Ephesians 3:6 ..to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel..
The ‘mystery’ concept has come up before – Med#7 – but it bears another look. I do not think the content of the mystery is the whole issue, but the mere scope and extent of the truth to me makes it utterly unfathomable.

Reflection Questions
How do you explain the mystery?
How could this immense truth be abused?
Can you summarize the gospel in one sentence?

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Ephesians 3:1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles..
The fact that Paul the Jewish apostle to the Gentiles, formerly Saul the Pharisee and persecutor of the church, makes this statement has an array of implications.

Reflection Questions
How is Paul a prisoner?
How does Paul’s apostleship affect us?

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Ephesians 2:21&22 ..in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.
Both verse 21 and 22 begin with the PP ‘in whom’. I love – as do you – my personal existence with my Lord; I would be dead without Him. And, I should also equally love ‘the house’, that is the temple built of human blocks which provide a dwelling for God; only Jesus could do this!

Reflection Questions
How is the church unique among human gatherings?
How is the church special to you?
Oh, incidentally, another Trinity cluster.

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Ephesians 2:18 ..for through Him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.
In other words, through Jesus, Jews and Gentiles possess full access in the Spirit to the Father. It never ceases to amaze me how much we emphasize our differences in the body of Christ.

Reflection Questions
Why do we have sooooo many factions in the Body? Do they serve a purpose?
How have you been blessed by someone or something from ‘across the tracks’?

I would like to take a brief moment here to introduce a New Testament feature I like to call a Trinity cluster. We believe in a triune God not because the NT defines or explains the Trinity but rather because this concept is just there. Over and over the three parts simply present, as in Ephesians 2:18. Thoughts?

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Ephesians 2:14 – 16 For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. (see Isaiah 57:19)
Romans 5:1 tells us that because we believe, we have peace with God through Jesus. That is good news indeed. But the above mentioned peace goes further: it seems Jesus desires and provides for peace with others.

Reflection Questions
How did Jesus abolish the enmity?
How can the Law be a barrier to peace?
How far does the peace of Jesus extend?

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Ephesians 2:12&13 ..remember, that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenant of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
‘Separate’, ‘excluded’, ‘strangers’, hopeless, godless: this is us without Christ. Paul tells us to remember these things, but I suggest you do not dwell too long on them.

Reflection Questions
Why do you think Paul instructs us to remember?
How does the ‘excluded’ clause affect you?
We know there is no God without Jesus. So how did you embrace this truth?..and how do you relay it to your skeptical, unbelieving friends?

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Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
The JPP (Jesus prepositional phrase) here connects the Son with Creation, your creation. And, we know we are not saved by our works; but post salvation, we should be busy.

Reflection Questions
How do we know that these ‘good works’ are not our own?
Can you list some? (See John 6:29, 14:12)
Is our view of ‘works’ somewhat narrow?

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Ephesians 2:7 ..so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
Paul joined the apostles and they started the Church. We have this enduring record in the book of Acts and the Letters.

Reflection Questions
What does this record mean to you?
Do you think the New Testament authors knew how far their letters would reach?
What is it about this record of the early believers that makes it so remarkable?

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Ephesians 2:4 – 6 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus..
What a transformation! Just look at those verbs: ‘made alive’, ‘raised’, and ‘seated’. We know that Jesus died, was buried, rose again, stayed with His disciples 40 days, then ascended to God’s right hand; then 10 days later reappeared at Pentecost in the Spirit.

Reflection Questions
How does Paul, in the above passage, view the ‘Passion’ for believers? What clues do the PPs (prepositional phrases) give us?
..’raised up’.. Is this a reference to the resurrection or the ascension?

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