Prisoners for Christ
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Ephesians 3:1-13
1. For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles -- 2. assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you, 3. how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. 4. When you read this you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5. which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; 6. that is, how the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 7. Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace which was given me by the working of his power. 8. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9. and to make all men see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; 10. that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places. 11. This was according to the eternal purpose which he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12. in whom we have boldness and confidence of access through our faith in him. 13. So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.
Paul doesn’t mind being imprisoned—except that is does physically limit his ability to minister in person. But he writes some powerful, compelling letters from prison – and I am sure he recognizes that his imprisonment is part of God’s plan for him. Paul is aware of the tremendous responsibility he has to preach the truth of the risen Christ! And he accepts that part of that responsibility includes imprisonment. In fact, his physical imprisonment allows him to be a flesh and blood image of the spiritual imprisonment to which he so often refers. It’s easy to make that comparison when we have such a concrete example.
Paul is awed and ever-grateful that God has gifted him, a sinner and one undeserving of such a task, with the divine revelation, the wisdom, the words and ability to preach the message of salvation! He understands that God uses “such as him” so that we won’t say we’re not equipped to be teachers of the truth to the unsaved. We have no excuse, because God chooses whom he wants, and uses whom he deems suitable.
I think Paul is telling us to see ourselves through God’s eyes. If we rely on our own reflection, our own self-image, our own perception of our limitations and short-comings, we’ll miss out. Not only on our own salvation, but on God’s wonderful, indescribable, blessed plan for us and our lives! That would be the ultimate tragedy. God made us exactly as He wanted us to be. He sent His Son to show us that as human beings, all we need to do to access Christ’s heart is to ask. And the Holy Spirit, already in-dwelt, will propel, energize, and sustain us. Even if we are prisoners of this world and all it holds dear—we can rejoice in the promise of eternal life!
I hope you spend your day, rejoicing in the chains of this world, knowing that God has given you the power, the fortitude and the will to overcome them—and to fulfill His purpose and plan for your life.
Mary
