Of course
Shield> yet it also indicates that those who are not of the Twelve Tribes of Israel have the opportunity to be grafted into relationship with God
Shield> here is the distinction
Shield> and I want to make myself very clear
Shield> this is too important to miss
Shield> we are saved by grace
Shield> not by family name....
Shield> not by our good works
Shield> not by our good looks:)
Shield> and so on
Shield> lets look at the verse again
Shield> Ephesians 3:6 that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
Shield> together with Jewish believers in Jesus Christ....
Lil_Timothy> Thru the gospel
Hats> Yes
Shield> we may become fellow heirs
Shield> amen Lil_Timothy
Hats> By choice
Shield> let me ask you this
Shield> Lil_Timothy => i invite you to kind of lead out with this...
Shield> what IS the gospel?
Hats> The Word of God
Shield> many who come onto this server have no idea
Lil_Timothy> Believing that Jesus is God's Son...
Shield> ok
Shield> go on
Lil_Timothy> Sent to die for our sins...
Shield> uh huh
Lil_Timothy> and rose again bodily...
Hats> If we believe that Jesus is the Son of God, then we are saved.
Hats> We must believe..but we all have a choice to make on our own.
Lil_Timothy> so we too may rise again because of accepting Jesus as our Lord
Shield> we are saved not by being a good person then?
Hats> Amen, Lil_Timothy
Hats> No
Hats> by grace are we saved
Shield> but I tithe? that wont save me?
Hats> No
Shield> OOHHHH
Shield> :)
Lil_Timothy> Each person must decide either to accept Jesus or reject Jesus
Hats> Ahem, nooo...
Hats> Amen
Shield> the fact is many people think that being a good person will somehow save them
Hats> You could go to Church every Sunday but still not be saved.
Lil_Timothy> sad but true
Shield> true
Shield> Ephesians 3:7 Of this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God's grace that was given me by the working of his power.
Shield> Ephesians 3:8 Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ,
Shield> its a gift folks
Rock> I was a music/youth pastor in a church and I didn't have a relationship with christ.
Shield> wow Rock i didn't know that
Shield> how did you come to relationship with Jesus then?
Hats> To testify to that took great courage, Rock. Thank you for sharing. :)
* Shield listens to Rock
Rock> A circuit preacher came to the church I was at and preached about a personal relationship with Jesus...how we had to come to him ourselves.
Shield> oh ok...
Shield> Ephesians 3:9 and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things;
Rock> I was led in the sinner's prayer when I was 12 or 13...but I didn't say the prayer myself...someone else did it for me.
Shield> oh i see
Shield> Rock => what do you suppose really made the difference for you in helping you come to a genuine faith in Jesus?
Rock> Took that preacher pointing his finger at me and telling me that I had to make Jesus real and personal in my life for me to understand salvation.
Shield> I am so grateful you made that commitment:)
Shield> let me ask you this...
Shield> I cant help but wonder if there may be others who are in the shoes you were in
Shield> were you previously aware of your personal sin and need for salvation?
Rock> Nope....after all, I was a paid staff member of a church!
Hats> Ohh, I see.
Shield> so somehow that was your ticket
Shield> but this is not as uncommon as we might think...
Rock> My ticket to Glory hadn't been validated by the blood of Jesus though!
searching> so Rock, how did you make Jesus real and personal in your life?
Shield> go ahead Rock
Rock> I still make Him real and personal everyday...one way is through prayer.
Rock> How can you really get to know someone if you don't talk to them.
Rock> Up until a couple of years ago I thought that I had to use all this flowery church language in my prayers.....
Rock> now, I talk to him like I would a good friend.
Hats> Me too, Rock
Rock> He wants to hear about everything I do...how I see things.
Rock> and more importantly...how I see things through His eyes.
Shield> personally my conversations with the Lord are respectful...and intimate in the kind of way I would talk to my own father or mother whom i love dearly
Rock> The goal of a Christian is to become like Christ.
Shield> amen!
Hats> I speak and pray to God in a simple way.
Hats> Amen, Rock
Shield> I do too Hats
Rock> As I read the Word I find that Christ has a wonderful sense of humor....and he enjoys just sitting and chatting.
Shield> Ephesians 3:10 so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.
Shield> Ephesians 3:11 This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord,
Shield> we will explore this thought more next week...
Shield> lets close in prayer folks then we can continue our chat:)
Lil_Timothy> Lord Jesus,
Lil_Timothy> help us to serve you by loving others
saved1> yes lord
Lil_Timothy> and sharing the gospel at every opportunity
Hats> Yes! :)
Lil_Timothy> help us not to fear but realize you are with us at all times
saved1> hallelujah
Lil_Timothy> Giving us strength to do your good works because we love you.
Lil_Timothy> In Jesus Name,
Lil_Timothy> Amen

[RedRed]

I have studied this section of scripture for a while now and have had one question regarding verse 3:10. I thought you might have some light to shed on it, ubt you seemed to skip over this one. My question was this: What is the manifold wisdom of God that he wants to be made known to the rulers and authorities of the heavenly realms????

I know God has angels within the heavenly realms, but was under the understanding that rulers and authorities in the realms were from darkness/the enemy. I know that the holy spirit seeks all things of God and even the hidden things. I know that the holy spirit reveals those things to us. I also know that those who do not have the holy spirit can not understand the things of God and his word, it is as foolishness to them. So what is God wanting the rulers and authorities to know? Does God extend his grace to them also, if they choose to accept it? Or is there some other hidden knowledge He has for them? Do you know? I was lead to this chapter and have studied it deeply. This is one thing I have not been able to figure out. Any ideas? RedRed

[Shield]

Hi RedRed,

Thank you for your question. I did not see it previously. I appreciate you private messaging me about it. Go ahead and read the study which followed it. It is in two part format. Part 1 is here. and Part 2 is here. I am on my way out the door for the night but I will check back tomorrow when I have more time, and I will try to look more deeply at your question. Thanks!