Ephesians 3:1-13 – I love how this entire passage is sort of an aside. Paul starts in verse 1 “For this reason I, Paul, ..” and then interrupts himself a few words later in verse 2 ” – assuming that you have heard of …”. He picks it back up again in verse 14 “For this reason I …”
\nThe aside is simply to reiterate to these gentiles that God was watching out for them. So much so that he picked out Paul specifically to preach to them. God gave Paul, and the other apostles, access to a profound mystery. Not any of the mysteries that you and I would think of – what is the trinity, how was Jesus God and Man, how are we reborn at baptism. This “mystery of Christ” was “that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” Doesn’t sound to mysterious to you and I, does it? In fact, we take this truth for granted, but in that culture I suspect it would be profound. It had been for centuries, Gods people and the rest, the Jews and the Gentiles. This separation was right and proper and God ordained. How could it be that these two could be made one? Only God could do o and he did in Christ, giving both the same inheritance.
\nWhat’s really cool is in Ephesians 3:9-10, that the church would make known the power of reconciliation. That we would “bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known …” (ESV) Not only the intangible reconciliation of God to man, but the very real, visible and touchable reconciliation of Jew and Gentile. At the foot of the cross Jew and Gentile are one.
\nPerhaps the church today can do this same thing, revealing the reconciliation of God in our own fellowships. Can we bring the instrumental and non-instrumental together? How about the ICOC and the ‘mainline’? Are we not all “fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel”?
\nPaul goes on and makes his point in Ephesians 3:14-19, which is this. Don’t settle for a shallow gospel. He nearly begs God that the Ephesians would understand how grand this faith that they have is. He says it is rich, broad, long, high and deep and that it surpasses knowledge. Paul’s amazement with God and his love and his plan is obvious in this passage. It’s as if he’s saying “See it’s like this. No,no, that’s not good enough, it’s like THIS! No, I don’t think you understand it! It is so amazing! See, it’s like … ”
\nAfter all those superlatives, after nearly wearing himself out trying to get them to understand, Paul goes on in Ephesians 4:1 to call them to live “in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called”. What does that look like? Verses 2-3: Humility, gentleness, patience, bearing with one another, love and “eager to maintain the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace.” This is in the context of Paul’s continual reminder throughout the letter that God has made Jew and gentile one. Two who were separate and who did not understand or know each other. If God has gone to all this work to unite Jew and Gentile, shouldn’t they be eager to maintain it? Since they are different people with different histories and a history of division, what would it tale to maintain this unity that God had established through his Spirit? Just what Paul calls for: humility, gentleness, patience, bearing with one another, and love. You were tow, and now are one. Resist becoming two again, after all there is only one body, spirit, hope, Lord, faith, baptism and God.
\nIn Ephesians 4:11-16, Paul indirectly charges the leaders with the unending work of striving toward perfect unity. Each of us leaders have been established by God to equip the members for the work of ministry and build them up until we are mature, not subject to the schemes of men and doctrinal fads. “When each part is working properly, he says, the body as a whole will grow.
\nAs I read this, I feel as though we in the US are far to individual in our faith. Paul, as seen here, saw the the health, growth and maturity of the saints collectively, not individually. We tend to see our faith as a personal, individual thing. I think we deprive the Spirit of opportunities to work and our vision is shortsighted. Look at verses 15-16 in the ESV (emphasis added):<\/p>\n