Ephesians 3 - Our Prayers Are Too Small!
God’s Marvelous Plan for the Gentiles
3 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—
Paul uses irony here as he is prison but also says he is a "prisoner" for Jesus Christ. A prisoner is someone who has lost their rights. Paul willingly gave up his rights to be a prisoner for Christ. He went to prison for preaching to the Gentiles, but in reality he went into prison because he was a follower of Jesus Christ.
During his Roman imprisonment Paul was under house arrest. In the day he was free to move around the house with the supervision of soldiers, but every night he was chained to a soldier to make sure he did not escape before his trial before Caesar. Yet he saw himself as the prisoner of Jesus Christ. He knew that Jesus was the Lord of his life, not the Roman government, so if he was a prisoner, he was Jesus’ prisoner. - Guzik
2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. 4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
Paul doesn't want to take any credit for his work for Jesus. Paul was given God's grace through a special revelation. The Holy Spirit revealed to Paul the mystery of Christ. What was this mystery?
Paul says the mystery is that in God's sovereignty Jesus came not just for the Jews but also through the Gentiles. Though there were parts in the Old Testament, like in Genesis, where God told Abraham he would be a blessing to all nations, the Jewish people never equated that with the Gentiles. The mystery was that through Christ they were now "one body". Only God could have written this mystery.
One of the keys to understand this passage is to understand what the term "mystery" would have meant to the Ephesians in the 1st century.
“In English a ‘mystery’ is something dark, obscure, secret, puzzling. What is ‘mysterious’ is inexplicable, even incomprehensible. The Greek word mysterion is different, however. Although still a ‘secret’, it is no longer closely guarded but open… More simply, mysterion is a truth hitherto hidden from human knowledge or understanding but now disclosed by the revelation of God.” (Stott)
7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. 8 Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. 10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11 according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. 13 I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.
Paul's response to the mystery revealed to him by God, was to be a servant of this gospel. Paul didn't take credit for it or think he deserved this gift, because he considered himself the least of all God's people. This is quite possibly because he persecuted Christians. It is ironic that Paul a passionate Pharisee, who thought he was guarding the truth, was now sent to the Gentiles. As a Pharisee, he would have seen the Gentiles as unclean. He certainly wouldn't have wanted to be with them. But now he was called to preach to them the same Good News which saved him.
Though this mystery had been kept hidden for ages, God's plan all along was to reveal the mystery of His plan of salvation. Importantly God picked the Church as the vehicle which would reveal the gospel not only on earth but in the heavenly realms as well. This was God's purpose from the beginning of time.
“It is as if a great drama is being enacted. History is the theatre, the world is the stage, and the church members in every land are the actors. God himself has written the play, and he directs and produces it. Act by act, scene by scene, the story continues to unfold. But who are the audience? They are the cosmic intelligences, the principalities and powers in the heavenly places.” (Stott)
Not only did both the Jews and Gentiles have 100% complete access to God, but we do today as well. This access is for every Christian.
Divisions in the church have not always been between Jew and Gentile. The Reformers spoke out against the division between “clergy” and “laity” and the teaching of the priesthood of all believers insisted that all had the same access to God. - Guzik
This also why they do not have to be discouraged about Paul's imprisonment, because if God has been in control throughout all of history, He is certainly in charge of Paul's destiny, and the destiny of the Ephesians.
A Prayer for the Ephesians
14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
It is because of this access to God that Paul describes his prayers for them. As Paul has been strengthened by the Holy Spirit in prison, Paul prays that this same Spirit will strengthen their inner being. The Spirit will strengthen them from the inside out. Since it is the Spirit of Christ, it is Jesus himself that resides in their hearts. It is being rooted in Christ that they have the power to understand and see how deep the love that Jesus has for them.
I bow my knees: Paul prayed in the posture of bowing his knees. This position of utmost humility was in contrast to the more normal posture of prayer in that culture, to pray standing with hands raised up. The humility came when he considered God’s great eternal plan, his place in that plan, and how God’s work is unstoppable even when Paul was imprisoned.. - Guzik
Note the love we participate in through Christ dwelling in our hearts, is greater than knowledge. It is by being in this intimate connection with Jesus' love that we are filled with the measure of all the fullness of God. You can see God is not an idea, theory, or concept. God is living and real, and the greatest joy we can experience in this life is to know that love through Christ.
The apostle John talks about this intimate knowledge we can have with Jesus in John 14 and 15, as we dwell and abide in him.
Paul wrote of something we can know. This isn’t speculation, guesswork, emotions, or feelings. This is something to know. - Guzik
"Paul asked that Jesus would live in these believers, even as Jesus promised in John 14:23: If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him." - Guzik
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
This verse is so beautiful. It could be used as a benediction to end any worship service. We tend to limit what God can do but I love these words, "To him who is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine."
This makes me think my prayers are often to small. I need to pray with these words in mind. I think we limit what God because we don't think enough of God.
“Therefore he is able to do all things, and able to do superabundantly above the greatest abundance.” (Clarke)
This is a great way to sum up that which is so hard for me to put into logic and language.
- You can ask for every good thing you have ever experienced – God can do above that.
· You can think of or imagine things beyond your experience – God can do above that.
· You can imagine good things that are beyond your ability to name – God can do above that.
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