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EPHESIANS - Be Filled With The Spirit
Meditations, Reflections, Prayer and Questions over the Epistel to the Ephesians
Part 2 - A doctrinal theology of the Apostle Paul so that Semitic and Greco-Roman church members might live together in peace (Ephesians 2:1 – 3:21)

A mysterious revelation for the Apostle Paul (Ephesians 3:1-7) Mission is God´s matter (Ephesians 3:8-13)


Ephesians 3:01-13
3:1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles – if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I wrote before in a few words, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel, of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power” (Eph. 3:1-7)

The revealed mystery

The Apostle Paul understood himself to be the prisoner of Christ Jesus, for he believed that nothing happened in his life of service apart from the plan and will of his covenant God. He trusted his God like a child, and was convinced that the predetermination of God was playing out in his life uninterruptedly. It was also clear to him that he would not have been assailed and assaulted by the Jews had he not been spreading the gospel of Christ´s sacrificial death and resurrection among the Gentiles. Thus he could declare to the Hellenistic Christians that he was only sitting in prison on account of them. Nevertheless, he was gladly willing to bear this burden as part of his divine mission and service.

On the other hand it had become clear to him that his message of salvation for the unclean nations represented no private philosophy stemming from his own self. Much more, a special revelation had been laid upon him wherein Jesus commissioned him to, following his witness to the Jews, go and proclaim the gospel to the Gentiles. “and He said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me” (Acts 26:15-18; see also Isaiah 42:6-7; 49:6; 60:3; Matt. 21:43; Luke 2:32).

Paul understood this commission to be the ministry and job description for the office which had been conferred upon him, the one who had been a previous persecutor of His church, as a special grace of his Lord. He was to bring the news of salvation to the despised and unclean nations.

Paul recognized an exciting mystery in the ministry charge that had been laid upon him, one that had long been hidden from most of the Jews and their prophets. This mystery was tightly connected to the person of Christ and His salvation. Following His death of atonement on the cross, a spiritual body was to be raised up to HIM in conjunction with the pouring out of the Holy Spirit. In this spiritual body all of His followers were to be incorporated, and no longer just the children of Jacob. Much more, this body would be composed of born-again people from all nations and tongues. The Gentiles had suddenly become, and unexpectedly on the part of the Jews, co-heirs of the glorious promises, bound up in the coming of the Messiah. This incredible privilege was understood by Paul to be a special announcement of God, His gospel, of which he had now become a servant of. For the carrying through and fulfilment of this charge, he further received the power of the Holy Spirit, along with various spiritual gifts, so that the riches and enabling of the grace of God would become visible in the ministry of Paul. He went on to fulfil his ministry charge with great faithfulness and effort. His prison stay amounted to nothing other than a merciless consequence of antichristian enemies opposing the gospel.

Mission is God´s matter (Eph. 3:8-13)

3:8 To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all people see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places” (Eph. 3:8-10).

Paul recognized that the eternal plan of salvation was a firm resolve of the living God, which was realized in the birth of Jesus, in His life, as well as in His death and resurrection. He comprehended that God dwelled and worked in Jesus (John 14:10-11; 2 Cor. 5:19-20), and that the Son of Mary was the long-awaited Messiah and the Lord of all lords. Through His work of redemption all believers – both among the Jews as among the Greeks – were freed from the wrath of God and His judgment. They received the right to worship the eternal God as their Father, as well as to love and serve Him. The plan of God´s salvation and its accomplishment in Jesus Christ gave to the world a completely new orientation. The age of free grace for everyone has not yet come to its end. Who is it that thanks the Holy Trinity for this?

With a very special goal, Paul went on to give to the saints in Ephesus an extensive description of the divine intention and its realization through Jesus Christ. He wanted to encourage them, lest they become tired and disheartened, should his stay in prison become long. In addition, their faith, which stood against that of the reigning colonial power of the Romans, needed strengthening. They needed to be prepared for the consequences this could bring.

Prayer: Father, we worship You, for you purposed, before all time and eternity, to also offer Your salvation to the godless nations. You fulfilled this plan of salvation in Your Son Jesus. Through His death You freed us from Your wrath and judgment. You have given us the privilege to love and serve You as our Father. Please let many from our community, in this age of Your grace, enter through the open door that leads to You. Let them become members of Your family. Amen.

Questions:

  1. What were the hidden mystery and the resolution of the almighty God?
  2. How did God carry through and realize His plan of salvation?

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