Ephesians - grace
Ephesians 3:1-13
At this point in his letter to the Ephesians, Paul gets sidetracked. Verses 1-13 are one continuous sentence, with Paul giving us an aside about God's grace. Grace is a gift from God. It's what God does because of who He is: merciful and gracious. Every act of God toward us springs from His grace - creation, providence, conviction, the gift of salvation, equipping of the saints, and the future He has called us to and prepared us for.
Paul writes from a Roman prison yet refers to himself as a prisoner of Jesus Christ for the sake of the Gentiles. Paul had been arrested by Jews who thought he had taken a Gentile into an inappropriate area of the temple (Acts 21:7—22:29). Ultimately, Paul would spend 4-5 years in custody, between jail and transit to house arrest in Rome. Paul's life was suffering and persecution, making him a "prisoner for Christ Jesus." Yet despite shipwrecks, beatings, poisonous snake bites, and repeated imprisonment, Paul uses his time to share the gospel with his jailers and write letters to churches, including his epistle to the Ephesians.
God's grace transforms us. God freely gave His grace to transform Paul the persecutor into Paul the missionary. None of us are so far gone, wicked, or sinful that God's grace can't reach us or transform us into the man or woman he calls us to be.
God's grace calls us. Each one of us has been given both general and unique calls. As Christians, we are called to make disciples (Matthew 18:19-20). If you are a husband, you are called to love your wife the way God loves the church (Ephesians 5:25). We are called to be holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1:16).
God's grace equips us with the gifts we need to fulfill the calling He has transformed us into. Sometimes stretches beyond what we think is possible or asks us to do what seems greater than our capabilities. "God can make all grace abound to you so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work" (2 Corinthians 9:8).
God's grace is experienced. If Paul had rejected God's call on his life or hadn't trusted God to equip him for that calling, he would never have experienced the extent of God's grace and mercy in his life. So likewise, unless we are willing to step out in faith and embrace God's call in our lives, we will never experience His transformation, grace, and be equipped to fulfill that call.
How would you define grace?
If Paul was your prayer partner, how might he encourage you to pray, to see yourself in the light of God's grace, and grow spiritually?
What do the words 'for this reason in Ephesians 3:1 refer to? Does this make this a cause (chapters 1-2) and effect (chapter 3) relationship? Explain.
How does unity between Jew & Gentile display God's purposes for the world?
What obstacles have stood in accepting God's gift of grace?
Make a Move
What may God be asking you to change, do differently, repent of, and pray about as a result of engaging with this passage?
Prayer Prompt
Ask God to reveal areas He is calling you so that you can be equipped, transformed, and experience the full measure of God’s grace in your life.
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Worship Set: Who You Say I Am l Stronger l Thy Faithfulness l Great Are You, Lord