The Mystery is Solved

Mysteries are fun to watch on TV and my wife and I many times try to solve them before they get to the solved part of the show. We each pick up on familiar scenes and phases and try to see where the story is taking us. Sometimes we actually figure out "who did it" before they are revealed in the show, which makes us very proud of ourselves. God revealed His great plan to the Apostle Paul early and it rocked his world. So different than what he had planned for his life, but God's plan is always so much better. In Paul's letter to the church in Ephesus he writes Ephesians 3: 1 When I think of all this, I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus for the benefit of you Gentiles . . .2 assuming, by the way, that you know God gave me the special responsibility of extending his grace to you Gentiles.3 As I briefly wrote earlier, God himself revealed his mysterious plan to me.4 As you read what I have written, you will understand my insight into this plan regarding Christ.5 God did not reveal it to previous generations, but now by his Spirit he has revealed it to his holy apostles and prophets.

The Holy Spirit revealed God's plan to Paul and he acted on it!! Paul goes on to say what the plan is. Ephesians 3: 6 And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus.7 By God’s grace and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving him by spreading this Good News. Wow! Talk about "rocking your world?" Paul, a devout Jew is taking the message of Jesus to the Gentiles and Jews alike, and that message is found in the above scriptures where He says Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus.

It is no longer a mystery about God's plan for His creation. The Good News is for all and salvation is available for all who come to Jesus. If there was a fog in the people's thinking, Paul cut through that fog with a clear message and God had chosen him to speak this message and take this direction in his life. Paul humbly accepted this "calling" and even though at one time he hated the message of Jesus, now he is proclaiming that message with a fire in his heart. Paul continues in Ephesians 3:8 by saying 8 Though I am the least deserving of all God’s people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ.

The plan God had all along was to use Paul to spread the Good News to all who would listen and the three journeys Paul travelled on did spread the message and there were many converts who took that message and continued spreading it wherever they traveled. That message is still fresh and real today and we are called to keep sharing it through the power of the Holy Spirit. We can never stop following the plan of God as revealed again and again through willing, called servants. The Good News is still REALLY GOOD NEWS! The mystery of the plan of Almighty God is revealed and very present in the church of today. Make disciples who make more disciples. If we stop making disciples, then we have ignored the revealed plan of Almighty God. NOT GOOD.

Stay on course and stay faithful to the Word of God because God has called us out and He is still calling more and more to the task at hand and the mystery of His plan is no longer a mystery, but a living truth as found in the Word of God.

The Pilgrimage Continues

David Warren