What Has God Revealed In You?
Good Morning Friends,
Today we take a look at Paul’s prayer for converts to Christianity. And in the prayer, as in the life of Paul, it becomes clear that God does make us uncomfortable when doing some of the greatest work in and through us. It was uncomfortable for Jews and Gentiles to be together. It was uncomfortable for Paul to be confronted on the road to Damascus by Jesus and later make his case before the Apostles that he had seen Jesus Christ face to face. But there is something else going on in the text. And it relates to the impact of the mystery and beauty of something that connects us all together and is as constant as the gravity that hold us on this planet. Here we contemplate the immortality of love and hopefully gain an insight into our very being. Today we are going to explore the reality that the best way to learn is by experiencing God and the best knowledge to have comes to us is through a revelation from God. What Has God Revealed In You?
Scripture: This is the reason that I Paul am a prisoner for Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles— for surely you have already heard of the commission of God’s grace that was given me for you, and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words, a reading of which will enable you to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ. In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. Of this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God’s grace that was given me by the working of his power. Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him. I pray therefore that you may not lose heart over my sufferings for you; they are your glory.
Ephesians 3:1-13 (NRSV)
I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.
Isaiah 42: 6-7 (NRSV)
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Ephesians 3:14-21 (NRSV)
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:16 (NRSV)
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”
John 8:12 (NRSV)
Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” He asked, “Who are you, Lord?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.
Acts 9:3-5 (NRSV)
Message: Now if we think about Paul’s conversion on the way to Damascus it was rather revealing for Jesus to ask why Paul was persecuting him. The reality was that Paul was persecuting the Church not Jesus. So given the words of Jesus, the only conclusion is that of the very revelation of Paul… the Church was in Christ. Paul in his letter to the church at Ephesus introduces the thought of being in Christ and it is about being faithful in Christ and being blessed in Christ and chosen in Christ but above all it means in love with Christ and loved by Christ and that means loved by creation itself. And so too that is our hope today for a Church in Christ. For a Church without Christ is like a dinner without food…it is like a star without a light. So friends, we are to take and eat. We are to shine a light and see. We are to believe in what God has revealed to us… that the Church is not just a place but a person that helps us to collectively prepare for the struggles of life. Friends, if we want to see glory then we have to be willing to embrace difficulty and be humbled and molded and baked into something that can reflect light. By our nature we do not typically shine. We are made of dirt. But when cleaned and polished up a bit we can reflect a light from Christ Spirit in us. Paul understood this about God’s plan and our purpose as believers and so he prayed. He prayed that the Holy Spirit would give the Church and its many members strength; that Christ would be at home in our hearts; that we would have deep roots in God’s soil to anchor, nourish and sustain us; that we would have the power of the Holy Spirit to understand; and finally that we would experience the love of Christ in our lives. All this is prayed so that we might carry out the purpose of our existence to glorify God, lead others to this love and declare what it means to intimately know God. And that friends is what it means to be part of His Church and His Body. This is the light and revelation of love for Jews and Gentiles who believe in the New Covenant.
Pray we Gentiles be a light unto the Jews in the reading and consuming of scripture. Pray we become part of a Body of Believers that has Christ holding them together. Pray we too get the revelation that Christ is in His Church. Pray we realize that in Christ we live and move and have our very being. Pray we know we are loved. Pray God’s light and love is revealed and reflected in our lives and shared in community.
Blessings,
John Lawson
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