Eph 3 — The Mystery of the Gospel Revealed
Thoughts about serving others
This link includes a list of posts about Serving the Least, the Lost, and the Lonely.
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Let the Word evoke words. May your life encourage lives.
The Gospel, the Good News, is this: Christ died for all that we might be saved through faith in him alone. This mystery “was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets” (Ephesians 3:5). This fantastic news came to the world through Christ and literally changed the course of history. We are “heirs together with Israel…sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus” (3:6).
Paul was chosen to “preach to the Gentiles” (3:8), but this is not how Paul’s life began. He was a Pharisee, one highly educated in the ways of Judaism. He was a rising star in the world of Levitical priests, but Jesus appeared to him and changed him from one teaching the law to one spreading the Gospel to, of all people, the Gentiles. Paul mentions this many times because it is significant. From his perspective, everyone would have looked at the Jews as those who were highly favored, filled with the riches God had poured out on them. For years, he would have studied and learned how to perform the rituals of faith and how special it was to even consider entering the holy of holies. Now, “according to God’s eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” (3:11-12). Paul is trying to emphasize that this is a BIG deal, an honor and privilege to be earned by most rights, but ours for the keeping by simply professing our faith in Jesus.
Lord I pray along with Paul, that we “may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ” (3:18). May we all get a glimpse of your overwhelming, indescribable gift so freely offered. May we understand how significant this really is for the world in which we live. Lord please don’t let us take this for granted and don’t let us hold on to it selfishly. Help us to give it away as often as possible!