EPHESIANS ~ Chapter 3/Thursday Bible Study

 

In this Chapter, Apostle Paul is explaining why he is in prison … and why persecution for the preaching of the Gospel is to be expected and a cause for joy.

 

Instead of running to the government of this world to stave off persecutions, Christians need to read Ephesians 3, for a clear understanding of the cost of Christianity.

 

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Ephesians ~ Chapter 3/Thursday Bible Study

A Believer to Be a Steward of Elohim’s Grace

“And why am I prisoner? It is because I am for *Yeshua Ha’Mashiach; it is because of my work for you **Gentiles. I assume that you have heard that ***Elohim appointed me to be a steward (agent, guardian, custodian) of His grace (kindness, mercy, favor, benevolence/generosity, blessing, good will) intended for you. You know, too, how He made known His mystery (secret, complexity) to me by a direct revelation (disclosure, eye-opener), about which I wrote a brief account once before. By reading that, you will be able to understand my insight into this mystery of Christ. It was not disclosed to the sons of men in other generations as fully as it has now been to His holy apostles and prophets by the ****Ruach HaKo’desh. That mystery is this – that through Yeshua Ha’Mashiach, the Gentiles are joint-heirs (meaning co-heir; a person who inherits jointly with another heir) with the Jews, and are members of the same Body (group, society, essence, majority), and share the promise with them. (vs. 1 – 6)

The Church (Body of Believers in Christ) to Preach the Gospel to All Mankind

I was made a minister (preacher, monk, holy person) of this Gospel, according to the grace Elohim gave me and by the exercise of His power. To me, least of all the saints, this favor (gift, permission, pleasure, good turn, approval) was given, namely, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable (deep, profound, bottomless, vast) riches (resources, treasures, assets, possessions) of Christ, and to make all mankind understand the meaning of this secret, which *****Elohei Ha’Elohim, the Creator of all things, kept hidden for ages. Through the Church the supreme (highest, ultimate, absolute, extreme, matchless, unmatched, dominant) wisdom (understanding, insight, discernment) of Elohim must now be made known even to the angelic powers of Heaven. Such was His eternal purpose, fulfilled in Christ Yeshua our Lord. And because we are in union (cooperation, agreement, treaty, relationship, partnership, bond, wedlock) with Him and believe in Him, we have access to Elohei Ha’Elohim in boldness and confidence. Do not, then, lose courage because of my sufferings on your behalf, for it all does you honor (value, respect, approve, dignity, credit, badge). (vs. 7 – 13)

Paul’s Intercessory Prayer for the Church

So, I bow my knees before the Father of our Lord (Peer of the realm, Master) Yeshua Ha’Mashiach. It is from Him that every family in Heaven and on earth takes its name. So I ask Him, then, that from His wealth (abundance, large quality) of glory (splendor, greatness, grandness) He will give you His Spirit to strengthen you with power within your heart. I ask also that Christ may dwell in your heart through faith, and that your roots may be deep and your foundations strong, because of love. And that you and all your fellow-Christians may receive power to grasp (hold onto, comprehend, awareness, sense, take in) the dimensions (extents, aspects, elements, factors) and to understand Christ’s love, which is really beyond human understanding, so that you may be filled with the fullness (flavor, detail, abundance) of Elohim. He who exerts (uses, applies, wields, utilizes) His power within us is able to do in full measure far more than all that we ask for- or can think of. May He be glorified in the Church, through Yeshua Ha’Mashiach, to all generations, forever (continual, endless, constant, always, at all times, indefinitely, no sign of stopping) and ever! Amen.” (vs. 14 – 21)

*Yeshua Ha’Mashiach: is Hebrew for “Jesus the Messiah”; the name Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Yeshua.

Christ (from the Hebrew word, Ha’Mashiach ישוע המשיח & the Greek word, Christos/khris-tos) = The Anointed, Yeshua the Messiah, in both languages.

**Gentiles = people who are not Jewish.

***Elohim (Hebrew: אֱלֹהִים, romanized: ʾĚlōhīm: [(eloˈ(h)im]) is a Hebrew word meaning "Gods – Father, Son, & Holy Spirit". Although the word is plural in form, in the Hebrew Bible it usually refers to a single deity “Behold, the Lord – the Lord is One”, particularly the at God of Israel.

****Ruach HaKo’desh: In Hebrew, the Holy Spirit (רוח הקודש, Roo-ahk hah-Koh-desh) refers to the divine force, quality, and influence (aka, power) of God.

The Holy Spirit (Luke 3:16 & 11:13; 1 Corinthians 6:9; Ephesians 1:13 & 4:30; 1 Thessalonians 4:8; Titus 3:5; and Jude 1:20), is referred to more than 90 times in the Brit Chadashah.

*****Elohei Ha’Elohim (Hebrew word: אֱלֹהֵי הָאֱלֹהִים)) = God of gods; above all gods.

**Ephesians 2: https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2022/09/ephesians-chapter-2thursday-bible-study.html