Ephesians 1-3 - Prayer Tents

Ephesians 1

Greetings from Paul

1This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus. I am writing to God's holy people in Ephesus

, who are faithful followers of Christ Jesus.G3972G652G2424G5547G1223G2307G2316G40G5607G1722G2181G2532G4103G1722G5547G24242May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.G5485G5213G2532G1515G575G2316G2257G3962G2532G2962G2424G5547

Spiritual Blessings

3All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.G2128G2316G2532G3962G2257G2962G2424G5547G3588G2127G2248G1722G3956G4152G2129G1722G2032G1722G55474Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.G2531G1586G2248G1722G846G4253G2602G2889G2248G1511G40G2532G299G2714G846G1722G265God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.G4309G2248G1519G5206G1223G2424G5547G1519G846G2596G2107G846G23076So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.

G1519G1868G1391G846G5485G1722G3739G5487G2248G5487G1722G257He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.G1722G3739G2192G629G1223G846G129G859G3900G2596G4149G846G54858He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.G3739G4052G1519G2248G1722G3956G4678G2532G54289God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure.G1107G2254G3466G846G2307G2596G846G2107G3739G4388G1722G84610And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth.G1519G3622G4138G2540G346G3956G1722G5547G5037G3588G1722G3772G2532G3588G1909G1093G1722G84611Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God

, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.G1722G3739G2532G2820G4309G2596G4286G1754G3956G2596G1012G846G230712God's purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God.G1519G2248G1511G1519G1868G846G1391G3588G4276G1722G554713And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own

by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago.G1722G3739G5210G2532G191G3056G225G2098G5216G4991G1722G3739G2532G4100G4972G40G4151G186014The Spirit is God's guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.G3739G2076G728G2257G2817G1519G629G4047G1519G1868G846G1391

Paul’s Prayer for Spiritual Wisdom

15Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God's people everywhere,

G1223G5124G2504G191G2596G5209G4102G1722G2962G2424G2532G26G1519G3956G4016I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly,G3973G3756G2168G5228G5216G4160G3417G5216G1909G3450G433517asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom

and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God.G2443G2316G2257G2962G2424G5547G3962G1391G1325G5213G4151G4678G2532G602G1722G1922G84618I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.

G3788G5216G1271G5461G1519G5209G1492G5101G2076G1680G846G2821G2532G5101G4149G1391G846G2817G1722G4019I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God's power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty powerG2532G5101G5235G3174G846G1411G1519G2248G3588G4100G2596G1753G846G2479G290420that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly realms.G3739G1754G1722G5547G1453G846G1537G3498G2532G2523G1722G846G1188G1722G203221Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come.G5231G3956G746G2532G1849G2532G1411G2532G2963G2532G3956G3686G3687G3756G3440G1722G5129G165G235G2532G1722G319522God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church.G2532G5293G3956G5259G846G4228G2532G1325G846G2776G5228G3956G157723And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.G3748G2076G846G4983G4138G4137G3956G1722G3956

Ephesians 2

Made Alive with Christ

2Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins.G2532G5209G5607G3498G3900G2532G2662You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world.

He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.G1722G3739G4218G4043G2596G165G5127G2889G2596G758G1849G109G4151G3568G1754G1722G5207G5433All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God's anger, just like everyone else.G1722G3739G2532G2249G3956G390G4218G1722G1939G2257G4561G4160G2307G4561G2532G1271G2532G2258G5449G5043G3709G2532G5613G30624But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much,G1161G2316G5607G4145G1722G1656G1223G846G4183G26G3739G25G22485that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God's grace that you have been saved!)G2532G2248G5607G3498G3900G4806G5547G5485G2075G49826For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.G2532G4891G2532G4776G1722G2032G1722G5547G24247So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.G2443G1722G165G1904G1731G5235G4149G846G5485G1722G5544G1909G2248G1722G5547G24248God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God.G1063G5485G2075G4982G1223G4102G2532G5124G3756G1537G5216G1435G23169Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.G3756G1537G2041G3363G5100G274410For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.G1063G2070G846G4161G2936G1722G5547G2424G1909G18G2041G3739G2316G4282G2443G4043G1722G846

Oneness and Peace in Christ

11Don't forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called "uncircumcised heathens" by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts.G1352G3421G3754G5210G4218G1484G1722G4561G3588G3004G203G5259G3588G3004G4061G1722G4561G549912In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope.G3754G1722G1565G2540G2258G5565G5547G526G4174G2474G2532G3581G1242G1860G2192G3361G1680G2532G112G1722G288913But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.G1161G3570G1722G5547G2424G5210G3588G4218G5607G3112G1096G1451G1722G129G554714For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us.G1063G846G2076G2257G1515G3588G4160G297G1520G2532G3089G3320G541815He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups.G2673G1722G846G4561G2189G3551G1785G1722G1378G2443G2936G1722G1438G1417G1519G1520G2537G444G4160G151516Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.G2532G604G297G2316G1722G1520G4983G1223G4716G615G2189G1722G84617He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near.G2532G2064G2097G1515G5213G3588G3112G2532G145118Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.G3754G1223G846G2192G297G2192G4318G1722G1520G4151G4314G3962

A Temple for the Lord

19So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God's holy people. You are members of God's family.G3767G686G2075G3765G3581G2532G3941G235G4847G40G2532G3609G231620Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.G2026G1909G2310G652G2532G4396G2424G5547G846G5607G20421We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord.G1722G3739G3956G3619G4883G837G1519G40G3485G1722G296222Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.G1722G3739G5210G2532G4925G1519G2732G2316G1722G4151

Ephesians 3

God’s Mysterious Plan Revealed

3When I think of all this, I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus for the benefit of you Gentiles

. . .G5127G5484G1473G3972G1198G2424G5547G5228G5216G14842assuming, by the way, that you know God gave me the special responsibility of extending his grace to you Gentiles.G1489G191G3622G5485G2316G3588G1325G3427G1519G52093As I briefly wrote earlier, God himself revealed his mysterious plan to me.G3754G2596G602G1107G3427G3466G2531G4270G1722G36414As you read what I have written, you will understand my insight into this plan regarding Christ.G4314G3739G314G1410G3539G3450G4907G1722G3466G55475God did not reveal it to previous generations, but now by his Spirit he has revealed it to his holy apostles and prophets.G3739G1722G2087G1074G1107G3756G1107G5207G444G5613G601G3568G601G846G40G652G2532G4396G1722G41516And this is God's plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God's children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus.

G1484G1511G4789G2532G4954G2532G4830G846G1860G1722G5547G1223G20987By God's grace and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving him by spreading this Good News.G3739G1096G1249G2596G1431G5485G2316G1325G3427G2596G1753G846G14118Though I am the least deserving of all God's people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ.G1698G1647G3956G40G1325G3778G5485G1325G2097G1722G1484G421G4149G55479I was chosen to explain to everyone

this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning.G2532G5461G3956G5461G5101G2842G3466G3588G575G165G613G1722G2316G3588G2936G3956G1223G2424G554710God's purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.G2443G3568G746G2532G1849G1722G2032G1107G1223G1577G4182G4678G231611This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.G2596G165G4286G3739G4160G1722G5547G2424G2257G296212Because of Christ and our faith in him

, we can now come boldly and confidently into God's presence.G1722G3739G2192G3954G2532G4318G1722G4006G1223G4102G84613So please don't lose heart because of my trials here. I am suffering for you, so you should feel honored.G1352G154G1573G3361G1722G3450G2347G5228G5216G3748G2076G5216G1391

Paul’s Prayer for Spiritual Growth

14When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father

,G5127G5484G2578G3450G1119G4314G3962G2257G2962G2424G554715the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth.

G1537G3739G3956G3965G1722G3772G2532G1909G1093G368716I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.G2443G1325G5213G2596G4149G846G1391G2901G1411G1223G846G4151G1519G2080G44417Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong.G5547G2730G1722G5216G2588G1223G4102G2443G4492G2532G2311G1722G2618And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.G1840G2638G4862G3956G40G5101G4114G2532G3372G2532G899G2532G531119May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.G5037G1097G26G5547G5235G1108G2443G4137G1519G3956G4138G231620Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.G1161G1410G4160G5228G1537G4053G5228G3956G3739G154G2228G3539G2596G1411G1754G1722G225421Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.G846G1391G1722G1577G1722G5547G2424G1519G3956G1074G165G165G281