August 7, 2012
NOT. MY. GIFT.
Ephesians 3
Julie Sedberry
Central Truth
Paul wanted the believers in Ephesus to experience the power of the Holy Spirit so Christ could take up residence in their hearts and impact their lives daily.
Key Verse | Ephesians 3:16–17
[T]hat He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. (Ephesians 3:16-17a)
Ephesians 3
The Mystery of the Gospel Revealed
1 For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles— 2 assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you, 3 how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. 4 When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. 6 This mystery is 1 3:6 The words This mystery is are inferred from verse 4 that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
7 Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace, which was given me by the working of his power. 8 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in 2 3:9 Or by God, who created all things, 10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. 13 So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.
Prayer for Spiritual Strength
14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family 3 3:15 Or from whom all fatherhood; the Greek word patria in verse 15 is closely related to the word for Father in verse 14 in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Dive Deeper | Ephesians 3
A true deep abiding faith -- this is not my gift. I long for it. I seek it daily. I know that along with it come great peace and reward. Paul knew this, too, when he wrote to his friends in Ephesus. He prayed that the Spirit would empower them, and they would "know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge" (Ephesians 3:19). In other words, he wanted them to believe that God's love surpasses any present understanding in this world.
Some people are born with a spiritual gift to believe God is who He says He is (1 Corinthians 12:9). I am not one of those people. As a result, I have tried for a long time to live my own way.
I've experimented with things I naturally believed in: looking good to others, living in the right place, building a savings account, vacationing well, and serving in many places.
No matter the approach, it all came down to one thing: I was looking to give myself glory, not the Lord. I was looking to control -- to hold on tightly. Though I was a Christian, I was relying on a perfect resume rather than the power of faith that comes from the Holy Spirit's presence.
If I am out to glorify myself, then how can I possibly believe God is all He claims to be (Revelation 1:8)? I have discovered that when I stop focusing on me and start focusing on Him, I can hear the Holy Spirit's voice, and I believe him.
Paul prayed for the Holy Spirit to strengthen his friends. How do we get in touch with this Spirit? It is a gift to all of us who believe (Acts 10:34-48).
How do we experience the power of the Holy Spirit? We obey His Word and trust in His promises. We look for ourselves in the truths God gives us in Scripture, and slowly we will find strength of faith (Ephesians 1:18-19).
He is willing to give anything we ask if we seek Him first (Luke 11:9-13).
Discussion Questions
1. Do you believe in the power of the Holy Spirit? Why?
2. How do you depend on the Holy Spirit's guidance each day?
3. Is Christ "at home" in your attitudes and actions?
WEEKLY FAMILY ACTIVITY
August 6-10 (Ephesians 2-6)
Read Ephesians 6:10-20.
In verse 11, Paul talks about the schemes and strategies of the Devil.
• What are they?
•
What does Paul say we should use to fight those schemes?
• Make a list of all the pieces of God's armor. What does each piece do?
• Go through your house and find articles of clothing to represent all the pieces of God's armor.
Take time to review and memorize what each piece is and what it represents. Example: a hat to stand for the helmet that represents our salvation.
Activity: Write each of the following words on a separate piece of paper: truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, Word of God. Now put the clothing that represents each one across the room. If you have enough family members, you can make this into a competition by getting two piles of clothes that represent each thing. Now, draw one card from the pile, read it, and run down and get the item that represents that word. You can make it more difficult by pulling out more than one card.
Daily, we are to put on our armor so that we can withstand the attacks of the enemy. Talk together about what it looks like to put these things on every day (spending time in God's Word, praying, reminding yourself of your salvation, etc.).