Eph. 1:1-14 Absorb Us in Our Riches 

Eph. 1:1-2 A Rich Introduction part 1

Compel With Riches in the salute Of Paul v.1-2

Cultivate How To Be Rich In Service v.1          Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ    

Counsel How To Be Rich In Strategy                 by the will of God

Comprehend How We Are Rich In Standing  to the saints which are at Ephesus 

Confide How We Are Rich In Significance      and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:

Compel in The Richness Of Our Supply v.2     Grace be to you

Crown To Be Rich In Serenity                                and peace, from God our Father,

                                                                                            and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

In the interests of examining our untaxable assets I’m proposing a detailed examination in the balance draft in the letter to the Ephesians.  Paul being inspired to write this postal note or in our day it would be an email while in prison in the Roman Empire.  He’d lost a majority of his freedoms, he’d been impoverished in physical and relational possibilities but instead of allowing his perspective to focus on his physical poverty he meditates on his spiritual riches.  He’s writing not only to those in the first century but the Spirit of Christ through Paul is reaching out to everyone of us who will take the time to listen.

The Lord wants us to change our perspective from the physical to the spiritual.  He wants us to be absorbed in our riches spiritually.  We so easily get engrossed in our problems instead of our privileges, wrapped up and captivated by the predicament of a situation when we should we immersed in the possibilities and potential of every aspect in the state of our affairs.

My outline of Ephesians is written in the format of a prayer which I feel is the impact and spirit of the text.  The theme and intent of its message and content is a plea to revel in our riches relationally in Christ.

Poverty is a subjective term in that it varies from country to country in its definition of the quality of life being experienced.  Poverty in general refers to the condition of not having the means to afford basic human needs such as clean water, nutrition, health care,education, clothing and shelter.

Absolute poverty is destitution or total impoverishment, deprivation and inescapable misery.

Relative poverty is the condition of having fewer resources or less income than others within a society or country we find ourselves in.

Comparative poverty is falling below the averages materially of those we are around.  I’m defining physical poverty but what about spiritual poverty?  Are we living from moment to moment devoid of our spiritual riches in Christ?  Is our physical, psychological and emotional dynamic robbing us of our spiritual resources and reserves?  Are our losses and lacks in past relationships blinding and robbing us to the assets and possessions we have in an abundant relationship of unlimited connection and intimacy that we should be engaged in and savoring?  Are we captivated in a moment by moment fascination of our immersion in Christ or are we wallowing in a prison of wrong perspective and insecurity?

Compel With Riches in The salute Of Paul v.1-2

       Cultivate How To Be Rich In Service v.1        Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ  

The first two verses of Ephesians is Paul’s salute and is a respectful greeting a gesture of acknowledgement.  Paul knew the riches of his identity and he starts in his letter with that to cultivate in each of us how rich we are.  Apostle means messenger and the name Paul means small.  We are small and poor in ourselves but we have the richest message of all communication and that is a point that can be breathed in and enjoyed and displayed for we are of Jesus Christ, and we walk with Jesus Christ in us, through us and He is dispatching every situation around us.  We are serving a living intimately active savior and king whose desire is to fill us with His life every moment.  Our life responses are a living message, an apostleship of Jesus Christ in our life.  We’re small in ourselves but large in Christ.

Counsel How To Be Rich In Strategy by the will of God 

Being rich in strategy is the capacity of knowing the purposes and plans of God.  How many times in a day do we say I don’t know, how much do we get tangled in a web of disillusionment and defeat about our circumstances.  God has a will for us, a determination and force which can impel us on in His desires and purposes right now.  We don’t need to discover the will of God for in a sense His will is us having the right perspective and perception.  It’s a gathering in of all that we have and are in Him.  God has an individualized strategy for each of us and our outlook and angle should be to be enveloped in the riches of His tactics and approach.

Comprehend How We Are Rich In Standing      to the saints which are at Ephesus, 

Saint means set apart and every one of us have things we set apart and make special.  I have a couple of things I set apart and keep track of through the day.  One is my glasses as they are fragile and I need them to see, then my wallet which has my ID, bank card and a few dollars which allows me the ability to make some purchases.  Finally I keep a special eye on my cell phone and laptop which are sources of communication.  These are my set apart things and we are the Lords saints or set apart ones.  We are rich in this position or standing in the Lord, this set apart position, and we need to deepen in our comprehension of it.  It’s ridiculous to feel like rejects, losers and vagrant dismal beggers, and as if no one cares or likes us, for we are rich in the Lord’s feelings about us.

Confide How We Are Rich In Significance            and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:

We are rich in significance.  Who is important in the estimation of our culture, you know, the individuals of impact, substance and magnitude.  Our economy of value and the Lords assessment of importance and worth are two entirely different merit measurements.  God values faithfulness, those which are authentic to His word, accurate to His truth, devoted to His Spirit and loyal to Christ.  Faithful means dependable, trustworthy, committed and dedicated.  This is what develops us in being rich in significance.  It’s in our reliability and closeness to His word that we become and are made to be realistically significant in His personal qualities.

Compel in The Richness Of Our Supply v.2       Grace be to you

Grace is not some static feature.  Static means inactive, inert and motionless.  Grace is an active energization, an activator.  It’s the empowering force of God’s favor and supportive kindness.  Grace is the impelling ingredient of God’s active dynamic love.

Crown To Be Rich In Serenity  and peace, from God our Father,

                                                              and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

The end result of measuring through meditation the riches of our supply is that we feel the riches of our serenity.  We experience the growing measure of our peace from God as our Father and our peace from this intimate relationship in the Lord Jesus Christ.

In this introduction from Ephesians the Spirit of Christ through the apostle Paul gives us an encouraging greeting to drink in and imbibe our Riches.