◄ What Does Ephesians 3:7 Mean? ►

Paul was commissioned to deliver a sacred secret to the believers at Ephesus, a mystery that had been hidden for ages and generations, but which was entrusted to him and other holy apostles of Christ's.

It was for the sake of this marvellous message of the Cross and the glorious truth that the gospel of Christ which was now opened to believing Gentiles as well as believing Jews, for which Paul was imprisoned. And this letter was written while he was incarcerated in a Roman dungeon, awaiting his trial.

In hindsight, we understand that God used the epistles that Paul wrote during his imprisonment to give us vital truths to explain the beautiful revelation that Gentile believers are united into one body with Jewish believers (the Church) by faith in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This was not a doctrine that the orthodox Jews of Pauls' day could accept. Indeed, much of the resistance to the glorious gospel that Paul proclaimed is even challenged today by those that find the teaching hard to accept and understand: that Gentile believers are equal in the sight of God with Jewish believers.

Nevertheless, Paul, the great rabbi of his time, who was steeped in orthodox, Jewish tradition from his early years, was made a minister of this vital truth.

Paul knew that he was not deserving of being given such a crucial and consequential commission. He admitted that he was not even worthy to be called an apostle because he had ruthlessly persecuted the Church of God, and yet he was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace, which was given to him by Christ Himself, according to the working of the Spirit's mighty power.

We too have been made ministers of this beautiful gospel of Christ as a gift of God's amazing grace, and He has given each one of us all that we need for life and godliness in this world in which we live, and in the world to come, life everlasting.

Heavenly Father, thank You that You reached down from heaven to touch my life, and brought me into the family of God by faith in Christ. Thank You for the work that You are doing in and through me. Thank You that all things are of God Who has reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation. May I be a worthy ambassador of Christ, ministering the gospel of grace to all You put in my path. In Jesus' name, AMEN.