Ephesians 4:1 Part 2

1 I THEREFORE, the prisoner for the Lord, appeal to and beg you to walk (lead a life) worthy of the [divine] calling to which you have been called [with behavior that is a credit to the summons to God's service,

All scripture is Divinely inspired, 2 Timothy 3:16. So why would our Father have verses like Ephesians 4:1 written this way? When the Truth is that if we are truly born again, we can’t help but live godly life’s.

For His divine power has bestowed upon us all things that [are requisite and suited] to life and godliness, through the [full, personal] knowledge of Him Who called us by and to His own glory and excellence (virtue). 2 Peter 1:3

And those whom He thus foreordained, He also called; and those whom He called, He also justified (acquitted, made righteous, putting them into right standing with Himself). And those whom He justified, He also glorified [raising them to a heavenly dignity and condition or state of being]. Romans 8:30

Through Christ and because we are now one with Him, John 17:21-23, and because we are now His body, we are now one with all that He is. The two of us have become one flesh, Ephesians 5:30-32, so as He is, so are we in this world, 1 John 4:17. Jesus can’t walk away from being one with our Father and we are one with Him. Jesus can’t help but to live godly, He is God, and we are now one with Him. This is the Truth that sets us free. We are perfectly united with our Father, just as Jesus is perfectly united with Him, we are all one. So back to the question: why would our Father have verses written that make it sound like we have things to do on our own?

Then the disciples came to Him and said, Why do You speak to them in parables? And He replied to them, To you it has been given to know the secrets and mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. Matthew 13:10-11

Our Father had the Bible written in the exact same way that He speaks. The secrets of our Father’s Kingdom are not for the unsaved to understand yet. The power and victory of our Father’s Kingdom are not for the guests of the Wedding Feast. God knew that there would be a great number of unsaved people who would preach and read the Bible while in this world. So He wrote it in such a way that would cause them to stumble and fall over the Truth. It is an absolute Truth that we should live godly life’s, just as the Holy Spirit had Paul write. The Truth that gives us peace and faith with this, is that for a born again believer, we can’t help but to live godly life’s. We can’t help but be godly because we are one with Jesus, He is our Head, He is our Vine, He is our Shepherd, our Father is our Potter, and the Holy Spirit is our Strength. The responsibility for our righteousness and sanctification lies solely with our Lord and Savior, not with us. Just as the responsibility for the body on how to act and live lies with the head and not the other body parts. The head must direct everything, whether seen or unseen, for the body to properly function and Jesus is our Head. The body does have its part to play, but no body part ever plays its part alone or separate from the head. The body is one and we are one with our Father, so we are as He is.  

The unsaved however will read this verse and look to themselves and to their own power. They will try to live godly life’s on their own and they will teach that this is the will of our Father. They will boldly confess that God doesn’t want robots or puppets. They will confess such things because they do not have the revelation of the Truth about being one with our Father. They see being one with God as being a robot. They do not realize the glory of it all. They have not seen that to be one means life and life abundantly. They will always fail because salvation and all of the benefits of it are all just a free gift from our Father. There are no works that can earn it, so the saved just grow in the power of our Father’s might and the ungodly continually try to earn it through human strength and efforts and they continuously fail. They do not have the Holy Spirit living within them and empowering them to know the Truth. They are blind so they stumble and fall.    

Ephesians 4:1 Part 1

1 I THEREFORE, the prisoner for the Lord, appeal to and beg you to walk (lead a life) worthy of the [divine] calling to which you have been called [with behavior that is a credit to the summons to God's service,

We have been Divinely called and chosen by our Father to serve His Kingdom. We were called and chosen by God before we were in our mother’s womb, Galatians 1:15. We have been born again and we are now grafted into and one with the Vine of Jesus Christ and because we have been, we now cannot help but live worthy life’s. A branch has no choice but to produce the fruit of the vine that it is grafted into. 

And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you shall heed My ordinances and do them. Ezekiel 36:27

So many people will read a verse like this first one in Ephesians 4 and teach on what we have to do to live right, as if there is a separation between us and our Father. They preach as if the branch is responsible to produce fruit on its own. They teach as if the arm is responsible to act apart from the head or the clay is to on its own conform to the potters will. The Truth is far greater and the Truth sets us free. 

[My precaution was] because of false brethren who had been secretly smuggled in [to the Christian brotherhood]; they had slipped in to spy on our liberty and the freedom which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might again bring us into bondage [under the Law of Moses]. Galatians 2:4

The Truth that we live in through Christ is that we are never left alone to do anything on our own. We are new creatures in Christ, old things have passed away for us, and now all things are new for us, 2 Corinthians 5:17. We are now one with our Father, just as Jesus is one with Him. We are perfectly united with Him, John 17:21-23. For us to do something on our own would be like believing that Jesus can do things on His Own, apart from God. 

Ephesians 3:17-21

17 May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love,

Jesus will never leave us and He will never forsake us, so His home is permanently with us. Regardless of what we do, Jesus is with us. Even if we mess up, He will leave the 99 who don’t and He will come and get us, Luke 15:4. This is our peace that passes all understanding, Philippians 4:7. The world and worldly religion wants us to think that we are in control of our relationship with our Father. But the glorious Truth is that Jesus is in control of us. Jesus is responsible for us. Jesus Alone is our Shepherd, our Head, our Vine, and our Lord.  Faith is not our ability to believe the Truth, faith is Jesus’ ability to believe working through us, Hebrews 12:2. 

18 That you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints [God's devoted people, the experience of that love] what is the breadth and length and height and depth [of it];

    

19 [That you may really come] to know [practically, [through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses [mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and [become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!

The Holy Spirit inspired Paul to pray this prayer because it is the will of our Father that we have all that He has. Our Father’s plan is to fill us with all of His fulness so that on this earth we may be just like Jesus is, 1 John 4:17. Our Father wants us to experience His fulness and be filled with all of Himself just as Jesus is filled with all of Him. In Christ we have the richest measure of our Father’s fulness. We are wholly filled God Himself and through the power of the Holy Spirit we are able to actually dare to think of being used as Jesus is used, John 14:12. We are empowered to grasp the Truth and be used fully in it, from the least of us, to the greatest of us. In Christ our Father is able to use us without limits. Today is the day for this and now is our appointed time. We are the glorious church without spot, wrinkle, or blemish. 

20 Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]--

Because it is our Father’s power that works within us, we will be used to do superabundant things! It doesn’t matter if you can believe for them or not. The hand doesn’t have to believe that it can be used, the head just uses it! So many believe that we must first act for our Father to act. The Truth that empowers us is that our Father is active towards us, not reactive to us. Whether He causes us to first accept and believe is irrelevant, the only relevant Truth is that our Father is the only power that causes us to do anything and He cause us to do everything. In Christ we are able to be used by God to do greater works than Jesus was used to do and because we are the world is able to believe. 

21To Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen (so be it).

Ephesians 3:17-19

17 May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love,

Jesus will never leave us or forsake us, so His home is permanently with us, Hebrews 13:5. We are where Jesus gets His glory, John 17:10. When I was growing up, the church that I attended had a pastor who would always tell us that God will not bless us past our last act of disobedience. That is flat out wrong! The Truth is that our righteousness is as filthy rags. The Truth is where sin abounds our Father’s grace much more abounds, Romans 5:20. Every one of us has been made to be disobedient, but that is all right, because our Father will have mercy on all of us alike. Our Father did this so that we would never have to rely on ourselves. 

For God has consigned (penned up) all men to disobedience, only that He may have mercy on them all [alike]. Romans 11:32

18 That you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints [God's devoted people, the experience of that love] what is the breadth and length and height and depth [of it];

    

19 [That you may really come] to know [practically, [through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses [mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and [become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!

The Holy Spirit inspired Paul to pray this prayer because it is the will of our Father that we have it all. There is only one law and it is love, Galatians 5:14, and we now have all of Jesus’ love, John 17:26. We now have the complete breadth, length, and depth of our Father’s love! Our Father’s plan is to fill us with all of His fulness so that on this earth we may be just like Jesus is. Our Father wants us to experience His fulness and be filled with all of Himself just as Jesus is filled with all of Him. In Christ we have the richest measure of our Father’s fulness and our Father is Love, 1 John 4:8. We are wholly filled with God Himself and through the power of the Holy Spirit we are able to actually dare to think of being used as Jesus is used. We are empowered to grasp the Truth and be used fully in it, from the least of us, to the greatest of us. In Christ our Father is able to use us without limits. Today is the day for this and now is our appointed time. We are the glorious church without spot, wrinkle, or blemish.

So don’t fret about where you mess up, Jesus is our refiners fire and He is our fullers soap. Our Father will prune out of us what He needs to prune out John 15. It is always our Father’s strength that allows us to do His will and even if we mess up, it really isn’t a mess up, because it will work out for our good, Romans 8:28! We are always blessed in the power of our Father’s might, Colossians 1:11. We are always more then conquerors through Christ Who strengthens us, Romans 8:37. And amen, Jesus is always greater in us, then anything that is in this world, 1 John 4:4.    

Ephesians 3:13-16

13 So I ask you not to lose heart [not to faint or become despondent through fear] at what I am suffering in your behalf. [Rather glory in it] for it is an honor to you.

   

There is no way that we who are in Christ will ever loose heart. For a true child of God to be able to loose heart would mean that Jesus would have to leave us and forsake us and He never will, Hebrews 13:5. We are only able to believe and have faith because our Father has given us the gift of a new heart, Ezekiel 36:26, and the gifts of our Father are without revoke.  

For God's gifts and His call are irrevocable. [He never withdraws them when once they are given, and He does not change His mind about those to whom He gives His grace or to whom He sends His call.] Romans 11:29

There is no fear in the perfect love of our Father and it is through His glorious power that we live and walk, 1 John 4:18. Jesus is ever with us, empowering us to walk in the fulness of His salvation. We are empowered with the same Holy Spirit that empowers Jesus to believe, in Christ we cannot and will not fail, Romans 8:37. The Truth is that Jesus will never allow us to. For us to fail would mean that Jesus’ body failed and Jesus doesn't know failure, He only knows victory!

This is our peace that passes all understanding, Philippians 4:7, that whether we believe it or not, Jesus will cause us to walk in victory. All things always work out for our good for those of us who are in Christ.

We are assured and know that [ God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose. Romans 8:28

14 For this reason [seeing the greatness of this plan by which you are built together in Christ], I bow my knees before the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

15 For Whom every family in heaven and on earth is named [that Father from Whom all fatherhood takes its title and derives its name].

16 May He grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the [Holy] Spirit [Himself indwelling your innermost being and personality].

In Christ we have all of His power, we are now one with all that He is, John 17:19-22. There is only one Holy Spirit and He is our strength, our guide, our advocate, and our stand by, John 14:26. The power that keeps and empowers Jesus keeps and empowers us. 

Election Results

I have given and delivered to them Your word (message) and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world [do not belong to the world], just as I am not of the world. John 17:14

I do not ask that You will take them out of the world, but that You will keep and protect them from the evil one. John 17:15

The Bride of Christ is in this world, but we are not of this world. The world, or another word for this world is Babylon, hates what our Father causes us to believe in. A huge part of Babylon is government. The problem with government is that it wants people to be subject and trust only in it. Yesterday a majority of Americans voted to have government be a far greater player in their life’s. The claims made sound good to a lot of people: more health care, more welfare, social security, and more regulation on what many people believe to be inequality. The problem with this thinking is that our Father is jealous over us and He will never allow anything to take His place. Our Father will cause governments to fail to deliver on these hopes and dreams! He alone provides these things and He provides them in abundance! 

Here is the glory for those who are upset with the results of yesterday. True Christians, or the Bride of Christ, are protected from the evils of Babylon. There are also true Christians who voted for big government yesterday. Regardless of what many believe though, our Father’s will was accomplished yesterday, Romans 13:1. I would be writing the exact same thing if Governor Romney was elected. Regardless of who won, there will be a ton of people upset over it and they need the Truth that our Father is in control! 

Jesus doesn’t just protected us from Babylon so that we can stand alone and away from our brothers and sisters who are not yet aware of the Truth that will set them free, John 14:17. We are protected from Babylon so that when it all does come crashing down, we can be used by our Lord to provide for those who trusted in it. Remember that governments aren't the only thing that will crash, business will too and business is every bit as much a part of Babylon is as government is! 

You also must be ready therefore, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect Him. Who then is the faithful, thoughtful, and wise servant, whom his master has put in charge of his household to give to the others the food and supplies at the proper time? Blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) is that servant whom, when his master comes, he will find so doing. Matthew 24:44-46

Our Father will allow the world, who will be our guests at the Wedding Feast of the Lamb, Matthew 22:10, to grow more and more dependent on the false promises of Babylon. The anti-christ, who will be the final leader of Babylon, will not seize power, he will be heralded into power by those who want government and business to take care of them. (President Obama is not the anti-christ either) The world will welcome the overwhelming promises that the anti-christ proclaims. The ground work for this is now being laid. It should come as no shock to Christians that a ton of people are heading in an opposite direction then what we believe that they should. But that is alright, because when it all fails for them, we will be here, empowered by our Father, to provide for them. We will be used by our Father to do the works that Jesus did and even greater works for them, John 14:12. Grace will abound!  

Through Him also we have [our] access (entrance, introduction) by faith into this grace (state of God’s favor) in which we [firmly and safely] stand. And let us rejoice and exult in our hope of experiencing and enjoying the glory of God. Moreover [let us also be full of joy now!] let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance. And endurance (fortitude) develops maturity of character (approved faith and tried integrity). And character [of this sort] produces [the habit of] joyful and confident hope of eternal salvation. Romans 5:2-4

Pray for our leaders, wherever you live. 

Ephesians 3:10-11

10 [The purpose is] that through the church the complicated, many-sided wisdom of God in all its infinite variety and innumerable aspects might now be made known to the angelic rulers and authorities (principalities and powers) in the heavenly sphere.

Look at what our Father teaches us here. The Church is how the wisdom of God will be made known to the angels and rulers in Heaven. We so often look for angels to come and share the Truth with us, when the reality is that we are the ones that show the Truth to them! How great is that? The Bible tells us that we are not to forsake the gathering together of believers and that we are to come together even stronger during the last days, Hebrews 10:25. Through the Bride, the true church, the wisdom of our Father will become clear. Our Shepherd will draw us together and He will cause us to be used to do the works that He did and even greater works, John 14:12, to show the Truth that will set the captives free. 

11 This is in accordance with the terms of the eternal and timeless purpose which He has realized and carried into effect in [the person of] Christ Jesus our Lord,

Jesus came to make us one with our Father, John 17:19-22. Jesus was victorious on this earth and we now are one with God and the powers in Heaven see it. They see the Truth, they see what our Father desired for us and they see it carried out. The angels now know that we are one with Jesus, they know that we are members of His body, flesh of His flesh, and bone of His bones, Ephesians 5:30. This was our Father’s purpose all along. Our Father knew that Adam and Eve would fail. He knew exactly what satan was going to do. It was all our Father’s plan, nothing caught Him off guard. He knew satan was going to rebel and He knew Adam would fail and He chose to make it all known to the angels through us.   

12 In Whom, because of our faith in Him, we dare to have the boldness (courage and confidence) of free access (an unreserved approach to God with freedom and without fear).

    

Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2

We have boldness because our faith is now authored and finished by Jesus. If faith was a human ability to believe the Truth’s of God we would never have any boldness, we would only have doubt. But the Truth of faith is that it is Jesus’ ability to believe the Truth’s of God working through us. Jesus is our courage and He is our confidence. We have unreserved approach to our Father because we are one with Him just as Jesus is One with Him. We are Jesus’ body and in Him there is no fear! A branch has unreserved approach to the vine and an arm has unbroken fellowship with the head and Jesus is our Vine and He is our Head. 

Faith comes from hearing the Truth and the Truth sets us free. The glorious Truth is that in Christ we are empowered to expect and believe that our Father will do far more through us than we can think of or imagine, Ephesians 3:20. We are empowered to dare to believe that our Father will use us to do greater works than He used Jesus to do, John 14:12. We are empowered to expect that there isn’t one feeble one amongst us. We have the mind of Christ, 1 Corinthians 2:16, so we can think as Jesus thinks, believe as He believes, love as He loves, forgive as He forgives, and live as He lives! 

Ephesians 3:9

9 Also to enlighten all men and make plain to them what is the plan [regarding the Gentiles and providing for the salvation of all men] of the mystery kept hidden through the ages and concealed until now in [the mind of] God Who created all things by Christ Jesus.

Our Father wants us to plainly know everything there is to know about the Kingdom. He doesn’t keep secrets from us. Jesus created all things and through Christ all men will be saved. Jesus has been given the responsibility over all flesh and He was glorified to give eternal life to all flesh. Jesus will not lose any that He has created and we have been given the Holy Spirit to know this Truth that sets us free.

[Just as] You have granted Him power and authority over all flesh (all humankind), [now glorify Him] so that He may give eternal life to all whom You have given Him. John 17:2

But the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will cause you to recall (will remind you of, bring to your remembrance) everything I have told you. John 14:26

And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free. John 8:32

The Truth sets us free and to insure that we know all Truth, our Father has given us the Holy Spirit to teach us all things. We have been given the Holy Spirit Who causes us to walk in the full and complete power of our Father, just as Jesus walks and is one with all of our Father’s power.

And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you shall heed My ordinances and do them. Ezekiel 36:27

There is a common lie in churches today and that is that we have to wait until we are in Heaven to know everything. The Truth is far greater than that and the Truth has set us free. Jesus came for us so that we might have all of the power of the Kingdom today, in Christ we don’t have to wait.

For He says, In the time of favor (of an assured welcome) I have listened to and heeded your call, and I have helped you on the day of deliverance (the day of salvation). Behold, now is truly the time for a gracious welcome and acceptance [of you from God]; behold, now is the day of salvation! 2 Corinthians 6:2

Today we are saved, today we have eternal life, and today we have the Holy Spirit Who teaches us all things. 

Ephesians 3:6-8

6 [It is this:] that the Gentiles are now to be fellow heirs [with the Jews], members of the same body and joint partakers [sharing] in the same divine promise in Christ through [their acceptance of] the glad tidings (the Gospel).

What is the Divine Promise? The Divine Promise is that we would become one with our Father in Christ. The Divine Promise is that we would be one with God just as Jesus is One with God, John 17:21-23. The Promise is that we will never be left or forsaking, Hebrews 13:5. The Divine Promise is that as He is, so are we in this world, 1 John 4:17. The Divine Promise is that we have life and that we have it abundantly, John 10:10, just as Jesus has life and has it abundantly. The Divine Promise is that we now have eternal life, John 3:36. And eternal life means that we are now actually empowered with the Holy Spirit to know our Father, John 17:3. The Divine Promise is to be one with Jesus for all of eternity.

7 Of this [Gospel] I was made a minister according to the gift of God's free grace (undeserved favor) which was bestowed on me by the exercise (the working in all its effectiveness) of His power.

Once again the Holy Spirit has Paul write that it was only because of our Father that Paul was a minister. To truly serve the Kingdom of Heaven we must first be empowered to serve it. It is not a choice we make on our own, it is a calling, and the call only comes from God.

8 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints (God's consecrated people), this grace (favor, privilege) was granted and graciously entrusted: to proclaim to the Gentiles the unending (boundless, fathomless, incalculable, and exhaustless) riches of Christ [wealth which no human being could have searched out],

Paul tells us that he was the least of God’s consecrated people and look at how our Father used Him. Never look at your flesh or your circumstances to see if you are worthy to be used by God. Our Father chooses the foolish things of this earth to confound the wise, 1 Corinthians 1:27. The Truth is that the worse off we are, the more likely our Father will use us to serve the Kingdom, that is His M.O. Our Father chose slaves, prostitutes, tax collectors, fishermen, widows, and shepherds to serve the Kingdom in the greatest capacity. He chose the blind, the sick, and even the dead to show forth His power. So rejoice if things seem bad, because that is exactly when our Father works His best through us.

So for the sake of Christ, I am well pleased and take pleasure in infirmities, insults, hardships, persecutions, perplexities and distresses; for when I am weak [ in human strength], then am I [truly] strong (able, powerful in divine strength). 2 Corinthians 12:10.

There is also a great Truth for us who are in Christ and it is that the least one of us is now greater than the greatest who ever lived under the Old Covenant. 

Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. Matthew 11:11

The least one of us is now greater than John the Baptist, Moses, Noah, Daniel, and King David. This is what Jesus came to do, make us one with our Father and give us His greatness and glory so that we might have an abundant life.

I have given to them the glory and honor which You have given Me, that they may be one [even] as We are one: John 17:22

Presidential Election 2012

First of all, then, I admonish and urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be offered on behalf of all men. For kings and all who are in positions of authority or high responsibility, that [outwardly] we may pass a quiet and undisturbed life [and inwardly] a peaceable one in all godliness and reverence and seriousness in every way. 1 Timothy 2:1-2

Let every person be loyally subject to the governing (civil) authorities. For there is no authority except from God [by His permission, His sanction], and those that exist do so by God’s appointment. Romans 13:1

If President Obama is re-elected he will be only because our Father wanted him to be re-elected. If Governor Romney is elected it will be only because our Father wanted him to be elected. Regardless of who our Father wants in the Presidentency, they will be permitted to only do what all Father wants them to. Because all things, even Presidents, exist by our Father, through our Father, and for our Father’s good pleasure, 1 Corinthians 8:6 & Colossians 1:16.

We have been empowered with the Holy Spirit to know this Truth, John 14:26. So we have also been empowered with the Holy Spirit to pray for whoever our Father allows to be President. Now here is the really cool thing. There are Christian Democrats who will be offended if Governor Romney wins and there will be Christian Republicans who will be offended if President Obama wins. Both sides will have been praying for the guy that they want to win. But actually the Truth is that both will have been praying for what our Father wants.  How can that be?

So too the [Holy] Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance. Romans 8:26

The Holy Spirit will take all of our prayers and make them into what our Father wants. So relax, your prayers will be answered, regardless. Here is another great Truth, even if your guy doesn’t win, it will work out for your good!

We are assured and know that [ God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose. Romans 8:28

Ephesians 3:2-5

2 Assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace (His unmerited favor) that was entrusted to me [to dispense to you] for your benefit,

  

3 [And] that the mystery (secret) was made known to me and I was allowed to comprehend it by direct revelation, as I already briefly wrote you.

  

Our Father is the only power that is able to reveal the Truth to us and it is only by our Father allowing us to comprehend His Truth that we will ever understand anything. Jesus prayed in John 17:1 that He be glorified by our Father, so in turn He could glorify our Father. We can only know the Truth because our Father gives us the Truth. So stop worrying about what you know and how you are used to serve the Kingdom. Our Father will give you what He wants to give you and when He wants to give it to you and it is all perfect and it is all in love. All things exist by our Father and through our Father and without Him nothing is possible, Colossians 1:16. Our Father knows what He needs for us to do. He knows when we are ready and able for Him to use us. Everything that He does is in love, He is love, so we will be used by Him when the time is perfect. 

Jesus is our Head, He is our Vine, and He is our Shepherd, so for us to be used to serve the Kingdom it must first come from Him. The branch isn’t expected to produce fruit on its own. The arm isn’t expected, nor can it, act on its own. An arm is part of a body that is controlled by a head and we are now members of Jesus’ body and Jesus is our Head. Jesus tells us in John 15:5 that without Him we can do nothing, but with Him we will be used to produce much and abundant fruit. We have entered into the rest of Jesus Christ, Hebrews 4:3. We have ceased from our own labors, Hebrews 4:10, and we now are the prisoners of Christ. Jesus leads us, He guides us, He strengthens us, and Jesus alone causes us to serve our Father. This is why there is now no condemnation to those of us who are in Christ Jesus, Romans 8:1. 

4 When you read this you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ.

    

5 [This mystery] was never disclosed to human beings in past generations as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles (consecrated messengers) and prophets by the [Holy] Spirit.

What our Father is revealing to us has never been revealed before. All of us in Christ have received the Holy Spirit which means that all of us have received Jesus’ abilities and powers to understand everything. There are no mysteries to Jesus and we are one with Him. We have become one with all of His glory and honor, John 17:22, so there are now limits to what we can know and understand. Our Father can now use us perfectly just as He uses Jesus perfectly. Remember, we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing. The entire Kingdom of Heaven is ours. Our Father will hold nothing back from us. He will give us all exactly what we need, when we need it. 

Ephesians 3:1

1 FOR THIS reason [because I preached that you are thus built up together], I, Paul, [am] the prisoner of Jesus the Christ for the sake and on behalf of you Gentiles--

    

Paul writes to us that he was the prisoner of Jesus Christ. Jesus arrested Paul on the road to Damascus and forced him to serve the Kingdom of Heaven. Don’t think so, go and read Acts 9 and see what actually happened to Paul. 

But the Lord said to him, Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of Mine to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the descendants of Israel; For I will make clear to him how much he will be afflicted and must endure and suffer for My name's sake. So Ananias left and went into the house. And he laid his hands on Saul and said, Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, Who appeared to you along the way by which you came here, has sent me that you may recover your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit. And instantly something like scales fell from [Saul's] eyes, and he recovered his sight. Then he arose and was baptized, Acts 9:15-18

Jesus told Ananias that Paul was a chosen vessel of God and Paul wrote to the Ephesians that He was a prisoner of God. Paul also wrote to the Galatians that he was chosen by God to serve before he was ever born and he told the Corinthians that he was Jesus’ slave.

But when He, Who had chosen and set me apart [even] before I was born and had called me by His grace (His undeserved favor and blessing), saw fit and was pleased To reveal (unveil, disclose) His Son within me so that I might proclaim Him among the Gentiles (the non-Jewish world) as the glad tidings (Gospel), immediately I did not confer with flesh and blood [did not consult or counsel with any frail human being or communicate with anyone]. Galatians 1:15-16

These sayings of Paul do not sound like a man who believed in free will. They do sound like a man who had known the Truth and was set free by it. They sound like a man who knew that our Father was in control and the driving force in our lives. They sound like a man that was convinced that because our Father was in control that all things now worked out for his good, Romans 8:28. They sound like a man who knew the love of our Father and freely accepted the Truth that He is in complete control. The love of our Father and the love that He gives to His children allows us to accept and actually rejoice in the Truth that He is in complete control of our lives. We cherish the Truth that we are the prisoners of Jesus. It means that the battle is His and the victory is ours. 

There was a little girl who was friends with my daughters and to say the least she was a pistol. Her mother and Father always said that she must make her own mistakes and they gave her a very long leash, even though she was still in elementary school. When she would come to our house Beth wouldn’t tolerate her actions. Beth would lay the law down and the child loved it, she could see the love in it and the compassion in it. 

Jesus told us that those who come to Him as a little child would inherit the Kingdom, not those who came to Him from their own free will, Matthew 18:3. To this day my kids talk about how mean and wild that girl is. She was being raised as an adult even when she was a little child and the results show it. In Christ we are raised as little children, which means that our Father has to be in complete control of us, this is what brings us peace, power, joy, hope, love, and faith. Our Father is in complete control of Jesus and no one freaks out over that, because we believe and accept that the Two of Them are One. Well the Truth that sets us free is that we are now one in Them, Jesus is one with the Father and we are one with Jesus, John 17:21-23.  So we are able to have perfect peace that our Father controls us just as He controls Jesus. 

Ephesians 2:20-22

20 You are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus Himself the chief Cornerstone.

The body of Christ is constantly growing into the perfect church, without spot, wrinkle, or blemish, Ephesians 5:27. We began with Jesus, then the Apostles, and now us, Jesus always being our Head, always our Vine, and always our Lord, John 15:5. Jesus holds us together in the power of His might, Ephesians 6:10. He is always greater in us than anything that is in this world, 1 John 4:4. He is always causing us to triumph in Him, constantly making us more than conquerors through His love, Romans 8:37. 

This is why we should fully expect to be a stronger body today then when the Apostles were here on the earth. We should expect our children’s generation to be even stronger yet. Never look to Paul, Peter, John, or any other Apostle to see how we should live, look to Jesus. The Truth is that as Jesus is, so are we on this earth. 

21 In Him the whole structure is joined (bound, welded) together harmoniously, and it continues to rise (grow, increase) into a holy temple in the Lord [a sanctuary dedicated, consecrated, and sacred to the presence of the Lord].

22 In Him [and in fellowship with one another] you yourselves also are being built up [into this structure] with the rest, to form a fixed abode (dwelling place) of God in (by, through) the Spirit.

So many look at the past and then there are so many who only look to the future, but today is the day of our salvation, 2 Corinthians 6:2. We are one with the Great I Am, Revelation 1:8. There is so much need today and we have all spiritual blessing today, Ephesians 1:3. Through Christ we can forgive everyone today. We can intercede, whether they ask or not, and forgive all sins. We can ask and receive today, Matthew 7:8. Today we can go into all of the world and preach the Gospel of the Kingdom to every creature. Today we can lay hands on the sick and they will recover. Through Christ we can today cast out demons and today we will freely give, because we have freely received, Mark 16. 

Ephesians 2:18-19

16 And [He designed] to reconcile to God both [Jew and Gentile, united] in a single body by means of His cross, thereby killing the mutual enmity and bringing the feud to an end.

17 And He came and preached the glad tidings of peace to you who were afar off and [peace] to those who were near.

18 For it is through Him that we both [whether far off or near] now have an introduction (access) by one [Holy] Spirit to the Father [so that we are able to approach Him].

19 Therefore you are no longer outsiders (exiles, migrants, and aliens, excluded from the rights of citizens), but you now share citizenship with the saints (God's own people, consecrated and set apart for Himself); and you belong to God's [own] household.

Plain and simple here, anyone who has been called and chosen by God is now a Jew, or a child of God, because we are now one with our Father through Christ. 

For he is not a [real] Jew who is only one outwardly and publicly, nor is [true] circumcision something external and physical. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and [true] circumcision is of the heart, a spiritual and not a literal [matter]. His praise is not from men but from God. Romans 2:28-29

This is why we need to beware of those who are constantly talking about our Father’s Covenant with Israel. Our Father made a covenant with Abraham and his offspring and Abraham’s offspring are those who are in Christ. Abraham’s offspring are born by faith authored and finished by Jesus, not those who are born from Israel. Just look at what Jesus constantly told the Israelites, He repeatedly told them that He was the only door, that He was the only way, and the only light. There are not two ways to get to our Father, there is one and the Old Covenant, the Covenant that was for Israel, has been done away with.  

However, it is not as though God's Word had failed [coming to nothing]. For it is not everybody who is a descendant of Jacob (Israel) who belongs to [the true] Israel. And they are not all the children of Abraham because they are by blood his descendants. No, [the promise was] Your descendants will be called and counted through the line of Isaac [though Abraham had an older son]. That is to say, it is not the children of the body [of Abraham] who are made God's children, but it is the offspring to whom the promise applies that shall be counted [as Abraham's true] descendants. Romans 9:6-8

In fact, their minds were grown hard and calloused [they had become dull and had lost the power of understanding]; for until this present day, when the Old Testament (the old covenant) is being read, that same veil still lies [on their hearts], not being lifted [to reveal] that in Christ it is made void and done away. 2 Corinthians 3:14

[My precaution was] because of false brethren who had been secretly smuggled in [to the Christian brotherhood]; they had slipped in to spy on our liberty and the freedom which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might again bring us into bondage [under the Law of Moses]. To them we did not yield submission even for a moment, that the truth of the Gospel might continue to be [preserved] for you [in its purity]. Galatians 2:4-5

The only way to find favor with our Father is by having Him freely bestow it upon you. Human lineage does not guarantee it, there is no work that can earn it, it is all grace. There are many who want to talk of a Covenant that our Father still has with Israel, when the Truth is the Old Covenant has been done away with. Jesus never speaks to the nation of Israel as if they will keep a special relationship with God apart from Him. Jesus actually speaks of them being destroyed without Him. So when you hear things like the Book of Revelation is only for the Israelites, or that the nation of Israel finds favor because of the Abrahamic Covenant, just go and read the Gospels and see what Jesus actually spoke. The Abrahamic Covenant has blessings for the children of faith, those who are truly Jews, those who are now one with Christ.  

Think of the history of Israel since Jesus. It has been one of destruction, pain, suffering, and blindness. It has been a history of war and death. The Covenant of Abraham in not for an earthly nation and it’s people, it is for the Kingdom of Heaven and its children. The nation of Israel enjoys no special favor over any other nation on this earth, our Father uses all nations. All power, all thrones, all dominions, whether seen or unseen, are under the control of our Father. In Christ we enjoy peace, joy, health, faith, hope, and love, we do not enjoy these things because of Israel. 

Ephesians 2:15

15 By abolishing in His [own crucified] flesh the enmity [caused by] the Law with its decrees and ordinances [which He annulled]; that He from the two might create in Himself one new man [one new quality of humanity out of the two], so making peace.

Look at what Jesus did for us, He abolished the Law for us. Jesus eliminated all of the decrees, the do’s and the don’ts of the Law. There is no longer any rules in place that will limit our relationship with our Father, it’s all by grace now. We have peace because we no longer have to worry about the Law. Grace is always free and it is always undeserved. That is a Rock of offense and a stumbling Stone to many, but it is the Truth. You know what is so glorious about it, even those who are offended and stumble over this Truth, even though they disobey and don’t believe it, 1 Peter 3, they still receive grace! They may not be destined to be the Bride of Christ, but they sure will be guests of ours.  

People all of the time try and tell me about the Ten Commandments and how we must keep them. The first question I ask them is: “how is that Saturday Sabbath going for you?” I wonder if they are fasting from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday?  I then ask them about the Law, are they doing alright in not eating shell fish or pig? How about the way that they keep their pots and pans cleaned? Are they storing their meat with their cheeses? Are they doing good at only marrying Jewish women? The Truth is that we are no longer under the Law, any of it, it is all by grace, and that is why we are able to keep the only Real Law, Love.

For the whole Law [concerning human relationships] is complied with in the one precept, You shall love your neighbor as [you do] yourself. Galatians 5:14

Grace allows us to love and we don’t just love, we love as Jesus loves. This is the reason that He lives, so that the Love that He has may be in us. We are one with Jesus’ love, so that we love as He loves, even while we are in this earth.

I have made Your Name known to them and revealed Your character and Your very Self, and I will continue to make [You] known, that the love which You have bestowed upon Me may be in them [felt in their hearts] and that I [Myself] may be in them. John 17:26

Jesus lives so that we may love. Jesus continues making our Father known to us so that we may love. The Law is done away for us and part of the Law is the Ten Commandments. If you believe that you are still under the Ten Commandments read the following two verses.

Knowing and understanding this: that the Law is not enacted for the righteous (the upright and just, who are in right standing with God), but for the lawless and unruly, for the ungodly and sinful, for the irreverent and profane, for those who strike and beat and [even] murder fathers and strike and beat and [even] murder mothers, for manslayers, [For] impure and immoral persons, those who abuse themselves with men, kidnapers, liars, perjurers--and whatever else is opposed to wholesome teaching and sound doctrine 1 Timothy 1:8-9

If you believe that you are under the Law, under any of it, even the Ten Commandments, then what you are saying is that you are not in right standing with God. You are lawless, unruly, ungodly, sinful, profane, a murderer, impure, immoral, a kidnapper, a liar, a perjurer, and you have no sound doctrine. I don’t know about you, but grace seems to be a far better way?