Ephesians 1:20-23

²⁰ God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, ²¹ far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. ²² And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, ²³ which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Questions to Consider

• What does it mean for your life that the power God employed in raising Jesus from the dead (v. 20) is “for us who believe” (v. 19)? (Presumably “for us who believe” means something like “for our sake” or “on our behalf”…)
• Try drawing a diagram of the cosmos, based on the account given in Ephesians 1. Where is God? Where is Christ (trace his path through this passage)? Where are the authorities and powers? Where is the church? Where are you (is this one way to think about being “in Christ”)?
• For whom has the cosmos been reshaped? (v. 22)
• What rules, authorities, powers, dominions, and “names” shape your life and your world? What does it mean for your life that Christ is seated far above all of these, that they are situated under His feet?
• What does it means that the church is the body of Christ and His “fullness,” especially given that He fills all and is over all?

Possibilities for Prayer

Let’s reflect before God: What names we are tempted to put above Jesus’ name? What powers are we tempted to trust more than His? Let’s lay these down and ask that Jesus, indeed, have authority over all of them for us.