Divine Conspiracy

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Ephesians 3:1-13

And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus.

Ephesians‬ ‭3:6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Introduction

▪    Some insights from the previous lessons:

1.    We are fellow heirs with Christ, inheritors of spiritual blessings from God
2.    Those who were once “far off” are now “made near” by the blood of Christ – Eph 2:13
3.    We are also “fellow citizens with the saints”, “members of the household of God”, “a holy temple in the Lord, a habitation of God in the Spirit”

▪    Stop and consider for a while, if you knew before that you were this blessed, and how privileged we are to be all these things and more.

1. Receiving God’s eternal plan

  • Opening story: ask them if they read and enjoyed the Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys series before, or even Agatha Christie novels.  Relate this to the (unfortunate) popularity of blind items in showbiz talk.  Ask them to define what a mystery is.
  • Paul talks about a “mystery” that has been revealed to him, and which he is now imparting to his listeners.
    • This is called a mystery not because it is impossible to understand but because it was once hidden, and is now revealed, we already know the “ending”.
    • The mystery now revealed is that the “Gentiles”, who for ages were not included in God’s special dealings with the Israelites could now become part of God’s spiritual family and heirs to the wonderful blessings that God makes available through Jesus Christ.
  • It is important to note that we come to know of this mystery not through direct revelation, as what happened to Paul. But through the reading of God’s Word.
    • We are fortunate enough to have the Bible as a life manual.
    • The Word of God is understandable if we take the time to absorb it, and have faith in it.
  • As “apostle to the Gentiles”, Paul’s task was:
    • To preach the unsearchable riches of Christ (v. 8)
    • To make all the people see what is the fellowship of the mystery (v. 9)

For pre-believers: Do you have a general plan for your life that you follow?  Do you know that God has a plan for your life?
For believers: Do you make sure that the path that you take in life is in line with God’s plan as you understand it?

2. Being grateful to implement God’s plan

  • One sure interpretation of God’s plan is the inclusion of His people into His Church.
    • He created us and wants us to belong to His family, embodied in this world as a church.
    • The whole church, as the “pillar and ground of the truth” is involved in proclaiming the wisdom of God.
    • Its very existence, as well as the messages it teaches, proves the significance of God’s plan.
  • Making knows the wisdom of God “by the Church” was part of God’s eternal purpose.
    • The Church was not an afterthought, but part of God’s plan for eternity.
    • From the beginning, it was to play an important role in God’s scheme of redemption for mankind.
    • This is an important verse because it clearly indicates that the Church did not just come about because there was a need for it (i.e. the people needed to be organized into some sort of structure), rather it is instituted by God Himself.

For pre-believers: Do you have any deep-seated understanding of what the church really is all about, whatever church it is you attended before, if any?
For believers: Try to list down the opinions you have about the church you belong to right now.  What are the best things you like about it?  What areas are you still unclear about, or you still question?

3. Doing whatever it takes to apply God’s plan

  • In the first verse, Paul used the phrase “prisoner of Christ Jesus”.
    • This shows his inspiring humility, as well as his total obedience and dedication to God, in that even though he is going through trials in carrying out his good work, he is not calling out to people to take pity on him.
    • Paul considers that all he endured is just part of the wonderful grace that God had shown to him.
    • So that even through trials, he is still pushing through and carrying on.
  • In the last verse, Paul acknowledged that yes he is suffering, but even that is something that is sanctioned by God, for the eventual glory of the Gentiles.
  • We too should have such boldness and audacity in our serving, confidently placing our full trust in the Lord as we fulfil our duties in serving Him.
    • We should trust that He will enrich, enable, and empower us
    • We should consider that even the trials and seemingly insurmountable situations that we might be in are given to us by God, maybe for teaching or rebuking, or maybe to be an example to other people.

For pre-believers: Recall the biggest challenge you have had in your life so far.  How were you able to get over it?  Knowing what you know now, would you have done things differently?
For believers: Do you currently have any challenges that you are going through right now, like blockages to your prayer life, or people who make you stumble in your walk with God?  Are you ensuring that you have someone you can be accountable to, and do you have a plan and timeline for getting over this block?

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