Ephesians 3:5 Cross References

Ephesians 3:5

5: God did not reveal it to previous generations, but now he has revealed it by the Holy Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets.

I want you to remember and understand what the holy prophets said long ago and what our Lord and Savior commanded through your apostles.

But you, my dear friends, must remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ told you,

Peter told them, "You know it is against the Jewish laws for me to come into a Gentile home like this. But God has shown me that I should never think of anyone as impure.

We are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.

This letter is from Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ. I have been sent to bring faith to those God has chosen and to teach them to know the truth that shows them how to live godly lives.
This truth gives them the confidence of eternal life, which God promised them before the world began--and he cannot lie.
And now at the right time he has revealed this Good News, and we announce it to everyone. It is by the command of God our Savior that I have been trusted to do this work for him.

This salvation was something the prophets wanted to know more about. They prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you, even though they had many questions as to what it all could mean.
They wondered what the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when he told them in advance about Christ's suffering and his great glory afterward. They wondered when and to whom all this would happen.
They were told that these things would not happen during their lifetime, but many years later, during yours. And now this Good News has been announced by those who preached to you in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. It is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen.

But when the Father sends the Counselor as my representative--and by the Counselor I mean the Holy Spirit--he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I myself have told you.

I was chosen to explain to everyone this plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning.

Meanwhile, as Peter was puzzling over the vision, the Holy Spirit said to him, "Three men have come looking for you.
Go down and go with them without hesitation. All is well, for I have sent them."

Here is a list of some of the members that God has placed in the body of Christ: first are apostles, second are prophets, third are teachers, then those who do miracles, those who have the gift of healing, those who can help others, those who can get others to work together, those who speak in unknown languages.
Is everyone an apostle? Of course not. Is everyone a prophet? No. Are all teachers? Does everyone have the power to do miracles?

All of these people we have mentioned received God's approval because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised.
For God had far better things in mind for us that would also benefit them, for they can't receive the prize at the end of the race until we finish the race.

I assure you, many prophets and godly people have longed to see and hear what you have seen and heard, but they could not.

He is the one who gave these gifts to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.
Their responsibility is to equip God's people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ,

To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another he gives the gift of special knowledge.
The Spirit gives special faith to another, and to someone else he gives the power to heal the sick.
He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and to another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to know whether it is really the Spirit of God or another spirit that is speaking. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, and another is given the ability to interpret what is being said.

And now he has made all of this plain to us by the coming of Christ Jesus, our Savior, who broke the power of death and showed us the way to everlasting life through the Good News.
And God chose me to be a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of this Good News.

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not be presenting his own ideas; he will be telling you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.

I will send you prophets and wise men and teachers of religious law. You will kill some by crucifixion and whip others in your synagogues, chasing them from city to city.

God is able to make you strong, just as the Good News says. It is the message about Jesus Christ and his plan for you Gentiles, a plan kept secret from the beginning of time.

This is what God in his wisdom said about you: 'I will send prophets and apostles to them, and they will kill some and persecute the others.'

The Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord's Messiah.
That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required,

I tell you, many prophets and kings have longed to see and hear what you have seen and heard, but they could not."

Home