Scripture Reference: Isaiah 11:1-9; Ephesians 3:1-13

The revelation God gave Paul was a mystery; and no one before Paul had comprehended it fully. Certainly there had been hints here and there throughout Israel’s history, but as God worked in Paul’s life, all the hints began to be pulled together. As Paul saw these in light of Jesus Christ, the truth dawned upon him in a way no one else, to that point in time, had seen it. So, even though the facts were as old as creation, the truth was new to the world that Paul knew. It took Jesus and someone completely sold out to Him, namely the apostle Paul, to bring the mystery to light. That’s why Paul calls it not just a “mystery,” but the “mystery of Christ” (Ephesians 3:4).

God is not an exclusive or private possession of any person, family, church, denomination, nation, or Christian. God is the God of all people and for all people. While there are many benefits which come to Christians, benefits which come to us as children of God, we cannot assume that God loves us while not loving those who differ from us. The fact of the matter is, God is not possessed by anyone. God possesses. God possesses those who allow Him to relate to them in personal relationship. That possibility is open to everyone. No one is excluded.

As Christianity began to spread throughout the first-century world, more Gentiles than Jews came under its banner. Not only was there a place for the Gentiles in the church, but, also in time, they championed the cause of Christianity. In God’s eyes, Jews were not preferred over the Gentiles. So, Paul said to the early Jewish Christians, “the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel” (Ephesians 3:6). Whatever the inheritance is, it will not be based on anyone’s nationality or religious preference. Regardless of any other circumstance, the inheritance of abundant life is offered to every single one of those who choose a life of commitment to God.

There is a communal element to this fact. All of God’s people are members of one body, the church, the body of Christ. We are all related to one another, dependent on one another, and involved with one another. We’re all working toward the same goals, at least supposedly, so we’re supportive and not divisive. Anyone who is not with us is in that position for one of two reasons, as far as I can tell. The person either does not know about the possibility of a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ or does know and has consciously decided not to be a part of it. Sad as that is to say, it is a factual truth in this day and age.

If this assessment is true, there are some matters we need to straighten out. We are a part of the larger human family, and all of us are loved by God. Jesus gave His life so all of us might come to know God personally.

If we have really heard the gospel then all of us who name Jesus Christ as Lord are preoccupied with helping others hear who haven’t. One-time Archbishop of Canterbury, William Temple, expressed it simply: “The Church is . . . a minority in a world to be won for Christ.” ^[1] That staggers us a bit; we don’t like to think we’re in a minority because we like to be in control.

To Be Continued

^[1] Clyde E. Fant, Jr. and William M. Pinson, Jr., eds., Centuries of Great Preaching (Waco: Word, 1971).
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
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