Written ~ 09-24-2024
Read Ephesians Chapter Three
Ephesians 3
Paul starts this chapter by telling his reader that it is “…I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus…” then he goes on to say that it was God who gave him the “special responsibility of extending His grace to you Gentiles and that God Himself revealed His mysterious plan to him.” It’s as though Paul is picking up where he left off in chapter one. Chapter two takes off into a short tangent about disobedience, God’s mercy, grace, and unity in Christ. I think because Paul went off on a brief digression, chapter three is getting him back on track with what he was starting to say in his letter and his prayer for wisdom in chapter one. One thing I want to mention, when writing this letter, Paul was in a Roman prison, the reason for his imprisonment was because of his bold proclamation and the confidence he had in the message of Jesus Christ. (You can read Acts 21:26-28:31 to get the entire background as to how he wound up in prison.) What I love about Paul is that he doesn’t say that he is a prisoner of man, no, he said he is a prisoner of Christ Jesus. Paul chose to speak with boldness, he was not going to back down just because there were folks out there who didn’t like his message… he was in prison because he valued his relationship with the Lord so much that he would endure prison for Him.
Ephesians 3:7…
7 “By God’s grace and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving Him by spreading this Good News.”
Even from his prison cell Paul preached the Gospel, he spoke freely about Christ and all the mysteries of God that had been revealed to him.
Ephesians 3:8-13…
8 “Though I am the least deserving of all God’s people, He graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ. 9 I was chosen to explain to everyone this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning.
10 God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display His wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was His eternal plan, which He carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.
12 Because of Christ and our faith in Him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence. 13 So please don’t lose heart because of my trials here. I am suffering for you, so you should feel honored.”
This is so amazing, it is Paul who is encouraging the believers, even while in prison he is telling these believers in Ephesus not to lose heart. Even though Paul had already endured so much, he would rather it be him who was imprisoned than anyone else. He would continue spreading the Good News no matter what else he might need to endure because he wanted everyone to know Christ.
This should be a challenge for each and every believer! That no matter what opposition comes your way, you will not back down, getting the message of Jesus Christ out to everyone should be our highest priority!
Reread verse 3:12… it is “because of Christ” we have Salvation! It is “because of Christ” that we have a relationship with our Heavenly Father! That is the type of news everyone should know!
The rest of chapter three is the continuation of Paul’s prayer that he started in chapter one.
Ephesians 3:14-21…
14 “When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, 15 the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. 16 I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will empower you with inner strength through His Spirit. 17 Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. 21 Glory to Him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.”
Wow!
You might recall that we took a part of Paul’s prayer from chapter one (vss.1:16-18) and personalized it so you could use it as a prayer for your family, friends, anyone in fact… So, now we have an extended version of Paul’s prayer! Just think how powerful the prayers for our loved ones could be if we were to personalize this entire prayer of Paul’s and lift it up as a request to the Father on behalf of your loved ones… Whew, that would be awesome!!!
***(At the very end of this Bible Study I will include a personalized version of Paul’s prayer using both the prayer from chapter one and the continuation to Paul’s prayer in chapter three.)***
When I pray for my family, when I pray for my friends, these are all the things I want for them! My prayer for those closest to me is that they would draw close to the Lord, closer than they ever have before.
Paul is praying that we grow in the power to understand. The more we study the Word of God and seek God in prayer, the more we will understand just how wide, how long, how high and how deep God’s love is for us. The more we apply Scripture to our own lives, we will gain a deeper understanding to what God’s unlimited resources are and how He uses those resources through His Holy Spirit to empower us with a strength we didn’t know was possible.
Ephesians 3:16…
16 “I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will empower you with inner strength through His Spirit.”
The Holy Spirit was given to us that we might tap into His power, we have this power within us because we have Christ Jesus living within our hearts! It’s mind blowing that a believer can walk with the Lord without reaching out for help from the Holy Spirit. But when we open our hearts to the possibilities the Holy Spirit has for us, when we call on Him for help, we will find just how much our boldness will grow and how we will become more confident in our walk with the Lord!
Ephesians 3:17…
17 “Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him.
Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.”
What a wonderful visualization. The best way to “see” this verse would be to imagine a tree… think of a small sapling… when first planted it is tender, the roots are small, weak and reaching out for strength. When the sapling is fed, watered and the ground is cultivated, it begins to grow. The roots stretch out and soon the evidence of growth is seen on the outside. Leaves begin to sprout in a beautiful lushness, the limbs are strengthened and begin to reach for the sky. This happens all because its roots are digging in, they are seeking nourishment, seeking water so they can withstand the storms that are bound to come their way. If those roots do not find nourishment, if the water is dried up – the evidence will be noticeably clear. Limbs begin to crack, leaves dry up, their lush color diminishes. If its roots don’t find nourishment soon, it will be lost.
When we give our hearts to the Lord Jesus Christ, He takes up residence within us, the Holy Spirit will be given to us to help lead us to the right nourishment and bring us to the Living Water so we can grow in strength. Eventually the evidence of that growth will be obvious. We will shine the Light of Jesus, we will speak the Good News of Salvation with boldness, and with outstretched arms we will give praise to the Father. Just like that tender sapling, with the right nourishment and water we can grow into a mighty tree able to withstand the greatest storm.
Ephesians 3:19-20…
19 “May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.”
At times it may seem a bit overwhelming to think of everything God has for us… but when we take time to really dig into what He does have for us, it is going to be exhilarating to see Him working through us! As we continue in this journey, this beautiful walk – side by side with our Savior – we will see the magnificence of the Creator so much clearer. We will know and experience the power of the Holy Spirit. We will begin to understand just how much our God loves us! Through this understanding, “we will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.”
This is something ALL OF US as believers can obtain – not just a select few. All of us can experience the power of the Holy Spirit. All of us can experience the Love of God. And all of us can know the inner strength given to us by the Lord Himself.
Ephesians 3:18…
18 “And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is.”
In what way do we find out how wide, how long, how high and how deep the love of God is? By doing exactly what we are doing right now. Digging into the Word of God, allowing His Word to speak to us. Where there is no understanding, seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Remember we have glorious, unlimited resources to empower us – to give us strength.
Ephesians 3:20-21…
20 “Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. 21 Glory to Him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.”
Father in Heaven… I am asking, I am seeking, I am wanting for my life more than I think I can ask. I want to accomplish infinitely more that I think I am capable of, through the leadership and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Thank You Christ Jesus for living in my heart. Thank You Holy Spirit for empowering me with strength. Thank You Almighty God for loving me in the widest widths, in the longest lengths, in the highest heights and in the deepest depths. I know WHEREVER I seek Your presences, Your face, Your comfort, Your peace, Your love – I WILL FIND IT.
~AMEN~
Ephesians 1:16-18 and 14-21… (Personalized Prayer for your loved ones) – The words I have put in bold lettering and italicized are the words you can change for individual names, or groups of people, etc. Heavenly Father, I will not stop thanking You for my family. I will pray for them constantly, I am asking You God, my glorious Father of the Lord Jesus Christ to give my family spiritual wisdom and insight so they might grow in their knowledge of You. Heavenly Father, I pray that the heart of each member of my family will be flooded with light, so that each of them understand the confident hope You have given them, because they have been called by You. Father, my family are Your holy people, and they are Your glorious inheritance. I fall to my knees and pray to You Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from Your glorious, unlimited resources that You will empower my family with inner strength through Your Spirit. Then Christ will make His home in their hearts as they trust in Him. I pray that their roots will grow down into Your love and keep them strong. And may my family have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep Your love is. 19 May they experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then my family will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from You. Now all glory to You God, who is able, through Your mighty power at work within all of us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to Him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever a