Read Ephesians 3:1-13
This was not made known to people in other generations as it is now revealed to His apostles and prophets by the Spirit: The Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body and partners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. Ephesians 5-6 NIV.
The Mystery?
Paul, a prisoner of Christ, stops in the middle of his prayer to remind us that He’s been given a commission to reveal the mystery of God hidden in ages past. He preaches the truth about God’s Devine plan accomplished in Christ Jesus. This commission came on the day He first saw Christ on the road to Damascus. Paul was commissioned to spread the gospel truth:
Then I asked, “Who are you, Lord? I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” The Lord replied. “Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of Me. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.” Acts 26:15-18 NIV.
Paul obeyed the Lord, and we reap the blessings.
Unity
It is difficult for us today to grasp just how radical this message was. In the ancient world, segregation was complete. The Jews despised anyone who was not a Jew. They considered them worthless in the eyes of God and existed only to be annihilated. At best, they existed to be slaves.
Now, the truth is out.
No one would have dreamed that God’s privileges were for all people. The very existence of the multi-ethnic Church is a witness of God’s power to overthrow and overturn anyone sowing hatred and division.
Paul is a powerful emissary of God’s Devine plan for all humankind — God’s love is universal and salvation possible for all who believe.
Circumcised hearts versus circumcised bodies. Now, consecrated souls committed to Christ Jesus in Spirit and truth have equal access to God. Not just equal, but we can confidently enter into fellowship with Him. This is not something to be taken lightly — something unheard of in times past. The miracle within a miracle is a sinner in the presence of a Holy God.
This wisdom of God is revealed for all to see.
The gospel did not come to the Gentiles because the Jews rejected it. Salvation of the Gentiles was never an afterthought of God. He always desired to bring the whole world to Himself. It was His eternal design.
Unseen by human eyes, the mystery kept hidden for centuries, is now revealed. God reached down and caught us up into a vast and sprawling story of salvation and reconciliation. He who prepares a place for us prepares us for that place of eternity.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, “The one who is righteous will live by faith.” Romans 1:16-17 NIV.
Spiritual Blessings
The love, mercy, and grace of God is no longer limited to only the Jewish people. The manifold wisdom of God revealed in the spiritual blessings listed earlier in Ephesians:
- He chose us, in Christ, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless before Him in love.
- Our destiny shifted from death to life, and He made us new creatures — children of the living God: freely adopted and grafted into His dwelling place.
- According to the pleasure of His will, we are redeemed, reconciled, and kept safe in the with God life.
- God has graciously given us wisdom and insight into the mystery of God’s will — that in the fullness of time He will gather all things in heaven and earth unto Himself.
- Our inheritance — our destiny, is eternity with God and this is accomplished according to His counsel and good will. It is finished!
- In Him, we are marked with the Holy Spirit and kept safe. The redemption of God’s own people is sure, true, and perfect.
In Conclusion
So, in conclusion, the mystery of God was revealed to Paul. Now we are one in the Lord as a Church. The multi-faceted wisdom of God is made known – known to the rulers and authorities in the heavens.
I encourage you to remain in Him — rooted and firmly established in love. Like the moon to the sun, God’s manifold wisdom is reflected in you as you are firmly established in the Church. So continue in your faith and increase in the knowledge of the holy.
He makes all things possible — even a secure and sustained love relationship with Him in unity with all God’s people.
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