Ephesians 3:2-12
Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which 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. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his 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. Ephesians 3:2-12 (NIV)
Paul tells us that he has been chosen to reveal the mystery of belief in Christ. “In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” (verse 12 above). Faith can be a difficult task for us gentiles and Jews. We must place faith in an unseen God who will help us. We Americans can be a difficult lot to deal with. Recent headlines in the Lincoln Journal Star (Dec. 18, 2024, p A7) state:” Poll: Trust in courts hits record low.” While trust and faith are not the same, they are very similar. As citizens we can observe what the courts are doing and decide if we trust their decisions. We cannot see Christ but must rely on the Bible and the teachings of our pastors to understand and develop faith in Christ and his unending love. For a bunch of skeptics, developing that faith can be and is hard. However, we trust many things we cannot directly see. How many of us placed Christmas cards in the mail believing that they would arrive at their intended destination? We communicate with friends and family sending messages thousands of miles away over a system that we cannot see and only partially understand. So, we do have the ability to trust the unseen when we can eventually observe success.
Paul is also telling us that the Gentiles and Jews are …”members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.” Christ has broken down the barrier between us (Ephesians 2: 11-18). We certainly have differences in the way we honor God, but many differences occur between groups of worshipers who are classed as Gentiles. This in essence says to me that the differences we observe between groups of worshippers should not keep us separate. In Christ’s eyes we are one.
Questions for Reflection:
- How do you strengthen your faith? Is believing in an unseen God difficult? How do you overcome that difficulty?
- Have you had specific occurrences in your life that help you believe that God is present?
- Do you accept people of other faiths and try to understand their connection to God?
Prayer:
Dear Lord, help me develop stronger faith in your ability to help me and others. Help us all put aside our petty differences and love each other as you love us. In Christ name I pray, Amen
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