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Chapter 1
This letter comes from the Mission H.Q. of Paul [see footnote 2], appointed
by God as a special representative of Jesus, God's Chosen. It is for
communities loyal to Jesus. May you know God's goodness and love, and the
peace that comes from accepting God as our Parent, and Jesus as our Leader.
What a wonderful God we have, the Parent of Jesus our Leader. The God who
planned long ago that we should share the goodness and love of Jesus, now
gives even more! We can join God's family as sisters and brothers of Jesus.
Our hearts jump for joy at this relationship of love, which God enters so
freely, and with so much pleasure.
Jesus died to set us free, overlooking our wrongdoing at the same time. What
generosity! What love! In one brilliant stroke God revealed the plan. God's
Chosen would become, at the right moment, the one to bring everything in the
universe together. Suddenly our lives took on a new significance, as we saw
ourselves part of the plan.
We are strong in our support of Jesus, because we were the first to realise
that the future depends on him. And you, like us, have made have made a firm
response. The moment you heard the truth, the good news of a better life,
you put your trust in Jesus and received God's Spirit. She's the guarantee
of our freedom as God's people. Let's show God our appreciation!
(15) I've heard of the way you've put your trust in Jesus, The Leader, and
the love you show one another, as members of the Christian community. I
thank God for you over and over again, and ask for you to be given sight and
understanding, to discover for yourselves the loving and beautiful God Jesus
portrayed. Let your hearts be torches to light the way ahead. The future is
full of hope; there's a store of good things waiting for God's people;
unlimited resources for those who trust. God has given us a demonstration by
bringing Jesus back to life, giving him the key role in the universe. No
power or force can touch him. He is the greatest, now and for all time! God
has given him the last word in everything, and he's the one Christians must
look to for guidance. With Jesus as head, the Christian community carries on
his work. The universe is full of him, so Christians should be full of him
too.
Chapter 2
At one time you were so selfish, you were as good as dead. You went with the
crowd and blindly accepted popular prejudices. Those who won't listen to God
still carry on like that. There was no difference between us and them before
we became Christians. We did whatever we fancied, using other people for our
own ends. We made no effort to control our temper. The God who is all love
took pity on us, and gave our lives meaning and purpose as friends of Jesus.
God healed us by loving us. Now, with Jesus, we're highly valued and have
everything to look forward to.
Yes, you've been healed, by putting your trust in the loving goodness of
God. You did nothing to deserve it. It was God's gift. If we could bring
about our own healing by performing a series of tasks, we would be sure to
get big-headed. We are what we are today because of God. We are designed to
be helpful people, like Jesus. That has always been God's idea for us.
(11) By accident of birth some of you were regarded as 'outsiders' by those
who think of themselves as 'insiders'. You remember how painful it is to be
looked on in that way. You were thought incapable of a relationship with
God's Chosen. You were considered something alien, not included in God's
promises or plans. You were shunned as hopeless and Godless. Jesus has
changed all that. By dying for you he moved you from far outside into the
middle. Jesus makes peace between different types of people. He's broken
down the barriers and made enemies into friends. We're all one family now.
He scrapped the rule book with all its do's and don'ts, and turned a divided
humanity into a united one. Peace has become a reality. As people become
friends with one another, so together they are friends with God. The death
of Jesus was the signal for all fighting to come to an end. Jesus came on a
peace mission. He spoke to insiders and outsiders. Now we can all come close
to the Loving God through the same Spirit. None of you should think of
yourselves as outsiders, excluded or banned. You're citizens of God's New
World like the rest of God's people. You're all members of God's family.
You're helping to build a community on the same basis as the very first
Christians. Jesus is our basis. He's our model and example. The work
continues from the start he made. Since Jesus is in charge of operations,
it's going to be a very exciting venture. You're going to be a community of
fine people with God at your heart.
Chapter 3
This is a testimony from Paul himself, in prison for being a friend of
Jesus, and for taking a stand against prejudice.
God gave me a special care for those excluded on racial grounds. How that
came about is well known and I've written about it before. If you've read my
letters, you'll know about my insight into the mind of Jesus. In the past,
people were not aware of the truth which God's Spirit has recently made
known to Christian leaders. The truth is quite simply this: God's promises
are for every race; all are members of God's family; all can share God's
gifts. That's the Good News of Jesus! I've passed it on with the help of
God.
I may not be much of a Christian, but God has chosen me to tell people of
all races the wonderful things Jesus has on offer. I have to explain to
everyone the long-term plans of God, the one who brought everything into
being. We're forming a community to reflect the variety of thought and
culture God has inspired. It will impress all those in authority. Jesus,
God's Chosen, our Leader, has put God's ideas into operation. We can become
friends of God by trusting Jesus. We've nothing to be afraid of. So don't be
too upset because my work for you has got me into trouble. It's all in your
best interests.
My experiences have brought me close to the Loving God, the Parent of every
race. I share with God my ambition for you. Let yourselves be influenced by
the rich variety of God's glorious creation, and you will develop true
strength of character. God's Spirit will be your driving force. Trust in
Jesus and he'll make your hearts his home. Love must shape your attitude to
everything. Seek unity with all God's people, no matter what their culture.
You'll find that the love of Jesus has no limits. You can't make that
discovery by mouthing slick formulas, or by believing you're superior. [see
footnote 3] To be full of God ,you must be full of love.
Being full of God means energy to do things beyond our wildest dreams. Let's
work together to make God famous. Let's advertise the name of Jesus from one
age to another, non-stop, forever.
Chapter 4
This is what Paul, a prisoner for Jesus, wants to impress upon you. Behave
like Christians every moment of your lives, always modest, always kind and
always patient. Love means trying to understand other people's point of
view. Stay together, despite your differences. Be led by the Spirit. She
creates harmony from variety. We all belong to one community; we rely on the
same Spirit; we share a hope that gives us courage to go forward. We have
one Leader; he alone has our trust. All in the community have equal status.
The one and only God cares for every living being like a parent. God is
distinct from anything else, and involved with everything at the same time.
(7) Jesus, God's Chosen, has shared out among us different aspects of his
loving goodness. It's like the song about the victorious king returning to
his capital city.
To loudest cheers
He freedom brings;
Scattering gifts,
Kindest of kings.
(This song is about a dramatic reversal of fortunes. The king's triumph is
all the more striking because it follows his humiliation. This reminds us of
what happened to Jesus on earth and his appointment afterwards to the
highest position in the universe.)
So the different parts each of us play in our Christian community are gifts
from Jesus. He gave his first friends the task of handing on his message;
then came other people able to speak for him; some travel from place to
place taking the good news; others use their talents as leaders and trainers
in local groups. They're all working to the same end. They want to see every
Christian engaged in work that will benefit the whole community. We need
that sense of moving forward together, discovering together more about God's
True Likeness, growing together to become completely like Jesus. We need to
grow up, or we'll get thrown off course by those who employ techniques to
control our minds and confuse us with false ideas. By cultivating the
honesty that springs from love, we mature to become like Jesus, our model.
Love produces unity where all talents are fully used in the service of all.
(17) Here is some strong advice from The Leader. Now that you are
Christians, you must not live like those whose manner of life is
un-Christian, without any guiding principle. Such people have no idea where
they're going, and because they don't want to know, they don't give God a
chance to change their lives. They have no feelings, do whatever they fancy
from moment to moment, and engage in every kind of shady practice. You know
very well, that's not the way Jesus lived. Remember the things you were told
about him? You were taught to look to him as your example. That means a
complete change of life-style. You must get rid of your old selfish habits.
No more letting your cravings get the better of you. There must be a fresh
way of looking at things. Put on the new suit of clothes God has made for
you, then you'll stand out as people of character. You must be those whose
words can be trusted by everyone, and you need to have a social conscience.
It may be right to be angry on behalf of others. But make sure your anger
doesn't turn to bitterness. Calm down before you go to bed at night. Don't
be caught off guard. No more thieving. Do a decent job of work, and use some
of your earnings to care for those less fortunate. If you can't say anything
helpful, keep your mouth shut. What you have to say should always make
people feel better. Learn to appreciate what's good and beautiful. God's
Spirit is opening a new world for you. Don't make her sad by showing no
interest. Get rid of all your negative feelings. Don't set out to cause an
argument, and don't gossip or run other people down. Be kind and
sympathetic. Jesus has shown how God accepts us despite our faults. We
should display the same generosity to one another.
Chapter 5
Just as children copy their parents, you must copy God. That means living a
life of love, like Jesus. He put our needs before his own. His life was
beautiful in our eyes and in God's. It should be far from your thoughts to
grab all you can, hatch plots or indulge in frivolous relationships. That's
not how God's people behave. You must watch your language and not say
anything offensive or thoughtless. Use your mouths to pay compliments.
No-one who behaves irresponsibly, no-one who is downright dishonest or
hooked on material things, has any place in the New World which belongs to
Jesus and God.
Don't get caught by clever sales-talk. God doesn't tolerate those who engage
in deliberate wickedness. Make sure you don't help such people. There was a
time when you didn't know any better, but now the Leader has made everything
clear. Let your principles control your behaviour. You should be marked out
as people who are good, dependable and honest. Use your imagination to work
out what the Leader would want you to do. Don’t have anything to do with
doubtful practices. Some things that go on behind closed doors are too bad
even to mention. Those who think no-one can see what they're up to will get
a shock when the lights come on. Think of the words of the song we sing,
'Wake up time!
Rise and shine!
Jesus, like the sun, has risen!"
So keep your wits about you. Make good use of your time. These are not the
best days to be alive. Don't act the fool. Follow the Leader. Watch the
drink, it can destroy. God's Spirit is all you need by way of stimulation.
When you sing your hymns, songs and choruses for the Leader, put your hearts
into it. Make every occasion the chance to say 'thankyou' to God for
everything we have by means of Jesus, our Leader, God's Chosen.
(21) Giving way to the Leader means giving way to one another. This includes
those in committed relationships. Your consideration for your partner should
reflect your consideration for the Leader. Because they have a physical
relationship, husband and wife should act together as one person, just as
the Christian community acts together because it represents the body of
Jesus, the source of our life and health. Just as the Christian community
consults Jesus, so you should consult your partner before deciding anything.
Partners should love one another in the same way that Jesus loves all his
friends. Jesus gave his life for those he loved, to make them into a special
community, bright and clean, the bearer of a vital message. Jesus is out to
make beautiful people with no unpleasant side to them. By loving one another
as much as they love themselves, partners will encourage each other to be
attractive. Loving your partner is a way of loving yourself. We should never
hate our own bodies. We should look after them and see they're well fed.
Jesus looks after us. We're his body. When someone leaves their parents for
a relationship with someone else, they form a new bond. It's as if they
become one body. No-one quite knows how it happens. It's the same with Jesus
and his friends. So partners should love and respect one another as much as
they love and respect their own self.
Chapter 6
Young people, you should follow the advice given you by your parents, based
on the teachings of the Leader. Don't forget, the first rule in the old
books that comes with a promise, is the one that asks you to respect those
who look after you. If you keep that rule, you're promised a long and happy
life.
Parents, you should be careful not to irritate your children. You should
hand on to them the teachings of the Leader by word, and by example.
Those of you who work for other people should be respectful to your
employers and carry out their instructions. You should work with enthusiasm,
as if you were working for Jesus. Don't just do a good job when you're being
watched, so as to create a good impression. Friends of Jesus do their best
for God whether anyone is looking or not. Put your back into whatever you
do. It's the Leader you have to answer to, not anyone else. At the end of
the day it's the Leader who'll pay your wages, whether you're a worker or on
the board of directors.
If you have people working for you, make sure they feel happy and secure. We
all have the same boss, one who doesn't recognize rank or class.
(10) Stay close to the Leader and he'll restore your energies again and
again. Let God equip you for life's adventure. Then you'll stand up to
everything that gets thrown at you. You're going to meet challenges that
need more than human resources. With God's survival kit you'll pull through
however tough the conditions.
At the ready then! Honesty is your belt, good relations your weather-proofs,
peace your hiking boots. Trust is your first-aid pack in case of accidents.
The Spirit will provide a protective hard hat, a handy knife, and a map with
God's directions.
Whenever you talk with God, seek the help of the Spirit. Be bold, and use
your imagination. Keep your mind fresh, and always have a list of all those
Christians needing special mention. I hope you'll mention my name to God.
When I pass on the Good News, I need to find the right words and overcome my
nerves. I'm doing time in prison right now for telling people the Good News.
But it's got to be done. Ask God to give me the guts.
(21) Lucky will give you all the latest news about me. He's a dear friend
and works hard for the Leader. I'm sending him specially, to tell you how we
all are. I'm sure he'll cheer you up.
Be at ease with one another. Trust to the life of love, with the help of the
Loving God and The Leader, Jesus, God's Chosen. As long as your love for
Jesus lasts, you'll experience what love can do.
Footnote 1
There is wide agreement that this letter,
traditionally known as ‘the letter to the Ephesians’ was not intended for
Ephesus. The address ‘to the Christians in Ephesus’ does not appear in all
the manuscripts. It may be the letter to Banktown (Laodicea) mentioned in
the letter to Quaketown (Colossians), and/or a circular letter intended for
the Christian communities in Asia Minor (modern Turkey)
Footnote 2 1:1 Paul’s
authorship of Ephesians is doubted by many scholars, mainly on grounds of
language. It should be remembered that Paul rarely put pen to paper himself,
except to sign his signature, sometimes with a few personal comments. He
possessed a team of scribes to do his writing for him. These were well
versed in his theology, knew his mind, and after receiving instructions from
Paul as to content would likely have had considerable freedom of expression.
They may have continued writing letters in his name after his death,
confident that Paul wished them to continue spreading his teaching.
Footnote 3 3:18 Traditional translation ‘…the love of God which
passes knowledge.’ Knowledge (Greek ‘gnosis’) does not just stand for
‘knowing things’, but for the philosophy of ‘gnosticism’, the idea that you
can know God by possession of insider knowledge.
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