Motivated by news that believers in Ephesus are thriving in faith toward Jesus and in love toward each other (perhaps news shared by Tychicus, Ephesians 6:21-22), Paul reports to them how he prays for them. Compare Paul’s two prayer reports in Ephesians — Ephesians 1:15-23 and Ephesians 3:14-21. What themes do the two reports share? Sometimes our default tone in prayer … Continue reading –>
Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study: Ephesians 1:15-23; Ephesians 3:14-21; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; Deuteronomy 9:29; 1 Corinthians 15:20-22; Psalm 110:1. Memory Text: Through the Holy Spirit, believers may know “what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and … Continue reading –>
Remarkable Path to Lebanon By Kathie Lichtenwalter Volunteer teacher Ruan Oliveira struggled to listen to the speaker at a “I Will Go!” mission training event at Middle East University in Beirut, Lebanon. “Where have I seen that guy before?” he wondered. Ruan had arrived from Brazil to serve as a volunteer teacher at the Adventist … Continue reading –>
Further Thought: Does Ephesians 1:3-14 teach that God predetermines the futures of human beings, predestining some to everlasting life and others to everlasting death? Many people, unfortunately, believe this. Consider, however, these ideas: In the passage, the role of Christ is determinative, since the divine choice to adopt us occurs “through Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 1:5, ESV) or “in him” (Ephesians … Continue reading –>
In Ephesians 1:13-14, Paul tells in brief the conversion story of his readers. What are the steps in that story? In exploring the importance of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers, Paul uses two images or metaphors for the Spirit. He first pictures the Holy Spirit as a “seal,” identifying a sealing presence of the … Continue reading –>
“In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:11-12, NKJV). The believers in Ephesus seem to have lost a clear sense of … Continue reading –>
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 –>
