 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
More Ephesians commentaries
Ephesians 1:1-6
Our Riches in Christ
Ephesians 1:7-14
Redemption for the believer in Christ
Ephesians 1:15-23
Prayer for knowledge and power
Ephesians 2:1-3
How we were ’before’ salvation
Ephesians 2:4-10
How He works in us ’after’ salvation
Ephesians 2:11-13
My position in Christ as a Gentile
Ephesians 2:14-18
We are one body in Christ
Ephesians 2:19-22
Fellowship needs to be a priority
Ephesians 3:1-6
Missionary to the Gentiles
Ephesians 3:7-13
Mystery of God’s grace
Ephesians 3:14-21
Prayer for God’s power and love
Ephesians 4:1-6
Spiritual unity
Ephesians 4:7-16
Gifts from the Risen Messiah
Ephesians 4:17-22
Walk as a new person in Christ
Ephesians 4:23-29
Be holy and not sinful
Ephesians 4:30-32
Grieving God’s Spirit by the way we live
Ephesians 5:1-7
Who do you try to imitate?
Ephesians 5:8-14
Walk as children of Light
Ephesians 5:15-21
Evidences of a Spirit-filled life
Ephesians 5:22-24
How to be submissive in our relationships
Ephesians 5:25-33
Instructions to husbands
Ephesians 6:1-4
Training children to obey
Ephesians 6:5-9
Living under authority
© Family Times | About Us | Donate | Contact Us
Search for sermons by: Commentaries | Scripture search | Topics
Missionary to the Gentiles
Ephesians 3:1–6
» View this passage in NIV (Bible Gateway)
One’s point of view makes all the difference in the world. There is a famous story of the days when Sir Christopher Wren was building St. Paul’s Cathedral. On one occasion he was making a tour of the work in progress. He came upon a man at work and asked him: “What are y … More
Paul starts out this chapter by saying “I am a prisoner of the Lord so that I can help you Gentiles” (vv. 1-3). It is striking that nowhere does he ever refer to himself as a prisoner of Caesar. Would that we had the faith of this mighty apostle who understood so clearly (while in chains) that Caesar was not in control but that Jesus is. He goes on to say that when you read this you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ (vv. 4-6).
This mystery was never disclosed to human beings in past generations as it was now being revealed to His messengers and prophets by the Holy Spirit. In order to understand this part of Paul’s letter we must remember that Paul, a Jew was an apostle primarily to the Gentiles. For many years there had been hostility between the Jews and Gentiles. Paul was God’s chosen instrument to publish the fact that Gentiles were not second-class citizens of heaven.
Over the years many Christians have been imprisoned for their faith. In fact as the Apostle Paul wrote this letter to the Ephesians, he did so from a Roman prison as he was chained to a guard. He was a prisoner because he believed in God’s program of uniting believing Jews and Gentiles into one body, the Church. Because he was an “apostle to the Gentiles” he was accused of being prejudiced against the Jews. Thousands of Jews had accepted Jesus Christ as their true Messiah, but they were still “zealous for the law” especially believing that the rite of circumcision was to be a part of their religious experience. It was some of these Jews who caused bad feelings against Paul in Jerusalem. The result was that the people seized him and would have beaten him to death if the Roman soldiers had not stepped in.Application
When I am undergoing hardship, unpopularity, or material loss for the sake of Christian principles I may either regard myself as the victim of men or as a champion for Christ.
Ephesians 3:1-6 (English Standard Version)
For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles-- assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you, how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
View this passage in NIV (Bible Gateway) »
Post your comment or question below.