... you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house , a holy priesthood - II Peter 2:5a

"Which is Christ in YOU, the Hope of Glory!"                                                              Colossians 1:27

Taking Another Look at the Book of Ephesians

We are glad that you are taking a fresh look at Paul's letter to the church at Ephesus with us.  It is my favorite book in the Bible!  We will not be teaching line upon line, but will give a thorough overview of those things most notable through this powerful book of just six short chapters.

The video you see here was recorded for a wide television audience and is the first of three recordings made as an introduction to our study of Ephesus.  We will post the entire introduction in the coming days, followed by the complete overview of the book in the coming weeks.

Please take your Bibles and turn to Acts chapter 19, where we begin our introductory study by looking at Paul's journey into the city of Ephesus for the first time.  The main characters are, of course, Paul, then Aquilla and Priscilla, Apollos, and "the twelve disciples" who had "never heard that there was such a thing as the Holy Spirit."  
Click here to view other parts to this study. Remember, this was made for a TV audience so it is simply put and sometimes a bit repetitious.  This is in order to serve the many viewers who do not know the Bible at all, and for many others who tune in for the first time each week.




If you truly want to become a heavenly man or woman while living here on the earth, you may begin by reading, meditating on, believing in, and walking out the heavenly truths found in the letter to the church at Ephesus.














Once we learn the depth of the spiritual man that Christ has made us to be, we will gladly leave the trappings of the physical world around us.  It is this lack of understanding that keeps us in the dark days of the Old Covenant, when God's people struggled in the flesh in order to overcome the flesh.  Let us move on to those deeper truths that will result in a time when we can enjoy the freedom that we have freely received through Jesus Christ.
Paul's prison letter to the church at Ephesus was obviously meant for all believers for all time.  To me, the book of Ephesians says of God's New Covenant people what the gospel of John says of Jesus Christ.  

John writes that Jesus Christ is the Word made flesh; He is God with us; the Light of the world; the Lamb of God; the Life of men; the Bread of life. He is the Living Water; the Resurrection and the Life; the Good Shepherd; the Savior of mankind; the Son of God who takes away the sin of the world; and on, and on, and on!

Paul's letter to Ephesus shows that the body of Jesus Christ has been endowed with heavenly gifts, and that we have a rich inheritance of Christ's glory. He says that we have exceeding greatness of His power; that we are the fullness of Him who fills all in all; that we possess His glorious attributes; that we have been risen with Christ; that we are seated with Him next to the Father in heaven; that we are the dwelling place of God in the Spirit; and on, and on, and on!

It seems that through ages and generations of "church" we have become accustomed to recounting those titles given to Jesus Christ, even though we have yet to fully appreciate them; but we have failed to learn who we are in Jesus Christ as His people.  This is a tragedy!  It is something that I hope to clarify as we study through this wonderful letter to all God's people everywhere. 

Stay tuned for our soon-to-be-published, life-giving study through the book of Ephesians!  We are currently producing this study for television, and it is being aired weekly, nationwide.  Ephesians is without a doubt the most revealing Bible book of the believer's position in Christ and the heavenly gifts that we have received.  It should serve to strengthen all of us, whether young or old, whether a new or an experienced Christian.  Ephesians is for those who want to continue growing up in Him!

Blessed With Every Spiritual Blessing
In Heavenly Places In Christ

The book we call Ephesians is loaded with the declaration of our heavenly blessings in Christ.  It assures us of our position both in Him and with Him, affirming our heavenly blessings which we have freely received.  All these are for our benefit and His glory here, and for showing off His great goodness throughout the heavenly realm! Yes!  It is true that by our glorious gifts on earth He is glorified in the heavens, too! As we demonstrate His glories here, principalities and powers in heaven behold and are amazed.  Through Christ's gifts to us, we can demonstrate His manifold wisdom even to principalities and powers far above our dwelling place here!  There are no words to adequately describe the wonder of His gifts bestowed upon us!  They must be experienced in order to fully appreciate them.  Do you experience His gifts in your life? I do experience His gifts, but not nearly as much as I would like to, and probably not nearly as much as He would like for me to, either.  For this reason, another careful study through Ephesians is in order.

There are a few truths that are really important to grasp about our heavenly gifts if we would glorify God through them to the fullest.  

First, the only way for any man, woman, or child to truly glorify God as a representative of His is by Him.  For only God can adequately represent Himself.  For this reason, we must be born of Him, and gifted with His gifts, if we would ever hope to show who He is on earth or in heaven.  This is essential to understand; otherwise we may burden ourselves with trying to be even as He is by our own strength.   

Second, the book of Ephesians makes clear that these heavenly gifts were made available to believers based strictly upon work already accomplished by Jesus Christ. Yes!  He has done everything necessary to freely supply them for us!  This is important to realize so that we do not get caught up in the religious trap of feeling that we must perform perfectly in order to operate in those gifts that we have freely received.  

Third, through Ephesians we learn that there are many gifts, and that each believer has a portioned measure according to Christ's full measure; and it is the coming together into the assembly as His body that all the gifts may be realized.  This is critical to know if we are to understand the full measure of Christ that we are called to walk in.




Notice Paul's earnest concern that all believers realize our gifts and callings freely given through Jesus Christ.
"...that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all."
Ephesians 1:17-23 NKJV