walk in the Spirit

“To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things; so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him.” (Eph 3:8-12)

 

 

Journal,

Does it seem odd that Paul would refer to himself as the least of all saints, yet it is this great apostle who gives us many of the deeper insights into God’s finished work of the cross. When I began to discover the writings of Paul, I almost found them breathless. I still do to this day.

But don’t think this strange. Even Peter calls attention to the wisdom and understanding that God had given Paul –

” … and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.” (2Pe 3:15-16)As 

As for Paul calling himself the least of all the saints, the apostle is sharing his own heart and his own feelings. I think that most every child of God carries this intuitive feeling of, ‘Why me Lord?’ We even write songs about this, such as, ‘Who am I, that a King would bleed and die for.’

If you’ve never heard the song, listen as Elvis sings, “Who Am I.”

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geqZTPbL-Lg[/youtube]

 

Its Not About Deserving

As for Paul, perhaps we can understand just a bit of why he felt so undeserving of God’s love and grace, notwithstanding as to why the Lord would entrust him with so many awesome revelations of the eternal covenant of Christ. Paul was actually called up to the third heaven. He heard and saw things that it was not permissible for him to share.

Yet, think about it – Who was the worst enemy of the early Jewish Church? Was it not a man called Sha’ul. Sha’ul was a Pharisee, trained under the feet of Gamaliel. He carried in him a rabid hatred for believers in Jesus. As an under-official of the Sanhedrin Council, he actually obtained letters from the Council to apprehend, imprison and even destroy any who dared to become a follower of Jesus.

Why would God choose him. Listen –

“Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him [Stephen] to death. And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Some devout men buried Stephen, and made loud lamentation over him.

“But Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house, and dragging off men and women, he would put them in prison.” (Act 8:1-3)

I don’t need to tell the rest of the story. God accosted Sha’ul on the road to Damascus. Out of this encounter came a man who had been utterly transformed from heaven. In fact Paul’s story is the greatest representation of what it means to be truly born again. His whole world was changed from a violent aggressor to one of the greatest defenders of faith in Jesus Christ.

Perhaps the better question is, ‘Why would God choose me?

 

It is not for us to know

I wouldn’t dare to speak on why God chooses who He chooses. It’s not my business. But I can tell you what the apostle Paul had to say about it –

“Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.

“But to me it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you, or by any human court; in fact, I do not even examine myself. For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord.

“Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.” (1Co 4:1-5)

Why God chooses who He chooses belongs to Him alone. Our place is to leave that issue to itself. Believe me, I have often wondered why the Lord called me into His kingdom. There is nothing in me that would account for this calling.

Be that what it may, there are some Biblical insights to help us to realize our purpose in the kingdom of God’s beloved Son. Both the apostle Paul and the apostle Peter draw attention to how the cross and how the church continues to affect the angels.

 

The Heavenly Host

Oh yes, there is a vast host of angels, with various kinds of angels, and of angelic governments. One thing that is happening is that the angels are learning more about the wisdom of God through the work of the cross, and through how that He works with believers on the earth.

Peter draws attention to this when he speaks to how the tabernacle of Moses sets forth the gospel –

“As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow.

“It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven–things into which angels long to look.” (1Pe 1:10-12)

What is it about the cross that amazes the angels? In simple terms it has to do with the children of God. Out of the cross comes a new birthing, a new creation of God’s children, and a new eternal covenant that belongs to all God’s children.

The children of God are born as brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ. God has a vast family of children. And now the angels are observing in awe at how God works with His children.

As I noted in my beginning Scripture, the apostle Paul says that the manifold wisdom of God is now being made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

And that this was part of …

 

God’s Eternal Purpose

Listen once again to how Paul explains what God is doing through the church [Church means ‘the called out ones.] –

“To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things; so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him.” (Eph 3:8-12)

There is so much more to be said. We will likely spend eternity discovering the wonders of God and of Christ Jesus.

At the same time, many of these hidden mysteries are not hidden from us. They are hidden for us. It is God’s perfect design that each of His children gain a deeper appreciation, understanding, and insight into our heavenward future, and into the eternal covenant of Christ.

Listen to Paul’s prayer –

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.” (Eph 1:18-20)

However, there is one Scripture portion that sets the tone to why God does what He does in His work of salvation. Listen to it –

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” (Joh 3:16-17)

Perhaps our being saved is both for us and for others. God loves the world. That is a settled issue. And for every person who comes to redemption, that person becomes an avenue for others to be saved. Is this not what happened with the apostle Paul. God saved Paul so that He could save others.

Peter said it this way –

“But you are A CHOSEN RACE, a royal PRIESTHOOD, a HOLY NATION, a PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.” (1Pe 2:9-10)

Do you see it? We are to be the proclaimers of God’s mercies. We are to proclaim the excellencies of the One who called us out of darkness.

Did Paul become a proclaimer? So can you.

Just something to think about.

 

 

Studies That Can Help You

I have well over 900 studies on the web with close to 250 studies on this blog alone. To help you in your Bible adventures here are a few selections that I recommend. Hopefully they will become an avenue of learning about God’s ways for your life.

1. Taking a Walk in the Spirit – http://buddymartin.net/blog/2011/09/taking-a-walk-in-the-spirit/
2. The Light of the World – Lest We Forget – http://buddymartin.net/blog/2011/12/the-light-of-the-world-lest-we-forget/
3. Standing Still is Hard to Do – http://buddymartin.net/blog/2011/01/standing-still-is-hard-to-do/

If you would like an index of the studies that I’ve offered through this online Journal as well as in other places, check on ‘500+’ and on ‘Archives’ in the menu at the top of this blog.

May the Lord richly bless you in your discovery of the Man called Wonderful.

In Christ always,

Buddy

 

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