Welcome!
Passage: Eph 3, Prov 19
1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles— 2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly (Eph 3, NIV 84)
“Grace” is a much misused word, in Churchianity!
(I thought I just put that word together; but then I found out that the word “Churchianity” was already there!)
Apostle Paul mentions at least two things/statuses he received, while being a recipient of God’s grace:
- He became a prisoner of Jesus Christ; Paul is writing this letter from the prison, where he was, because of Jesus Christ
- Paul was given the privilege to minister to the gentiles. God gave him the revelation that the same Jesus who was in Him, can now be in/with the gentiles as well, as they accept the salvation message of Jesus Christ
So Paul is using “grace” in a very different way, from how most people use “grace” today. For many, “grace” is about the freedom to do all they want, all they can, under the guise of being a Christian! For Paul, “grace” comes from the same God who gives “faith”, and is received for a purpose.
Being a messenger of the gospel is a privilege that even the angels are longing for and looking into, but they can’t have it. They look at us like “we wish we had this royal privilege/right”, to proclaim the great news of salvation! We are the ones saved by the blood of Jesus!
As a child, I remember having heard a message from the late Rev. K.O John, of the Evangelical Church in Kerala, India. He preached about the privilege of being the Kings’ workers in the His vineyard. That was a very encouraging one!
While we received salvation as the first and foremost privilege of God’s grace, the next one is the privilege to bear this great message to many
Paul did not misuse the grace of God. He was privileged to be a prisoner of Christ, and to be God’s messenger to the gentiles-which includes you and me
It was this grace that sustained him through all the troubles and problems he went through, because of the gospel
Standing for the truth is standing against the lie. Jesus will come at the right time appointed by the Father, not at the time you or me want Him to come. Praise God for that!
Have a blessed, grace-filled day; Amen!
BG
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for your grace that was administered to me; help me to be a channel of your grace, to others. Amen
Proverbs 19 (verses below, from NIV 84)
21 Many are the plans in a man’s heart,
but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.
22 What a man desires is unfailing love[b];
better to be poor than a liar.
23 The fear of the LORD leads to life:
Then one rests content, untouched by trouble.