May 19, 2026

 “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” eph 1:2 nkjv  Paul is addressing a people, mostly non Jewish, who are part of a reasonably new enterprise that we would call, an new church… especially a new church in a very pagan and non-Christian society. The ancient city of Ephesus, in Paul’s time, was the capital of the chief province of Asia. Some historians have said the city population was as large as 250,000. The believers at Ephesus were a very small group as compared to the larger masses of pagan thinking people. I mention this to focus upon the following words Paul wrote in his letter to them. Paul has been called the “letter writer” by some. In fact so much of what we frame our modern thinking around, as relates to what the early church then looked like, is from these historic records Paul provides. In my opinion, the writings from Paul’s Ephesus letter, and its remarkable message, is some of the most important words you will ever read… their foundational substance for living the Christian life are presented therein. Let us read these verses:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

 “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, 9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, 10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. 11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 12 that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.

“In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.” eph 1:3-14 nkjv

Paul has marvelously summed up what it means to know Christ, as our savior, and how He has predestined us to be sons of God in Christ, by His chosen purpose to adopt us, and seal us with His Holy Spirit for our guarantee of an eternal inheritance. I think this is profound that this small pocket of believers, surrounded by all kinds of idolatry and carnal pagan practices, could be given such an amazing thing to believe… such is the power of the Word of God and the wondrous inner working work of the Holy Spirit… think about it. Especially when you consider what Paul tells them:

“And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” eph 2:1-10 nkjv

And;  “Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— 12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” eph 2:11-13 nkjv

Is there any other message or offer from anyone or anything that is even close to what this truth about our meaning for living and for hope for our eternal destiny provides? Do you realize that in our world today, we, if we do not know Christ…. are just like the Ephesians… adrift on a stormy sea without any hope of salvation or redemption? Paul’s letter is TO US ALL! Can you read these amazing words and not realize that you have the greatest treasurer known to humanity before your eyes? If you have not embraced these gifts that Yahweh has preordained, are you aware of the only alternative ahead of you? I urge you to take these issues seriously… don’t let procrastination cause you to leave your eternal destiny in tomorrow’s careless hands.

Shalom, John