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EPHESIANS CHAPTER 3 KJV WEB See previous page Eph 3,1-12 (68f) Authority >> Jesus Delegates the Holy Spirit to us >> He guides you into all truth Eph 3-1,2 (12g) Servant >> Bond servant >> Their relationship with God – Paul said this many times throughout his epistles that he was a prisoner of Christ. Many of his epistles he wrote in prison, so it stands to reason that he would say this, but he got there by obeying the will of God, and in this way he was literally Christ's prisoner. Being a bondservant of Christ, as Paul was, is someone whom God has chosen to determine in his heart to relinquish his freedom for a lifetime of service. (71g) Authority >> Ordained by God >> Ordained by His sovereign will >> God chooses you -- These verses go with verses 7&8 (216f) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> God’s will over man >> Compelled by the Spirit >> God forces His bond-servants to do His will – Anybody who has studied the Bible knows that Paul described himself as a bondservant of Christ Jesus. He used his imprisonment as a metaphor so often that whenever he mentions it we should assume the symbolism that God had compelled him to preach the gospel to the point of it often landing him in jail. Bondservants are different from an indentured servant. With an indentured servant he has chosen to become a servant of a master for a specified time, often seven years, and afterward his freedom is returned to him. However, if he wanted to stay and if the master consented, he could remain his servant for life, the master/slave relationship was then based on whatever terms the master chose within the legal limits (Exodus 21,1-11). Some of the more common reasons a person indentured himself to a master was that he was unable to support himself or he wanted to learn a trade or he was migrating to a new country. Contrast that with the bondservant; this person has given up all his rights to become a servant for life. His master possesses him as property, like a man would own a car, holding absolute authority over him. Paul called himself a bondservant of Christ; He was the property of Jesus Christ. This was Paul’s relationship with the Lord; when Christ called him into harms way, he went without flinching, and whatever God commanded him to do, he did it. (236b) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Invest in the kingdom >> All things are for your sake >> We are fighting for you >> Our bondage is for your sake Eph 3-1 (61a) Paradox >> Two implied meanings >> Prisoner—In jail / Of God’s will (187b) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Die to the flesh >> The ministry of dying to self >> Die to self to minister to people >> Die to self to encourage the strong -- This verse goes with verse 13 (210k) Salvation >> Jews and gentiles are being saved >> Gentiles included >> Fellow heirs with Israel (Spiritual Jew) >> Ministry to the Gentiles -- This verse goes with verses 6-12 (246b) Kingdom of God >> Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm >> Literal manifestations >> Literal bondage to Christ Eph 3,2-10 (115d) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Through your ministry >> Through your calling >> In preaching the gospel Eph 3-2 (4e) Responsibility >> Advocate God’s cause >> Being accountable in your stewardship – A steward is someone who has been given management authority over someone else’s wealth, but the steward is never in possession of his Master’s things. God had given Paul management authority over the gospel, meaning he had authority to preach the gospel and manage the Churches of those who had been saved, but he didn't have ownership of these things. That is, the Church and its gospel strictly belongs to God. The gospel is unique in that though we have not inherited it, we have inherited its promises. (31j) Gift of God >> Gift of His grace >> Being responsible with it -- This verse goes with verses 7-10 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Eph 3,3-12 (108i) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Revelation of Jesus Christ >> Revelation of the mysteries of God – Paul speaks of the revelation that he received from God as though it were the only one he received from God. As an apostle and prophet, he understood many truths from God and penned them in his letters to the Churches, of which we now read in the Scriptures, so that we too know the things that God revealed to Paul. He spoke of this revelation as though it were unique, and it was unique to Paul in that it was the focus of his ministry. The revelation was that the gentiles were included in God’s salvation of the Jews. That is, the gentiles are fellow partakers of the gospel and fellow heirs of the promises made to the fathers. Paul made mention of this in other epistles, but he spelled it most succinctly here. See also: Gentiles; Eph 3,3-10; 214e Eph 3,3-10 (214e) Sovereignty >> God controls time >> God’s timing >> Dispensation of God’s revelations >> Dispensations of revelation knowledge – There are some things that if they were never recorded in Scripture would have created huge confusion in the Church. In our faith and in our understanding of the truth, and even in our ability to believe the gospel, Paul wrote Ephesians chapter three for the benefit of the gentiles. Had this book not been included in the cannon of inspired writings, the gentiles would not have confidence in the gospel today. As it is, the gentile nations of the world are confident in their faith in Christ, knowing the gospel applies to them too. It never became an issue of contention throughout the millennia, because Paul made it clear that the gentiles were included in this gospel of salvation, also because it was something the gentiles wanted to believe. See also: Gentiles; Eph 3,3-7; 110j Eph 3,3-7 (110j) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Spirit and the word >> Spirit of revelation >> Revelation of the truth >> Revelation of the true doctrines – It was well documented in the Old Testament that the gentiles would be included in the grace of God, but Peter didn’t know that. He was unskilled in the Scriptures, and for this reason God took him by the hand and communicated this critical fact to him (see Acts chapter 10), but Paul didn’t need to be taken by the hand and led to the truth, because of his superior knowledge of the Old Testament. Paul had many revelations regarding heaven in eternity, and they will have their relevance in the ages to come, but for now Paul’s greatest revelation was that the gentiles were included in the gospel of God’s grace, because it pertained specifically to his ministry of evangelism. It blessed Paul to know that the gospel was meant also for the gentiles, because the Jews rejected it. He had the greatest message the world had ever known; he had all the tools to bring it to the world; he had the Spirit of God dwelling in him and the truth hidden in his heart, honed to a sharp edge. So when Paul realized that the gospel belonged also to the gentiles, his ministry was born. See also: Gentiles; Eph 3,6-12; 210k (219i) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> Predestination >> Predestined according to the word of God Eph 3-5 (30f) Gift of God >> God is our Father >> Favor with God through His word (109h) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Spirit and the word >> Spirit the teacher >> Spirit teaches us about the word of God >> Spirit teaches us about Jesus (133l) Temple >> Your body is the temple of God >> Holiness >> Having an awareness of God’s holiness >> The presence of God makes us aware of His holiness – The four gospels wrote the account of Jesus Christ, preserving many of His saying and parables, and the epistles have added to this account with Paul’s revelation in this verse. He was probably more excited about this revelation than any other. He wrote with enthusiasm about his stewardship of God’s grace, carrying the gospel to the cities and regions beyond Israel to the known world of his time. His great revelation was that the gentiles were fellow heirs and fellow partakers of the promise of Israel through the gospel. Paul’s great revelation was that the gentiles were included in the salvation of Christ; his entire ministry was hinged on this one fact. The Lord said in Acts chapter nine that he would become a minister to the gentiles, though he began his ministry toward the Jews and throughout his ministry he tried to reach them, because he knew that without the Jews, the gospel would soon fall into disrepute, with the gentiles interpreting the gospel as being all about them, thus violating the principle of the Jew first and also for the gentiles (Rom 1-16). The Jews dropped the old covenant ball too, so what is important about the Jews being leaders in things pertaining to God? The Jews understood God better than any other people, though they weren’t better at obeying Him. They practiced temple worship for centuries, which illustrated the sacrifice that Jesus would make, and it illustrated our manner of faith according to the table of showbread representing the word of God, and the Golden Altar of Incense representing prayer. When the gospel came, and they finally understood what all these ceremonies represented, it came to them by revelation that was more profound than any gentile could understand. It was so deeply instilled in them, that when God lit the fire of truth to their knowledge, it shined brighter in them than in any other people. They understand how to walk with God, though again they didn’t have a lot of experience; the gentiles lasted only two hundred years before they dropped the ball, allowing the gospel to morph into Catholicism for fifteen hundred years, making the True Church live underground, and the Catholics searched to martyr them, until the reformation, which restored the teaching of salvation by grace through faith. That was about all it restored, in that Protestantism still reflects the design of Catholic services in its strong central leadership. The number of martyrs throughout the age of Catholicism goes far beyond any statistics and is not something that God is willing to forgive and forget, for judgment is still coming. (231a) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Mystery of godliness >> Solving the mystery of godliness >> The Church discloses the mystery of Christ -- These verses go with verses 8-10 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Eph 3,6-12 (210k) Salvation >> Jews and gentiles are being saved >> Gentiles included >> Fellow heirs with Israel (Spiritual Jew) >> Ministry to the Gentiles -- These verses go with verse 1. Had Paul not been straightforward about the gospel, the door may have been slammed shut and locked against the gentiles, and the Jews could have claimed proprietary ownership of the gospel so that no one could be saved. They could have spread the deception that it did not apply to the nations of the world, only to them, even as they did in Old Testament times. It is true that God spoke only to Israel, and that the old covenant did in fact belong to Israel, yet the timeless word of God and His universal laws pertained to everyone. The Jews, however, closed their heart against the world, considering the gentile nations dogs, being unwilling to share their relationship with God and His truth with the world. When the old covenant ended and the new covenant began, Israel was meant to receive the gospel for themselves and open it to the gentiles and spread the gospel of Christ throughout the world, but again they rejected God’s purpose for themselves, so God passed over them, using Paul and the other apostles to preach the gospel to the gentiles, resulting in the gentiles having received the stewardship of the Jewish gospel. Had the Jews been faithful, they may have done a better job than the gentiles at spreading the gospel throughout the world, simply because the gentiles had to be grafted into it, whereas the Jews were the natural stewards of the gospel (Rom 11,1-36). See also: Gentiles; Eph 3,3-12; 108i Eph 3-6,7 (135m) Temple >> Your spirit is the temple of God >> The body of Christ >> Similarity in the body >> The things we have in common >> Common salvation Eph 3-6 (36g) Gift >> God opens His home to us >> Inheritance >> We heirs through faith (136hb) Temple >> Your spirit is the temple of God >> The body of Christ >> Body of Christ consists of individual members >> We are being fitted together (230e) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Partaking >> Partaking of the power of God >> Partaking of the word of God Eph 3,7-10 (31j) Gift of God >> Gift of His grace >> Being responsible with it -- These verses go with verse 2 Eph 3,7-9 (14a) Servant >> Servants of God’s word – We don’t see the gospel as a mystery, yet why has man been left in his sin? Why did he sin in the first place? Why does faith access the grace of God? He is choosing out of the world His worshippers who have been tested and found faithful. It is a mystery that God knows everything from the beginning; He has foreknowledge about everything; why couldn’t He just look into the future and see that we would be faithful instead of making us go through all this? More than that; the gospel was unknown before it appeared. Think about God inhabiting human flesh and letting Himself be nailed to a cross by wretched sinners as a means of God’s forgiveness to those who would believe in Him. All of this is highly mysterious, so much that the Jewish people of Israel not only didn’t see it coming, they were incapable of conceptualizing it ever happening. They thought God was more straightforward than this, like the Law. When He came to Israel it was as though He tricked them into crucifying Him. He had them practice this event for hundreds of years prior to His coming in temple services they meticulously performed, and it says that none of those thousands of sacrifices took away sin. By the fact that God commanded them to do it sanctified them until Christ came and gave the ultimate sacrifice of His own blood that He had planned from the foundation of the world. This means that God has an overall plan for mankind that He hasn’t yet divulged. Far as we know the whole purpose of our lives in this mess of a world eking out a temporal existence is for no other reason than to demonstrate faithfulness to God, so we can go to heaven. Nothing beyond that has been revealed to us, except that Jesus called it eternal life, so when we finally enter heaven, we know that it will be a place where we will live forever. From there the mystery continues to unfold and expand. God has a reason for everything He makes, and He likes to slowly reveal His will to us when we need to know it. He doesn’t tell us things before we need to know them; He would rather we lived and walked by faith. He didn’t tell Israel that He would come and give His life a ransom for many, and his death would resemble temple worship that they performed thousands of times for hundreds of years. They would eventually learn these things, and when they finally understood, it was time for them to know. See also: Mystery of godliness; Rom 12-1,2; 42i Eph 3-7,8 (71g) Authority >> Ordained by God >> Ordained by His sovereign will >> God chooses you -- These verses go with verses 1&2 (77i) Thy kingdom come >> Tapping into the power of God through humility >> The most humble are the greatest servants (111b) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Spirit and the word >> Spirit and evangelism KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Eph 3,8-10 (46k) Judgment >> Spiritual warfare >> Demons are subject to the Church through Christ – This manifold wisdom has been made known to the Church, and the Church is making it known to the rulers and the authorities in heavenly places. That was a strange thing to say. Anyone would have expected Paul to say that God is making known these things to the rulers and the authorities on earth, to kings and princes of nations, but he didn’t say that. He said he was making them known to the rulers and authorities in heavenly places. He is not making them known to the angels of God, but to Satan and his minions in heavenly places, symbolically referring to the atmosphere surrounding the earth, called the second heaven. This is where Satan figuratively dwells. This analogy works well in that just like the airways of radio and television pass through the atmosphere prior to arriving at their destination in people’s homes, where they propagate ideas that are too often concepts of the devil, so Satan also desires to create an atmosphere in our mind of unbelief with the goal of making his deceptions more believable than God’s truth. Paul is not saying we should preach the gospel to the devil, rather we are putting him on notice that his days are numbered and that the Church is his master and that our Master is Jesus Christ, who dwells in heaven, from whom we have a stewardship to crush the kingdom of Satan under our feet. Part of our administration of the gospel is to overthrow the devil's empire through the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, communicating this by stealing his possessions, which are human souls, who are saved to the Kingdom of God. This is spiritual warfare; we are declaring war on evil without the use of guns or physical violence. Our faith in Jesus Christ is considered violent to the kingdom of Satan, that which is righteous and selfless, things that destroy the kingdom of Satan, serving one another and bearing the fruit of the Spirit. The Kingdom of Christ is coming; He intends to take over this world, His earth and ultimately the universe. One day it will all change. God will create a new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. (71b) Authority >> Believer’s authority >> We have authority in the wisdom of God – Paul endeavors to bring to light the administration of the gospel that he received from God. He did it not through his own strength or will, but through the unfathomable riches of Christ. Through the power of God he was able to tolerate so many persecutions: beatings, whippings and imprisonments, and the weakness of his flesh, staying awake for days at a time, being shipwrecked and being able to speak for hours at a time about the riches of Christ. All these things he did, not though human means, but though the grace of God, which for ages has been hidden in God, who created all things. (213e) Sovereignty >> God is infinite >> Jesus owns you >> We are his instruments >> We are tools in the hand of God >> We are transmitters of His kingdom (231a) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Mystery of godliness >> Solving the mystery of godliness >> The Church discloses the mystery of Christ -- These verses go with verses 3-5 Eph 3-8 (56ka) Paradox >> Opposites >> Least are greatest >> Least are the greatest servants – The apostle Paul said of himself that he was the very least of all saints, but isn’t that the way the Kingdom of God works, the least are greatest and the greatest are least. Hence, for Paul to say that he was the least of all was in a sense boasting, but what he was really doing was recalling his past, how he used to destroy the saints, hauling them into prison for their faith in Jesus where they were often tortured and killed. For this reason Paul was the least of all saints, because of what he once did, but since then God raised him up to become one of the greatest of all saints, for which purpose he has served and worshipped God all the more, because of the grace that God had given him. Without walking in the grace of God, it is like not receiving it in the first place. (96g) Thy kingdom come >> Attitude >> Positive attitude about yourself (249h) Priorities >> God’ s preeminence >> Wealth >> True perception of wealth >> The infinite and eternal wealth of God >> Being rich in Jesus -- This verse goes with verses 16-21. Go to the deepest part of the ocean and drop down a line and it’s never long enough; we can never reach the bottom. It is seven miles deep in the Mariana Trench, as high as the commercial airplanes fly, unfathomable. The water pressure is so immense that anyone who wants to explore the bottom must go through huge expense and trouble to build a craft that can sustain such pressures. The unfathomable riches of Christ go infinitely deeper than this. We seek God for the wisdom and the knowledge and the blessing of Christ, and He leads us deeper into His grace. There is a bottom to the ocean, but there is no bottom to the fathoms of God’s grace in Christ Jesus. Eph 3-9 (212c) Sovereignty >> God is infinite >> He is the creator >> The creation glorifies God >> All things originated from God Eph 3-10 (89g) Thy kingdom come >> Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom >> Wisdom is the key that unlocks the mysteries of God (136i) Temple >> Your spirit is the temple of God >> The body of Christ >> Body of Christ is the Church -- This verse goes with verse 21 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Eph 3,11-21 (81j) Thy kingdom come >> Pray without ceasing >> Pray for the Church – Paul shares his second prayer to the Ephesians. He wanted God to grant to the Church “to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man.” He didn’t ask God to give each person a horse-n-carriage or a three-bedroom house deluxe or anything remotely materialistic. Rather, he prayed for the saints to be spiritual and to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (249ga) Priorities >> God’ s preeminence >> Wealth >> True perception of wealth >> The infinite and eternal wealth of God >> God’s perception of wealth >> Our blessed hope of eternal life – If the Church became spiritual, the doors would swing open for God to bless us in every way, perhaps last of all in the material realm, but this is often the first of our prayers, exposing our flawed priorities. There are so many things that get in the way of seeking God when pursuing a materialistic lifestyle. Greed weaves its intricate web if deceit, creeping into our heart and making our pursuit of God appear seemingly worthless. There is a sacrifice that must be made, and the first thing we sacrifice is our faith whenever we prioritize materialism. Eph 3-11,12 (114i) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Jesus does God’s work >> All His works are what the Father does (122b) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Confidence in God >> Through prayer – Paul is careful to remind us of the confidence we have in Christ, that we don’t come to Him in fear or doubt, but in faith and hope of receiving our request. We come to Him in assurance and knowledge that He is our Father and loves us beyond all comprehension (v19). His love makes Him willing to do whatever we ask, under the confines that we are His servants, that we have taken upon ourselves His will and His purpose, His desires becoming our desires, so when we ask things from Him, we will receive them just as Jesus said in Jn 14,13-15. (254k) Trinity >> Holy Spirit’s relationship between Father and Son >> Jesus is equal with the Holy Spirit >> Power of Jesus’ Spirit Eph 3-11 (91b) Thy kingdom come >> The called >> God’s purpose is an inherent component of His calling >> God’s eternal purpose (213a) Sovereignty >> God is infinite >> God is all knowing >> God knows everything about everything (220a) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> Predestination >> Predestined before the foundation of the world (251b) Priorities >> God’s prerequisites >> Making plans >> Making plans according to the will of God >> Making plans according to the counsel of His will – Everybody makes plans, but does anybody recognize that God makes plans too? It is a good thing He does; otherwise, He never would have sent Jesus and we would still be in our sins. Jesus is at the center of God’s plan. Everything we know in truth about God is an aspect of His plan. According to God's plan He made a universe and then made creatures to manage that universe for Him. He also knew those creatures would rebel against Him, and so He created a hell for those who would not repent, and would use the rebellion to test His creatures and perfect them. Hell would forever be a deterrent for anyone who would consider rebelling against God, in that they would know there is no future in it. God will arrange it so rebellion makes no sense at all. He will establish a kingdom, starting at the New Jerusalem; it will spread throughout the earth, spilling to the next planet and beyond, populating entire galaxies with His creatures, and we will manage them without any concern of rebellion. His kingdom will become so large that He won’t be able to gather everybody into the New Jerusalem, only the leaders, and show them the glory of God, as the Queen of Sheba visited Solomon (I Kings 10,1-10). He will make them look into the porthole of hell and see the suffering there, and then send them home to their respective planets and galaxies to report that they have seen God's face, and they have seen His awesome city made of crystal clear jasper, and they will report that rebellion is utterly foolhardy. God has given us a wonderful life, and a wonderful world and universe, and that there is no cause for rebellion in the first place. This is all according to God’s plan that He had been considering throughout eternity past, and we are now in the infant stages of fulfilling it. People make plans, but God does too, and His plans are bigger than our plans. Therefore, it would behoove us to integrate into His plan, for all our plans will see an end, but not God, not His kingdom, and not His plans. Eph 3-12 (83a) Thy kingdom come >> Receiving from God through prayer >> Prayer of faith Eph 3-13 (13j) Servant >> Support the body >> Bear one another’s burdens – Paul did a lot to secure Christianity in the ancient world. At the same time he was being an example to all, not only as an evangelist (not everyone is called as an evangelist and an apostle) but also as a Christian, as to the kind of fervor one should have. He also set the standard for commitment and faith. He defined what it was to be a Christian in the eyes of the world and the Church. He also wrote many of the major tenets and doctrines of the Church. All this took blood, sweat and tears, which Paul was pleased to give for Jesus’ sake and for the sake of the Church. Since Paul’s influence on the world is still with us today, he is still bearing our burden too. (124c) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Love >> Acts of love >> Love is the proper motive for all you do – We could use this verse to define “love” as: the things we do for the sake of others. There are other definitions of this word; one in particular has its roots in the spiritual realm, suggesting that love is the very manifestation of faith. God always makes sure we benefit in everything He does, so we hope to benefit others in the acts of love that we perform. We enjoy our relationships with others that are born of love, causing our relationship with God to grow and increase. The love that Paul showed was for the glory of the Church by his faith and dedication to the fulfillment of his calling, resulting in the furtherance of the gospel and the growth of God’s kingdom, reaching as far as us that more people may come to the knowledge of the truth and believe in a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last day (1Pet 1-5). (139h) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> Edification (187b) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Die to the flesh >> The ministry of dying to self >> Die to self to minister to people >> Die to self to encourage the strong -- This verse goes with verse 1 (233k) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the glory of God >> Seek His glory without wavering >> Seek His glory through hardship (236a) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Invest in the kingdom >> All things are for your sake >> We are fighting for you >> Our suffering is for your sake Eph 3-14 (234a) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the glory of God >> God chooses us as we seek His glory >> As we submit to Him – Paul bowed his knees before the Father in prayer. He was a very devout worshipper of God before his conversion, though he believed in God through a phony religion, worshipping Him through the precepts of men and bowing his knees to a false god, until he met Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus. After his conversion he now worships is the true God, who receives his prayer and answers his request, and what was Paul’s prayer? It starts in the very next verse, that the Christian Church should be strengthened with power in the inner man, and that Christ should dwell in our heart through faith and be rooted and grounded in love and that we should mature in the faith. This is what Paul wanted more than anything: that the people of God would know the truth and become immune to deception, so nobody could lie to us. He wanted us to become like trees, rooted deeply in the faith that we should remain steadfast regardless of the storms that assailed us. KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Eph 3,16-21 (6h) Responsibility >> Being spiritual >> Ministering to God by submitting to the Holy Spirit – Paul asked spiritual things for the Church, even though there may have been some who were poorly clothed, sick and hungry. He still prayed for them that they would grow spiritually. Paul was not worried about the Church; if they could get in touch with God on a spiritual level, they would have the necessary tools to ask God for the things they needed for their bodies. It has always been Paul’s prayer that the Church grew in the grace and knowledge of Christ, because the spiritual side of us is more important than anything else. This exposes just how petty materialism is to our well-being. We place far too high a priority on material possessions, equating them with survival, but we would be surprised to know just how little a person actually needs to survive in the world. Paul seemed to think we were less likely to survive if we allowed our spiritual state to slip into complacency. (9e) Responsibility >> God strengthens us from our weaknesses – There are those who say these verses are just a chain of superlatives, yet those who are born of God know the truth from their innermost being. It seems, however, that the Church has drifted from many teachings of the Holy Spirit. Jesus died for our sins, rose from the dead and ascended to the Father, and the gospel ends there for many Christians, because they have forgotten the Book of Acts that started at the ascension of Christ, and then detailed the experience of Christ sending the Holy Spirit in His place at Pentecost, starting with that small nucleus of believers huddled in the upper room, who represented the Church in its fledgling state. We need to understand that the Holy Spirit they received that day did not make them born-again, for prior to Pentecost, "[Jesus] breathed on [His disciples] and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit" (In Jn 20-22). What happened in the upper room was the anointing. We were vessels of weakness living in darkness and without God in the world; then the message of the gospel came and we believe in Jesus, and God placed His Spirit in our heart, which grew into an anointing that manifested the inner workings of Christ. The born-again believer receives the anointing to materialize the Spirit he has received. (34b) Gift of God >> God’s generosity >> Believer owns everything >> Trinity belongs to us >> Father belongs to us – When we pray, we should expect God to do far more than we ask or think, not just because He is generous but because He knows what we need. We ask and God gives us things we didn't know we needed, and once we receive them, we need them, and we keep them with all our heart. We understand the things we really need and pray for them, and He gives us more than we ask or think, according to the power that works within us. Almost everyone asks God for material things, but God wants to give His spirit (Lk 11-13), which is a true possession. Things we can hold in our hand can be taken for us, but things we possess in our heart define us. People try to define themselves by their material things; they live in a certain neighborhood and drive a fast car and treat them as status symbols. One wrong move on the steering wheel and the car is junk; one powerful wind and the house becomes scrap wood, but what God gives is indestructible and holds its value beyond this life. They are a possession that gets us through any situation and follows us into death, and God crowns us with them, the inlayed precious stones of our aura. We desire to share His love with others, which completes the revelation of His knowledge. (98c) Thy kingdom come >> Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >> Rooted deeply >> The lord establishes us (111f) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Spirit and the word >> Word and the power (meaning) of God >> Word in obedience cannot evade the power of God (115j) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Through obedience of faith >> Through determination >> Determined to obey Christ (117e) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Rest in Jesus (Sabbath) >> Let Jesus do the work >> Let Him work on you (138g) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> Exhortation >> Glorifying God in your exhortation – The book of Ephesians could conceivably be cited with using flowery language, but how could Paul describe God in any other words? He wasn’t using flowery language; he was describing a flower. We could describe something beautiful and avoid flowery language, but how would anyone know about its essential characteristics or how we personally felt? The person in love who tries to describe his beloved will not use a vernacular similar to describing a machine or a house; he will use language above his normal speech, because he is talking about the one he loves, and this was Paul’s way of writing to the Ephesians about Christ. We can say that the Ephesian Church was one of the most mature churches of the epistles, by evidence of Paul being superfluous in his writing, for the Ephesians understood him. This was Paul’s prayer for them; wouldn’t it be nice to receive a prayer from someone who used flowery language? It would seem he cared! Paul cared more about the Ephesians than he did about himself, risking his life to establish them, and all the churches. (140g) Temple >> Temple made without hands >> Christ builds the temple from the bricks of the Church (230k) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Mystery of godliness >> Solving the mystery of godliness >> The love of Christ is the mystery of godliness – Paul spoke about the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, which is rooted and grounded in love. The world speaks about love as though it were an action, and ultimately it is an action. In fact, we could say that if love does not manifest in the natural realm, it doesn’t exist. However, once it surfaces, we see that it has a spiritual side. "To know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge," is one of the most interesting statements in the Bible. We know what people say about love, but Paul did not equate love to actions but to knowledge. How could love be associated with knowledge or surpass it? Paul is talking about loving the word of God, not just loving the Bible; it goes beyond that. We are talking about the Holy Spirit, according to verse 16, “that He would… [strengthen you] with power through His Spirit in the inner man.” When He does, the knowledge He imparts comes by revelation, transcending all other forms of knowledge, and this enables us to love people with God's love. He comes to dwell in us and weaves His Spirit into our spirit so we become one with Him (1Cor 6-17). Over a lifetime there is a slow and steady revelation of God's love that occurs, giving us the ability to know Him in a way that bypasses the mind. He reveals Himself to our spirit, something that goes beyond anything we know. Man thinks he knows himself, but in fact he doesn’t. The very essence of man is a spirit, and man does not understand the spiritual realm, so when God reveals Himself to us, we come to know Him in ways we don't understand. (243o) Kingdom of God >> The eternal kingdom >> There shall be no end to His increase >> He shall reign forever and ever – We have expectations of God, and God has expectations of us. When we submit to Him and live out His expectations, He overwhelms all our expectations of Him, according to the saying, ‘Give God an inch of your life and He will give you a mile of His own.’ This is what God is asking, one weakness at a time, one vise at a time. God will always surprise us with His grace. We think we know what we are about to receive, but when we receive it, His grace is always better than what we expected, and it has a result that we could have never imagined. He enables us to do things we could have never done without Him, and we bless people in ways they need most. Give God a portion of our lives and He will give us a portion of His. God is infinite and eternal, and we can keep His gifts forever as a reminder that He loved us even in our sinful flesh. The things God asks of us in this life are great, and obeying Him will make the difference between life and death for us and among those around us, and the repercussions of our obedience will reverberate throughout eternity. (249h) Priorities >> God’ s preeminence >> Wealth >> True perception of wealth >> The infinite and eternal wealth of God >> Being rich in Jesus -- These verses go with verse 8 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Eph 3,16-19 (74b) Thy kingdom come >> The heart >> God wants a relationship with your heart – Paul’s prayer was that Christ would dwell in our heart, where we make life-decisions. We seek things we think would make us happy, and we make decisions based on the content of our heart, which is the deepest level of what we call: ourselves. Consequently, our heart is responsible for what we do and how we live, and we are responsible whether we commit our lives to Christ. Many people think money is more important than serving God; other people think a relationship with the opposite sex is more important, but the bottom line for every person who decides not to serve God is that he wants to make the decisions about the course of his life, but the one who has made Jesus Lord of his heart no longer has the right to make life-decisions, for he has given that right to God. Eph 3-16,17 (8d) Responsibility >> Prepare to interact with God >> Entering the realm of the Spirit (132k) Temple >> Your body is the temple of God >> Holy Spirit is in God’s people >> Holy Spirit is in the hearts of men – We see signs in front of bars advertising spirits, and we read poetry about the human spirit, referring to the emotional level of man, whereas Paul was talking about the literal human spirit. Not too many people talk about the human spirit so literally; in fact, worldly people don’t even know they have one, probably because it is linked to the heart and they don’t have one of those either. In the most literal sense Paul said that the human spirit housed the Spirit of the living God, among those who believe in Jesus for the salvation of their souls. God lives in a place in our heart that is far below our emotions, in our very essence. If it weren’t for God living in us, our spirit would be dead, according to God’s definition of life. Unbelievers are convinced they are alive because they are physically alive, but God says they are dead. The saints are the only people who are truly alive, because God lives in them. Eph 3-16 (35h) Gift of God >> God gives Himself to us >> The anointing Eph 3,17-19 (108hb) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Revelation of Jesus Christ >> Spiritual revelation >> Revelation of His love – Paul is speaking about knowledge, not just about facts, speaking in reference to a paradox: how can we know something that surpasses comprehension? It should be the goal of every Christian to know the unknowable! This knowledge does not refer to certain facts and information that the mind can easily process but refers to a depth of knowledge that is imparted by the Spirit that the natural mind cannot access. We are not constrained to believe in mere facts and information; that would be penance; rather, we understand God by revelation of the Spirit. This is the very definition of faith: “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb 11-1). (124l) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Love is the action of God’s faith – Paul taught faith as the key element of our salvation, whereas James taught works as the key element of our salvation, and when we put the two together, we get the teachings of Christ. When He said, “He who believes in Me…,” He was referring to both faith and works, God's faith that we receive as a result of believing in Him that opens our ears to the Holy Spirit and then doing whatever He says. What is the Bible's definition of “love”? There are basically two perspectives on the subject. First, there is the action of love, but it also has a more spiritual side, described as incomprehensible knowledge, which is an oxymoron and is equivalent to faith. When we compare "faith" and love, we see that they are mirror images of each other. Love is defined in 1Cor 13-4 as being patient and kind. These are two of the nine fruits of the Spirit, so we can go to the list of nine fruits in Gal 5-22,23 and get a fuller definition of love, meaning that the other eight fruits are attributes of the one. Eph 3-17 (254j) Trinity >> Holy Spirit’s relationship between Father and Son >> Jesus is equal with the Holy Spirit >> Salvation of Jesus’ Spirit Eph 3-18,19 (42i) Judgment >> Satan destroyed >> Transformed >> Conform to the mind of Christ Eph 3-19,20 (132g) Temple >> Your body is the temple of God >> Holy Spirit is in God’s people >> Filled with the Spirit >> Filled with the power of God KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Eph 3-19 (54o) Paradox >> Opposites >> Knowing the unknowable – How can we know the unknowable? Actually, it is one of the best descriptions of spiritual knowledge! On the one hand it is paradoxical, and on the other it makes perfect sense that sinful flesh would struggle with the knowledge of God. We experience heaven and the love of Christ in the knowledge of these things, though it is not the message itself that is unknowable but the manner in which we understand it. All the things God reveals to us are spiritual in nature and all that is spiritual is unknowable to the natural mind. God wants to reveal the love of Christ, which surpasses knowledge by letting the Holy Spirit teach us about Him. This is why the world doesn’t know God, because it doesn’t accept the things of the Spirit. We could tell them what we know about God’s love, but they still wouldn’t know it, until the Holy Spirit revealed it to them. Eph 3-20,21 (29l) Gift of God >> God knows our needs; therefore we don’t have to care (34i) Gift of God >> Generosity >> God is willing to Give >> His natural blessings (105g) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Led by the Spirit into the will of God >> Led to the right place Eph 3-21 (136i) Temple >> Your spirit is the temple of God >> The body of Christ >> Body of Christ is the Church -- This verse goes with verse 10 (252i) Trinity >> You shall put no other gods before Me >> Worship God >> Worship God for who He is >> Glorifying God See next page