pipe dream

Posted on September 17, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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Ephesians 3:20-21 (JDV)

Ephesians 3:20 Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that achieves things in us –

Ephesians 3:21 to him be glory in the congregation and in Christ Jesus to all generations, for ages and ages. Amen.

pipe dream

Paul’s prayer that the Ephesian Christians be filled with all the fullness of God might seem like a pipe dream: an impossible expectation. But Paul concludes his prayer with a confident declaration of God’s ability to do more than what we can think to ask.

This section alone looks like a doxology – as if Paul meant to conclude his letter here. But it actually serves as a transition to the practical section of the letter where Paul will be urging the Ephesians to live up to the prayer.

Lord, make us confident of God’s ability to change us, and willing to participate in the change without resistance.

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care’s root and fruit

Posted on September 16, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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Ephesians 3:14-19 (JDV)

Ephesians 3:14 In favor of this, I kneel before the Father

Ephesians 3:15 from whom every family in the sky and on the land is named.

Ephesians 3:16 I pray that he may grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power in your inner human through his Breath,

Ephesians 3:17 and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in care,

Ephesians 3:18 may be able to comprehend with all the devotees what is the length and width, height and depth …

Ephesians 3:19 and to know Christ’s care that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

care’s root and fruit

Paul is reacting to the concern and care (ἀγάπη) that the believers in Ephesus are already showing him. He prays that this care, which they are already rooted and grounded in, will be strengthened by the Sacred Breath – empowered by the third person of the Holy Trinity. He prays that the root of God’s care which they are already showing will produce the fruit of Christlike care in its blossom. When that happens, they will experience the fullness of God.

Lord, strengthen us internally, so that we can demonstrate Christ’s care in all we do.

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his plan for the ages

Posted on September 15, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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Ephesians 3:10-13 (JDV)

Ephesians 3:10 This is so that God’s multidimensional wisdom may now be made known through the congregation to the priorities and authorities in the sky realms

Ephesians 3:11 according to his plan for the ages accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Ephesians 3:12 In him we have boldness and confident access through faith in him.

Ephesians 3:13 For this reason I ask you not to be discouraged over my afflictions in your behalf, which are your glory.

his plan for the ages

When we face afflictions, we can become easily discouraged. It’s our nature. But one thing that can help us not to sink too low is to realize what God is doing on the supernatural level. He is teaching the angels and demons a lesson. The priorities and authorities in the sky realms are watching to see what we are going to do when our faith in Jesus is not enough to give us a pleasant life now. Will we trust his plan for the ages even when our present circumstances seem to call that trust into question? Will we retreat from our relationship with Him because he has let us down, or retreat into sin to let him down in retaliation? Or, will we keep our courage and confidence and keep storming the gates of heaven with prayer? It’s not just the world that is watching.

Lord, strengthen us during these times of affliction, so that we prove your multidimensional wisdom right.

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incalculable riches of Christ

Posted on September 14, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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Ephesians 3:8-9 (JDV)

Ephesians 3:8 This favor was given to me– the least of all the devotees – to proclaim to the Gentiles the incalculable riches of Christ,

Ephesians 3:9 and to shed light for all about the commission of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things.

incalculable riches of Christ

There is a thrill that comes from exposing the truth of scripture to a life in darkness and desperate need. It is like bringing a gift which will rescue a family from a life of debt and fruitless labor. Paul is in prison, paying the price for this joy. Yet he still speaks of sharing the gospel as the incalculable riches of Christ – a favor that he has received.

Lord, thank you for enriching us with the incalculable riches of Christ. Show us how to share the wealth.

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equal in Christ

Posted on September 13, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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Ephesians 3:5-7 (JDV)

Ephesians 3:5 This was not made known to humans in other generations as it is now revealed to his devoted missionaries and prophets by the Breath:

Ephesians 3:6 The Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and partners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Ephesians 3:7 I was made a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s favor that was given to me by the achieving energy of his power.

equal in Christ

The gospel – breathed out by the Sacred Breath of God – is a message from God that all people regardless of ethnic origin now have access to God equally. When this truth was revealed to Paul, it dramatically changed his life. It is the reason he is now a prisoner. But in spite of where he is, his proclamation of the gospel must go on. If he cannot go to Ephesus, he needs to send this epistle there. He message is unity and freedom and equal partnership in the promise.

Lord, thank you for the message of your gospel, setting us free and making us equal in Christ.

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prisoner for the revelation

Posted on September 12, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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Ephesians 3:1-4 (JDV)

Ephesians 3:1 For this, I, Paul have become the prisoner of Christ Jesus in behalf of you Gentiles.

Ephesians 3:2 You have heard, haven’t you, about the commission of God’s favor that he gave to me for you?

Ephesians 3:3 The mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have briefly written above.

Ephesians 3:4 By reading this you are able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ.

prisoner for the revelation

Paul connects his current state of imprisonment with his commission as an ambassador of Christ. He thus calls himself a prisoner of Christ, even though it is a human authority that imprisoned him. He was where he was because of his commitment to Christ, and insisting on sharing the gospel with a world that did not want to hear it.

He also connects his commission with the revelation of a mystery. Because his insight was so great, his suffering was also great. We should not think as the world thinks – that if only we knew more, we would suffer less. God’s economy does not work that way. Our suffering is a badge of authenticy certifying the truth of the gospel we preach.

Lord, give us the strength to endure what is necessary to pass on the truth to our generation.

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being fit together

Posted on September 11, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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Ephesians 2:21-22 (JDV)

Ephesians 2:21 every building, being fit together1 to him, increases into a temple devoted to the Lord.

Ephesians 2:22 You are also being built together in him for God’s dwelling in the Breath.

being fit together

Even though Ephesus was a Gentile city, Paul’s readers could understand his allusion to the temple courts in Israel. But Paul uses a term here in verse 21 that paints a word picture of God putting on the temple courts like a uniform. Later, he uses the same word to describe how the ligaments in the body hold the bones together.2 When God gave the Israelites instructions on how to build the tabernacle – then the temple – he insisted that they follow the pattern because the temple below represented a reality above.

We are being fit together like a uniform for God to wear, so that he can do the work he wants to do down here. We will not all have the same work, but God can use us all.

Lord, remove from us anything that hinders you from doing your great work through us.

1συναρμολογέω

24:16.

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open gates

Posted on September 10, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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Ephesians 2:19-20 (JDV)

Ephesians 2:19 So then you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the devotees, and God’s household members,1

Ephesians 2:20 built on the foundation of the missionaries and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone –

open gates

Foreigners and strangers were those who lived in Israel but were not part of the covenant community. They were protected by the Mosaic law, and citizens were urged to show care for them, but they were not integrated into the culture like full-blown Israelites. They had no tribal identity, and were not allowed to participate in the temple worship.

That was then (Old Testament) – this is now. Now, because of the completed work of reconciliation on the cross, Gentiles who accept Christ as their Savior are members of God’s household, buildings built at the new temple itself.

Lord, thank you for opening your gates to include all of us who believe the gospel.

1οἰκεῖος

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erasing the divide

Posted on September 9, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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Ephesians 2:16-18 (JDV)

Ephesians 2:16 and so that he might reconcile both to God with one body through the cross, killing the hostility.

Ephesians 2:17 He came and proclaimed the good news of peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near

Ephesians 2:18 because through him we have access in one breath to the Father.

erasing the divide

Because of Jesus, you and I do not have to be born in a specific place, or come from a specific lineage to have access to the Father. He erased the boundary lines. He proclaimed peace with God on both sides of the divide, thereby erasing the divide.

We don’t have to perform a ritual, or say any power words, or sacrifice anything for this peace. All we have to do us say yes to him. He has already killed the hostility. All he asks is that we look at that cross and accept it as the price he paid for our acceptance.

Lord, thank you for reconciling us to yourself through the cross.

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both groups one

Posted on September 8, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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Ephesians 2:13-15 (JDV)

Ephesians 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near because of the blood of Christ.

Ephesians 2:14 You see, he is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility.1 With his flesh,

Ephesians 2:15 he made of no effect the law consisting of commands and expressed in regulations, so that he might create in himself one new human2 from the two, resulting in peace…

both groups one

Once a sacrifice has been accomplished, the regulations concerning it no longer serve as a barrier between God and the worshiper. But as long as the worshiper looks at completing that sacrifice as a means of getting on God’s good side, the sacrifice itself can be a barrier, separating people from each other. Those who do are proud of their accomplishments, those who don’t resent those who do.

Enter Jesus. He tore down the wall of hostility by becoming the sacrifice that the Mosaic sacrifices pointed to. He treated them as a prophecy and fulfilled them on the cross. Now, everyone has access to the same benefits of his sacrifice. Now the other sacrifices are obsolete, except to teach us the meaning of their fulfillment on the cross.

Lord, thank you for tearing down the wall, and making both groups one.

1ἔχθρα

2ἄνθρωπος

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