Obtaining Peace:
Ephesians
2:14-22 New International Version (NIV)
For he himself is our peace, who
has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of
hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law
with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new
humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and
in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put
to death their hostility. He came and preached
peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one
Spirit.
Consequently, you are no longer
foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also
members of his household, built on the
foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief
cornerstone. In him the whole building is
joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a
dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
Unbelievers or New Believers NIV Audio Bible, Dramatized
Ephesians
3 New
International Version (NIV)
God’s
Marvelous Plan for the Gentiles
For this reason I, Paul, the
prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles— Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace
that was given to me for you, that is, the
mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly.
In reading this, then, you will be able to understand
my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was
not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by
the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. This
mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members
together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
I became a servant of this gospel by
the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people,
this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of
Christ, and to make plain to everyone the
administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who
created all things. His intent was that now,
through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the
rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according
to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In him and through faith in him we may approach God with
freedom and confidence. I ask you, therefore,
not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.
Unbelievers or New Believers NIV Audio Bible, Dramatized
Ephesians
4 New
International Version (NIV)
Unity and
Maturity in the Body of Christ
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I
urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one
another in love. Make every effort to keep the
unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There
is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were
called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
one God and Father of all, who is over all and through
all and in all.
But to each one of us grace has been
given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he took many
captives and gave gifts to his people.”
(What does
“the ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly
regions? He who
descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to
fill the whole universe.) So Christ himself
gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,
to equip his people for works of service, so that the
body of Christ may be built up until we all
reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become
mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Then we will no longer be infants,
tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of
teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful
scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love,
we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head,
that is, Christ. From him the whole body,
joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself
up in love, as each part does its work.
Instructions
for Christian Living
So I tell you this, and insist on
it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the
futility of their thinking. They are darkened
in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the
ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over
to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of
greed.
That, however, is not the way of
life you learned when you heard about Christ
and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to
put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;
to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true
righteousness and holiness.
Therefore each of you must put off
falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one
body. “In your anger
do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a
foothold. Anyone who has been stealing must
steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands,
that they may have something to share with those in need.
Do not let any unwholesome talk
come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up
according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were
sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of
all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of
malice. Be kind and compassionate to one
another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Unbelievers or New Believers NIV Audio Bible, Dramatized
Ephesians
5 New
International Version (NIV)
Follow God’s example, therefore, as
dearly loved children and walk in the way of
love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering
and sacrifice to God.
But among you there must not be even
a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because
these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor
should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of
place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you
can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an
idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom
of Christ and of God.
Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of
such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them.
For you were once darkness, but now
you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness,
righteousness and truth) and find out what
pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the
fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in
secret. But everything
exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes
a light. This
is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
Be very
careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every
opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore
do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine,
which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from
the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in
the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Instructions
for Christian Households
Submit to one another out of
reverence for Christ.
Wives, submit yourselves to your
own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the
husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body,
of which he is the Savior. Now as the church
submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
Husbands, love your wives, just as
Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water
through the word, and to present her to himself
as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy
and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought
to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.
After all, no one ever hated
their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the
church— for we
are members of his body. “For this reason a man
will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will
become one flesh.” This is a profound
mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves
himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
Unbelievers or New Believers – NIV Audio Bible, Dramatized
In Jesus’ Name.
Amen.
Footnotes:
- Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. Purchased Product License 01/09/2015
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