Ephesians 3 | The Hidden Mystery: Unity Through Christ Revealed

What is the mystery revealed in Ephesians 3? 
What does Ephesians 3 teach about God’s plan for the church? 

In this episode, we delve into Ephesians chapter 3, where the Apostle Paul unveils the mystery of the Gospel—a truth hidden for ages but now revealed through Christ. Paul explains that both Jews and Gentiles are now co-heirs and members of one body in Christ, breaking down barriers and bringing unity. This chapter centers on God's plan for inclusivity and reconciliation, showing how His grace extends to all people regardless of their background.

We explore how Paul’s role as a minister to the Gentiles was part of God's grand design. He expresses his deep sense of privilege in sharing the unsearchable riches of Christ and making known the mystery that was kept hidden. The episode highlights how Paul’s mission reflects God’s purpose, not just for earthly believers but as a display of His wisdom to the spiritual beings in the heavenly realms.

Paul then shifts to a powerful prayer for the believers, asking God to strengthen them through His Spirit and help them grasp the depth of Christ’s love. The prayer serves as a model for believers today, demonstrating the importance of seeking spiritual strength, unity, and a deeper understanding of God’s love.

Unity in the body of Christ is a key theme in Ephesians 3. Paul’s message emphasizes that the church is called to be a unified community, reflecting God’s inclusive love and purpose. This unity is a witness not only to the world but also to spiritual beings, showcasing God’s wisdom and power. As we discuss these truths, we highlight how embracing unity and diversity in the church aligns with God’s original plan and brings glory to His name.

The episode also addresses how believers can apply these principles in their daily lives. Whether through deepening their prayer life, seeking strength in the Spirit, or building relationships that reflect unity and love, Ephesians 3 provides practical guidance for living out faith. We dive into what it means to rely on God’s power, live with boldness, and trust that He is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine.

In closing, we encourage listeners to reflect on how God’s plan for unity and spiritual strength is relevant today. The mystery revealed in Ephesians 3 reminds us of God’s boundless grace and His power at work in us. As we embrace these truths, we’re called to be a light in our communities, living out the Gospel in ways that bring people together and reflect the love o

Transcript

 Ephesians 3

Ephesians 3

[00:00:00] Hey everyone, welcome to God's plan, your part year two, where this year we're reading through and studying the entire New Testament one chapter at a time. Thanks again for joining us in discovering God's plan and your part in it. Today, we were looking at Ephesians chapter three, and it's important to keep in light as we go through this third chapter that Paul is continuing to try to help.

Uh, this early church understand the power of their unity, like what they are supposed to be expressing, how they're supposed to be living. And of course, this, this new mystery that's being revealed that is that Jews and Gentiles now worship together. Uh, that the most important thing in all of our lives, even still today, is that we serve God.

Christ first and foremost, our primary identity is that of people who serve Christ. Uh, all the other stuff follows behind. That's what Paul's trying to teach here in Ephesians chapter three. I think the most, I guess, interesting thing that popped out to me was the beginning of this chapter where it talks about, um, this mystery that Paul [00:01:00] keeps referring to, and we.

We've kind of alluded to what that mystery was before, but now it's coming through even more of this mystery of both Jews and Gentiles being heirs of this promise. Um, and I think again, that like you were saying, it's definitely signifies this unity idea that Paul is really trying to hit home, but there are a lot of just different examples of how this mystery has been revealed to Paul, but also to all believers, uh, with the coming of Jesus and just allowing.

All to be a part of this, this plan, uh, the, the chapter itself, chapter three is kind of interesting because basically Paul, he, he does this every once in a while where he starts making this, uh, grand argument and then gets distracted and then comes around to the argument again. So he starts out making a case in verse one.

But then kind of makes a side point and then finishes the case that he was introducing in verse one starting in verse 14. So if you read the whole chapter, it feels a little [00:02:00] bit choppy because really what he's trying to do is encourage like this, this power and strength and boldness that he gets around to in the second part of the chapter.

But the first thing he wants to do kind of as he's distracted in his writing is to continue to encourage these folks that they are. And No longer separate entities. They're no longer even opposed to each other, but they are now unified and that God is continuing to reveal his ultimate plan in what's happening in the church.

So verse six kind of lays out flat what the mystery is. The mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. So I think he is. It's just, again, alluding to this grace, uh, something that kind of, I guess, sparked your interest about the, the mystery of what God is revealing for both Jews and Gentiles came out a little bit in verse 10, which was a little bit confusing.

Um, but if you read into it a little bit more, you kind of get a better perspective of what it is. Verse 10 says, so that through the [00:03:00] church, the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. So it's almost as if like Jesus is. Ruling or like rolling out this grace that extends to all, um, that also like teaches our Bible says in verse 10, um, These heavenly, the rulers and authorities in heavenly places refers to angelic beings, um, who don't necessarily have an, a full understanding of what grace is.

So it's interesting how their part is played out and what they can almost essentially like learn from us. There, there's a couple of different takes on this. The, the one that you're referencing that's referenced in our study Bible is Angels are spiritually created beings. They're, they're not humans and angels don't need to be, um, like justified and sanctified.

Like they, they don't need to, uh, have atonement for their sin. So their experience is very different. [00:04:00] And so some folks look at this and they say, yeah, like, um, Paul's making the case that humans living out and embracing this grace that's offered in Christ, uh, are a testimony to Other created spiritual beating beings as to where God's ultimate power lies and how this reconciliation works.

Um, I don't think there's necessarily anything wrong with that. I was reading into this. There's a, there's another take. Actually, there's quite a few. Um, another take is that, um, that, that, um, The people in Ephesus, the Ephesian people, uh, were very interested in spiritual things. That's why Paul talks about mystery.

Uh, that's why he talks about the power of the spirit. That's why he talks about the boldness that we have, uh, because they were drawn to these kind of mystical, uh, Gnostic ideas, kind of this, uh, Uh, I don't know, just super spiritual things. I think there was a similar thing going on in Corinth. And so, uh, there is one case that Paul's when he refers to the rulers and authorities, that's [00:05:00] like a callback to chapter one, uh, talking about the principalities and powers in the spiritual realms.

Uh, There, there's this idea that he is addressing what would have been the cultural opinion of the day. Uh, that there are these, uh, principalities and powers and spirits in the air that need to know what's going on. And Paul is saying that Christ is even more powerful and even more important. And what Christ is doing in his church is even more important than these sort of like at that time, modern day philosophies of how life works.

works. So Paul's purposely putting all those philosophies under the power and influence of Christ, essentially saying, Hey, like, look at the world even much, much more differently, uh, than the people around you do, because it's not the principalities and powers that matter. It's not the, um, spiritual influences of the day.

It's Christ. And then another take, uh, sort of building on top of that is that ultimately what Paul is saying is what Christ is doing in the church, this mystery that's [00:06:00] being revealed in that Jews and Gentiles and literally everyone, uh, now approach God in the same way, uh, that is a testimony to God's power and that testimony to God's power speaks to literally all beings in the world.

Everywhere like the church is the ultimate witness of what God is doing of what God is accomplishing and the church is the ultimate witness of how God's mission continues forward, how it will not stop and it will not die. Uh, and I, I resonate, you know, I kind of take all these into consideration, but I really resonate with this one because I think Paul is.

Making the case that unity is important, that the church is important. The way that we live out God's call on our lives is important. And when we live out God's call, well, uh, we are an open testament to, to everything, like people that we work with, people that we live with, the people in our neighborhoods, the, the.

The people that surround our churches, but also we're an open testament to the spiritual beings, the angels, the [00:07:00] demons, ultimately satan, like the, the way that we live out, uh, the grace of the gospel and the power of God's call on our lives is an open testimony and, and really like a, like an open confrontation, uh, to the spiritual realm, uh, the folks that would oppose us, um, and it, it's a testimony to how powerful God is and what God continues to do.

So. I think verse 10 is very interesting, uh, and it is worth doing a deep dive into it. So I think it's Paul. I mean, obviously Paul knows all of this. He's the one that wrote it, but this is what he's really passionate about. And I think it just kind of sums up this whole first section because he is saying, even just right out in verse one, those are the things that he desires for the church.

So much so that this mystery has been revealed to him and his whole life got. flipped upside down, that he is literally a prisoner of Christ, um, suffering these things all the time, being in prison, being, um, hunted down, and it's all on behalf of the Gentiles [00:08:00] because he understands and knows the key role that they also play in this family of God.

Yeah. I think, I think that's a great way to. Tie up that first half. I think just for extra credit, it is important to recognize again that when Paul's referring to this mystery, uh, don't be distracted by the mystery talk. We've already addressed this, but sometimes people really like to dig into it and see what they can discover.

If there's some kind of Bible secrets or something. Um, you can't make the mystery mean anything that isn't explicitly public. Explained by Paul. So when, when he calls out the mystery and then explains what it is in verse six, he says, this mystery is that Gentiles, uh, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, that's what the mystery is.

So don't be distracted by anybody trying to mislead you or teach you that it's something other than that. Uh, and that's just like basic Bible reading, basic Bible study. Like when there's a term that you're confused by, uh, what you want to do is just read. The immediate context and see if that term is [00:09:00] defined.

So when Paul says mystery, this is what he means based on his own explanation. And then to kind of round out chapter three, I think I would say the bulk of it, or like the meat of it is the beginning, but the end of it, he is essentially just giving. and praise for what God is doing, but also to strengthen the Ephesians and to basically tell them, like, knowing all this, like, this should hopefully give you hope, and um, strength to move forward and continue on on this path of unity, because you are All belong and you all have a part in this.

I love that. The, the highlighting the unity piece, it's, it's common throughout this book of Ephesians, cause that's why he's writing it. Um, but if you want some extra credit just on your own, uh, I would encourage you, like always read the chapter for yourself, but like get it on paper or something in front of you and look at this prayer, The, like in the ESV, the heading, which wouldn't have been there is prayer for spiritual strength.

It starts in verse 14 [00:10:00] and it runs through the end of the chapter in verse 21. Uh, just circle the things that Paul's praying for, because I think it's pretty powerful. The, the couple of things that I circled is that he's saying, uh, he's praying that they would be strengthened with power through the spirit, uh, that Christ would dwell in their hearts, that they would know the love of Christ, that they would be filled with the fullness of God.

That's the couple that I circled and just thinking through like prayer, like what to pray for, how to pray. I think it's interesting sometimes to look at Paul's specific prayer points. And I think these would be great things to pray for. Like I, I pray that all of you as listeners are strengthened with power through the spirit that Christ may dwell in your hearts, that you would know the love of Christ, that you would be filled with the fullness of God.

I think if we pray these things and we expect that God will deliver on these things, like it's a. I don't know. It's a great prayer, I guess. All that to say, like, this is a pretty powerful prayer point. And I do encourage you, because I think you might find some things to circle that I [00:11:00] didn't call out. But this is a, like, He's praying that they would be bold, that they would be encouraged, they would be unified, and ultimately that all of it would come from their relationship with Christ.

Not from themselves, not from their clever plans, or from their really good leaders, but all of them would be emboldened in Christ to serve God well, um, in Ephesus, and then even beyond Ephesus. And what Paul actually recognizes too is that even though he's asking for all these things that you were just listing out.

Verse 20 says, Now to him who's able to do far more abundantly than what we ask or think. So like what our expectation or our hope is that God will do in us, he can far exceed what we even ask or desire, um, because of the power that is at work within us. So it is a powerful prayer and it is a powerful reminder to us of all of the mysteries That's been revealed through Christ for both Jew and Gentile, and it is a good reminder to us that God still does these things.

He [00:12:00] still works on our behalf in the same way, um, so that we can be equipped to do the same things that Paul was talking about to these people in Ephesus. And we don't have to scheme and plan. For those things like I mean obviously we prepare and we put time in those kind of stuff But we can ask God to move and expect that God will move I think that's what's so powerful about the fact that he lands on like hey just so you know God can do abundantly even more than what I'm asking because what he's asking is Pretty bold, like it's pretty intense.

And if, if God would do these things in our churches today, um, it would be obvious and I think, you know, to some degree, God obviously is moving in our churches today and sometimes it is obvious, uh, but we talked about the challenges that exist, even as we've been going through Ephesians, like there are obvious challenges that.

Exists in our churches today, and I think it's really easy sometimes to bypass prayer because it feels like we're not working on the problem or we're not addressing the situation. And I'll be the first to admit that I fall into that often. I'll [00:13:00] start scheming solutions and trying to put plans into place before I actually spend time praying.

And I would encourage you, uh, fast and pray like Really, really take time to invest in seeking the Lord for his direction, asking him for boldness, asking him for strength. Um, because it's been proven time and time again that God does answer our prayers on. Oftentimes it's us that are, um, you know, Expecting less than what we should.

And so I would, I would encourage you. And I guess that's the, your part, like seek the Lord boldly, um, one for direction and strength, um, in your own life. But I would say even more than that, just based on the context of Ephesians, pray for that, for your church. Uh, whatever you feel like your church is, is dealing with, whatever your church is, uh, wrestling with.

We've been in contact with a lot of churches recently, uh, Um, there's a lot of different things that a lot of different churches are trying to figure out. I would encourage you, uh, to seek the Lord in those things. And, and my challenge is actually seek the [00:14:00] Lord first in those things and expect him to move and keep an eye on for, uh, keep an eye on what he's doing, uh, because it's always encouraging to see how God's moving and how he's answering our prayers and he continues to do that.

So that's the, your part for today. We'll be back again tomorrow with Ephesians chapter four. We'll see you then. Thanks for listening to today's episode. Before we get to the reading, I want to recommend another podcast that I'm a part of called God's whole story. This year, we're releasing one episode a week on Monday mornings, overviewing one book of the Bible each week.

So God's plan. Your part is a deep dive chapter by chapter where God's whole story is taking it one book at a time. If you enjoy this podcast, you'll enjoy that one. Go check it out. Now here's the reading. Ephesians Chapter 3 For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, on behalf of you Gentiles, assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you, how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly.[00:15:00]

When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel.

Of this promise I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace, which was given me by the working of His power. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things.

So that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. So I ask you not to [00:16:00] lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength 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, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Now, to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Thank you so much for listening to today's episode of God's Plan, Your Part. Don't forget you can find us on just about every social media platform.

And YouTube. Let us know what you thought of today's episode and if you have any questions, [00:17:00] go ahead and post them there. You can also reach out to us directly at God's plan, your part@gmail.com. As always, if you don't have a Bible or if you'd like to use the one that we use, uh, reach out to us via email and we'll be happy to send one to you.

Thanks again for listening. We'll see you again tomorrow.