Ephesians 3:1-21

Now I Paul am in bonds, the prisoner of the Christ, not of men, imprisoned for the sake of you, the Gentiles. I have once formerly written on this subject, and you have heard of it. I have explained the grace which God imparted peculiarly to me for your benefit, and the revelation made known to me about you. You have but to read what I then wrote to perceive my initiation into and my understanding of this infinite mystery of the Christ, not known to previous generations of men, but in this age spiritually revealed to his holy apostles and prophets. And what is this revelation? It is the absolute unity and fellowship, communion and joint inheritance of the Gentiles in the divine promises, which promises they obtain through the gospel in Christ Jesus. This gospel I serve because God gave it me, because His grace and His power wrought so wondrously in me — though I was less than the least of all the saints, yet was this grace given me — and I was appointed and sent forth to declare to the Gentiles the utterly inexpressible bounty, wealth and goodness of the Christ. Light came on them through me, light bursting through the veil of mystery which had so long hidden all this away from the sight of men, hidden it in God as an unrevealed secret. But my gospel brought it to light, and makes it known now through the church of the Gentiles and Jews to all authorities and powers in the heavenly places, declaring the purpose which He had from the beginning, and that which He intended before all time, and His infinitely powerful and capable wisdom in ordaining these things in Christ Jesus our Lord, for it is in him that we speak so boldly and clearly, it is in him that we are ever drawing nearer to God with such perfect confidence and faith. Since this is my appointment and office, have no fear at my imprisonment and my troubles, they are for your sake, they are your glory. Knowing all this, the infinite Father is approached by me continually in prayer for you — that Father who is the only cause and substance of all that produces, that Father that bears a father’s name in the spiritual as in the earthly realm, for there is no other fatherhood but His — to Him I make my prayer for you, for the strengthening of that man who is invisible within, for infinite power to be given you according to the wealth of his glory spiritually, for the Christ himself to inhabit your hearts by faith in love. I pray for those spiritual roots and foundations to be in you, whereby you are rendered capable of comprehending and embracing in one vision with all the saints the full dimensions of the Christ, his breadth, length, height and depth, and to understand the love of the Christ which goes far beyond all material comprehension, thus to reach that fullness and completeness reserved for you, and destined for you, as the fullness of God comes into view. Now to Him who is able to bring it all to pass by means and methods and in a measure utterly beyond our present power even to conceive or imagine — such is the eternal power now at work within us — to Him be glory in the church in Christ Jesus through all generations of men, and for ever and ever.