Seek First – Kingdom Focused Devotionals

“To be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel” (Eph. 3:6).

                Have you ever thought about salvation in terms of your thinking?  Paul speaks of the transformation of the mind which allows us to overcome conformity to the thinking patterns of the world.  Paul had been a member of the Pharisees and thus shared a low view of Gentiles.  His conversion meant a complete transformation of his thinking in regard to the inclusion of Gentiles in the people of God.

                Notice the threefold repetition of the word “fellow.”  They are “fellow heirs” which means that the Gentiles share equally in the inheritance in the heavenly riches of God.  They are “fellow members” of the one Body of Christ.  It is possible that Paul coined the word sunsoma which is translated “fellow members” since there are no earlier uses of this word in Greek literature.  They are “fellow partakers” of God’s promise, meaning they share on equal terms with the Jews all the promises of life and salvation. 

                The Gentiles share all these blessings and privileges because they have been made into one new man with the Jews through Christ (2:14).  This breaking down of barriers and the resulting unity is made possible through the gospel alone.  If you have experienced the Gospel, are you allowing any barriers to remain between you and other members of the body? 

Prayer:  Father, forgive me when I allow my own prejudices to create walls where you have built bridges.  Amen

“By referring  to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit” (Eph. 3:4-5).

                You may have noticed that there is a reference to something that has been written which when read will provide additional understanding of the mystery of Christ (3, 4).  Some commentators suggest that this is either a reference to earlier texts in this letter or even to the reading of the Old Testament.  There are difficulties with both suggestions and I think Paul may be referring to the Colossian letter which was written at the same time as Ephesians and which Paul anticipated would be shared by the churches in pro-consular Asia. 

                If you read passages such as Col. 1:27 and 2:2 you will find other helpful references to “mystery” which are most helpful.  The mystery is described as “Christ in you, the hope of glory” in Colossians 1:27.  Notice too that Paul mentions the sharing of this mystery among the Gentiles.  Now the Gentiles are privileged, along with the Jews, to experience Christ in their innermost being.  In Colossians and Ephesians Paul indicates that this “mystery” had been hidden for ages but is now being manifest to His saints.  When you read the Old Testament, you will see glimpses of God’s concern for the nations, but it was not as clearly articulated as it is in the New Testament.  The reference to “apostles and prophets” means the leaders of the New Testament community. 

                We can become so familiar with the inclusive nature of the Gospel that we can forget what a revolutionary idea it was for the early church to fully comprehend that there was neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, but all were one in Christ. 

Prayer:  Father, thank You for including me in the mystery of the Gospel.  Amen

“That by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief” (Eph. 3:3).

                Everybody loves a good mystery.  We love to read novels or watch a movie which has multiple twists and turns and you are hanging on until the very end when the mystery is made clear.  The mystery Paul refers to is more significant than any earthly mystery could ever be; it is the mystery of the gospel and the inclusion of the Gentiles along with the Jews in the good news of God’s redemption.

                In chapter one and verse nine, we have already seen that “make known” or “revelation” go naturally with divine mystery.  “Mystery” then deals with a truth of God which is no longer hidden from man but has been made known by God’s gracious revelation and is now plain to all who will receive it.  In our present context Paul is dealing with the special revelation and ministry he has been given to declare the good news of redemption based on Christ to the Gentiles (nations). 

                Paul had been a strict Jew who belonged to the Pharisees.  If you are acquainted with these legalists through your reading of the gospels, you will know why Paul required a divine revelation from God to convince him to evangelize the Gentiles.  Aren’t you delighted that God’s great plan of redemption included Jews and Gentiles alike?  Have you told anyone recently that they can be included in God’s redemption community?

Prayer:  Father, thank You for including me.  Give me the opportunity to tell others they can be part of Your family.  Amen.

“If indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace which was given to me for you” (Eph. 3:2).

                Over the next several verses Paul will continually refer to the grace given to him which calls his entire life into responsible stewardship.  While Paul was always conscious of the grace which provided for his redemption (2:8-9), in this section he is going to be talking about the grace gift which enabled him to serve as an apostle and a minister to the Gentiles.  Paul will sometimes use the word charismata, which comes from the same root as grace (charis) to refer to his empowering for ministry.  Here it is the simple word “grace” which bears the same meaning.  The empowering of the Spirit for ministry is always a manifestation of God’s grace. 

                Paul sees all of life as an issue of stewardship and his calling and gifting for ministry are one of the areas of stewardship for which Paul knows he will be held accountable.  His giftedness was to apostolic ministry and his unique calling was to the Gentiles.  Paul was overwhelmed that God would give him to privilege of sharing the good news of God’s grace to the Gentiles.  As Peter had been called uniquely to the Jews; Paul had been called to the Gentiles.  This gifting and calling was stewardship and privilege.

                Unfortunately, the term stewardship has largely fallen out of favor with the modern day consumer-oriented church.  We frequently ask “what’s in it for me” rather than “what can I do for Christ.”  “Stewardship” means that each of us is ultimately accountable to God for our life. 

Prayer:  My desire is to be a good steward of all You have given me.  Amen

(If you are interested in knowing how to discover, develop, and deploy your spiritual gift(s), see “You Are Gifted” study materials on www.auxanopress.com).

“For this reason I , Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles.”  (Eph. 3:1).

                Paul’s apostolic calling colored all of his life.  He introduced himself in this letter as “an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God” (1:1).  Paul’s understanding of his kingdom assignment influenced his life, his work, and the nature of his relationships with others.  He is writing this letter from prison and thus his observation of his present surroundings causes him to reflect on where he is and why he is there. 

                If you take a moment to read Acts 21:17-34 you will discover that his stand for the equality of Jews and Gentiles had played a large role in his imprisonment.  Later in chapter 3 (v. 13) he will remind the Gentile readers that his imprisonment had been to their advantage.  He wasn’t seeking pity or commendation when he referred to his present status.  Quite the contrary, he saw his imprisonment in the larger perspective of God’s purpose to work good through every circumstance.  Outsiders may have seen Paul as a prisoner of Rome, but Paul had a radically different perspective.  He was a prisoner of Christ for the sake of the Gentiles. 

                Perspective changes everything!  Paul was confident that God was at work in his imprisonment for the sake of the Gentiles.  This understanding gave him great contentment.  Do you see God at work in your circumstances?  Look at every event from a kingdom perspective. 

Prayer: Father, today help me to see You work in the midst of my circumstances.  Amen

“In whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit” (Eph. 2:22). 

                Notice that verse 21 ends with the words “in the Lord” and verse 22 ends with “in the Spirit.”  This repetition is designed to underscore that the believer must abide “in Christ” and serve “in the Spirit” if his/her work is going to build the habitation of God.  No one can have any place in the temple of God unless he/she is in Christ.  No one can accomplish any work for God unless it is done “in the Spirit.” 

                This entire section should remind us that we cannot think about redemption solely in individualistic terms.  The moment one is truly saved, the Spirit immerses him/her into the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13), His church.  The community of Christians is a unified living organism which is indwelt by the living Lord through His Spirit.  Our essential unity is not a matter of organization but of sharing a common life and a common task. 

                This passage should not only encourage us that our service to the Lord matters, it should warn us that the concept of “Lone Ranger” Christianity is foreign to the entire New Testament.  Further, it should warn us never to allow our attitude or our apathy to hinder the unity which allows the church to fulfill its divine purpose.  It is for that reason that Paul reminds first century Jews and Gentiles that they are “being built together” for God’s indwelling. 

Prayer:  Father, forgive me when I take my fellowship in Your body lightly.  Amen

“In whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord” (Eph. 2:21). 

                The imagery of the corner stone is being carried forward into this verse with the focus on the centrality of Christ.  Everything finds its center, place, function, and vitality in Christ.  The use of the word “building” should not cause us to think about bricks and mortar.  We are sometimes guilty of thinking of our church in such terms.  What is in view here is the entire operation of the church which is made up of different members which are “fitted together” because of their common relationship with Christ.

                Did you notice that the building is “growing?”  It is a work in progress.  It will not be described as completed until the day when the Lord returns (see Rev. 21).  It is growing as it advances God’s kingdom on earth.  The suggestion of “growth” describes the vitality of the church that is expanding from Jerusalem to Judea to Samaria to the very ends of the earth. 

                Paul now borrows an image from the Old Testament—“a holy temple” to convey an awesome truth we sometimes ignore when we think about the church.  Paul does not use the word that describes the whole of the temple precincts but the term used for the inner shrine.  The temple and the tabernacle became obsolete as the place where man experiences God’s presence with the coming of Christ.   God’s “glory” full of grace and truth was experienced in human flesh when Christ came.  God’s glory and presence are now experienced in the community of faith which is “fitted together” in Christ.  Wow!  Thank you Lord!

Prayer:  Thank You for allowing me to be part of Your growing community.  Amen.

“Having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone” (Eph. 2:20).

                Foundation is the essential place of beginning.  If you are building a house, the foundation determines its overall size and dimensions.  If you are an athlete, your coach will spend countless hours working on foundational matters such as your stance and balance.  Your tennis swing or golf swing is crafted based on the stable foundation which is your set up. 

                The foundation of our Christian life and our corporate Christian existence is nothing less than the apostles and prophets with Christ as the corner stone.  In I Corinthians 3:11 Paul warns against building on any other foundation than that which was laid in Christ.  The metaphor of the foundation is used in a slightly different fashion in the present text.  In the Corinthian letter Paul focused on himself and others as builders, whereas here all are stones in the building.  The community of faith, the church, rests upon a totally unique event of which Christ is the center, but in which the early apostles and prophets were gifted and empowered to have a unique function. 

                God revealed His word to the apostles and prophets in enabling them to have a foundational role in the building of the church; a role upon which others could build in subsequent generations.  In spite of the significant role of the New Testament apostles and prophets, it is Christ Himself who is the chief corner stone.  He is the Stone set at the corner to bind all together and to give the walls their straight line.  What a building!  We are part of that building. 

Prayer:  Thank You for laying Christ Jesus as our foundation stone.  Amen

“…and are of God’s household” (Eph. 2:19b).

                Citizenship is certainly a beautiful and profound picture of the rights one enjoys as a believer and the relationships he/she shares with other believers.  But this figure now gives way to a much more profound and intimate picture. 

                “God’s household” speaks of the intimate relationship the believer has with God and with other members of His household.  Jews and Gentiles, male and female, slave and free are all now members of the same family.  We are bound to each other by our relationship with the One Father of us all “who is over all and through all and in all” (Eph. 4:6). 

                We are often tempted to think of our redemption in such individualistic terms that we forget there is a corporate context to our redemption.  We are now “in Christ” all members of God’s household, we are all members of the same family.  Do we live and behave with this reality in mind.  Are there any relationships in “your larger family” that need to be mended?  What are you willing to do about it today?

Prayer:  Thank You for saving me and placing me into Your family.  Help me to live in unity with my brothers and sisters.  Amen.

“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints” (Eph. 2:19a). 

                Those who are born in a particular country often think little about what it means to be a citizen.  However, someone who goes through the arduous process of becoming a naturalized citizen frequently has a greater appreciation of what it means to be a citizen. 

                Paul turns his attention once again to the Gentiles, who now in Christ, have experienced an amazing change in their status and position.  Before, they were “strangers” and “aliens” which means they may have lived together in the same country with the Jews but they did not enjoy the rights of citizenship.  Now, they have the full rights of citizenship and thus they are “fellow citizens with the saints.” 

                The term “saints” likely is a reference to all who are the people of God.  The word “saint” comes from the word that means “holy” and “that we are”.  We are “holy” because we belong to God, whose very character is holy.  We not only belong to Him, we are separated unto Him for service.  Just as there are responsibilities that go along with citizenship in any country, so there are responsibilities that accompany citizenship in God’s Kingdom.  We are His and as such must reflect His character and advance His kingdom. 

Prayer:  Thank You for my citizenship.  I pledge to live as a citizen of the kingdom.  Amen.