David Swift

Ephesians 3:1-13
For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—

2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. 4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 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. 6 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.

7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. 8 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, 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. 10 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, 11 according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. 13 I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.

Reflection:
Just like the time we stood on the playground hoping to get selected by the team captain, we all want to be part of the “team.” For the longest time, those who were not Jewish were seen as the outsiders to God’s grace. Paul’s writing is a proclamation to the church at Ephesus that they are no longer different in the eyes of God, but equals who can share in the mysteries of Christ.  The amazing thing is, this doesn’t only apply to the Gentiles and Jews. It means there are no spiritual, ethnic, gender, age, or economic barriers in the church. We are all believers that have one Lord, one faith, and one baptism.

This awe-inspiring revelation—that God has put us all on the same team—was the centerpiece of Paul’s ministry as an apostle to the Gentiles. Paul first reminds the Ephesians that he is a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of the Gentiles, on their behalf. Many of Paul’s critics opposed his dedication to opening the doors to the Christian community to the Gentiles — a mission that even the suffering of imprisonment could not deter. Paul shows us something crucial here: being on God’s team is not about the glory but the sacrifice. 

Christ gave Paul the duty to care for the gospel and to ensure that it stayed pure and true.  All of us are called to be “servants of the gospel by the gift of God’s grace.”  Yes, we have been given a spot on the team, and that spot on the team comes with an ask: to be good stewards of God’s inclusive grace for the sake of others. 

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I am thankful that you chose me and through Christ I can do my part of proclaiming the gospel knowing I need never lose heart.  Please continue to pour your Holy Spirit into me and help me to maintain my duty to care for the gospel in our my circles, but to minister to all the “Gentiles” who have not heard the good news. Amen.