Here is my commentary on Ephesians 3:10. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 3:10

His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms.

God’s intention in revealing this mystery now, after it was hidden through the ages, is to make known his wisdom to the spiritual powers.

While we often focus in on the human dimensions of God’s salvation plan, there is a more profound agenda, the spiritual or supernatural dimension.

It is the church that embodies the wisdom of God. Paul had a very high vision of the church. Even though he had to provide correction and discipline, he had very high ideals of what the church is.

When we are tempted to cynicism about the church, we need to recall that it is through the church that the wisdom of God is being revealed. Every time the church gathers for worship, encouragement, or edification, it is displaying God’s wisdom. When the church proclaims the gospel, it is displaying God’s victory over Satan. Whenever the church stands up for jjustice or for the poor, it is proclaiming God’s Kingdom. Whenever the church ministers healing or miracles it is revealing the power of God.

What we, the church, do together in the name of Christ is not insignificant or weak or boring. The world may portray it as boring, weak or irrelevant, but the powers of hell tremble..

The manifold wisdom of God is manifested through the church.

God’s wisdom operates at many levels simultaneously. People can usually act in wisdom according to their experience or expertise. It is folly to do otherwise, unless we are advised by the Holy Spirit .

Wise leaders seek out the wisdom of other people to augment their own wisdom .

God has no need for advisers and experts. He has infinite wisdom and is able to plan goals and strategies at every level right across time and space. He is not limited by a lack of knowledge because he has all knowledge about all things. He is not limited in strength because he is all powerful. He simultaneously sees the big picture and the individual hearts of billions of people. He sees the beginning and the end, and all points in between .

The wisdom of God is based in his love. He loves his creation, and so His wisdom is rooted in lifting up people, and seeing us achieve our potential as sons and daughters.

God’s love requires also an abhorrence of sin because of the way it destroys people. Therefore, all who refuse to receive his forgiveness will be condemned. There can be no tolerance of sin and evil in God’s wisdom .

God’s wisdom is to be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms .

The church is engaged in a spiritual war that started before recorded history. The rebellion of satan and his followers resulted in their expulsion from heaven and the institution of a separate kingdom, a false kingdom. Satan’s kingdom is less than God’s Kingdom in every way. It is less in numbers and it is less powerful. But it is real nonetheless .

The spiritual war revolves around the worthiness of people to participate in God’s realm. We are both physical and spiritual beings and we fall short in so many ways. While God loves people as the pinnacle of creation, higher even than the angels, satan wants only to destroy us.

The plan of salvation, the mystery, is now being revealed. God loved us so much that He sent His Son to die for us. In this act he demonstrated his love. He showed that humility is not weakness and that love is powerful. He uses the cross to draw sinful men and women to Himself.

So God reconciles the world to Himself. This is the wisdom being shown through the church to the rulers and powers in the heavenly realms .

In the end, God will be vindicated by the existence of the church, a huge number that is impossible to count, drawn from every tribe and nation on the earth.

Key points in this verse:

• God’s plan of salvation is not just about people, but a demonstration of God’s wisdom
• The church is greater than we often give it credit for
• The church shares God’s wisdom to the spiritual powers
• God’s wisdom operates at many levels and from infinite knowledge
• God’s wisdom is based on his love
• We are involved in a spiritual war

Here is my commentary on Ephesians 3:9. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 3:9

…and to make all men see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things

Paul’s ministry is to make God’s plan clear to all people.

Paul is very clear that all people, Jews and Gentiles, are now included in God’s plan of salvation. It is given to “all men” to be a part of God’s kingdom.

This salvation, the mystery that was hidden for ages, is now revealed in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In his death on the cross, he made payment for the sins of the whole world.

Now Paul’s ministry is to reveal to the whole world that which was hidden. The thing that was previously a hidden thing must now be revealed to all people .

The coming of Jesus into the world is a seismic shift in the affairs of people. It is impossible to exaggerate what’s this means for humanity. Jesus brought salvation (see John 3:16), but he also brought judgement on those who refused his salvation (John 3:18). A huge chasm has opened up – but not between Jews and Gentiles. The chasm is between those who believe in Jesus and those who do not.

Jesus is the light of the world. He makes plain this mystery about salvation and judgement. If we believe in the sacrifice that he provides for us, then we are saved. If we hold on to our own ways, then we are condemned.

Paul, then, wants to make this mystery known to all people .

The phrase, “the plan of the mystery,” is itself a mystery. The New International Version translates it as “ the administration of this mystery,” while the New Living Translation renders the phrase as “ the mysterious plan.”

The word for plan is “oikonomia” from which we get the English word economy. It means to administer a household on behalf of another person. Sometimes it is translated as stewardship.

Paul is drawing our attention to the fact that God’s way of salvation was not hidden for no purpose. There was a plan in the hiddenness off the way to salvation. This may be difficult for us to understand, but it is true that Christ came into the world at the right time, the appointed time, the kairos time.

The plan of salvation, the master plan for humanity, is being administered by God to demonstrate His wisdom to the spiritual rulers and authorities (Ephesians 3 10). The way in which Christ died for the church is part of God’s plan to defeat the satanic forces seeking to overthrow him.

The mystery was hidden “in God.” Does this mean that God had a plan but He didn’t want to share it with anybody else until he was ready to activate it?

This is partly true. To say that the plan was “ hidden in God” suggests that it was hidden in the very nature of God. It was always in the heart of God that He wanted to save the people who had been alienated from Him. It is God’s love that drives Him to find a solution to sin that demonstrates to all people the depth and height of His love.

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. God became a human being just like us. He became the ransom, the sacrifice, and took away all of our sins.

Jesus’ death on the cross demonstrated in a very public way the dimensions of God’s love and His justice. At that moment the mystery hidden in God was revealed to all people. Everyone who witnessed the crucifixion, and those who heard it from others, can see God’s love for them and His grace in forgiving their sins.

This God who saves is the same God who created all things. There is nothing in the whole of creation, whether seen or unseen, physical or spiritual, that was not created by God.

The angels who worship God and the demons who hate God were created by Him. The people who embrace salvation and those who oppose it are likewise created by God.

Because all things are created by God, they are all accountable to Him, and all will be judged on the basis of their relationship to Jesus .

Key points in this verse:

• The plan of salvation was a mystery hidden in God
• Paul’s ministry is to reveal this plan to all people
• Jesus’ coming into the world changed everything in the world and changed God’s dealing with people
• The God who says is the same God who created all things

Here is my commentary on Ephesians 3:8. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 3:8

“To me, although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ .”

Paul was never proud or arrogant about his position in the church. It was all given by the grace of God. He had reason to be proud. He was a very educated man in the Jewish religion and qualified in every way- the Pharisee of Pharisees, as he says elsewhere.

No, Paul is always aware of his own sinful nature. He is the least of all the saints, he says. One could interpret this as false humility. but it seems sincere in Paul. He does not use his office as an apostle to demand support from the churches or from individual christians. There is no sense of entitlement or demand for honour. Earlier on in Ephesians 2: 19- 22, he uses the analogy of people being like bricks in a temple or house that Christ is building. Paul, in that analogy, is no more important than any other part of the building.

Paul was often aware of his own failings in persecuting the church. He described himself as a late comer apostle, one whose birth was delayed. Early in his ministry, people doubted his apostleship and even his conversion. In that sense he was the least of the saints.

Paul was given a grace to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. In the previous verse, he makes clear that everything he has and does is due to grace, God’s gifting, given through the mighty working of God’s power.

Paul’s calling was to go to the Gentiles. Although he was qualified to preach in the synagogues, his rejection by the Jews drove him to the Gentiles. He had a far greater impact amongst the Gentiles than the Jews, although in natural terms it should have been the opposite way around .

Through God’s grace, the least of all the saints had a great impact on the Gentiles of the ancient world, and continues to do so today.

Paul’s message was about the unsearchable riches of Christ.

The riches of Christ extend beyond forgiveness of sins. Because he has bought us redemption, Christ brings us from death to life, Hell to Heaven, a guarantee of eternal joy.

Because of Christ, we are heirs of the Father. We have been adopted into His family. The people who were once far off are now right in the centre of God’s good will. As heirs, we are destined to inherit a share of all that God has, both seen and unseen. Nothing is withheld from us.

We have victory over the evil one, the Devil, who seeks to devour our souls. We have been set free from sin by Christ. This is not just freedom from the penalty of sin, but also a liberation from the grip of sin to enslave us and hold us captive. We are now free to act in accordance with God’s will for us .

These are just some of the riches of Christ, and they are all given to us by his grace.

The riches are unsearchable. They are so deep and full of meaning that we might spend a lifetime, even eternity, coming to an understanding of them.

It is as if we are given a treasure chest of coins and rare gems. As we pick up one item and examine it for both beauty and value, we are amazed by it. Then we pick up other items, stones that we have never seen before. As we dig deeper, we discover that the treasure chest has no boundary – it just goes deeper and deeper for ever.

We can just see a glimmer, a dull reflection of all the treasure that God through Christ has graciously poured upon us .

Key points in this verse

• Paul saw himself as the least of all the saints.
• Paul was given grace to take to the Gentiles the message about the unsearchable riches of Christ
• The riches of Christ extend beyond just forgiveness of sins.
• We could spend eternity discovering the riches of Christ

Here is my commentary on Ephesians 3:7. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 3:7

“Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me by the working of his power.”

The gospel is the amazingly good news that God is saving, or at least wants to save, every person whether Jew or gentile through the promise in Christ Jesus; God’s grace is available to all.

Paul was made a minister of this gospel. He was moulded into the ministry by God, who took all of Paul’s learning and knowledge of scripture, and turned him into a powerful apostle, teacher, and evangelist.

The word for minister here means a servant, not a slave. The word is diakonos from which we get the word deacon. It can mean and attendant or minister. Paul here is saying that his calling is to serve the gospel. The gospel is like a master, a force that directs his life .

In other places, Paul describes himself as a slave to Christ. A slave suggest someone who is owned, generally for any purpose the owner might desire. The implication of the word diakonos, though, is that there is a specific purpose, a calling that is on Paul’s life. He could not be used for any other purpose then to preach the gospel, because that is his life’s sole reason for existence.

Paul was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace.

The grace of God is a many-faceted thing. We most often think of God’s grace in the context of salvation. We are not saved by anything that we can do, nor by good deeds, nor by animal sacrifices, nor by acts of heroism. It is only because God, in his love for us, gives us the gift of forgiveness that we are saved.

God’s grace is experienced in other ways also. The gift of life itself comes from God. The provision of our daily food, shelter, and clothing is by grace, even when we have a job that provides these things .

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are graces that enable us to serve God and his people. The word for gift in the various New Testament passages that describe spiritual gifts is itself derived from the word grace. This is why John Wimber preferred the word gracelet to the word gift – it places the attention on the giver not the receiver of the gift.

The grace of God was responsible for the gift which was given to Paul. Paul is at pains to express a sense here that whatever he might do as the minister of the gospel, it is all through the gift of God. It is not his innate talent. He might be the smartest person in the room, but it is God who has done this, not Paul.

All of this was given by the working of God’s power.

God’s power (dunamis) is the same power that created the universe in six days, which raised Christ from the dead, and which turned Paul from persecutor of Christ’s followers into an apostle of Christ .

God’s power brings the non-existent into existence. He spoke and it happened.

God’s power restored life – resurrection life- into Christ’s body. This same power will raise all of his followers from death also. God’s power is life giving power.

The same power took hold of a violent and zealous man, and transformed him into a tireless minister of grace. Under the law, Paul sought to bring death, but under God’s grace he seeks to bring life.

This power of God is restless, hovering over all of creation. The wind is often used as an analogy for God’s power. It is always moving. It brings movement and excitement. It cannot always be recognised, but its effects are plain.

The working of God’s power produced the gift of God’s grace in Paul. The word for working is the word from which we get energy. God’s energising power was poured into Paul to enable him to fulfil this ministry to which he was called .

God’s power is not a self-referring thing like a bright light. God’s power brings change by working in people’s lives. This energy fills us, changes us, enables us, transforms us. It is like a flow of electricity through a person’s spirit .

Key points in this verse:

• Paul was made a minister of the gospel
• The gospel is about God’s grace
• Paul had a specific calling or a role to be filled.
• God’s grace is experienced in many different ways
• Paul’s gift or calling was given by the working of God’s power

Here is my commentary on Ephesians 3:6. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 3:6

… that is, how the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

In the previous verses, Paul has spoken about the mystery that was previously hidden, but has now been revealed. now he talks about the content of the revelation.

The revelation is this: the Gentiles, who were previously excluded from the promises of God, now included in the promises, specifically the promise of eternal life. Those who were once far off, indeed considered unclean or impure by Jewish people, are now in the centre of God’s plan for a kingdom of priests .

In fact, Paul argues that Gentiles are not just grafted into an existing structure, remaining separate. No, under the new covenant initiated by Christ, there is a new structure, a new household, a new temple in which there is no distinction between Jews and Gentiles. The divisions of the old covenant are now obsolete because Christ has destroyed the distinctives.

Gentiles are now fellow heirs. Paul doesn’t say here who we are fellow heirs with. We would assume that the Gentiles fare fellow heirs with the Jews. In Romans 8:17 he makes the astonishing claim that we heirs of God the Father, joint heirs with Christ.

The promises of God do not flow to the Jews because they are God’s chosen people. The promises of God flow to all believers, to all who are in Christ, because of God’s grace to Christ.

God made promises to the Jews because they were the heirs of Abraham, the descendants of whom God had promised they would be as many as the stars in the sky, and through them the world would be blessed. Now, we who are Gentiles share in that promise because of Christ.

But there is much more. As the heir to God the Father, Christ gets everything that is God’s- that is the is the whole of creation, whether we see it or not, the things in the heavens and on the earth, the spiritual realm as well as the physical realm. The whole of creation is ours because we are joint Heirs with Christ.

We are members of the same body. All who believe in Christ are members of His body. We belong together, placed organically where we can be most effective in the body.

There is just one body of Christ. There is not a Jewish body and a Gentile body. There is not a Catholic body, and an Anglican body, a Pentecostal body, and so on. There is just one body

All who follow Christ are in the one body. We get the same benefits, the same honour, the same destination. We are all part of the one church, the Body of Christ.

As Paul says elsewhere, this means that if one part of the church is hurting, then we all hurt. It makes no sense then to act or even speak against other believers. That is like my finger choosing to poke my eyes.

Believing Jews and believing Gentiles are the same body. Jews will not be saved by obeying the law of Moses, while Gentles take a different route. We are in the one body, following one path to salvation.

We Gentiles are partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

What is this promise? Believe in the Lord and turn from your sins and you will be saved.

The gospel is a very simple message. Our sins have separated us from God, and He will judge us. But he loves us and has provided the sacrifice of Jesus to reconcile us to Himself. Jesus is the way of salvation. If we believe in him and turn away from our sins, then God will forgive us and give us life forever.

That is the promise, and God has given us grace to partake in it, that is to participate in it.

The word partake suggests something active. This promise of eternity is not a thing that you sign up for and then put in a drawer. The promise is active- we participate In God’s Kingdom now, by serving his purposes, living his ways, communicating to others the power of the gospel .

This revelation that Paul was given is about the fact that God’s salvation is now available to every single person who will receive it.

Key points in this verse:

• The Gentiles are now included in God’s plan for humanity
• We are fellow heirs – not just with the Jews but with Christ himself
• Our inheritance is a share in the whole of creation
• We are part of a whole new structure not just bolted on to the old structure
• We are members of one body
• We share in an awesome promise in Christ through the gospel

Here is my commentary on Ephesians 3:4-5. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 3:4-5

When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it is now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.

In writing to the Ephesians, Paul is sharing the revelation of the mystery of Christ of which previous generations knew nothing, because it was a mystery ( i.e. a hidden thing). So now they can perceive the reality of the depth of his insight.

Paul had a revelation of this mystery, a sudden understanding given by God of how Christ came to fulfil the law of Moses and all the prophecies concerning the Messiah. Nobody saw this in previous generations as clearly as the apostles did in the time since Christ’s death and resurrection.

Where Paul excelled was the depth of his insight into the revelation. Many people receive revelation about salvation, but a proportion of them don’t move into insight. They stay with the revelation, “Jesus died for my sins so now I am forgiven.” The insight comes when we realise that, because off this my whole life must be lived for him. It is that insight that propels us from forgiveness to sanctification.

Paul wants the Ephesians to perceive his insight, that is to move forwards in their understanding of how much God loves them, the spiritual authority that they now have, and the implications of all this in their personal discipleship, in their relationships, and in their service of the Lord.

Paul says that the mystery of Christ has been revealed to the apostles and prophets. I made some mention of these gifts in 2:20 where Paul says the church is like a building built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ as the cornerstone.

The apostles and prophets were godly men and women given the task leading the church into deeper insight off the revelation of Christ. One of the tasks of the church is to discern whether those who claim to be apostles and prophets are true servants of the Lord Jesus. As was stated earlier, this is by testing their teaching and revelation against scripture and against the character of Christ.

When any person- apostle, prophet, standard untitled Christian- receives a revelation or even a doctrine or Bible verse, we must test whether what they are saying against the revelation we already have. It is possible that we have the truth and they are deceived. It is possible that what they say jars because we have an inadequate understanding. Most often, the truth lies in between these two extremes .

Apostles and prophets were the ones who unveiled the mystery, who gave clarity and insight into what had previously been hidden, namely the grace of God in sending his one and only Son for us. They still have this role now- to reveal the centre of our faith, the person of Christ.

Key points in these verses

• The person of Christ was a mystery until the apostles and prophets gained revelation that unveiled what was hidden.
• Paul had a special measure of insight, particularly in respect of the inclusion of the Gentiles in God’s Kingdom .
• Paul wanted to share that insight so that others could grow in their understanding and relationship with Christ.
• Apostles and prophets still share this ministry of unveiling Christ.

Here is my commentary on Ephesians 3:2. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 3:2

Surely you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you.

On a first reading, it may appear that this is is saying that Paul is in some privileged position in which he manages (or administers, as the NIV puts it) God’s grace. This seems to give Paul an almost God- like status, if this is what he is saying.

While it should be acknowledged that apostles have great spiritual authority in their area of responsibility (or perhaps a greater sense of spiritual authority than most believers), it would be wrong to say that they have a particular administration of God’s grace to dispense it where and how they see fit.

It should also be acknowledged that the original Greek text of this verse is also very ambiguous. Perhaps the New Living Translation puts this verse as well as any: “assuming, by the way, that God gave me the special responsibility of extending his grace to you Gentiles.”

Stewardship, or administration, here is seen as a responsibility or a calling. Paul seems to have felt his his particular role in the Body was to take the message of salvation to the Gentiles.

The cross had opened up the way of salvation to all people, not just those who were Jews by birth or by choice. The early, mainly Jewish, church was slow to see this. When we read Acts it is almost as if God had to shout this truth into people’s ears. Even when the early Christian leaders acknowledged this, they was slow to actually take the gospel to the Gentiles .

Paul feels that his ministry is to the Gentiles, even though he is a Jew of the highest qualifications. God has laid on him this burden of responsibility to take the gospel to the Gentiles.

His “stewardship of God’s grace” then is to take the message to as many Gentiles as possible.

So Paul is saying here “surely you have heard of this responsibility that I have for you to preach the gospel and take God’s grace to you.”

Paul says this stewardship was given to him. It is a gift that God placed on him. He didn’t claim it for himself. He did not earn it, or even seek it. This stewardship of God’s grace is itself a grace- an undeserved gift from god.

Paul started his ministry by going to the Jews in each town, but despite his studies as a Rabbi, he had much more success with the Gentiles than with the Jews. He did not choose this ministry or stewardship, but God placed is upon him, or released it through him .

The result was a tremendous extension of the gospel right through the Roman Empire, indeed today, right through the whole world .

Key points in this verse

• Paul’s stewardship of grace was about the responsibility he felt to take the gospel to all the world
• Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles was both a responsibility and a grace
• Though Paul preached to the Jews as well as the Gentiles, his responsibility or calling, was to the Gentiles

Here is my commentary on Ephesians 3:1. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 3:1

“For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles…”

Paul now describes himself as a prisoner of Christ for the Gentiles.

This particular verse seems to be difficult for translators, who generally put the dash at the end and start a new sentence hoping you won’t notice something. There is no primary verb here or in the subsequent verse.

since the verb to be is optional in Greek, it seems to make sense to write this as “ I Paul am a prisoner of Christ.” The lack of punctuation in the original text does complicate things somewhat so we don’t know if this verse was meant to be a sentence by itself.

overlooking the grammatical difficulties, we can look at what the verse has to say to us now.

Paul describes himself as a prisoner of Christ “for this reason.” We have to look back at the part that went before this verse to find the reason. Previously Paul had talked about how God was building the church – household, a temple, a dwelling place. In this project He determines where each person, indeed each faith community, should fit in the overall scheme of things.

for this reason, Paul is a prisoner of Christ. He is in prison because of his particular role in the Body of Christ, which is to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. There is no regret for Paul because he knows exactly what the purpose of his suffering is, and it is all a part of God’s plan for his life and ministry.

paul is a prisoner of Christ. Even though the Romans hold him physically, it is Christ who is using the experience to build the church, especially in respect of the gentile christians .

we might expect Paul to describe himself as a prisoner for Christ, but he is definitely here that he is a prisoner of Christ.

to be a prisoner of Christ is one of those phrases that can be interpreted in many ways

• As stated before, he is a prisoner because Christ is building the church, and this is essential to Paul’s role
• although the Romans hold the building, it is Christ who holds the key
• he is captivated by Christ’s love and by the calling on his life
• in other places Paul describes himself as a slave for Christ. This is a similar kind of analogy

In all these interpretations, we need to remember that Paul is a voluntary captive. Paul has given his heart to the Lord, and it is in that sense that he is a prisoner of Christ. If he wished, he could gain the freedom to not be a prisoner anymore. He could renounce Christ and walk away back to the bondage of the Jewish law and of sin.

if Paul is a prisoner of Christ, he’s a prisoner for a particular purpose. He’s a prisoner for the Gentiles.

Paul became convinced very early in his Christian life that salvation was for the Gentiles and not just for the Jews. He also became convinced that his calling was to take the good news to the Gentiles. Paul is the apostle to the Gentiles.

Hence Paul’s imprisonment, part of his mission to the Gentiles, was for the Genttiles. Paul knew that if God had decided he needed to be in prison, then it was part of the mission, part of the calling to take the gospel to the Gentiles .

this is an incredible insight and the source of great strength. Prison time was not wasted time for Paul. He wasn’t sitting on the sidelines missing all the action. For some reason, this was the action; this was the mission.

regardless of whether there was an outcome that he could see, Paul knew that he was a prisoner of Christ for the sake of the Gentiles .

Key points in this verse

• Paul was the Prisoner of Christ, not of the Romans
• his life was devoted to serving Christ, regardless of the location or situation
• Paul was a prisoner for the Gentiles
• prison time was not wasted time because even this was the mission Christ had set for him

Here is my commentary on Ephesians 2:22. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 2:22

And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit

God is building something from the believers. it is described as a household, then a temple, now a dwelling place for God.

The word “you” here is plural, that is all of the believers not just one. All the believers in Ephesus of being built together in this project of God .

This is a big project. Sometimes the project might contain modules or parts which first have to be constructed from smaller components. A cupboard might come as a flat pack, and first must be built from its component parts. Only then can it take its place in the house.

The church is being built into a temple or a dwelling place for God. Our individual congregations are being designed to take their place in the church.

So we are being built together. The module is being constructed so that it can be slotted into its correct place .

We have to play our part by being community. We are being built together. For this to happen, I must learn to get on with, and to love unconditionally, those other people in the congregation.

We cannot claim to love one another if there are people we cannot talk to or we dislike. Being built together means that we have to learn to love. Being built together means that I have to learn to make room in my life for the bumps and irregularities in the lives of those around me, accommodating people who are different .

The outcome of this is a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit.

Most of us are accustomed to the idea that, as individuals, we are vessels of the Holy Spirit. When I first gave my heart to the Lord, the Holy Spirit came into me. I became a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit .

Paul is saying that we together are meant to be a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit. Together we are the Temple of God. This is something much bigger .

The concept of synergy is that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. You are worth more then the basic chemicals that comprise your body. Your house is much more than a pile of bricks and timber stacked on a plot of ground .

In the same way, the church is more than a collection of believers. God is building a dwelling place, a place where He can abide and stay.

As all the individual Christians- bearers of the Holy Spirit- take up their rightful place in the church, God makes it something much greater. Whereas one person could not hold the glory of God, perhaps one billion can. While one person can carry a simple expression of God’s majesty, a billion can carry that many and more expressions of God’ majesty.

God’s plan was never to just redeem individual sinners. His plan was always to build those sinners into something greater- a tabernacle, a temple, a dwelling place.

God is dwelling with his people, in his people, among his people. He is not up there, out there, or any other place than right here where the people of God are right now.

If my prayers rise up to cover my household, then the prayers of christians in my town cover the city, and the prayers of believers in all the world cover the globe. The prayers of Gods people construct a net or tent of God’s presence. As we come together in Christ, the presence of God transforms the world as it transforms us.

The world becomes the Lord’s footstool by the prayers and worship of Gods people together.

Key points in this verse

• We are being built together
• The church is bigger than our congregation
• God is transforming the world as he transforms us