Peanut Gallery Paul's Letter To The Ephesians

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Walk As Children Of Light
Eph 5:1-5

Paul last tells us to be kind, compassionate, and forgiving and now is adding "be imitators of God as dearly beloved children. Reminds me of this country song by Rodney Adkins. Little kids watch their parent's actions and start imitating them. We are told to imitate God, who is the Perfect Father.

We're told to walk in love just as our Messiah Yeshua did and gave himself up for us an offering and a sacrifice to God. That offering and sacrifice was a sweet aroma to God.


This does not mean that we become doormats to others to take advantage of or doing so much for the other person that they are never getting up on their own two feet. I think we need to seek the Lord when giving of ourselves that we give in the manner that God shows us to give, not just throw it all to the wind, and whoever catches what we throw it helps. Yeshua literally gave all that was within him, but we never see him doing anything that The Father had not shown him to do.

Yeshua spent a lot of time in prayer. Prayer is NOT just bowing on our knees and telling God all the things we want Him to do for us. Prayer is a conversation with God. A conversation is at least two people, each talk, and each listening. I remember hearing a pastor say something to the effect of, "the one who knows nothing, comes before the One who knows everything and the one who knows nothing does all the talking". Before God, we are the one's who know nothing.

Look at the way Yeshua prayed and the way he taught us to pray. Don't turn it into a formula where you make sure you spend one minute doing this, then you move on and spend one minute doing the next thing, and so on and so on. God is a good Father. While we are to speak reverently to Him as the Maker of heaven and earth and God of the universe, He is also our friend. We can be honest with our feelings. And we need to listen to Him more than we talk.

We listen by reading His word and asking questions (that's praying too) as we go along and listening for His answers. We may stumble a bit in conversation as we begin, but soon we will begin hearing Him speak to us and touch our hearts and heal us and change us.

In verse three Paul again gives a list of behavior which is unacceptable for those who claim to be believers in Yeshua... sexual immorality and any impurity or greed.

Here is the list again from Gal 5:19-21 : sexual immorality, impurity, indecency, idolatry, witchcraft, hostility, strife, jealousy, rage, selfish ambition, dissension, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these.

There is no question that these activities in a supposed believers life is NOT ok. IF one has really repented of their sins and put their faith and trust in Yeshua, they no longer walk in these things. By "walk in" it means to do it "repeatedly, continually" and feeling no remorse and without any attempt to bring it to God and even other stronger believers and get help with it. We don't say, "Jesus loves me anyway" and then continue as is. To paraphrase James, "to look in a mirror and then walk away not chaning what you see" See Jms 1:22-25. If that is our way of life, then we have not truly repented and given ourselves to God. It's easy to fix though...repent and then go and sin no more.
Paul says, "obscene, course, and stupid talk" is also out of place for a believer. He says to replace these things with the giving of thanks". That's not just a prayer over your food. He adds that it should be known for certain that no immoral, indecent, or greedy person, who by continuing in these activities is showing themselves to really be idol worshippers at heart have no inheritance in the Kingdom of God.
 
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Wake Up O Sleeper
Eph 5:6-14


You should have noticed by now that Paul is very concerned about the activities of darkness that is taking place among the Ephesians. It could have been several or just a few but either way, Paul is alarmed. He has not taught them that their evil actions are acceptable. He has taught them to walk in the light of Yeshua and to live lives that bring good and not evil.

In Chapter 5 verse 6 he says, "Don't let anyone deceive you with empty words". What are empty words?

  1. talk with little meaning, a message that seems to contain meaningful content but does not. ~Wiktionary~
In this day and age I would compare this to preachers and teachers who talk and tell you things that make you feel good about yourself but don't bring on any change. They tell you God loves you just the way you are and while He does love us, His goal in us is not to leave us as we are but to change us and conform us into His image and to clothe us with the proper wedding clothes for when we come to HIS house.

Seeing our sin and coming to Him for forgiveness and sinceerely asking for His help and guidence to change is what He desires, but a great deal of the time, we come to Him, with the excuse that "I'm only human", we apologize then go right back out and do it again without even trying to overcome. God has given us all that we need to overcome, we have no excuse. Then people come along with their smooth words telling you everything is ok and tell you inspiritational stories and when we part we're not changed, just we feel better about not changing.

Paul warns, "Do not be deceived". He says, "It's because of such things that God's judgment comes on those children of disobedience. Not taking disobedience seriously and thinking all you have to do is repent on Sunday then Monday you're right back to your normal way of living has got to go.

Paul says to not be partners with such stuff. Don't do it, don't be friends with others who do it, and don't listen to anybody who tells you it's ok. It's not ok. We were once darkness but because we are now joined with Yeshua, we are light. Paul tells us to walk like children of light. The fruit of light is goodness, righteousness, and truth. The fruit of light is trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.


The best way I know of to find out what is pleasing to God is to read His word. From the beginning of the Bible we can see God's love and compassion and His desire to know His creation. He makes the effort and takes the time to instruct on what He likes and desires and His reactions to people when they acctually make the effert back to know Him and to grow close to Him.

If you need to find a simpleer version of the scripturs, then get one so that you don't become overwelmed with the thee's and thou's and such. Do some digging to find out why some things are repetitive. There are reasons and when you find out what they are/were it will blow your mind. There is so much to God that we don't know because we don't search. Try to learn what is pleasing to Him. Read His word, don't just read what others say, but what He Himself has said and had written down.

Verse 11, Don't take any part in the fruitless deeds of darkness but expose those deeds. Paul says it's disgracefully to even mention the evil things that is done in secret. Everything that is exposed by the light is visible for all to see. He then refers to somewhere where it is written:
“Wake up, O sleeper!
Rise from the dead,
and Messiah will shine on you.”

The quotation is not from the Tanakh. "Like the Essenes, the early Christians used to sing hymns at dawn in praise of the "Sun of Righteousness' (cf. Malachi 4:2). These lines may be from one such hymn. See also Yn 1:1-17." (Hugh Schonfield, The Original New Testament, p. 389). ~The Jewish New Testament Commentary~

There are several scripture references though that are similar: Is 26:19; Is 52:1; Is 60:1.

The point Paul is aiming at here is to stop doing the deeds of the flesh and start walking in the light which he has taught them.
 
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Giving Glory To God
Eph 5:15-20

Verse 15 Paul says, "Pay close attention to how you walk."

It is so easy to lose track of our actions. We get caught up in the day to day life of living and we just seem to move according to whatever comes naturally. For those of us who have been walking with the Lord for awhile, good choices come a little more naturally than not, but then again, we can still become distracted too and get off into not walking so close with HIM. Those of us who are just beginning our walk with God, don't be discouraged, keep at it and with time and perseverence, it will become more a part of you. But we must ALWAYS pay attention. It's too easy to fall off the track when not paying attention.
Paying attention is wise and we are called to be wise. We are to make the most of our time. Take the time needed to learn more of HIM, to spend time with Him in prayer and study and doing good...not just playing your time away.

Always look for the opportunity to be like Yeshua to someone. Understand what God's will is. It's found in scripture and just as you go through your daily living be ready to not just tell someone about Yeshua but to be like Yeshua. If a person mentions they are sick, and you feel the urge, ask them if you can pray for them.

It's not necessary to make a scene but just love the person. Be kind, gentle, loving, and giving, to the best of your ability. It's not your job to point out their sins, the Holy Spirit will do that quite well. I don't think you need to talk in super-spiritual tones all the time, talking in thee's and thou's, and talking like the "religious" people that are always portrayed in TV shows. In fact, I'd advise that you don't, it comes off weird.

Do not get drunk on liquor.

It does not say you cannot drink but it does say don't get drunk. Getting drunk leads to recklessness. Instead of looking to liquor or drugs to make you feel good, get into the presence of God where His Holy Spirit will support you with the strength and comfort and joy that you need.

"Speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music in your heart to the Lord— always giving thanks for everything to God the Father, in the name of the Lord Yeshua the Messiah".


Even when, especially when you don't feel joyful sing to the Lord. Be thankful for what He's delivered you from. Sing songs you know, sing songs you make up, sing scripture and put your own tune to it. One example of this that we see in scripture was when Paul and Silas were in prison and they were singing. Their clothes had been ripped off them and they had been beaten with rods. They were bloody and bruised and hurting, and they were singing. Their singing not only lifted their own spirits, but it lifted the spirits of the other prisoners and the jailer. We don't have to "feel like it" to praise and glorify God.



 
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Relationship: Husbands and Wives
Eph 5:21-33


After Paul has told them to speak to each other in psalms, and hymns and encourage each other he adds in verse 21, "Submit yourselves to one another out of reverence for Messiah— wives to your own husbands as to the Lord.

I gleaned a lot here from the Jewish New Testament Commentary. As we read in this chapter verses 18-20, "all are to keep on being filled with the Spirit and to submit to one another out of reverence for Messiah Yeshua"

Wives should submit to their husbands in the same way that they submit to the Lord. See also 1 Cor 11:3. The husband is head of the wife in the same way that Messiah is head of His community, and the head of Messiah is God. As Messiahs community is to submit to Messiah, so also the wife to her husband.

Verse 25: Husbands, love your wives! Just as Christ loved his community and gave himself up for her."

The standard is set much higher for men. Since Messiah gave his life for the church, so the man should be equally submitted to his wife so as to give all of himself to her and guide her and protect her and not throw his weight around and be abusive, verbally and physically. See 1 Pete 3:1-6 regarding how the wife should respond to a husband who is NOT a believer and not follwoing in Messiahs example.

I do not believe a wife has to allow her husband to beat her. If this is the situation, get to safety as quickly as possible and stay in contact with your fellow believers so they can emotionally and spiritually help you. And, if they are telling you that you need to stay with a man like that, find a new church.

Generally though, the situation is not so severe, but the problem is wives who won't submit to their husband, and husbands who don't love their wife. Both are commanded and must be in operation together. A godly marriage is a man willing to go the extra mile in loving and a woman who is willing to go the extra mile in submission. In a marriage like this Yeshua is the third partner and like a magnet over iron filings he causes things to work together for the good of both husband and wife who love and submit to God.

Just as Yeshua went "first", the husband
is "responsible to go first, to create the order of married life. But to do this he must be loving first, unconditionally, without waiting for or insisting on his wife's submitting first". ~The Jewish New Testament Commentary~
When the husband loves his wife in the way Yeshua loved his church, he is showing that he loves himself. (V 28) He will cherish and care for his wife just as Messiah does his community because we are members of Yeshua's body.

In marriage, two separate people become one. The man leaves his father and mother's household and joins himself to his wife. That is the mystery, Paul says, of Messiah and his community.

Verse 33, "In any case, let each of you love his own wife as himself, and let the wife respect her husband."


 
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Relationship: Children And Parents
Eph 6:1-4


Next, Paul addresses the relationship between a parent and their children. He addresses the children too, which shows, his letters were not just to the adults. He says, "Children obey your parents in the Lord for that is the right thing to do".

To the parent, looking at the last verses, we know that parents are to obey God. Following that, children are to obey their parents and in doing so, they are obeying God too. If the parent's relationship with each other is working according to God's ways then the children are getting the proper examples of submission not only to them as parents but to God.

If you grew up in a violent household, as I did, this can be a difficult passage to grasp. How can you honor someone who is/was abusive to you? Being raised by an abusive parent does not mean we have the right to tear down and be abusive toward our parents later in life.
Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise. By doing so you may live long on the earth (Deut 5:16; Ex 20:12).

Of course, our parents doing it all wrong does not mean we are allowed to dishonoer them in the way we speak and/or act toward them (Prov 1:8; Prov 6:20; Prov 23:22). As adults, we can be honest without being disrespectful and dishonorable toward them. We don't have to be at their beck and call, doing everything they demand, but we must speak towerd them and about them with respect. Their right to that is that they gave birth to us, God commands it and we honor HIM by doing so. It's different with each person and each person has to seek God on the best way for them to honor a difficult parent. It is never honorable to speak ill of and or disrespectfully of a parent. You curse yourself by doing so.
Parents, don't provoke your children to anger. Bring them up in the disciplines of the Lord.

This does not mean pounding on them when they make mistakes or even when they deliberately disobey. The shepherd never beat his sheep. His rod was used to guide the sheep in the direction he was wanting them to go, not to beat them into submission. I know this is not what many christian teachers teach but it's more in line with scripture.

Don't taunt them and tease them and compare them with each other or other peoples kids. Don't try to force them into your "dreams" but allow them to follow their own as they follow God.

Bring them up in the instruction of the Lord.

The command to speak to each other in psalms and hymns and to love each other is to extend to our children as well, and the parent is to lead the way, bringing up the child in the way they should go (Prov 22:6). Not "what they'll be when they grow up, but their character...loving, kind, gentle, etc.. The command to speak to each other in psalms and hymns and to love is also extended to our parents, even when they did not do things as well as they should have.



 
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Relationship: The Workplace
Eph 6:5-9

In this portion, Paul is addressing slaves and masters. Slavery in the New Testament was not necessarily what many in today's society imagine. Slavery in the New Testament occurred for many reasons, some noble and some not so noble. In our American history, slavery by means of stealing people from their lands and forcing them into slavery shows a huge failure of character. One of the Ten Commandments says, "Thou shalt not steal", and it is mainly about stealing people.

In America, and many other countries there is no legal form of slavery and in today's society, this portion of scripture is more suitably applied to employers and employees. Both were part of the congregation's Paul was writing to.

Paul starts out speaking to the slaves and tells them to obey their masters with respect and reverence, the same way they would the Messiah. Don't just be respectful when the master can see and hear you but even when they can't. Don't be all nice in their face and bad mouth them behind their back. Be slaves of the Messiah by serving your boss. Whatever good you do you will receive back from the Lord.

Then Paul speaks to the masters. He tells them, "Treat your slaves the same way that I just told them to treat you." He told them to stop threatening the worker. In today's society that might be "if you don't work extra this weekend, I'll cut your hours", etc.. The Master of heaven will show no partiality over you just because you're a boss and if you mistreat your employees, you will be judged for it.

The command to "Speak to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music in your heart to the Lord— always giving thanks for everything to God the Father, in the name of the Lord Yeshua the Messiah", applies to the employer/employee relationship too.

 
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Put On The Armor of God
Eph 6:10-20

Paul starts to wind down in his letter now. He says, "Finely, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power". Paul has been teaching about the life that God has called the believer to and the standards He calls us to live by, and the life that flows from living it. He reminds them that the battle the believer takes part in is not of flesh and blood...it's not of a physical, in the flesh event. It's a spiritual battle with the powers of darkness, the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. We will not win the fight in our own strength. We can only endure a battle with spiritual forces with the power of God.

Being strong in the Lord does not mean building ourselves up in our own strength. We cannot strengthen ourselves in the Lord but must BE strengthened by being in the Lord. Meaning, only when our lives are properly positioned in union with him do we possess the power of God that is needed to overcome the enemy.


We cannot be living in the lusts of the flesh and expect to have the power of God that gives us the strength to overcome the enemy. Are you wondering why you're not overcomeing, why you keep falling and stumbling? That's why. The way we live and move does affect our "oneness" with him and affects the fruit that we bear. Are we bearing healthy fruit that is sweet and edible or are we bearing fruit that is limply hanging from the tree, lifeless, and rotting?

In Jn 15:4-5 Yeshua said, "Abide in Me, and I will abide in you. The branch cannot itself produce fruit, unless it abides on the vine. Likewise, you cannot produce fruit unless you abide in Me. I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for apart from Me, you can do nothing".

Now don't get all depressed and cry and moan about your condition...that changes nothing. However, the problem is easy to remebdy. Repent, turn from your wicked ways and go and sin no more. As a believer you are "free from the law of sin and death". You no longer "have" to follow your fleshly desires. You are free and in Yeshua, you have all the strength of the universe to overcome the flesh within your reach. Paul has outlined for us what the goal is, aim for it and when you miss repent, get up and aim again.

So, since we cannot do anything within our own strength Paul says, "Take up the full armor of God so that you may be able to resist when the times are evil. And AFTER YOU'VE done everything you can to stand, then STAND FIRM!

Even when it hurts. Even when those around you are mocking you in your attemps to walk in righteousness, you STAND FIRM. There is no other way for those spiritual muscles to strengthen.

Put on the FULL armor of God. Not just the buckle, or just the helmet, but all of it.

Even though I linked (because otherwise, it gives good explanation) to a site that uses a Roman soldier's armor, personally, I don't think Paul was referring to the Roman soldier's armor. He had just said "the weapons of our warfare are NOT carnal". Why then would he use imagery of human weapons of war? I think he was making reference to the garments worn by the High Priests. (See the study vlog here.) By that point the Gentiles in the congregation would have understood this imagery because "every Shabbat, they were in the Synagogue learning Moses" (see Act 15:21) I'm certainly open to discussion in the Peanut Gallery.

These were items that the High Priests wore as symbols of protection. Each item of clothing represented spiritual protection. A believer needs these spiritual coverings to protects us from "the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places". We cannot walk correctly in Christ without it.

As far as I can tell, the Old Testament priests were barefoot. In regard to the "feet being strapped up in rediness" (v15) I lean more toward the explanation given here:

"When you walk around barefoot, what happens to your feet? They are soft at first, but then they what? They become calloused, and they become hard. At first when we are walking around in the faith we're soft, we're learning. If we get hurt, we may get a thorn, but then we become calloused and hard. Not heart-hearted, not hardened of heart, but our feet become heardened to the Good News. It tells us in Exodus 3 the Moshe was with YHWH, and what did YHWH say to him? "Take off your shoes because you are standing on holy ground". Part of being ready is to be barefoot so you can shake off the dust from your feet when you're not welcome. ~The Open Bible, Learning from the Torah Portion~
Paul ends by telling us to pray for him. Pray that when he speaks he will do it with the boldness of the mystery of the Good News for which he is an ambassador in chains. "Pray that I may speak boldly, the way I should".

A humble request in my eyes. We thiink of Paul being very bold yet here he is asking for prayer to be bold. Humbling.
 
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Final Greetings
Eph 6:21-24


Paul states his purpose for this letter being so that they would know how he was doing. The letter was being brought to them by Tychicus who was not only a fellow believer and brother in the Lord but faithfully stood by Paul's side through his trip to Jerusalem and his confinement in chains in prison. Paul knew that Tychicus would also encourage the hearts of the Ephesians just as Tychicus had been an encouragement to him. Tychicus was a good friend.

"Peace to the brothers and sisters and love from God the Father, and our Lord Yeshua, the Messiah. Grace to all who love our Lord Yeshua and Messiah with an undying love".

Paul had such a heart for the people. He desired to not only see them come to Messiah Yeshua but he desired to see them grow and mature in their walk with Messiah. He understood human nature and he also understood God's unfailing love and what He had done in order that those who chose to believe would not be condemned by his sins but also that they had power and authority to overcome their failures and just needed a little help in understanding. Paul was willing to give all of himself for the sake of the gospel...literally.
 
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