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

SEEING RED - In A Good Way 😊

Fall comes around every year … and so does Fall prep. This Fall, the front porch steps needed attention; they were painted in the Spring of 2019, but foot traffic has scarred them and that needed to be tended.

I’ve been procrastinating with the task.

I don’t like people watching me – but here, at Heron Pointe, where houses are literally within a stone’s throw from each other there’s no way to avoid someone watching every move you make. It’s unnerving.

This morning I had to ignore the busybodies and just “get to it!”

So, I gave myself a few pep talks while I drank my morning coffee … then I got the leftover paint from the shed and got busy.

I also wanted to overwinter the garden hose in the shed, so I would need the wheel barrow (the hose basket is bulky to heft and carry); so, I loaded the wheelbarrow with the paint can, a broom (to sweep the steps clean), and a heavy-duty hammer maul … then I moved the geranium bins so I could get through the breezeway with the wheelbarrow.

Overwintering bins for my geranium collection.

I had noticed the other day while lifting the geranium pots from the porch steps, that the top step board looked like it was starting to pull away, so I thought I’d hammer it back onto place before I started painting.

Poor craftmanship - I never noticed this before today.

That was not as easy as assumed it would be! I struck with force several times (I have mentioned in several posts that I am not a gentle person) – but the hammer just bounced back; and the spent energy was useless ☹ The board was not budging.

The hammer just bounced off - the board never moved at all.

So, I placed the hammer back in the wheelbarrow … opened the paint can, stirred the paint, and got busy. Whoever was peeking out their window to see what the widow was up to, had a pretty good view of my jean-clad-ass-end for a half hour.

Just paint touch-ups today, so rot doesn't set in.

Much better.

The steps weren’t the only things that needed refreshing: while the steps dried, I switched out the Summer-themed porch decors to Fall updates – and I trashed the owl rug. It no longer {fits}.

This porch rug was tossed ... it no longer fits my life.

Harvest Wreath & Harvest Welcome sign; front porch.

Scarecrow Rug; moved to the carport porch.

And the coho bench will be sold. The bench no longer {fits} either: I bought the bench for Bob … and Bob is no longer here. I have been sitting on it, but in all honesty, it is just taking up space; and I am not comfortable having it around. I know that sounds silly, but that’s the long and short of the situation. So, it has got to go. I am pretty confident that it will quickly find new home, to be appreciated by a new family.

The bench represents Bob, and as much as Bob is still very much part of my life – he is not here, he will never be here again, and I have got to move on with my life. The bench will be replaced with something that fits my personality: something new for a New Life.

It has taken a loooong time for me to come to this point; I am “moving forward” in ways that make sense to me.

FALL CHANGED IT ALL

It was the Fall of 1966. Specifically, the September of 1966.

Fall was in the air, and Cupid was everywhere, being kept very busy by the students in both schools.

The High Schooler’s would walk down to the Elementary Grade School cafeteria for lunch; they would walk down after the younger students had finished their lunches. I was standing by the corner of the building, watching some of the Middle School kids playing tennis … AND THEN … Bob walked past me.

Bob’s Graduation Picture; 1967.

ALL of my attention was snagged by his presence. He was pure masculinity, and delicious eye candy: my heart whispered, “He’s the one.” The entire school year, I took up residence at the corner of the school building, just to watch him walk past me in the noontime hour. I was a skinny little thing – not noteworthy at all, and Cupid’s dart with my Name on it never struck the heart of the Love of My Life. 1966 eventually morphed into 1967 with the New year, and HE (aka, The Face) graduated. He never walked past that school corner again ☹

I did date before Bob, but none of the other fellas ever touched my heart the way HE did; two came close … but my heart would always whisper, “They are not him. He is the One”. Those poor guys never knew they were being pitted against a face without a Name. LOL

I had grown up quite a bit between 1966 and 1974: I wasn’t a little skinny waif, anymore. And by an ironic twist of fate, I met HIM again 7 years later – and this time, he DID notice me 😊 Joy and jubilation!

We dated exclusively, every night after Bob got off work as well as weekends; my parents and siblings never saw me unless it was a dashing blur as I changed clothing. By the end of August, we were married; we shared 44 Autumn’s together, before the last Autumn of 2018 began his journey Home Beyond the Clouds.

Wedding Pic; August 27th, 1974.

Riverside Park in Lexington; the last place Bob ever walked this side of Heaven. We had been walking here for decades – September 2018.

My nose still burns, and my eyes tear up, when Autumn rolls around … but, I’m getting better at dealing with this time of year. I’ve aways enjoyed Fall and Winter, and I’m starting to enjoy those seasons again. They are strange to experience without Bob, but in a way, I AM still experiencing them WITH Bob: Bob will always be a part of me. As long as I breathe, the memory of Bob will always be a vital part of me; everything I think, feel, say, contemplate, and enjoy – is immediately infused with a memory I shared with Bob. It can’t be helped. That’s just the way it is. From the first moment Bob came into my life, he WAS the main focus of my life; it was an instantaneous, living thing: I loved him, I loved him, I loved him.

And death has not killed it. I loved him then. I love him now.

But I am beginning to embrace a New Life, and the realities of a life without Bob in it. That is what Bob wanted – and expected of me. I’m sure he is smiling and nodding his head in approval, with these new steps I’m taking forward. They are awkward but painstakingly necessary. They are scary, yet exciting. They dovetail the Past and the Present, making space for a Future.

And I am learning to love Fall and Winter all over again, too.