Ephesians 3:14-21 (NIV)
Read by: Champ Hollins
Today’s passage is the middle point of Ephesians, the prayer towards which the first half builds and from which the rest of the letter proceeds. Ephesus, as we’ve talked about, was a bustling metropolis known for many things, but maybe most notably the temple to the Greek goddess Artemis, goddess of fertility. But when Paul writes a letter to this area so deeply shaped by the worship of a goddess who they thought was the origin of life, he begins a prayer by saying that God the Father is the one from whom every family in heaven and on earth receives its name. The grand story he reminds them of is meant to challenge each part of their lives.
As we try to make sense of these letters, we have to do our best to understand what they would have meant to the original hearers, then from the content, through the context, assign significance to our lives today.
----------REFLECT----------
1. What word or phrase stood out to you in this passage?
2. When Paul wrote this letter, people usually prayed standing up, with their hands lifted to the heavens. Kneeling was what they did when they saw a Roman official pass by, or, of course, a king. In the first line, Paul is communicating that God is King, not Caesar. Who are you kneeling to today? To whom are you giving your allegiance? A political party, a social movement, a means of success, or to Jesus and his Kingdom?
3. Paul here expresses a deep longing for Jesus’ followers to really know God--inside and out--who he is, how he loves, and how he changes everything. Where in your life do you long to experience more of your Maker and King? Bring that longing to the Lord today.
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Bible Project Podcast: New Testament Letters >>
Bible Project Video: New Testament Letters: Historical Context >>
Bible Project Video: New Testament Letters: Literary Context >>
Bible Project Video: Ephesians >>
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