The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 4

 

The Letter of St. Paul 

to 

the 

Ephesians

Chapter 4

 

¹ I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, ² with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, ³ making every effort to maintain the unity in the bond of peace.

(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 4 verses 1 to 3)

Oh God my beloved Father these first few verses are daggers that pierce my heart, for in my marriage Ifeel and You know that together we did all we can to try and save this marriage, however there is no grounds for reconciliation between me and my wife. I am still open to Your intervention and may Your will be done. Amen.



⁴ There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.




(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 4 verses 4 to 6)




Oh God my Father there is one God and I believe in You. I believe that every thing is under your control and that You can change any situation Amen.




⁷ But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ's gift. ⁸ Therefore it is said, 
"When he ascended on high he made captivity itself a captive; he gave gifts to his people."





(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 4 verses 7 to 8)




Oh God my Father I thank You for the greatest gifts of all that are Your love, Faith, Mercy and the opportunity of forgiveness, that grants me reconciliation with You even though I am a sinner. I also thank You for destroying the power of death by making it a gateway to Heaven Amen.




⁹ When it says, "He ascended," what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? ¹⁰ He who descended is the same one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things,)




(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 4 verses 9 to 10)




Oh God my beloved Father, the same Father who was in the heavens, permitted us to crucify Him in the human form of His Son, who was the Same person who rose again and by means of the Holy Spirit comes into the Eucharist at the time of consecration on the Altars. That same majestic presence that dwells in me and other human beings who are Your creation my God and Father Amen.




 


¹¹ The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets; some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, ¹² to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, ¹³ until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.




(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 4 verses 11 to 13)




Oh God my beloved Father I thank You for all the gifts that You have given me, especially for this opportunity to communicate with You in prayer and at the same time share the Word with others. I also thank You for the Community that You have permited me to join, for even there I can continue to spread the message of Your love and our relationship. I pray that You keep on providing me with opportunities of spreading the message of the Good News and of being of help, care and support to others Amen. 



¹⁴ We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and  blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people's trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. ¹⁵ But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head into Christ ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body's growth in building itself up in love.




(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 4 verses 14 to 16)



Oh God my beloved Father, I pray that become more mature in my relationships at large, especially in Your relationship with me. I pray that I am cleansed from all traces of negativity and that I will reflect the truth and nothing but the truth. I also pray for my community and for Society at large, that we admit that we are sinners, and that You love us even though we are sinners, and that as You forgive and accept us as we are, we are to imitate You in a spirit of love.

Let us join together in this song and prayer by clicking on the following link that its content is credit to Sherin Sophia


Bind us together with love



¹⁷ Now this I affirm and insist on in the Lord; you must no longer live as the Gentiles live, in the futility of their minds. ¹⁸ They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of their ignorance and hardness of heart.



(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 4 verses 17 to 18)



Oh God my beloved Father, I thank You for this wise counsel and instruction. Even though I am compelled to live in this world, I am to be different in my belief and in my thoughts and behaviour Amen.


¹⁹ They have lost all sensitivity and have abandoned themselves to licentiousness, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.



(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 4 verses 19)





Oh God my beloved Father, once we have closed the door on our relationship with You we start a slow but sure death on many levels such as spiritual and even psychological, nothing would start having to mean in life and we become bitter to everything and everyone. I pray that You save us from such a depressing and negative state of being Amen.



²⁰ That is not the way you learned Christ!


(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 4 verse 20)



Oh God my beloved Father, on becoming part or members of the Church we start receiving the pure knowledge that sets us on our feet in our relationship with You, however along the way we may start formulating our own theories about who You really are, as based on our experiences of life, which may be both positive and negative. However we might end up holding untrue theories about who You are in our lives, and if not enlightened we may end up living up to these life scripts for a very long time. Moreover, such life scripts or beliefs may both help and hinder in Your relationship with us. Therefore, I pray that You purge our minds from any false beliefs that we have made and bring us back on track Amen.



²¹ For surely you have heard about him and were taught in him, as truth is in Jesus. ²² You were taught to put away your former way of life, your old self, corrupt and deluded by its lusts, ²³ and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, ²⁴ and to clothe yourselves with the new self, created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. 


(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 4 verses 21 to 24)




Oh God my Father, this is my daily struggle that of going against my natural nature and put on my spiritual clothing that of the Holy Spirit as I received at the time of my baptism Amen.




²⁵ So then putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another.


(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 4 verse 25)




Oh God my Father, brothers and sisters, the truth sets us free. Moreover, we are sons and daughters of the truth and not of evil. Even though our sinful nature compels us to say untruths, I pray for the strength to overcome our sinful nature Amen.



²⁶ Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, ²⁷ and do not make room for the devil.


(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 4 verses 26 to 27)




For all married couples or for those who are in some form of relationship resolve your differences before the end of the day with your husband or partner, before the devil sows seeds of more anger discontent, depression and other forms that may hinder the growth of your relationships, everybody makes mistakes, we are all fragile and prone to sin, even without having a bad intention, therefore always be ready to forgive and forget, for today it is your partner who has grieved you, and tomorrow it may be you Amen.



 ²⁸ Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy.


(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 4 verses 28)



Oh God almighty how loving it would be of us if our focus would not be only to the contributing to our own wants and needs but also to those of others Amen.




²⁹ Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear.




(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 4 verses 29)




Oh God my beloved Father, I pray that You make of me a positive person, one that no negativity comes from my heart, my lips or my mind. Even though the circumstances that I find myself in may not always be positive, I pray that You give me a positive spirit that will be good for me and even for others Amen.





³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. ³¹ Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, ³² and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you."



(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 4 verses 30 to 32)
 


Oh God my beloved Father, I pray that You help me to forgive, as You forgive me, for this is a delicate area for me. I have been grieved and hurt many times so much that I have an open wound that You are treating and healing every day of my life. As my therapist and Counsellor, I pray that You continue guiding me through this process of healing Amen



In order to bring this prayer and reflection on the fourth chapter of the letter of st. Paul to the Ephesians to an end I would like to do so by means of the following prayer:



Oh God my beloved Father I pray that we go back to our roots and evaluate the state of our faith. We must question if we are living our baptism as based on the Word of God, or if we have created our own personal version of the word of God that we have tailored to suit our needs and values. I pray that You anoint us with the power of the Holy Spirit Amen








 


  

 


 

 

The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 3

The Letter of St. Paul 

to 

the 

Ephesians

Chapter 3

¹ This the reason that I paul am a prisoner for Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles ² for surely you have already heard of the commission of God's grace that was given me for you, ³ and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words, ⁴ a reading of which will enable you to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ.

(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 3 verses 1 to 4)

Oh God my Father, I also feel like a prisoner in this body and in this world. I am conditioned by this body that at times gets me into trouble, by stimulating my feelings, and making me biased against my Spirit and thoughts. I pray that You give me self-control and mastery over this body of sin Amen. 



⁵ In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; ⁶ that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.



(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 3 verses 5 to 6) 



Oh God, my Father I thank You for giving me a share of this ministry even though I was a gentile during those times when I did not have a relationship with You. I thank You for giving me the opportunity of being an active part of Your body on earth that is the Church.



⁷  Of this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God's grace that was given me by the working of his power.



(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 3 verse 7)




Oh God my beloved Father although compared to others I am doing nothing special, I really thank You for giving me this mission of sharing my prayers to You with others Amen. 



⁸ Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, ⁹ and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; ¹⁰ so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.  



(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 3 verse 8 to 10)




Oh God even though I am not grounded in theology or philosophy You still give me this opportunity to share my prayers on the Bible with others. I am one of Your small and humble followers Amen. May others benefit from these humble messages that are the fruit of Your relationship with me Amen.




¹¹ This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord ¹² in whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him.  



(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 3 verses 11 to 12)




Oh God my Father, may all that happens in our lives, be according to Your Holy Will, and not according to the selfishness of humanity. May we place our faith and confidence totally in You Amen.




¹³ I pray therefore that you may not lose heart over my sufferings for you; they are your glory.



(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 3 verse 13)



 Oh God my beloved Father our sufferings in themselves may appear to be negative, however, on the other hand, each and every trial and tribulation is a test that I need to experience, and therefore there is the need for us to experience sorrow but in truth our sorrows are an occasion of joy Amen.



¹⁴, For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father, ¹⁵ from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. ¹⁶ I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, ¹⁷ and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love.



(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 3 verses 14 to 17)



Oh God, my beloved Father I thank You for such a blessing. I know that You are including me, for I am also a sinner and my inner spirit also needs to be renewed in Your Spirit Amen.



¹⁸  I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, ¹⁹ and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 



(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 3 verses 18 to 19)



Oh God, my Father, if I sincerely believed in Your love and mercy my life would be the complete opposite of what it is today. I really wish to see and hear You not in others or in situations but as Yourself. This would be the greatest gift of all. Amen. I thirst for You my God and Father Amen.



²⁰ Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever Amen.



(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 3 verses 20 to 21)



Oh God my beloved Father I would like to end the third chapter of St. Paul's letter to the Ephesians with the following prayer:



Oh blessed God, my Father, Your name is higher than the heavens, in You and by You I find my existence and the reason to remain alive. Without You nothing has a sense or is worth living for, in this world of confusion. Blessed be Your name! I pray that You remain by my side and help me overcome the tidal waves and challenges of life Amen. 



 





 



 

 
 


 
 


  


 

The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 2

The Letter of St. Paul 

to 

the 

Ephesians

Chapter 2

1. You were dead through trespasses and sins. 2. in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. 3. All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else.

(The Letter of St.Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 2 verses 1 to 3)

Oh God my Father before I fall into the temptation of passing judgement on others and or criticise them for the mistakes that they did in the past or still doing in the present, it is best for us including myself that we are far from perfect, and that if I look back in life or focus on the present I will also find sinful acts in my background and issues that are still pending in my life. Therefore before judging others, it is wise of us to focus on our own trespasses, however, had not Jesus saved us and forgave us of our sins again, and again our situation would be hopeless. Thank You, Jesus, for having our sins nailed on, the cross and paid for by means of Your passion Amen.

4. But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us 5. even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved- 6. and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7. so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.


(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 2 verses 4 to 7)




Oh God, my Father, I thank You for loving me and for focussing on my positive attributes, instead of blaming me for my sins even though at times they were many. Thank You ,Jesus, for crucifying my sins on the cruel cross so that with You I could be resurrected Amen.


8. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God 9. not the result of works, so that no one may boast. 10. For we are what he has made us; created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.



(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 2 verses 8 to 9)



Oh God, my Father, I thank You for the gift of faith in You. It is a gift that I will treasure with all my heart and all my body and all my soul. I thank You for making me a Christian according to Your plan even before I was born You had already made plans for me which are still unfolding up to this very day and hour Amen.






10. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.



(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 2 verse 10)




Amen oh God my Father, such powerful verses, may I also live long enough to fulfil the plan that You have made for me even before the time of my creation thank You, Jesus. Oh, Father being a Catholic or a Christian or a Roman Catholic is not like being a member of a social club, but indeed it is a way of life based on the Bible and all that Your Holy Spirit reveals to us by means of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church. I also believe oh Jesus that You speak even by means of other churches because the faith of such believers reflected by the works done in Your name are also worthy of merit and praise Amen. I pray that You bless us all regardless of such differences Amen.



11. So then, remember that at one time you Gentiles by birth, called "the uncircumcision" by those who are called "the circumcision"- a physical circumcision made in the flesh by human hands- 12. remember that you were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to 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.


(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 2 verses 11 to 13)



Oh God my Father there was also a time when, You were a stranger to me, times when I was taught about You but did not have a relationship with You, however then came that special moment when You Yourself called me to follow You, and this has been the turning point of my life, when I really started living my life with You Amen and thank You Jesus.



14. For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us.




(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 2 verse 14)



Oh God by means of Your resurrection You have broken down the barriers that restricted us from having access to heaven and opened up the opportunity for us to one day join You forever. Amen. I pray that as You broke down such barriers You break down the divisions in Your Church, between Catholics, Roman Catholics, Protestants and people from different religions Amen.



15. He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, 16. and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it.


(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 2 verses  15 to 16)



Oh God my Father on the cross You abolished and paid for our sinful self and all its lures in order to make us united in ourselves and with each other as being baptised and reborn from the spirit and not only from the flesh Amen.



17. So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; 18. for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father.


(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 2 verses  17 to 18)



Oh God my Father I thank You for having mercy on me and calling me back to You, when You were still a stranger to me. I thank You for giving me a chance to experience life in Your Spirit which is the one and only true life that is not an illusion or fake as are many of the ways of the world. I thank You for Your presence which is present in me, even though as a sinner I am not worthy to experience such a pure and loving spirit Amen. Thank You, Father.




19. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, 20. built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. 21. In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; 22. in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.




(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 2 verses  19 to 22)




Oh God, my Father, I thank You for this great honour and privilege of being one of Your many friends and part of Your body on earth that is the Church. I thank You more for considering me as a place where You can dwell Amen. I pray that I will always be humble enough to allow You a place in my life Amen.




Oh God my Father I would like to end this second chapter of St. Paul's letter to the Ephesians with the following prayer; 




Oh God my Father blessed be Your Name, may Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. I thank You for calling me from my previous way of life to have a relationship with You. I thank You for crucifying my sins and those of the world and for paying the penalty instead of me. I pray that I become a dwelling place for You where You can find rest and pleasure and satisfaction Amen. Thank You Jesus.

The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 1

The Letter of St. Paul 

to 

the 

Ephesians

Chapter 1

1. Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus and are faithful in Christ Jesus: 2. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

(The letter of Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 1 verses 1 to 2)

Oh God my Father I would also like You to bless all the followers of this blog, In Your name oh God, shower them with all Your blessings, especially if the person doing so is facing a crisis in one's faith or is a newly born Christian who has answered Your call to turn away from one's old ways. Amen.



3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4. just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love.



(The Letter of Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 1 verses 3 to 4)


Oh God my Father blessed be Your name forever and ever, You love us so much that we had been in Your plans even before the creation of the world itself. I thank you for thinking of me even before I was even born Amen





5. He destined  us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6. to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 7. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace 8. that he lavished on us. with all wisdom and insight 9. he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, 10. as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.




(The Letter of Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 1 verses 5 to 10)





Oh God, my Father I am always in gratitude towards You, who have lifted me up from the mire of my sins and gave me the dignity of being worthy to be called as one of Your Sons. I thank You for having paid the price of my adoption and redemption by means of Your merciful blood Amen.




11. In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, 12. so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory.




(The Letter of St Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 1 verses 11 to 12)




Oh God my Father the inheritance of heaven is more precious than all the material goods of the earth. I pray oh God my Father that our only aim in life is to live according to Your will and ways so that we will be worthy of appearing in Your presence, Amen.




13. In him you also when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; 14. this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God's own people, to the praise of his glory.




(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 1 verses 13 to 14)




Oh God, my Father I pray that the mark of the Holy Spirit will never wear off, but will remain there forever so that it can never be replaced by the mark of the evil spirit, the beast of the apocalypse or the mark of the world Amen.



15. I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason 16. I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers.




(The Letter of  St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 1 verses 15 to 16)




Oh God my Father, we cannot risk to be hypocrites and state that we love You and not our neighbour or our relatives, or those who have wronged us or else our faith will be shaky because it goes against what You told us Yourself that we cannot say we believe in You and hate our neighbour. Amen.




17. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, 18. so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, 19. and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power.



(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 1 verses 17 to 19)


Oh God, my Father I pray that You make positive people out of us, who have a strong inclination for life and not death, for the good and not for evil, to do Your will and not the will of the self or o of the world. My You continue to enlighten us to pursue Your will and not be in favour of issues such as Euthanasia or divorce, even if the situation appears to be hopeless. May we keep our focus on You the God of love and everlasting hope Amen.



20. God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21. far above all rule and authority and power and domination, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. 22. And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, 23. which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.




(The Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 1 verses 20 to 23)




Oh God, my Father how great is Your Name majesty, love and power! As You have always said and I totally believe, all creation finds its roots, its existence in You as Master Creator. You have been given Supreme Authority to rule over the world, even though this kingdom seems to be invisible, however like the yeast in the dough it is always active. You never stop working in our lives and in the life of the Church which is Your extension on earth. Although You do not have hands, You have ours, and likewise feet, therefore let us be driven by the power of the Holy Spirit and be instruments in Your hand Amen.



Therefore let us join in the following song and prayer by clicking on the following link:-


How great is Your Name




Oh God my Father I would like to end this chapter with the following prayer:-



Oh God my Father, blessed be Your Name forever and ever, Your are worthy of being given praise, worship and adoration for in the heavens and on earth there is and there will be nobody else like You. You are God my Father, Master Creator, God of love, justice  and mercy. There is none like You. I am proud to call You my Father Amen. I thank You for accepting me as I am with all my sins and clumsiness and imperfections Amen.