FILL IN TH BLANK...
Ephesians 3:7-10a
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 the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless 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, ___________________________...
How do you fill in the blank? What is His intent now through His church?
...the world should be made to feel ashamed of itself?
...sinners should feel condemned?
...people should know that clearly there are some good enough to be saved and others are not?
...God can show just how exclusive He is and what a great American patriot He is?
Or is it...
...the world can see just how cosmically FUN God is? Better than Disney World!
...all are made to feel "I'm Ok, you're OK?"
...people see that this Jesus-following thing is easy?
...we learn the formula of becoming happy?
Well, fortunately, He didn't leave it up to us to fill in any blanks. Although too often we try to do just that. I never did very well on those "fill in the blank" tests anyway. He didn't even make it multiple choice or give us an essay to skillfully explain "our version" of why it's "true or false." No, He filled in the blank with a very powerful and truth-directive phrase:
"His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known..."
That's right, no room for self-interpretation, no short-cuts, no passing by cheating and no corner of the market on His exclusive favor based on personal goodness or even nationality.
In the previous chapter and the first 6 verses of Chapter 3 here in Ephesians, Paul has just talked about the mystery of how God obliterated exclusivity and made salvation and eternal life available to all of human kind. God is not an American citizen and He is not Disney World (Although He did create FUN and wants us to experience it -- even as a church!). He IS the Creator of all. And He is all wise, all powerful and always with us. And He is constantly revealing Himself to us through His Word and through His church. Now, our responsibility, as His church, is to avoid giving in to self-advancing interpretation of the Word, but handling and submitting to His precious Word with integrity and honesty.
Yes, it's healthy to admit that I'm NOT OK! It's even healthier to submit to His Word and realize that it's not OK for me to stay NOT OK. In His "manifold wisdom" He made a way for you and me -- His church -- to continually grow in His grace. Not so we become "happy." I know, I know, that's so unAmerican of me to swat down that whole "pursuit of happiness" thing. Sorry! That's one of the sure indicators that God is not American. His "manifold wisdom" reminds us that pursuing happiness is fleeting and temporal at best. He wants to transform us to the eternal -- not pursuing happiness, but wholeness! And guess what happens when we pursue wholeness in His Word instead of happiness in this world. That's right, we become that joy-filled church spreading the "manifold wisdom" of God to those around us....not with an air of exclusivity, but with a passion to reach everyone we can with the good news of His love and transforming grace.
