Ephesians 3:13

“Wherefore. ask that ye may not faint at my tribulations for you, which are your glory”

“Wherefore”: In view of all the blessings available to Christians, including the Christians in Ephesus. “I ask”: Paul could not keep Christians from fainting or giving up, rather all he can do is exhort them with great objective truths. “May not faint”: To become weary or give up (Galatians 6:9; 2 Corinthians 4:1; 2 Corinthians 4:16). “At my tribulations”: “I beg you not to be disheartened at the sufferings” (TCNT). “So please do not lose heart at what they are doing to me here” (Tay).

“Paul also had to encourage the Philippians (Ephesians 1:12-14 and Ephesians 2:17-18) and the Colossians (Ephesians 1:24) in regard to his imprisonment. Paul wants the Ephesian believers to see that imprisonment does not mean defeat” (Boles p. 253). “Paul's readers might have lost heart. They might have supposed that the cause of Christ was failing. His work seemed to have ended. The Gentile believers might well have been discouraged. The apostle reasoned otherwise. However, painful imprisonment and distress must argue. great cause; they must signify an enterprise worthy of such. price. Unless some great purpose was being accomplished the Master would not allow his servant to suffer such pain. It indicated the dignity of their position, the exalted character of their destiny, which was being secured at so great. cost” (Erdman p. 71).

“For you, which are your glory”: “For it does you honor” (Gspd). “They could feel honored that one who was accomplishing so divine. mission was suffering for them” (Erdman p. 71).

“Indeed, Paul was defending their full and unhindered access to blessings in Christ for which every Gentile should be grateful!” (Spiritual Sword Lectureship p. 69). “If Paul is willing to endure everything for his work's sake, that work must be great and valuable indeed; if God permitted Paul to endure so much as the consequence of his work, this showed God's own estimate of his work” (Lenski p. 488). As. result Paul informs these Gentile Christians that the very existence of his suffering should greatly encourage them, because God knew that every effort should be made in affirming the right of Gentiles to be saved. We are reminded here that the souls of Gentiles have great worth (Matthew 16:26). If we are to spread the message, we must be prepared to endure some suffering (2 Timothy 3:12; Acts 14:22). Erdman reminds us, “Suffering is ever involved in the enterprise of evangelizing the world. So it is in all great causes. The most priceless possessions of mankind have ever been secured by peril, toil, and pain. Opposition, difficulty, even apparent failure, are not reasons for abandoning. divinely appointed task” (pp. 71-72).

“If the church is central to God's purpose it must surely also be central to our lives. How dare we take lightly what God takes so seriously? How dare we push to the circumference what God has placed at the center? No, we shall seek to become responsible church members, active in some local manifestation of the universal church. We shall not be able to acquiesce in low standards which fall far short of the New Testament ideals for God's new society, whether mechanical, meaningless worship services, or fellowship which is icy cold and even spoiled by rivalries which make the Lord's Supper. farce, or such inward-looking isolationism as to turn the church into. ghetto which is indifferent to the outside world. If instead (like Paul) we keep before us the vision of God's new society as His family. His dwelling place, and His instrument in the world, then we shall constantly be seeking to make our church's worship more authentic, its fellowship more caring and its outreach more compassionate. In other words (like Paul again), we shall be ready to pray, to work and if necessary to suffer in order to turn the vision into. reality” (Stott pp. 129-130).