The American Wisdom Series

Presents
Pamphlet #4591
My highlighted verses:
Ephesians 3:1  For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,
2  If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:
3  How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,
4  Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)
5  Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;
Ephesians 3:6  That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:
[6] That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:
Salvation and the promise, which is to say the inheritance, is open to all of God's children, to all races and nations.
In Revelation 21:10 we see the New Jerusalem descending out of heaven from God, with twelve gates, and with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel on them.
We also see the nations (ethnos) and their kings, of all that received salvation, present and accounted for.
Rev. 21:24-26 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. [25] And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. [26] And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.
Forever and ever, world without end!

7  Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.
8  Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;
9  And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
10  To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,
11  According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:
Ephesians 3:12  In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.
[12] In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of Him.
How strong is your faith in Him?
How boldly and confidently do you approach our Father?
Or are you sheepish because you see yourself as a sinner?
"Oh, God, woe is me!"
If so, just repent, ask forgiveness, and then be bold and confident, for when He forgives, it is gone!
How boldly and confidently do you approach life?
Can you say to others (not out loud of course)  "Do you know who I am?
 I am a son, or daughter, of the Living God. I am somebody!"
It's too bad that our school systems today teach our youth that they are merely the end product, through evolution, of organic slime.
What hope and confidence does that instill?
So be bold and confident in Him.
Your inheritance awaits!

13  Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.
Ephesians 3:14  For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Ephesians 3:15  Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
Ephesians 3:16  That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
Ephesians 3:17  That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
Ephesians 3:18  May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
Ephesians 3:19  And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
[14] For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
God's plan of salvation for all is so magnificent and His grace is so awesome, that Paul, having been  given a part in that great plan, though he was chief among sinners in the flesh, could only bow in humility to the Lord Jesus Christ, who through the "working of His power" has made all things possible.
We need only to stop and consider how incredibly good to us our Father is and how much He loves His children, instead of getting all caught-up in our day to day trials and tribulations.
Then our hearts would pour out to Him in the same manner of appreciation that Paul felt whenever he thought about the love of Christ.
[15] Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
The Greek word for "family" used here is "patria" which means the kindred or family of our Father, as in a patriarchal family, i.e. His children both in heaven and on earth.
Of course we have family in heaven!
Where do you think our loved ones are who have passed away in the flesh?
Dead and buried, "six feet under"?
No, they are with Him.
And, though we are not all together at this time (some of us are here on earth, and some of us are in heaven), we are never alone.
 We are united into one body in Him.
It is so comforting to know that we are part of His family. Can you fathom that?
[16] That He would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
We, ourselves, the "real us", the inner man, receive power and strength by His Holy Spirit.
Christ dwells in us, i.e. He is at home when He abides within us.
Shall we discuss the "inner man"?
The inner man is the "real" you.
Touch your arm, that is not you!
That is your flesh body, in which you but dwell.
It is the "outer man".
So it is that the "inner man" can "hurt" while the "outer man" feels fine, and the "outer man" can be sick and suffering while the "inner man" rejoices.
Our flesh, the outer man, talks to us all the time.
Unfortunately we usually listen more attentively that we should.
When it says "feed me, I'm hungry" we just hop right to the cupboard or refrigerator and feed it obediently.
Guess who's in charge most of the time, the inner man or the outer man?
Have you ever considered how much time we spend pampering and taking care of our flesh body?
We bath it, we perfume it, we dress it, we feed it, we brush it's teeth, we comb it's hair, we cut it's nails, we wipe it's you know what.
It constantly wants our attention and says I'm cold (warm me), I'm hot (cool me), I'm hungry (feed me), I'm tired (rest me), I'm horny (give me another body), I'm bored (excite me) and on, and on and on.
Don't you wish sometimes that it would just SHUT UP!
[17] That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
Become stable and grounded in love, i.e. let love be your foundation, the basis of your faith in Christ.
For you see, Love is the strongest force in the Universe.
It requires no law.
For example, if you love your boss you would never steal from him or her.
If you love your mate you would never cheat on him or her.
That you...
[18] May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
That you may be able to comprehend (to take eagerly, seize in your mind) the magnitude of the love of Christ, in its breadth, which is boundless: in length, endless: in depth, fathomless, exhaustless: and in height, measureless.
[19] And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
"Plumb full" of the love of God, which knows no bounds, and exceeds all knowledge and understanding.

Ephesians 3:20  Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
21  Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

To study the Bible is the noblest of all pursuits; to understand it, the highest of all goals.
We pray that with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you accomplish both.

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