What is God’s “plan for the fullness of time,” and how extensive is its reach? Ephesians 1:9-10. Paul uses three labels for God’s plan. It is (1) “the mystery of his will,”(2) “his purpose,” and (3) “a plan for the fullness of time” (ESV). What is God’s ultimate, final plan? To unite everything, everywhere, in Jesus. The … Continue reading –>
Sin had been a dark, dominating force in the lives of Paul’s audience. Paul can describe them in their prior existence as the walking dead — “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1, NKJV) yet “walking” or living as Satan commanded them (Ephesians 2:1-3). Enslaved to sin and Satan, they had no ability to free themselves. They needed … Continue reading –>
A thank you note usually includes a description of the gift or gifts received. Paul includes a long gift list in Ephesians 1:3-14 as he thanks God for the blessings of the gospel. Paul praises God for the fact that He has “blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing” (Ephesians 1:3, ESV). That the blessings are spiritual (Greek, pneumatikos) suggests … Continue reading –>
Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study: Ephesians 1:3-14; Ephesians 2:6; Ephesians 3:10; Colossians 1:13-14; Deuteronomy 9:29. Memory Text: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:3, ESV). Twenty-five years after becoming the first person to walk on the moon, Neil Armstrong wrote a … Continue reading –>
Bible Survives Blaze By Tor Tjeransen Valentina Melentjeva watched helplessly as her home burned to the ground in Kongsberg, Norway. While she was sad to lose her life’s possessions, the thought of losing her Bible devastated her the most. Valentina grew up in Klaipeda, the third-largest city of the then-Soviet republic of Lithuania. Although her … Continue reading –>
Further Thought: The story of the exorcists misusing the names of Jesus and Paul (Acts 19:13-20; see Sunday’s study) helps explain why Paul uses so much language about power in Ephesians. Some new believers, under fresh conviction of the sovereignty of Jesus, throw their expensive magic manuals into the flames. Thanks to the discovery of some 250 … Continue reading –>
How does Paul announce the theme of his letter? Ephesians 1:9-10. How can the message of Ephesians be summarized? From prison, Paul sets forth a vision of God’s Christ-centered plan for the fullness of time and the church’s role in it. God has acted in Christ to initiate His plan “to unite all things in him [Christ], … Continue reading –>
How does Paul begin and end his letter to the believers in Ephesus? What do we learn about his deepest desires for them? See Ephesians 1:1-2; Ephesians 6:21-24. At the outset of the letter, Paul identifies himself as the author (Ephesians 1:1). Near the middle of the letter, Paul again identifies himself by name, labeling himself “the prisoner of … Continue reading –>
Paul wrote Ephesians to be read aloud in the house churches of believers in greater Ephesus. In the intervening years since Paul’s departure, the Christian movement in Ephesus had grown, and the number of house churches had multiplied. For those early believers, it would have been an important event to have Tychicus, the personal representative … Continue reading –>
Read Acts 19:21-20:1. What lessons can we draw from this story? Paul’s witness in the large, sophisticated city of Ephesus was so effective that it impacted an important economic engine for the city, tourism focused on the Temple of Artemis. And what a temple it was! This magnificent structure was composed partly of 127 pillars, … Continue reading –>
