Title: God's Economy for the Church/Ephesians 3
Content God's economy for the church
Ephesians 3
1. Revelation and mission given to Paul (1-13)
① The divine revelation Paul received
(1) Origin of the apostleship - Paul emphasizes that his becoming an apostle was not by human will, but by divine revelation. He was brought into captivity to Christ by revelation, the special grace of God. That is, according to God's grace and plan, Paul was chosen as an apostle to preach God's rich salvation not only to Israel but also to the Gentiles.
⑶ Contents of the mystery - The Gentiles became heirs to the Jews and the heirs of the glory through the gospel, became members of the church with them, and became partakers of the promise of hope. It is that Gentiles and Jews form a new ecclesial community centered on Christ.
② The divine mission given to Paul
(1) To make the riches of Christ known to the Gentiles (8)
(2) To make known the secret of unification to all mankind
⑶ To make known the wisdom of God to the cosmic forces (10)
③ Privileges and Duties of Saints
Because Paul was aware of God's wonderful plan and economy of the unification of the universe, he was able to witness the gospel boldly even while he was in prison in Rome. Paul is responsible for preaching to the Gentiles.
2. Paul's Prayer for the Saints (14-21)
① Paul’s object of prayer (14-15)
(1) God the Creator - God the Creator and Ruler of all things
(2) The God of Unification - God is the One who works through the reconciling work of Christ.
⑶ God of power -
② Contents of Paul’s prayer (16-19)
(1) Make me strong with power (16) - A Christian who overcomes the forces of evil and overcomes the forces of evil by being strong with the power of the Holy Spirit.
(2) Rooted and solidified in love (17) - Faith with strong roots
⑶ Know the love of Christ (18) - Asking to realize the sacrificial love of Christ
⑷ I pray that you may be filled with all the fullness of God (19) - I am praying for you to be filled with God's absolute devotion and absolute love.
③ Conclusion of Paul's prayer (20, 21)
It concludes with a hymn and assurance of God's infinite power.