August 19, 2016: Day 82 – Ephesians 3

Paul begins this chapter by explaining the reason why he was in jail was because he preached a Gospel which included the gentiles in God’s plans.  Remember, the Ephesian church was a church composed of gentiles.  So basically Paul says the reason why I am in prison, and I don’t mind being in prison, is for people like you.  I am in jail so that people like you can hear about the good news of the gospel and respond to it.

It is so refreshing to hear Paul speak as if he is so glad for the people to whom he is writing.  You can just tell that he loves the people of Ephesus.  He calls himself a servant of the gospel and so he loves this message with which he has been entrusted.  Just read again vs. 14-21 as if Paul was addressing you directly.  He asks that God would (continue to) dwell in their hearts through faith.  His prayer is that we would all come to understand the completeness of Christ.  He calls it the breadth and width of all that God is.  It reminds me of Colossians 1:28, which we will get to soon, where God’s marks out our purpose as presenting everyone mature in Christ.

I’m going to get to this in Colossians but just put a sticker on this verse and recognize that this should be the purpose of all of us: present everyone mature in Christ.