[:en]SCRIPTURE: EPHESIANS 3
“In Him and through faith in Him, we may approach God with freedom and confidence” (Ephesians 3:12)
In the Old Testament, God revealed His program through prophesy for the people of Israel – that He would establish their kingdom when Messiah came and then through Israel, the Gentiles will be converted. However, they all rejected the 3 ministries that God had offered: John’s ministry, Christ ministry and Stephen’s ministry. God the Father sent John, Jesus Christ came down Himself and the Spirit representing the witnessing of Stephen. All the three were killed by the Jews.
So God gave Paul a special revelation of the mystery of Christ. This mystery is that through the gospel, the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel members of one body and share together in the promise of Christ Jesus (v. 6). God empowered Paul to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.
God has given believers the privilege to be able to approach Him with freedom and confidence. By faith, we can come to His presence and tell him about everything. He promises His love and Spirit to His whole family – the church.
God’s love is immeasurable. It is wide that reaches out to the whole universe. It is long that extends to the length of our lives. It is high that rises above to the heights of our jubilation. It is deep that penetrates into the bottom of our discouragement, despair and even death.
Paul prayed for the power of God’s Spirit to strengthen their inner being. He prayed that they be rooted and established in love and be filled with the fullness of God.
Lesson: God had commissioned Paul to evangelize the Gentiles with a sacred insight that believing Jews and Gentiles are one and share the same spiritual blessings of His kingdom. God is also building His church in the world now. Are you helping Him to share the Gospel? God’s love is wide, long, high and deep. Are you being rooted and established in love and filled with the fulness of God? If you are lonely, discouraged, in despair, in tribulation or in grief, feel free to come to Jesus. He will sustain you with the strength to overcome them. He will give you the comfort and peace and you need.[:]