Discoveries Bible - Ephesians 3
3:1
On the surface, it looks I'm locked in a Roman prison cell because I'm the victim of oppression and persecution. But, actually, I'm exactly where God wants me, because right here I can help you Gentiles.
3:2-5
To be specific, God empowered me to help you. He opened up the secret that was locked tight for generations and gave me and the other church starting leaders a private screening, so that I could make it known to you. What is that secret? Just what I've been sharing with you, that you Gentiles were part of God's plan all along.
3:6
The good news we carry means this: What was promised to Israel, now also belongs to you. We are one “body.”
3:7-9
Look at me! I'm the least likely person to be anything in the church. Yet, God reached down to pick me up, so I could carry this good news to you. Do I deserve it? No! This is purely an indication of God's character; He loves the unlovable and transforms them, just as He transformed me. He gave me the task of showing the Gentiles this wonderful secret: They now can draw from Heaven's bank account. We are rich beyond our ability to comprehend.
3:10-12
Why did God do this? Here's one reason: He is using us regular people to show high ranking heavenly beings how ingenious He really is. They can appreciate what God has done. Working through Jesus, His chosen One and our Leader, He accomplished His plan which He formulated before time began. And through Jesus, we walk right into the throne room of God, just like we belong there, which, in fact, we now do.
3:13
So don't lose heart simply because I suffer in a Roman prison. See things the way they really are. I'm suffering because you, my friends, are worth the investment.
3:14-19
This is why I kneel in prayer before the Father, the One whose image we all reflect, the One who stands above heaven and earth and on both sides of life and death. I pray that you might be given strength to open the doors within to the life-changing presence of Christ. That will require trust on your part. As God's love pours through you and strengthens you, I don't stop praying. On the contrary, I pray even more that you and all of God's people might experience and know the measureless love of Christ, so that you might be completely filled with God – His life, His presence, His love, His power.
3:20-21
What can you imagine? How big can you think? God thinks bigger. He plans better. He accomplishes more. Already He's at work inside you and me – all of us. Do you want to ask Him for something? Ask big because you're dealing with a big God. As the generations unfold, as all eternity unfolds, God's work in His people – what He accomplishes through Jesus - will show the whole universe how magnificent He really is. Let it be so, yes, let it be so!
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