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PAUL’S ROLE IN UNFOLDING GOD’S MYSTERY!

Discouragement! Whether it is shallow or deep, mild or severe, or somewhere in-between, it plagues us all. It sneaks up on us and makes a preemptive strike on our souls. Yes, afterwards we might be able to identify what triggered it. But, by then, even though we may be able to find an antidote for it, it has wounded our spirits.

If someone is seeking employment, discouragement may be the result of a phone call where they learn from an unrelated source that the position they’ve been hoping for has already been filled. Discouragement may be due to a recent loss within our extended family or a reversal of finances in our own family. Or, it may have its source in a ruptured relationship that is going to take time to heal.

Or possibly, like Rodney Dangerfield, we have received a publisher sweepstakes letter that reads “you may already be a loser.” He, as you can imagine, is the same guy who became discouraged when he entered an elevator at an upscale hotel and the operator inquired, “Down?” Until that moment he was having a good day.
More seriously, there are a few places in Scripture where it’s easy to identify the source of discouragement. In Exodus 6:9 we read:
Moses reported this (all that God had said) to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and cruel bondage.
They heard what he said but they didn’t give heed to his words because they had been beaten down for so long that they could no longer identify hope as hope. In fact, it wasn’t long before they accused Moses of simply adding to their troubles.
Later, much later, Moses tore into the Reubenites and Gadites because he, being very tired by this time, felt that their decision to stay on the east side of the Jordan was yet another note of discouragement. In Numbers 32:6 - 9 we read:
Moses said to the Gadites and Reubenites, "Shall your countrymen go to war while you sit here? 7 Why do you discourage the Israelites from going over into the land the LORD has given them? 8 This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to look over the land. 9 After they went up to the Valley of Eshcol and viewed the land, they discouraged the Israelites from entering the land the LORD had given them. 10 The LORD's anger was aroused that day . . .
When Moses finished his tirade the leaders of the two tribes approached him and explained that it was never their intent to discourage anyone. Yes, they wanted to stay on the east side of the Jordan River, but they were more than willing to arm themselves, cross the Jordan, and help the other tribes conquer the land. To which Moses replied, “Oh.” Well, actually he said more than that but I’m convinced that his initial response was an apologetic, “Oh, sorry.”

You see, by this time Moses had had his fill of discouragement. He first encountered it in the circumstance of the Israelites, he was then confronted with it in one obstacle after another as they traveled toward the promised land. But the biggest obstacle, the biggest source of discouragement, was found in the ten unbelieving hearts of those who went up and spied out the land. The majority brought back a report that cost Israel forty (40) years in the desert. But, most of all it cost them their heart for what God had in store for them!

Hundreds of years later, discouragement continued to plague Israel. In Ezra 4:1 - 5 we read:
When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building a temple for the LORD, the God of Israel, 2 they came to Zerubbabel and to the heads of the families and said, "Let us help you build because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to him since the time of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here." 3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the families of Israel answered, "You have no part with us in building a temple to our God. We alone will build it for the LORD, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, commanded us." 4 Then the peoples around them set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building. 5 They hired counselors to work against them and frustrate their plans during the entire reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia.

This was a case of serious discouragement right from the camp of our enemy. It was a no-holds-barred frontal assault that brought the work to a standstill. This act of aggression was so effective, so discouraging, that for nearly two decades the temple remained unfinished. A half-century later a similar assault was launched against Nehemiah and his co-laborers. But, unlike the first group of settlers, he was ready for it and quickly deflated it with tactics of his own.

But sometimes the source of discouragement is more difficult to put our finger on than what we see in the Exodus and in the rebuilding of the temple. This is what we find as we look at the third chapter of Ephesians.
Evidently, Paul sensed that the recipients of his letter were discouraged or were in danger of being discouraged by the enemy. He sensed, or knew, that they couldn’t understand why he was having to pay such a high price for his personal involvement in spreading the gospel. I mean, it just didn’t add up. If God had blessed those he had chosen with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms, why was Paul having to write this magnificent letter in the pits?
Satan, undoubtedly, took Paul’s dire circumstances and used them against the recipients of this letter. He whispered one disheartening teaser after another to them. He quietly, but persistently, insinuated that:
– God must have found fault with Paul.
– God can’t protect Paul, much less anyone else.
– This was no way to treat your best employee.
– You can’t really trust a jailbird.
OR
– You can’t believe what Paul writes when you
don’t see it in his own life.

So Paul took time out, sort of speak, to tell them, and us, not to believe Satan’s lies for one minute. In verses one through thirteen of Ephesians 3 he wrote:
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 men 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 God's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable 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 which 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.

Peter tells us that some of Paul’s letters “contain some things that are hard to understand.” In part, he may have had the introductory words of this chapter in mind when he pointed out “the obvious” to his readers. For Paul begins with the words, “For this reason I . . .” but then fails to complete his thought.

There are two possible connections that can be made with these introductory words. He may have been thinking:
1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles--13 ask you not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory. – OR –
1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles--14 kneel before the Father.
I tend to be inclined toward the first possibility because I think he took time to show them why they ought not be discouraged by his circumstances. That is, he took time to let them know how God was using him to advance the kingdom. He knew, and wanted them to know, that first and foremost he was a prisoner of Christ Jesus and not a prisoner of Rome. Despite appearances to the contrary, he was right where God wanted him to be for some very good reasons.

Incidentally, this happens all the time. We may be somewhat discouraged because someone in the congregation is going through some difficult times. So we take the time to have breakfast or lunch with them, or we visit them in the hospital, and discover that while we are a wee bit down they are up. Sure, they would rather not be in the present circumstances but they can see God’s hand in it and how their situation is being used to advance the kingdom.

In addition to Paul being a prisoner of Christ Jesus and not Caesar, that Rome didn’t have the final say over him, his readers needed to realize that God had given him a special assignment. That assignment being the privilege of announcing God’s favor toward the Gentiles.

Yes, for the sake of the Gentiles he was in prison. Nevertheless, he saw it as the “administration of God’s grace” toward him as well as the Gentiles. He had been given a responsibility to carry the gospel to the Gentiles and, in that, he rejoiced. In fact, he hints at the fact that being in prison had actually benefited his readers for it had given him time to write them a letter. A letter in which he had opportunity to underline the fact that they had an equal share in all the riches inherited by God’s children, they were joint members of one body, and they were partakers in the promise of blessings through Christ Jesus.
Furthermore, he saw his role in the administration of God’s grace as a gift. It wasn’t something he had to do, because everyone else had refused to do it, it was something he had the privilege of doing and was given the power to do well.
It is interesting to note that he saw his role in the kingdom as a gift and not an assignment. To him it was a gift for:
– it gave him a meaningful life.
– it took his past and put it to good use.
– it gave him a reason to get up in the morning.
– it benefited him far more than others.
&
– it gave him a sense of self-worth.
We need to remember that Paul rightly saw himself as undeserving of all that God had bestowed upon him. Nevertheless, in finding peace with God, he was at peace with himself, and, in this passage, we find that he was excited about the ministry that God had given to him.

Why? Why would God give someone a ministry that was inevitably going to be so difficult? Well, first of all there was no need for Paul to apologize for what God had called him to do. Because “through the working of God’s mighty power” Paul was equipped in every way to carry out the ministry. He may have to explain his role from time to time, as he does here, but he makes no apologies for it. On the contrary, when appropriate to do so he talks about his role only to glorify God and to reveal the depth of God’s love not only for the Jews but for the Gentiles.

Second, it just meets with common sense that news, especially good news, needs to be splashed across the front page. And through Paul, the gospel story certainly made the front page. In fact, it made the front page in every local newspaper between Jerusalem and Rome.

But there is a third reason for having Paul take the gospel to the Gentiles. It was so that God’s wisdom in all its rich variety could be shown to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms. In other words, this extraordinary plan is even being talked about in heaven amongst the angels. This is truly holy gossip!

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