No where in scripture is there more meat jammed into 23 verses than in the 1st chapter of Ephesians. This is one of my favorite books of the bible. This letter is actually written for many churches, not just the Ephesians, which Tychicus will visit on his journey through Asia. Early texts leave "to the saints in Ephesus " completely out of the 1st verse. Commentaries call the first 3 chapters a prayer, or some say a song. It's not the easiest reading but the more you read it the more beautiful it becomes.
In this first chapter we have the how, when, where, and why pertaining to the "word of truth, the gospel of your salvation". (verse 13) In other words the how, when, where, and why of God's greatest accomplishment next to the creation, the salvation of His lost creation.
Why? To the praise of His glory. (verses 12, 14) How? Through Christ Jesus. (verse 7, 10) When? Before time began. (verse 4, 5) Where? Heavenly places, the celestial, above the earth or physical sphere of influence. We are a part of the spirit world. (verse 3) Do you realize that you have been chosen by God? I can remember when I was in junior high school and we would play dodge ball in gym class or sometimes basketball. It was such a good feeling to be picked 1st or near the top of the class. Being chosen last was such a blow to my confidence, it sucked. But we've been chosen by The God of the universe, the offer is on the table, we just pick it up. The feeling of being a part of a team(body), with Christ as the captain(the head), carries with it the greatest feeling of purpose I have ever experienced. I've been a part of some great teams with some worthy purposes, but they were temporary, as are all earthly things. Being a part of the body of Christ carries with it eternal significance and there's no greater purpose to be part of.
Grace, MB
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