Forge Church

Paul takes a side journey in v. 2 after he begins to pray for the Gentile believers in v. 1 This parenthesis goes through verse 13. He wants the Gentile to know that he is imprisoned in Rome because of his ministry to them, but it is Jesus Christ who holds the key. Paul wants his new

Brothers and Sisters in Christ to understand that God planned their conversion before time began, planned the filling up of the Church with Jew and Gentile as well. And with those plans come great spiritual riches.

Paul continues to teach the Gentiles that though they were one far off from God, alienated from His revelation to the Jew, NOW through the blood of Christ, they are brought near, He, God Himself, has made a third race of Born-Again Jew and Gentile believers. He, by the blood of Jesus removed the dividing wall of bitterness and death between Jew and Gentile, and made those converts "living stones" in the new Temple that Holy Spirit is building to house the very presence of God.

Paul want to be sure the new believers in Asia Minor know where they came from before they came to Christ. It was spiritual death. Then he follows up with the power of God that raised them to life with Christ, and seated them with Him in the Heavenlies. Mercy opened the door, grace was a free gift, and faith (belief plus trust) drew that free gift into the spirits and souls of the new believers. Paul finishes with the reality that God created us with His workmanship, and set us on a path of good works in His Name.

Paul, in this section of Chapter 1, adds 3 prayers for the Brothers and Sisters who are to receive the circular letter, routed through Ephesus. He prays for them to have the eyes of their heart enlightened, that they discover the immense value that Father God places on them as His inheritance, and that they would be introduced to the awesome power of God that is extended on their behalf. That power resurrected Jesus from the grave, and set Him at the right hand of the Father, with authority over all.

In the first 14 verses, Paul celebrates his being made apostle to the Gentiles; he celebrates God's choosing us out before time began; he celebrates God's adoption of those he called out; he celebrates the redemption of all sinners who choose Jesus as Savior, and he celebrates the praise lifted to God.

This is an introduction to the life and city of the Ephesians, dominated by the temple of Artemis (or Diana). "Sacred prostitution, banking for the city, and being know as the protector of Ephesus, Artemis was a goddess whose temple was 4X the size of the Parthenon in Athens. Paul the Apostle came to proclaim the Risen Saviour to the Synagogues, and when rejected, he took over the School of Tyrranus to teach and disciple, reaching out too all of Asia Minor with the gospel message.

The LORD God had His prophet deliver the dire warning of "Yet 40 Days and Nineveh will be destoyed," but the people of the city repented of their wickedness and violence. The LORD God relented on His warning of destruction. Jonah was blazing angry, seeing God's hoice of mercy as evil. God asked Jonah if he had a right to be angry, and Jonah assured God that he was right in his hatred of the 120,000 souls in Nineveh. Jonah went out of the city and sat under a structure he built to watch for the fate of the City. The LORD appointed a plant, a worm, and a wind, all to get Jonah's attention.

Jonah obeys the LORD and goes to Nineveh to deliver God's message to the Assyrian city. One day's preaching results in the cities conviction for their wickedness and violence. They Assyrians set themself to fast and wear sackcloth, even the king.The cry from the city that had arisen before the LORD has changed, and He rescinds His judgment.

We begin this time with the LORD instructing the great fish to vomit up the prophet Jonah on dry land. Immediately following this, the LORD commissions Jonah to go the Ninevah, the second time. Then the Psalm of Jonah follows, cross referencing some 20 Psalms, but the prophet blames God for his circumstances. When he prays, he does not pray to the LORD in heaven, but to the Temple in Jerusalem, the only place he can conceive God's presence dwelling.

The prophet Jonah was commissioned to travel 550 miles to Ninevah, a mighty city in the Assyrian Empire, and proclaim to that city the coming judgment of Yahweh.Instead, Jonah fled to Joppa, chartered a ship, and went down into the hold as it departed for Tarshish, on the coast of Spain. A huge wind rose up and threatened to break the ship. The sailors cried out to their gods, threw the cargo overboard to lighten the ship, and finally desperately tried to row for the shore. Ultimately, they cried out to Jonah's God, Yahweh Elohim, before casting Jonah into the sea. The storm ceased immediately, and terrified the sailors.