Ephesians 1:1-10 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
Paul wrote this letter to the church in Ephesus from his imprisonment in Rome. He spent over two years in Ephesus ministering to the people about God’s salvation plan founded in Jesus Christ. Now he speaks to the church from prison to encourage them in their faith. When Paul started his ministry in Ephesus, he encountered several men who were believers. Apollo from Egypt had been ministering to the Ephesians about Jesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. (Acts 18:24-25) In Paul’s interaction with these Ephesians, he discovered they had been baptized in John’s baptism of repentance, the baptism Apollo taught. This baptism was a sign of turning away from sin and believing in the Lord Jesus as Savior. Paul wanted them to be aware that there is a new life for them, not just a belief about Jesus and repentance. Therefore, he baptizes them in the name of the Holy Spirit, lays his hands on them, and they receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit with evidence of tongues. This experience brought to them the reality of the Spirit inside them. This experience of the baptism of the Holy Spirit as with all other supernatural events in Acts indicates the omnipresence of the Spirit in believers' lives. The Ephesians had not even heard of the reality of the Holy Spirit. As we see throughout Acts, the body of believers are made to realize the Spirit of God is with them no matter where they are. God is not just in the Temple or the holy city of Jerusalem, but He is where the believers are, for He is within them. Tongues is evidence to the nascent church that God is always actively present. We also see this awareness of the Holy Spirit present with them at all times shown in the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira. Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? (Acts 5:3) The reality of the Spirit in the church brought great fear upon the people, for now they knew God was with them all the time. Paul’s ministry emphasizes the work of the Holy Spirit to transform lives. This work is the activity of God and not of man. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. (Ephesians 2:3-5) By nature, we were away from God, so far away that we were dead to him. As in the days of Noah and after the days of Noah, as we see in the narrative of the Jewish people and the harsh judgment of God upon them, humans are not like God in their basic nature. He is completely righteous, without one fault. Eternity is the same as God, without one fault. Never again will I curse the ground because of HUMANS, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done. (Genesis 8:21) Paul’s ministry and the church's ministry is that Good News to change human nature has come to all people everywhere on the face of the earth. God’s plan from the beginning of time before anything was ever made was to bring humans into his likeness through and in his Son, Jesus Christ. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing IN CHRIST. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.
Paul’s ministry to the church spawned from Jesus' directive to him through Ananias. This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name. (Acts 9:15-16) Paul does suffer much for the sake of preaching the gospel. In his second letter to the Corinthians he lays out how much he has suffered in ministering the gospel, but he also describes the marvelous revelations and visions he has received directly from the Holy Spirit. I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell. (2 Corinthians 12:1-5) He even relates his experience in heaven where he heard things that he could not expound upon, too inexpressible, maybe because our words are based on the reality of our perceptions here on earth. He experienced a domain beyond our physical senses. Paul suffered much for the cause of Christ, but he also received much from the Lord, showing him things that even Peter said were hard to understand. Through revelation, Paul receives from God the divine plan, conceived from the beginning, to bring humans into the very household of God. This plan even included categorizing man after the fall as evil and blind, dead to God’s righteousness. But God’s plan of redemption, making man into his image of righteousness and perfection was to be implemented through Jesus Christ and his death on the cross. Paul's message of redemption never wavers from this glorious plan of God: In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. Paul willingly placed his life on the altar as a living sacrifice, functioning only for the purposes of God. He knew that men could change radically under the control of the Holy Spirit. And because he saw this reality, he now reminds the Ephesians not to go back to the beggarly elements of this world. His intention in writing this letter is to elevate their understanding of the salvation work within them. In Christ, they sit in high places in the heavenly realm because they are redeemed, no longer part of the playground of this world. Jesus unites us with God in his presence, now and forever. Jesus understands this work of oneness. He tells his disciples that He prays for those people who will believe on his name. He prays that all people who put their faith in him will learn to know the Father as He knows the Father, and that they might be One with the Father and him. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. (John 17:20) Paul's message to the Ephesians completes Jesus’ prayer by making the Gentile and the Jew one IN Jesus Christ, to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
As with the Ephesians, we who are IN CHRIST because of our faith in his works are ONE with God. We are in harmony with God’s work on earth. We are lights to the dark world. We express the Holy Spirit’s gift in us. We see a great light stopping Saul on the way to Damascus. We also should be that great light that will stop people on the road to their own destruction. We see a great light coming into Peter’s cell in the form of an angel, telling Peter to wake up, get dressed, and go with him. This light led him out of prison. We too are to be people of great light, leading others out of prison into spiritual freedom. Paul informs the believers again that light has come into the Ephesian church and they should understand who they are. They are the redeemed who sit in heavenly places with the Father God. With Christ within, they are the light of Ephesus. They must carry on with their lives, understanding they are lights in a dark place. This is the gospel of Christ. We are to be lights. We are to be perfect in love, carrying forth the message of Jesus Christ the Redeemer to the world. Paul writes his letters to the churches because he knows they need encouragement. He knows they are suffering persecution and harshness from people who live in darkness. Jesus said they would hate the disciples and that the world will hate those who are redeemed, for the world did not accept Jesus, even God's Chosen people did not accept Jesus, so neither will many of the Gentiles. But when light comes into our world as it has with Jesus our Savior, we are no longer allowed to just sit. Peter was told to get up and follow the angel out of his cell. Saul was told by Jesus on the road to Damascus, get up and go to Damascus. Just because you are blind, afflicted by this physical infirmity, do not just lie down and moan, waiting to feel better. No, get up and go. We who are lights in the world as were the people in the Ephesian church, must get up and follow Jesus. We dare not hide our light under a bowl. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16) If we read the end of this letter to the Ephesians, we see Paul asking for prayer so that he might continue spreading the gospel boldly even in his imprisonment. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. (Ephesians 6:19-20) Notice how Paul begins this letter, Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Put your name in place of Paul’s name, ____ a follower of Christ Jesus by the will of God. Fill in your town, the people you know as the ones you want to reach. See yourself letting your light shine as Paul’s light shone to the Ephesians.
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