Msg 3 – Ephesians 3 – Paul’s Overview of his Ministry and Where we Get the language

God’s Economy to Distribute Christ’s Riches

God’s purpose is that the Church would come into being — to be the expression of Christ, to be the habitation of God, to be the bride of Christ, and to be the household of God. The many Sons of God in glory who will share with Christ in His inheritance were foreknown by God from the foundation of the world before He created anything. These people were in His heart by name. He chose and arranged an economy for the riches in the household to be distributed to these sons. The riches are Christ Himself. Christ has given Himself to be our food, our drink, our wisdom, our clothing, our sanctification, our righteousness, our redemption, our life, our sabbath, our good land, our everything. The entirety of the riches of all God is in Christ and by the Spirit, is becoming ours.

The gospel Paul preached was not just the forgiveness of sins, but the announcement of the unsearchable riches of Christ as the inheritance for the Gentiles who make up most of the Body of Christ, the household of God. The death of the testator secured the inheritance and now we have a New Testament ministry which distributes the riches in God’s household for the furnishing of God’s children. This distribution is so that God’s children can actually become all He intended. They will become glorified sons through Christ by His economy.

The first big step in God’s economy was God’s creation of everything. The second big step was God’s incarnation. He became a man — flesh and blood like us. The next big step was Christ being put to death, which secured our redemption. He died and He redeemed us. He reconciled us and cut off the flesh. He terminated the old creation. All of that was so He could become the mediator of a testament. The next Great Step was His Resurrection. Now He’s risen from the dead as the Son of God, who’s also the son of man. As a man, He represents us and as the Son of God, He represents God. He now mediates the testament by distributing the riches of the household, which is Christ Himself, to the many children through the “New Testament Ministry”. This is God’s economy.

God’s economy of the Word is also to dispense the riches of Christ to the children. He becomes their everything and they become His Body and His expression. All of this is right out of Ephesians. “And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 3:9 KJV. Paul’s gospel is to not only tell you that you’ve been forgiven of your sins, but also to tell you of this great inheritance and to tell you of the economy of the mystery — the arrangement God put in place for the riches to be distributed through the ministry handled by stewards.

Paul gave us a view of the mystery of Christ in Ephesians Chapter 1 and 2, but in the following few chapters, he talks about how the mystery comes to pass — the economy of the mystery, the purpose of God. It’s realized through a stewardship and that’s why in Ephesians 4, Paul talks of the gifts given to the Body – evangelist, prophet, apostle, shepherd and teacher. These gifts are given for the perfecting of the saints, unto the work of the ministry and unto the building up of the Body of Christ (Eph 4:11-12).

The Body of Christ has to be built up through the stewardship in God’s household. It’s built according to His economy, but He wants us to have a vision. This is not just Bible knowledge — God wants us to have a vision. We need to see beyond what Israel saw regarding the Gentiles. We were strangers and aliens, having nothing to do with the covenants (Eph 2:12), no better than dogs eating under the table, not even worthy to eat the crumbs (Mt 15:27). Yet, for those of us who are saved in this time, Jew or Greek, we become part of this Body which is a special heavenly creation, the workmanship of God — the masterpiece of God foreknown by Him. This is the reason why everything exists. We’re not eating the crumbs under the table, we are at the right hand of God, far above anything the prophets even anticipated!

When the prophets saw the vision of the Ancient of Days on the throne opening the books (Daniel 7:13), they didn’t see a group of people hidden in Him called the Church, whose life is hid with Christ. When He comes back, He will be executing judgment with His saints who are His Body (Jud 14). We will judge angels (1 Cor 6:3). We have a higher position than we can possibly imagine and yet we were just Gentiles — aliens from the covenant…strangers. Yet now we’re the people of God and He foreknew us. It is very special to live in this time. For some reason, this is not preached, even though this is why Paul was made a prisoner for the Gentiles and this is what he was so burdened for us to understand.

God created all things in Christ Jesus in order to manifest this mystery which was hidden in God from the beginning of the world. It was God’s eternal purpose to have this economy, this arrangement for the riches of Christ to be distributed as an inheritance to us. Through this, we’re furnished with everything we need to become the glorified children of God, so that the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church, the manifold wisdom of God. The angels are the watchers. They’re learning from all of this who God is. He’s putting Himself on display. In a way, it’s for their sake, but we are the prime beneficiaries. The last have become first. The least really do become the greatest. “Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself.” Ephesians 1:9 KJV. You can’t underestimate the boldness, the confidence, and the access we have to the throne of heaven.

[catlist categorypage="all"]