Ephesians 3:1-13
Be Still: Holy Spirit, I breathe you in today. Fill my life with your presence. I want to be more like Jesus. Amen
Read: Ephesians 3:1-13
'...through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.’ (v.10)
Encounter: Our passage today talks a lot about the ‘mystery’ of Christ (vv4,6,9). There are some mysteries that are rooted in popular imagination. Perhaps the most notorious is the ‘Bermuda Triangle’ - a location somewhere between Florida, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico where not only ships but also planes have apparently vanished without trace. Theories range from freak weather to magnetic anomalies, to alien activity! Mysteries in our world are so-named because people can't get to the bottom of them – they can’t be understood.
In contrast, ironically, the all-powerful, eternal, and beyond our world entity – GOD – can now be known in the person of Christ Jesus! What an incredible thing! The ‘mystery’ of Christ is fully revealed by God the Father through the Spirit available to everyone (vv1-5,9).
For Paul, this revealing of the mystery happened in a very physical way on the road to Damascus (Acts 9.1-7). He says in our passage that previous generations (Moses, Abraham, the prophets) never fully understood the mystery. Yet, now, for us since Pentecost we have a full understanding of who Christ is and the absolutely mind-blowing extent of the salvation he brings. What a mystery to understand!
Our role as the church is now to make this mystery known (v.10). To proclaim the genius wisdom of God – what he has done in Jesus and in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. This is our mission, our calling, our purpose.
Apply: You have a mystery to share. Everyone around you, whether they know it or not, is seeking to understand why they are here, who made them, what is life about. We, the church, have the answer. How can you share about Jesus today?
Devote: Lord, use me to tell others how wonderful you are. Fill me with fresh power and faith that I may be someone who reveals to others the good, simple news, that Jesus is alive, that God loves them and that they are included in his salvation plan if they turn and follow Jesus.