Paradise Cafe Discussions - A Place For Bible Research And Christian Encouragement

Full Version: Sunday, September 6, 2009
You're currently viewing a stripped down version of our content. View the full version with proper formatting.
:love: Hello friends! Our sis wolfie's computer is giving her fits again. I'll have to do in the pinch. ;)

I chose a different scripture to highlight today, one that we read in our online Bible study Saturday - it strikes a note of importance for us all -


Ephesians 1
15 For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints,

16 do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers;

17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.

We should pray continuously for each other - lifting one another's needs up in our prayers to our most Holy God, that we all are blessed with His generous spirit of wisdom. And also giving sincere thanks to Him for the precious time He allows us to know and interact with other believers and lovers of Him and His Son.

Colossians 1
8 and he also informed us of your love in the Spirit.
9 For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
10 so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;
11 strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously
12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.
13 For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,
14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Another important feature of our prayers for each other is asking God's Spirit to be upon and guide those who love Him so that we all may "please Him in all respects".

Romans 1
7 to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world.
9 For God, whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of you,
10 always in my prayers making request, if perhaps now at last by the will of God I may succeed in coming to you.
11 For I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established;
12 that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other's faith, both yours and mine.

What an encouragement we can be to each other! And we know that all the praise for that fact belongs to God for bringing us together in His Son and our mutual love for them! All glory to God and Christ!

:heartbeat:With much love and thanksgiving for you ALL,
Your sister in faith,
Willa:heartbeat:

Willa Wrote:
Ephesians 1
15 For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints,

16 do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers;

17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.


We should pray continuously for each other - lifting one another's needs up in our prayers to our most Holy God, that we all are blessed with His generous spirit of wisdom. And also giving sincere thanks to Him for the precious time He allows us to know and interact with other believers and lovers of Him and His Son.

:heartbeat:With much love and thanksgiving for you ALL,
Your sister in faith,
Willa:heartbeat:[/color][/b]


Dear Willa, Justin pointed out something interesting a long time ago.
Ephesians 1:15
Check the NWT
15 That is why I also, since I have heard of the faith YOU have in the Lord Jesus and .......toward all the holy ones, NWT

and your love for all the saints. is missing

The word agape is missing in the WT text in the interlinear.
So the word love is missing in the main text.

How they managed this I don't know since the 1881 Westcott and Hort text has been revised regularly.

So does this make a difference?
Yes on two levels. Firstly according to the WT we are meant to put faith in the holy ones, rather than loving them, and secondly we then miss out on the understanding of Revelation 2:4
Nevertheless, I hold against you, that you have left the love you had at first. NWT.

So Ephesus was commended for its love and it was that which it had lost by the time of John writing Revelation.

vicky

Reference URL's