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Q4. (Ephesians 1:23) What does it mean for us Christians that Christ is "head over everything for the church"? What does this say about the Church's power? Christians constitute the Church of Jesus Christ. Consequently, Christ being "head over everything for the church" means that the Church of Jesus Christ is also the "head over everything". The church can excercise commensurate power, as Christ possesses, over all things just as Christ did and shall continue to excercise. This says that the Church has invested in her tremendous power to exercise in trust for Christ for the execution of the Will of the Most High God!

Q3. (Ephesians 2:6) From the standpoint of power, what is the significance of Paul's statement that "God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus...."? The significance of this statement is that believers are fellow partakers, as joint heirs with Christ, in the positional authority and incomparable power invested in Christ. Therefore, believers have authority over all the power of the kingdom of darkness, and nothing can by any means harm them. With this great understanding believers should operate victoriously in the physical world, for greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.

Q2. (Ephesians 1:20-22) The Ephesian Gentile Christians believed in various spirit beings that exercised power over them. What is the significance to them of Paul saying that Christ is seated at God's right hand in the heavenly realms? In what sense are these spirit beings and powers "under his feet"? The apostle Paul was communicating to them, using spiritual ideas they were very familier with from their pagan past, in a way they could readily grasp his message and come to the understanding that Christ also inhabits and operates in the spiritual realm but a much greater and higher authority and power than the spirits of darkness they had been accustomed to and associated with in their past before they came to Christ. The spirit beings and powers are "under his feet" in the sense that they (i.e. the spirits) are only allowed to occupy and operate in a spiritual dimension permitted them by God, at whose right-hand Christ is seated. Their powers are circumscribed and trumped by the omnipotence and omnipresence of the Most High God and Christ in ALL dimensions, spiritual or physical!!!!!!! Halleluyah.

Q4. Meditate on the titles "King of Glory" (Psalm 24:7-10) and "Father of glory" (Ephesians 1:17). What do they tell us about God? How should they affect our attitudes as we worship God? According to 2 Corinthians 3:18, how does God's glory come to fill our lives? Through these two passages in the Bible we come to understand that glory has something to do with a surpassingly great achievement secured in and by God who is also its sole authority, power and governor (arbiter). According to 2 Cor. 3:18 God's glory comes to fill our lives through Christ by he Holy Spirit as we are transformed and progressively sanctified in our walk with Him.

Q3. Meditate on the phrase "High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy...." (Isaiah 57:15, RSV). What do you learn about God from this phrase? How should this affect your outlook on life, your way of conducting yourself? High and Lofty One!!!!! It seems to me that the supremacy and greatness of God is raised another notch upwards (assuming this is possible!). The thought is sublime and attempts to invoke a sense of upliftment far beyond the limits of the universe. It is like going far into space in an attempt to plumb His elevation. This understanding should both fill us with awe and trembling before His majestic greatness in true adoration and worship of Him. At the same time, it comfort us in know that "for this God is our God" and nothting can by any means, hurt us!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Q2. Meditate on the title "Most High." What does it mean to you? How do you or will you incorporate it in your worship? To me the title "Most High" captures the essential positional imcomparability of God to any other thing in creation (or yet to be created), visible and invinsible. God is exalted far above the earth and heaven. He is above ALL powers, authorities, rulers, principalities! The concept of God the "Most High" can be incorporated in worship through prostration and extolling Him with praises.

Both Abraham and Melchizedek believed that God is the most exalted God and the owner and possessor of the Heaven and the Earth, i.e. all things created, visible and invincible.

Paul