Bible in Life

The Church - the Showcase of God's Wisdom

The church is full of shortcomings and faults. Anyone who has been part of a church knows this. The apostle Paul knew this. So it's become commonplace for people to run down the church. 

But, even though the apostle Paul knew how flawed the churches he planted were, he still paints a breathtaking panorama of what the church with all its shortcomings is. In fact, in Ephesians 3:10 he describes the church as the showcase of God's wisdom to the spiritual powers in the heavenly places!

Ephesians 3:1-13  

3:1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles— 2 if indeed you have heard of the administration of God’s grace which was given to me for you; 3 that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before briefly. 4 By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which in other generations was not made known to mankind, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; 6 to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, 7 of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power. 8 To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, 9 and to enlighten all people as to what the plan of the mystery is which for ages has been hidden in God, who created all things; 10 so that the multifaceted wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him. 13 Therefore I ask you not to become discouraged about my tribulations in your behalf, since they are your glory.  

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God's Family and God's Home

Ephesians 2:19-22 paints a beautiful picture of who we are in Christ. Now that we have been brought near to God through Christ, we are part of God's family and we are the very dwelling place of God. This is true for any and all that come to God through Christ. 

Ephesians 2:19-22  

19 So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.  

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Jesus Died to Make Peace

Jesus didn't only die to reconcile us to God; he also died to make peace between people, even in the face of long-standing hostilities. God's plan is to unite people of all kinds together into one new humanity in Jesus Christ. 

Ephesians 2:11-18  

11 Therefore remember that previously you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision” which is performed in the flesh by human hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the people of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who previously were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, 15 by abolishing in His flesh the hostility, which is the Law composed of commandments expressed in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two one new person, in this way establishing peace; 16 and that He might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the hostility. 17 And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near; 18 for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.   

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God Rescued Us! | A Reflective Walk through Ephesians 2:4-10  

Ephesians 2:4-10 describes how God rescued us from the desperate plight of sin and death. And it tells us why he did it: because he's rich in mercy, full of great love, surpassing in grace, and genuinely kind. 

Ephesians 2:4-10

4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our wrongdoings, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come He might show the boundless riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.  

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The Desperate Plight of Life Without Christ | A Reflective Walk Through Ephesians 2:1-3

Ephesians 2:1-3 provides a diagnosis of our human condition outside of Christ, and the situation is dire. Sin is not just a few bad deeds in an otherwise decent life. It is a disease that infects us to the core. It also infects cultures so that the entire human way of life is corrupt. Looking at ourselves honestly like this leads to greater gratitude and humility in our relationship with God.  

Ephesians 2:1-3

2:1 And you were dead in your offenses and sins, 2 in which you previously walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3 Among them we too all previously lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the rest.  

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