Jesus

In past generations it was not made known to mankind, as the Spirit is now revealing it to his emissaries and prophets,

that in union with the Messiah and through the Good News the Gentiles were to be joint heirs, a joint body and joint sharers with the Jews in what God has promised.

To me, the least important of all God’s holy people, was given this privilege of announcing to the Gentiles the Good News of the Messiah’s unfathomable riches,

and of letting everyone see how this secret plan is going to work out. This plan, kept hidden for ages by God, the Creator of everything,

This accords with God’s age-old purpose, accomplished in the Messiah Yeshua, our Lord.

In union with him, through his faithfulness, we have boldness and confidence when we approach God.

For this reason, I fall on my knees before the Father,

I pray that from the treasures of his glory he will empower you with inner strength by his Spirit,

so that the Messiah may live in your hearts through your trusting. Also I pray that you will be rooted and founded in love,

yes, to know it, even though it is beyond all knowing, so that you will be filled with all the fullness of God.

Now to him who by his power working in us is able to do far beyond anything we can ask or imagine,

to him be glory in the Messianic Community and in the Messiah Yeshua from generation to generation forever. Amen.

Therefore I, the prisoner united with the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called.

And there is one Lord, one trust, one immersion,

Each one of us, however, has been given grace to be measured by the Messiah’s bounty.

This is why it says, “After he went up into the heights, he led captivity captive and he gave gifts to mankind.”

Now this phrase, “he went up,” what can it mean if not that he first went down into the lower parts, that is, the earth?

The one who went down is himself the one who also went up, far above all of heaven, in order to fill all things.

Furthermore, he gave some people as emissaries, some as prophets, some as proclaimers of the Good News, and some as shepherds and teachers.

Their task is to equip God’s people for the work of service that builds the body of the Messiah,

until we all arrive at the unity implied by trusting and knowing the Son of God, at full manhood, at the standard of maturity set by the Messiah’s perfection.

Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in every respect grow up into him who is the head, the Messiah.

Therefore I say this — indeed, in union with the Lord I insist on it: do not live any longer as the pagans live, with their sterile ways of thinking.

But this is not the lesson you learned from the Messiah!

If you really listened to him and were instructed about him, then you learned that since what is in Yeshua is truth,