Category Archives: Bible

Bible, Blessing, Calling, Family, Glory, Humility, Scripture, Service, Uncategorized

NAMESAKE

EPHESIANS 3:15

“from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name,”

My daughter and son-in-law gave me such a blessing a few weeks ago when our grandson was born. What was an even bigger blessing is they decided to name him Lucas Carl. He has my name. Why does that bless me? Well, I carry both of my grandfathers’ names – Carl Spence and Clarence William Willis. It’s kind of like carrying on the family name, in a way. Of course, my grandson has his dad’s last name (unless I can get him to change it, lol). Bearing someone’s name is an honor and privilege.

In today’s verse, Paul says all believers have their Father’s name. Now, he didn’t mean we all have to change our name to Jehovah. That would be kind of silly. What he meant was we are now all in the same family. We represent the Father. We are protected by the Father. This applies to all believers, alive or in heaven. We are all one big family.

APPLICATION

What does that mean for us? Well, first of all, it means we need to love each other. In John 13:34, Jesus tells us, “‘A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.’” How are you loving your fellow believer? Are you arguing about the color of the carpet in the sanctuary? How silly! We’re family.

Family means a lot of different things to people. Those who grew up in dysfunctional families can really struggle with the concept of family. They don’t understand that you can disagree and still love each other. Do you really think the disciples always got along? In Mark 10, we have a great story that I think illustrates this point. Remember when John and James asked Jesus if they could sit at his right and left in glory? Read the following and see what happened.

John 10:41-45 says, “41 Hearing this, the other ten began to feel indignant with James and John. 42 Calling them to Himself, Jesus said to them, ‘You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles domineer over them; and their people in high position exercise authority over them. 43 But it is not this way among you; rather, whoever wants to become prominent among you shall be your servant; 44 and whoever wants to be first among you shall be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.’”

So, love each other and serve each other. That’s what family does!

Thank You, Lord, for making me part of Your family.

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Bible, Blessing, Bowing, Heart, Honor, Humility, Prayer, Scripture

BENT KNEES

EPHESIANS 3:14

“For this reason I bend my knees before the Father,”

Eusebius of Caesarea quotes the writing of Hegesippus, a chronicler of the early Church concerning James, the half-brother of Christ and leader of the early church. “He alone was permitted to enter the holy place, for he did not wear woolen but linen garments. And he frequently entered the temple alone and was frequently found situated upon his knees asking forgiveness for the people, so that his knees became hard after the manner of a camel, on account of always bending down upon a knee while worshipping God and asking forgiveness for the people.”

I wonder if Paul’s knees were also calloused due to kneeling in prayer. I know mine aren’t. Paul begins a prayer in today’s verse that goes through verse 21. It is one of the most encouraging prayers in Scripture. It is one of many of Paul’s prayers recorded in the New Testament (some say his writings contain as many as 45 prayers or prayer “snippets”). “For this reason” points back to the preceding verses. Paul had many reasons to pray, but the salvation offered to the Gentiles was at the top of his list.

APPLICATION

Okay, this is one of those “duh” verses. What do I mean by that? I mean we can all see how to apply this our lives. I need to bow my knees before the Father a lot more than I do now. I cannot pray enough. In 2 Chronicles 6:13, we see Solomon, the king of Israel, bow in humility. “For Solomon had made a bronze platform, five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high, and had set it in the midst of the courtyard; and he stood on it, knelt on his knees in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven.” At this point in Solomon’s life, he was not ashamed to humble himself and pray.

How about this example of kneeling in prayer, despite the danger. In Daniel 6:10 we read, “Now when Daniel learned that the document was signed, he entered his house (and in his roof chamber he had windows open toward Jerusalem); and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and offering praise before his God, just as he had been doing previously.” We know the consequence of this. He was thrown into the lions’ den but escaped death because of his obedience to be faithful in prayer.

What is stopping you from kneeling today? Maybe you have bad knees or a bad back and can’t physically kneel. Bowing our knees before God in prayer is about much more than our physical position. It has more to do with our spiritual position. Bow yourself in humility. Recognize the awesomeness of our God. Give Him the honor that is due Him when you pray.

O Lord, forgive me, cleanse me, purify my heart. I bow my heart and spirit before You today.

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Affliction, Bible, Boldness, Brokenness, Courage, Faith, Fear, God's Will, Modeling, Oppression, Scripture, Suffering

AN EXAMPLE OF SUFFERING

EPHESIANS 3:13

“Therefore I ask you not to become discouraged about my tribulations in your behalf, since they are your glory.”

Suffering is not something I welcome. I mean, come on, who would? No one wants to suffer. But we have to be willing to accept it and embrace it when the Lord allows it. Those who know my story witnessed my suffering during my health crisis back in 2010 and then again in 2020. Stem cell transplants and chemo are no laughing matter. So many people prayed for me during that time. I know my suffering helped build a lot of people’s prayer life. For that I am grateful.

As Paul sits in a Roman prison, he tells the Ephesians to not feel sorry for him and to not get discouraged. A lot of versions translate “discouraged” as “faint. Albert Barnes says this, “The word rendered ‘faint’ – ἐκκακέω egkakeō – means literally, to turn out ‘a coward,’ or to lose one’s courage; then to be fainthearted,” Paul is trying to encourage the Ephesians to remain bold and not let his present circumstance be a barrier to their growth in Christ and the spreading of the Gospel.

APPLICATION

That Greek word egkakeo, is only used six times in the New Testament (Luke 18:1; 2 Corinthians 4:1, 16; Galatians 6:9, here in Ephesians 3:13; and 2 Thessalonians 3:13). I really like how the word is used in Luke 18:1. “Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not become discouraged,” Jesus knew that pray helps remove discouragement. It lifts us up. It brings us face to face with our Father in heaven whom we know is listening intently to our requests.

In 2 Corinthians 4:1 and 16, we see egkakeo translated as “lose heart.” “1 Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we received mercy, we do not lose heart, 16 Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer person is decaying, yet our inner person is being renewed day by day’” Have you ever lost heart about something? I have. In fact, I am going through something right now that is very hard not to lose heart about. But I must continue to trust in the Lord’s providence and power.

Listen, God may decide to use you to be a source of encouragement for others. Your suffering (like Paul’s) may the one thing that shows them they too can trust in Jesus. So, embrace the suffering the Lord allows in your life. Allow the light of Jesus to shine through you as you draw people to Jesus like moths to a light.

Lord, I do not like to suffer, but I will submit myself to Your almighty hand, knowing You have a perfect plan.

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Bible, Boldness, Confidence, Disciples, Encouragement, Freedom, Heaven, Persuasion, Scripture

BOLD AND CONFIDENT

EPHESIANS 3:12

“in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him.”

Often our boldness and confidence can be seen as arrogance or rudeness. There is no doubt that can be the perception IF we are not careful. I have prayed for boldness to witness more. I have prayed for confidence to face life’s challenges. There is nothing wrong with boldness and confidence if it is done through the Lord. We are going to see that in today’s verse.

Paul is continuing a thought from the previous verse in verse 12. “In whom” is referring back to “Christ Jesus our Lord” in verse 11. Look what Christ gives us. He gives us boldness to approach the very throne of grace. The Greek word translated as “boldness” is parrésia. It is defined as “confidence (bold resolve), leaving a witness that something deserves to be remembered (taken seriously).” (HELPS Word studies) Then Paul tells us we also have “confident access.” In the Greek text it is literally “access in confidence.” Pepoithésis is the word translated for “confidence. It means “interactive-access in persuasion.”  (HELPS Word studies)

APPLICATION

You are probably thinking Okay, Carl, I already knew that. I didn’t need a Greek lesson. I get it. But you can’t just read this verse and take it for granted. This boldness and confidence can only be exhibited correctly through Jesus. We have the privilege and honor to be given these in order to talk to our heavenly Father without any fear or trepidation.

In 1 Timothy 3:13, Paul tells Timothy as he talks about deacons, “For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a high standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.” As we develop as believers and learn to listen for His voice, our boldness and confidence increases. Leaders in our churches should have this boldness and confidence to lead others towards a deeper relationship with Christ.

The writer of Hebrews says this in Hebrews 10:19-22. “19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, through His flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let’s approach God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”

Don’t shrink back, beloved. Go before the Lord with boldness and confidence. God won’t embarrass you and send you to the back of the line. There is room for everyone at the foot of the cross. Approach Him today and thank Him for giving you this access through His Son, Jesus Christ. You’ll find Him open and receptive every time.

Lord, I praise You for all you have given me, including my access to Your throne.

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Bible, Eternity, God's Will, Purpose, Scripture

AN ETERNAL PURPOSE

EPHESIANS 3:11

“This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord,”

We should always have a reason for the things we do. Even leisure time has a purpose – to rest your body and refresh your spirit. Unfortunately, many of us do things out of rote habit. We haven’t stopped to think why we do the things we do. For instance, why are you taking the time to read this blog? Hopefully, you have found something worthwhile in what I have written in the past, so you “tune in” each day to see what’s next.

The Greek word used for “purpose” is prothesis, which comes from the verb protithemi. These words refer to a setting forth of something in advance for a specific reason. One use of this word is in Hebrews 9:2. “For a tabernacle was equipped, the outer sanctuary, in which were the lampstand, the table, and the sacred bread; this is called the Holy Place.” The word “sacred” is prothesis. It refers to the presentation of the bread in the temple. Let’s dig into this a little.

APPLICATION

When Jesus and the disciples were walking through a grain field one Sabbath, they were plucking the grain and eating it. When the Pharisees saw them doing this (they were always watching), they confronted Jesus about gleaning on the Sabbath. Jesus referred them to the story about David and his men who ate the consecrated bread when they were fleeing Saul. The word “consecrated” is the word prothesis.

One verse I am sure you know is Romans 8:28. “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” God does not do anything by chance. Behind everything He does is a purpose, a divine purpose, an eternal purpose. He is still at work today carrying out His purposes.

Take a look at your calendar today. What do you have scheduled? Is there a reason you are doing that? Does it have a divine purpose? Let me encourage you to get rid of those things that have no eternal purpose. None of that will last. Concentrate on the things that have an eternal significance and that pleases our Master.

Father, give me wisdom to know how to choose the eternal over the temporal.

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Abundance, Bible, Colors, Grace, Inexpressible, Scripture, Wisdom

MANY, MANY, MANY

EPHESIANS 3:10

“so that the multifaceted wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.”

Do you remember as a child getting that brand new jumbo box of Crayola Crayons? If you were lucky, you would get the box with the built-in sharpener. Man, I sure remember opening that box and seeing all those unspoiled, brand new crayons. It seemed every color of the rainbow was in that box. And the smell! That was one great smell.

Paul isn’t talking about crayons in today’s verse. But the word he uses for “multifaceted” could be described that way. It is the Greek word polupoikilos, and it is only used right here. It could literally be translated as “many many many.” Poly is the first part of the word and means much in number. Poikilos is the second part and means many diverse manifestations. Paul is saying the wisdom of God is so diverse, you could never explain it fully.

APPLICATION

My late brother-in-law, Dr. Wayne Barber, used to explain poikilos by comparing how it was used in two other passages, 1 Peter 4:10 and James 1:2. In the Greek Old Testament, the Septuagint, poikilos is used to describe Joseph’s coat of many colors. With that thought in mind, Wayne would talk about the many colors of trials we see in James 1:2, which reads, “Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials.” The word “various” is poikilos.

Then over in 1 Peter 4:10 we see, “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the multifaceted grace of God.” “Multifaceted” is poikilos. So, we have multi-colored trials, wisdom and grace. Wayne explained that God had just the right color wisdom and grace to match the color trial you were going through.

God’s wisdom and grace are unexplainable. They are too multifaceted for words. You can study these concepts the rest of your life and never exhaust the definitions. Do you trust this inexpressible God with your finite life? You should. He has all the answers you will ever need.

Father, I thank You that no one will ever be able to fully explain the richness of your grace and wisdom.

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Bible, Darkness, Distractions, Enlighten, Expose, God's Will, Light, Scripture

ENLIGHTENMENT

EPHESIANS 3:9

“and to enlighten all people as to what the plan of the mystery is which for ages has been hidden in God, who created all things;”

The Encyclopdia Britannica (remember that?) defines the period of Enlightenment this way. “Historians place the Enlightenment in Europe (with a strong emphasis on France) during the late 17th and the 18th centuries, or, more comprehensively, between the Glorious Revolution in 1688 and the French Revolution of 1789. It represents a phase in the intellectual history of Europe and also programs of reform, inspired by a belief in the possibility of a better world, that outlined specific targets for criticism and programs of action.” Confused? Don’t worry. Many of those who tried to inact and understand this period were also.

Paul tells us in today’s verse what true enlightenment is. The word “enlighten” is the Greek word phótizó. It literally means to bring to light, to illumine. Paul is saying he had the privilege to shed light on the hidden secrets of God. He had been shown these things in order to share them with others, to open their eyes to “the mystery is which for ages has been hidden in God.” Now, Jew and Gentile alike are privy to God’s grace when they come to Jesus as Savior and Lord.

APPLICATION

My wife and I have several landscape lights in our yard. They are solar powered and come on when it gets dark. We have some other solar powered lights in our backyard that are also motion sensored. They stay on a dim mode until something passes in front and then “Whamo!” they light up the night. When we first moved in our house, we didn’t know what was happening. Our bedroom window faces the backyard, so when something triggered those lights, we woke up thinking someone had turned on our bedroom light. (we have taken down a couple of those lights now, lol).

Why did I share that little story about our backyard lights? Those lights come on when something unexpected is in our vicinity. It exposes it and often causes it to run away. God shines the light of His Word on things in our lives in order to expose them and to help us recognize them. 1 Corinthians 4:5 tell us, “Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of human hearts; and then praise will come to each person from God.”

Do you have anything in your life that needs to be enlightened? If the Lord exposed all your inner thoughts, would you be embarrassed? God does shine on every part of us through His Holy Spirit Who lives within us. Let His light illumine only Jesus.

Father, shine Your light on me and illumine my pathway.

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Bible, Blessing, Conceit, Grace, Humility, Scripture

THE LEAST OF ALL

EPHESIANS 3:8

“To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ,”

None of us like to see ourselves as less than someone else. It’s in our old sin nature to puff ourselves up and make ourselves look better than we really are. So, when someone belittles you or cuts you down, you naturally respond. I am not saying that’s right. I just saying it’s the normal response. Should it be?

In today’s verse, Paul humbles himself in one of the most selfless ways. He uses a Greek word, elachistoteros, for “very least” which Strong’s Concordance defines as “less than the least.” That’s not a lot, people. Elachistoteros is only used here in the whole New Testament. Most scholars I read agree that Paul never forgot what God saved him out of. He was persecuting believers, even agreeing to the stoning of Stephen. He could never see himself on par with other saints who had suffered for Christ. In short, Paul never got over grace.

APPLICATION

Reading this verse causes us to think about the issue of humility. Now, that’s a different Greek word, but the idea is the same. Humility means putting others first, lowering yourself to serve others. The perfect passage for this is found in Philippians 2:5-8. “5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, as He already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself by taking the form of a bond-servant and being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross.” 

A similar passage is found in 1 Peter 4:1. “Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because the one who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,” If Christ, the Son of God, was willing to humble Himself to suffer for you, we need to have that same attitude. We should be willing to suffer for others.

Just how much do you think of yourself? Do you think the sun rises and falls because of you? Not hardly. The world does not revolve around any single person. We are called to humble ourselves and pray. We are commanded to humble ourselves and submit to our elders. How are you doing with that?

Father, keep me humble before You. I want to honor You in my service to others.

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Abiding, Bible, Grace, Power, Scripture, Strength

GOD’S POWER

EPHESIANS 3:7

“of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power.”

I used to be pretty strong. In high school I even won a weightlifting trophy my junior year. I loved pumping iron. I loved seeing the results in my body. I could bench press twice my body weight and dead lift close to 700 pounds. I was what they called a “stud” when it came to lifting those weights. Well, that was a long time ago and that power has diminished. Without continuing those sessions in the gym, my muscles started getting weaker. Now, here in my 60’s I do good to lift my eyelids, lol.

Oh, but Paul tells us today about another kind of power. It’s the kind that will never fade. The last phrase of this verse says, “according to the working of His power.” Whose power? God’s power. He created the world with just His words. He didn’t touch creation with His hands until when? Until He made man. We are a special creation, touched by the very hands of God. That’s something to shout about!

APPLICATION

When Jesus was on trial before the high priest, He said this in Matthew 26:64. “Jesus said to him, ‘You have said it yourself. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.’” Jesus holds the power of God. He is the source of power behind the saving grace of God.

One of my favorite memory passages in 2 Peter 1:3-4. “3 for His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4 Through these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world on account of lust.” What excuse do we have for not living in that grace every day?

Tap into that power source. Not doing so is like living in a house that is connected to the electrical current and never using it. It’s there for us. Ask God to empower you today. He will show you how to live. He will give you the strength you need to face the challenges of this dark world. He is the power source.

Thank You, Lord, for giving me Your power that was exhibited through Your grace

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Abiding, Access, Bible, Blessing, Church, Fellowship, Heirs, Members, Partakers, Scripture

FELLOWS

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,”

Last night I had the privilege to attend a meeting with about 70 men here in Knoxville. I watched these men during the evening and was so encouraged at their fellowship. Many of them knew each other from the ministry where I serve, Every Man A Warrior. These guys hugged each other, shook hands, laughed and just generally enjoyed the night. What was amazing, though, was to see how they welcomed the other guys who were new to this. They made them feel welcomed and like, well, one of the fellows.

Don’t you just love this verse today? Paul tells the Ephesians that they are now fellow heirs, fellow members and fellow partakers. That’s a lot of fellows! In the Greek text, the word “fellow” does not occur. Each time it is really the preposition, sun or syn, which means to be closely identified with. You’ve heard me say it before that this preposition is that inseparable, permanent “with.” Paul wants us to know that these positions we are now in will always be that way.

APPLICATION

“Fellow heirs” is the Greek word sugkléronomos, which means “joint-heir; used of believers sharing in the inheritance of the heavenly Father with (through) the chief heir, Jesus Christ.” (HELPS Word studies). We will share jointly in the inheritance of Christ. There will be no dividing the inheritance. We will all share it together forever.

“Fellow members” is the word sussómos, which literally means joint body. The body refers to the body of Christ as in the community of believers which make up the church. Some denominations think they are the only ones who will be in that body, that they are the only true church. Paul says differently here. If you have believed in Jesus and have given your life to Him, you are a permanent part of that body. Romans 10:9-10 tells us, “9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”

The final “fellow” is “fellow partaker.” This is the word summetochos which means to be changed having taking part in something. The promise of Jesus Christ presented to us in the Gospel. The word is only used here and later in Ephesians 5:7 where it is used in a negative way. Let’s back up to verse 6 to get the context. “6 See that no one deceives you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not become partners with them;”

You are a fellow heir, member and partaker. Enjoy it!

Father, thank You for bringing me into the fold as an heir, a member and a partaker.

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