Skip to main content

Ephesians 3:7-8: Spokesman for the Gospel


Ephesians 3:7–8
[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, (ESV)

I love how Paul describes himself when he points out that he has been called to be a minister of the Gospel. “To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles (verse 8).” The pride and arrogance of his former way of life as a Pharisee seems to be a distant memory. In place of his pride is a true sense of himself. He is nothing. God is everything. “Least of all the saints.”

We seem to always use the wrong measuring stick to determine success, don’t we? Paul emphasizes how weak he is so that God will get the glory for what he is doing. He recognizes that everything he has, if it is of any value, comes from the Lord. God should have already wiped Paul from the planet for killing his children. But, instead, God offered grace to Paul. No wonder Paul was such a great spokesman of the Gospel.

The Gospel had profoundly changed Paul. He now recognized who he was and who God was. I am reminded of another one of God’s spokesmen. He was given the task calling people to repentance so that Jesus could follow his message with a message of salvation through himself. I am speaking of John the Baptist. John the Baptist had a similar view of the relationship of himself to Jesus that the Apostle Paul described.

John 3:25-30
[25] Now a discussion arose between some of John's disciples and a Jew over purification. [26] And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.” [27] John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. [28] You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’ [29] The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. [30] He must increase, but I must decrease.”

One who is a spokesman for Jesus should hold a view of themselves like John the Baptist and the Apostle Paul. We are the least.   We are to decrease. Here’s the rub. We are all called to be a spokesperson for the Gospel of God’s grace. How do you view yourself? Here’s how God wants us to view ourselves:

Philippians 2:5-8
[5] Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, [6] who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, [7] but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. [8] And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Christ humbled himself. He took the form of a servant. He humbled himself and became obedient unto death. And we are supposed to view ourselves the way Jesus viewed himself. With humility. Jesus glorified the Father by humbling himself. We glorify the Son by humbling ourselves.

What kind of a spokesperson are you? Are you humble? In what ways does Christ need to increase in your life?  In what ways do you need to decrease?

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Romans 8:18: For I Consider That The Sufferings Of This Present Time Are Not Worth Comparing

Romans 8:18 [18] For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. (ESV) Perspective. What an important word. Let's be honest. We do not like the idea of suffering. We will do almost anything to avoid any kind of suffering. Some churches have gone so far as to preach against the idea of suffering, declaring it to not be a part of the true believer's life. Paul is not shy about the topic. Paul uses the sufferings of this present time as a means to consider the greater glory that awaits us. Perspective. Paul is not in any way attempting to diminish our suffering. A view toward eternity puts our suffering in a proper understanding. Yes, our suffering is terrible. In the grand scheme of eternity it is not even worth comparison. Maybe you are thinking that Paul does not know what he is talking about when it comes to suffering. In 2 Corinthians 11 Paul describes countless beatings, often near death,

Romans 11:24: For If You Were Cut From What Is By Nature A Wild Olive Tree, And Grafted, Contrary To Nature, Into A Cultivated Olive Tree . . .

Romans 11:24 [24] For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree. (ESV) We continue looking at the illustration of an olive tree. The root of the tree is the covenant relationship relationship of God with Abraham. Abraham's faith is what this spiritual tree is built on. The first branches would have been the faithful people of Israel, who like Abraham, placed their faith in God. They believed God, just like Abraham, and it was credited to them as righteousness. There were branches of the people of Israel who never placed their faith in God. Because these branches were not true followers of God they were broken off of the tree. Faith in God was the essential element that made the branches true branches of this spiritual tree. Some branches remained. Others, the faithless unbelievers, were removed. After Jesu

Romans 15:20-21: And Thus I Make It My Ambition To Preach The Gospel, Not Where Christ Has Already Been Named

Romans 15:20–21 [20] and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation, [21] but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.” (ESV) We need to be reminded continually that the message of the Gospel is intended to move all across the world. Jesus said that his followers were to preach the Gospel, starting in Jerusalem, and continue preaching the Gospel to the whole world. Christians have not always been good at delivering the Gospel message as far and as often as they should. In the first century church it took intense persecution to motivate the disciples in Jerusalem to bring the Gospel to Judea and Samaria. Once the disciples fled to new regions they shared the Gospel wherever they went. Would the disciples have preached the Gospel without the persecution? We may never know. Some probably would have stayed in their co