Ephesians 3:8-13

8: To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ,
9: and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things;
10: so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.
11: This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord,
12: in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him.
13: Therefore I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf, for they are your glory.

*** 

Paul revealed his humble attitude concerning his call, calling himself the very least of all saints. He had to defend his apostleship at times, not out of arrogance, but out of aligning with the truth of God’s call on his life. We all have a place in the body, and humility does not mean we deny that place, or make light of it, but we walk in it by the grace He’s given us. We accept that place, whatever it might be. It’s a gift, and nothing we can boast about anyway. The grace Paul was given was to preach the gospel of Christ, the unfathomable riches of Christ, to the Gentiles, to bring to light the mystery which was hidden.

This mystery, and the administration of it, as we’ve seen, was the inclusion of the Gentiles, united with the Jews in Christ. Looking back, one can see evidence of this plan of God throughout Old Testament Scripture, yet it remained a mystery until after Jesus died and rose again. As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2:8, the wisdom he spoke in a mystery, was the hidden wisdom which none of the rulers of this age understood, for if they had, they wouldn’t have crucified the Lord.

The administration of this mystery will cause the manifold wisdom of God to be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. In Ephesians 6:12 Paul described the struggle against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. There is a spiritual battle in the heavenlies between good and evil, the angelic and demonic, and the church has a part to play in that. We will reveal the wisdom of God to those in the heavenly realm, and we will put on the full armor of God ourselves as he describes later.

This is all in alignment with God’s plan carried out in Christ Jesus. Through Him, and faith in Him, we have bold and confident access to the throne room of God (Hebrews 4:16). So Paul asked, because of all this, that they not be concerned about all he suffered as a result of preaching the gospel to them. What he had done had resulted in the furthering of their faith, and that was something to rejoice about.

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