Ephesians 3

As I was driving home today listening to my favorite oldies station (All the best rock music was in the 60’s through 80’s, everyone knows that) I heard “How Deep is Your Love?” by the Bee Gees. (Disco, but still better than today’s stuff). “How deep is your love how deep is your love, I really need to learn?”

Isn’t that THE question we all ask constantly throughout our lives? “Do you love me? How much do you love me? What are the limits of your love for me?” We all want and need to know that we are loved.

One of the foundational needs of every human being from the moment of birth is to know that they are loved and securely attached to a loving caregiver. “If I’m cute, do you love me? If I cry do you love me enough to pick me up and comfort me? If I make a stinky mess do you love me enough to clean me up and put a fresh diaper and clothes on me? If I take a pair of scissors and cut holes in your suit jacket will you still love me Daddy? (Extra points if you figure out which Fletcher kid actually did than when they were 4).” The answer is, “Yes, I still love you.” And I love you when a tree somehow jumps in front of the car as you’re driving (A different Fletcher kid, at age 16). “Will you still love me when I disobey you or when I reject your values and beliefs?” “Yes, even when you break my heart, I will still love you.”

In Ephesians 3 Paul shares something for which he is earnestly praying for his readers. Paul is praying that they might ask Jesus “how deep is your love” and that God might give them the power to comprehend just how much Jesus loves them. He writes in vs. 17-19 “that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge…”(ESV). Essentially, Paul is saying that he wants them to know the unknowable, the unlimited love of Christ for them in all of its dimensions. How high, how wide, how long, how deep is the love of Jesus Christ for us? As you read through the gospel accounts of Jesus’ life you can see his love in action. Jesus touches the untouchable leper, love in action. Jesus doesn’t condemn the woman caught in the act of adultery, love in action. Jesus feeds 5,000, love in action. Jesus turns water into wine to save the wedding celebration and spare the father shame, love in action. Jesus undergoes betrayal, rejection, and false accusations, and is spit upon, mocked, beaten, scourged, and crucified, all love in action.

How do we begin to understand this love according to Paul? By Faith. We have to trust Jesus enough to allow him into our hearts so that we may begin to experience that love and be transformed inside out. Paul says that like a tree we have to sink down our roots into that love (vs. 17). Jesus referred to himself as the vine and his disciples as the branches. (John 15:4-6) In order to bear the fruit of the spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control- Galatians 5:22-23) we need to maintain a continuous connection to Jesus.

“Do you love me?”

Jesus answers a resounding “yes!”

“How much do you love me? “

Jesus answers, “I love you so much I died on the cross for you.”

“What are the limits of your love for me?”

Jesus answers- “Put your complete trust in me and ask God to show you the full dimensions of my love, it’s a love beyond human comprehension.”

To summarize Paul, we need the faith to believe in the reality of Jesus’ love and be willing to trust and sink our roots down into that love to draw on the love of Christ and maintain an ongoing connection.

My prayer for you today echoes the prayers of Paul. May you have the power to know the breadth and length and height and depth of his love so that God can fill you to overflowing.

-Jeff Fletcher

Reflection Questions:

How important is it for you to know that you are loved?
Reflect on your life, can you name some ways that Jesus has demonstrated his love for you?
How does God, as our Father, ultimately reveal his love for us through the love of Jesus? If you are not sure, take some time to pray and ask God to show you today.

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Pride

Old Testament: 2 Kings 9 & 10

Poetry: Psalm 131

New Testament: Ephesians 3

There is no doubt that you have run across the word “pride” more times than usual these last couple of weeks. While we may not participate in the spirit of this month, it is hard to deny we love celebrating our identities and choices, because in essence, they become the composition of who we are, whether we like it or not. I am proud of the family I have made, the education I’ve earned, the garden I keep, and the poetry I write. Each of these things requires time, effort, energy, and dedication to make it beautiful. These are my efforts, my pride and joy. However, when I think of God, beginning with the incomparable way he makes the heavens and the earth, my feats are futile. We are lying to Heavenly Father and ourselves, if we come to any other emotion than humility.

“God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” – James 4:6

Yet too often we put our hope in the things that are fleeting or powers that are finite. When we depend on our power alone or put our faith in anything other than God, we will fall short. We have access to a God who stands outside of time and has infinite power, so why is it that we must be weaned off of seeking answers from a lesser source? It is pride. But aren’t we entitled to something for our efforts? The answer is yes – death! But by the grace of God, we do not receive it when we humble ourselves and ask for help from Jesus Christ, and then His Father takes over.

But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. – Psalm 131:2

Paul, a former Pharisee, clothes himself in humility. He realized that his accumulation of titles, his formal training, his status, and his education were a bogus bunch of accumulation; in fact, these things become his greatest humility when he states, “Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me; to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ.” (Ephesians 3:9) It is when Paul submits to Jesus that he knows the full reach of the Gospel message. Paul decreases, Jesus increases, and the Kingdom of God grows by leaps and bounds with Gentiles receiving the Good News.

Let the message of pride be our call to humility. When we are asked to define who we are, put aside the usual string of things that are our pride and joy. Let our first answer be we are humbled before God, and that He is the source of all we have and do.

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” – Ephesians 3:20-21

-Aaron Winner

Reflection Questions

What does it mean to have “(insert your name here) decrease and Jesus increase”? (based on words of John the Baptist – John 3:30) What would it look like? What would it sound like? What would be different from last week?
What are the things that you COULD take pride in? When is it good to remember God opposes the proud? How can you work at canning the pride and showing more humility?
Look at the prayers of Paul in Ephesians 3. Does this look like your current prayer list? What might you add to your list? If you don’t currently have a written list, give it a try, write it out and revisit it.

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Grace That is Greater

Old Testament: 2 Kings 7 & 8

Poetry: Psalm 130

New Testament: Ephesians 2

“Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord; Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.” Psalm 130:1-2

At the beginning of Ephesians 2, Paul terms the forces at work that draw us away and towards gratifying ourselves as the “Kingdom of the Air.” We hear the wind blowing from this kingdom as we see the work of countless groups that have formed today that are in direct opposition to God. While these groups follow different threads, they each perpetuate this idea that gratifying your desire is a higher form of living and leads to a more fulfilled life. This type of living isn’t enlightened; it is carnal. The “air” is hot and it stinks, so it’s no wonder that this advice leads to a lake of burning sulfur. Yet at some point, we all were residents here. However, with the waters of baptism, Christ moves us, sending an Uber (not a U-haul because our junk stays behind) and we have made our way out.

“If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you.” – Psalm 130:3,4

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” – Ephesians 2:8-10

God doesn’t see our rap sheet, whether it extends feet or miles. He doesn’t care if we visited sin on the weekend, or if we had set up a mansion in the city center of a false kingdom. Those who declare Jesus as the Lord of their life are covered in marvelous grace that hides the stain of sin. This is not a one time deal, but a perpetual gift that will always outweigh our folly. Grace isn’t earned through righteous acts, but it is the free gift of God received when we acknowledge the trespass, transgression, and unrighteousness. We put to death the selfishness, and we become alive in Christ, ready to take on the mission which has been prepared by a loving Father.

“Israel, put your hope in the Lord for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption.” – Psalm 130:7

Moreover, we are called to show grace to others. While we don’t live in the past, we should remind ourselves of where we once lived. We do so, not as a comparison, but to remind ourselves that we desperately need the grace of God, and additionally, have benefited from the grace extended by those who follow Him. Jesus addresses the issue of grace in the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant, as a response to Peter’s inquiry about how many times we should offer forgiveness (Matt 18:21-35). We cannot out love God. We cannot out forgive God. We cannot out grace God. Like our Heavenly Father, let the stories we tell not be about the trespass, but let it be about the grace that is greater than sin.

“In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” Ephesians 2:21-22

-Aaron Winner

Reflection Questions

Make a little comparison chart – Old Life of Sin vs. New Life in Christ. Use Ephesians 2 and your own personal experience. What does each look like? Characteristics of each? Ruler of each? Future of each?
If you haven’t personally experienced new life in Christ yet, what is holding you back?
What does God’s gift of grace mean to you? Today, how will you thank God for this gift? How will you show God’s grace to another?

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A Super Power Story

Tuesday, August 16, 2022

Ephesians 3:16 – I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being…

As a fan of superhero movies, I really like understanding the origins of how regular people acquired their superpowers. Whether it was from a spider bite or from the released energy of a crashed light-speed engine, it’s fun to see how their skills develop over time.

In the book of Ephesians, the author, the apostle Paul, is writing to a church of new Gentile believers. The origin story of these Christians most likely includes a history of idol worship and pagan rituals. Learning to believe in one true God was a new concept for them. Not only that, they were being introduced to a Messiah who made it possible to be in a personal relationship with the God of all heaven and Earth. They were learning that this personal relationship with God meant that they had a job to do: to participate in the sharing of the Gospel. And this participation would require them to rely on the power of God to accomplish all that He was calling them to do.

In my imagination, I think that the experiences of these new believers learning to lean into the power of God is a little similar to superheroes learning to use their powers. New discoveries of what might be possible; determining how and when to use these gifts and for whom; and probably failing every now and again.

For some superheroes, the more that they use their power, the stronger they become.

As believers in Christ, our faith also grows more powerful the more we exercise it. I sometimes wonder what might be possible if I could get out of my own way, completely, and totally rely on the power of God. I wonder if this happened if I might be more like the original disciples who healed, ministered, and preached to hundreds and thousands.

I know that with each passing year my faith in God grows as new and different circumstances require me to lean into the power He offers. I think that is why this particular prayer that Paul prays for the Ephesians is one of my favorite passages of Scripture. In Ephesians chapter 3, verses 16 through 21, I read one of the most encouraging prayers that is offered up to believers. When I read this portion, I am strengthened in my faith and my desire to serve God grows. I want to see what God can do in and through me. I want to put on my super suit and get to work.

So how about it? Will you join me in the adventure of a lifetime?

-Bethany Ligon

Application Questions

How would you tell the story of how you got your power? Where does it come from? How did you get it? What do you do with it? What could you do with it?
Re-read Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3:14-21. Does this sound like your prayer list for your church, your family and yourself? What do you like best about Paul’s prayer? What could you add to your prayers?

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Set Apart – Together

Earlier this week we read about the importance of being set apart from the world as a follower of Christ. To be called out. Sometimes at work, I get “called out” of a meeting to talk to someone. Sometimes I help patients of mine by intentionally setting him/her apart from other distractions to complete a task. Since I work at a hospital, I frequently go to the waiting room to call out a name, asking that person to stand up and separate from the others to come with me. Depending on your contexts in life, being called out or set apart might bring that visual of being alone or isolated from others. Maybe sometimes that might sound nice? For sure at other times, that can sound scary and undesirable.

While we are asked to be set apart from the world in the spiritual sense, we are not created to live, love, worship, and serve in isolation. In fact, 2020 shed some light into the devastations that can be caused by being set apart….alone. That isn’t what Jesus was talking about. The Greek word most frequently translated as church in our Bible is “ekklesia” which means the idea of an assembly of called out people. The church is called to be set apart from the world. Since our English language often associates the word “church” with building and not the group of people, it is easy to overlook the meaning of the importance of our calling sometimes. In the New Testament we see a group of people called out from the world…..TO GOD. A group asked to be set apart together.

^{Ephesians 3:16-21:}

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

²⁰Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

He calls us out to love one another. To be mindful of other’s needs and meet them. To edify one another. To be unified. To bring glory to God and Jesus in what we do as an ekklesia. To come together in prayer. To find strength and function as one member of a greater body.

As we navigate another season of viruses and news stories laden with fear and confusion, let us not do it alone. And let us also not find our church families looking and sounding just like the world. Instead, let us actively seek to be set apart from the world following Jesus in our own individual lives, to find the planks in our own eye, so we can best build up the ekklesia as we await the return of His son.

We are the church.

“For where two or three gather in my name, there I am with them.” Matthew 18:20

-Jennifer Hall

This week the devotions are on other passages reminding us of the importance of of being connected to God, Christ and the church, but if you are using the SeekGrowLove Bible reading plan keep enjoying the daily passages. They can be read or listened to here at BibleGateway – Job 13-14 and 2 Corinthians 8

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Unimaginable

Ephesians 3

Once upon a time there was a custodian, Clarence. He spent his days throwing away trash kids had neglected and mopping up spilt chocolate milk in the cafeteria at my high school. His life wasn’t flashy or glamorous.

During lunch one day, Nicolas, a student at my school, lost a ring that held a lot of significance and asked Clarence to keep an eye out for it. After finding it, Clarence returned it to Nicolas with a smile. This small act of kindness was the beginning of a friendship between Clarence and Nicolas. This friendship was contagious, as the whole student body began to hold Clarence in high esteem. His thoughtfulness and passion for the students shined in everything he did, so much so that he was elected by the students as grand marshal of the homecoming parade.

Clarence, the custodian, changed the culture of my school, and he lived happily ever after. The end.

I imagine that there were days Clarence felt undervalued and overlooked, wishing to be in someone else’s shoes. I, too, often find myself wishing for different circumstances. I want to do big things for God, but my sphere of influence feels so limited. Reading today’s chapter, I was encouraged that God can do big things through me right where I’m at.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.(Ephesians 3:20-21)

Immeasurably more. Those are two of my favorite words in the Bible because it means that all God’s power is beyond my understanding. God isn’t limited to the box we often put Him in. No matter where you’re at, God can do immeasurably more through you as long as you trust Him completely. Whether you spend your days mopping puddles or preaching to thousands, God can do more through you than you could ever imagine.

There’s no need to wish to be somebody else. Believe in the immeasurably more God has in store for you.

-Mackenzie McClain

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