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Articles 2024-2026
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will (Greek, THELEMA – the desire, design, resolve, and determination) of God, to the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus:
Though Paul had plans for his own life, God’s will – His desire, design, and determination for him was vastly different and also far greater. He had decided that this man would be His apostle. Who would have figured? Before he met Christ, Paul (at that time named Saul) was not a nice person. In fact, one could say that he was an equal–opportunity persecutor of those who believed in Jesus. It didn’t matter to him whether one was a man or a woman, he would throw them in jail (Acts 8:3). Early on, we see him wholeheartedly approving of those killing Stephen, a servant of the Lord, even holding their outer garments to assist them.
On the other hand, Stephen was a humble man who served others and ministered the gospel with great power (Acts 6:8 - 9). Would it not have seemed more likely that the Lord would call him to apostleship? But God’s THELEMA was the overriding factor. Not Stephen’s nor Saul’s.
It seems likely that the way Stephen died, loving and worshiping Israel’s God to the end had a great impact on Saul. And though he kicked against the goads of Holy Spirit conviction, he could not shake his experience of the power of God revealed in Stephen’s martyrdom. The result was countless millions of lives changed through his subsequent salvation and ministry as Christ’s apostle. And today, the THELEMA of Heaven continues to invade the lives of millions with the results yet to be fully revealed.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace and peace to those reading his epistle. These were not empty words or simply a first century style of written greeting. Knowing the power of God, Paul fully expected the grace of God to impact the readers, enabling them to walk in the revelation he was communicating. And as they embraced the Lord’s word, they would experience His supernatural peace. Grace and peace – they went together then, and they still do today.
So, here is an interesting question. Since the word “apostle” means one sent on a mission, was Paul still an apostle when Christ stopped sending him to the churches? To be clear, it was the Lord Jesus who was keeping him from traveling. In prison, he was under Heaven’s restraint. He never referred to himself as a prisoner of Rome or of the Jewish religious leadership; He was the prisoner of the Lord (Ephesians 4:1). Of course, the answer was that though he was not sent physically, Paul was still clearly Christ’s apostle, His sent minister (Ephesians 1:1). This man’s apostolic authority and power continued to be revealed, and the Lord’s sending of His servant via Heaven’s truth revealed in his prison epistles was as valid as it was when he went physically.
And so, Paul was empowered to minister grace to people who were far away which then resulted in supernatural peace in their lives.
And today, we can testify to the powerful grace and peace of God revealed in our lives when He meets with us as we read Paul’s writings. Truly, though men may be restrained, the word of God cannot be (2Timothy 2:9).
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed (Greek, EULOGEO – spoken well of) us with every spiritual blessing (Greek, EUOLOGIA – commendation) in the heavenly places in Christ,
The Greek word EULOGEO is where we get the English word eulogize. Why is it that we tend to wait for someone to die before we eulogize them? “Ralph was such a great guy. What a servant! How he loved the Lord and was such a help to so many of God’s people!” This raises the obvious question. Did those around him tell him those encouraging thoughts before he left for glory?
Thankfully, God has already spoken this way over us in the heavenly places – He has commended us with every spiritual commendation. It really does not matter what the enemy or the world says about us. Their thoughts and words simply do not have the same significance and power that God’s have. He has determined and declared over us that we are totally accepted in the Beloved One, that we are His prize possession, that we are His sons and daughters, that we are His beloved bride, even the very love of His life.
Oh, that His thoughts and words over us would break in on our ways of thinking about ourselves and that they would cause such an eruption of thankful worship and adoration ascending from our hearts that it would gloriously alter both the spiritual atmosphere in His house here as well as contribute to the beauty of the worship taking place there in heaven. Truly, it can be said that even our worship is of Him, through Him and to Him (Romans 11:36).
And He has blessed us:
just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,
How much did we contribute to our being chosen by Him before the world began? Nothing. And amazingly, He has spoken Heaven’s commendation over us just as He chose us. So, what did we do to deserve His commendation? Again, nothing. Clearly, His heart for us is rooted not in what we deserve but simply in His great love, mercy, and grace. We love because He first loved us (1John 4:19).
And His motivation was that we would be able to stand blameless before Him. Formal religion can draw us to focus on appearing blameless before men. To succeed in religious organizations, one can experience a pressure to impress others to gain promotion from them. For example, Paul was advancing in Judaism beyond many of his contemporaries. But notice his observation in looking back at his former life. Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ (Galatians 1:10 NIV). Pleasing others used to motivate Paul’s life. It is not that he now no longer cared what they thought. It was that now his motivation for all that He did in Christ would never be rooted in seeking their approval. One simply cannot be a man–pleaser and also be the bondservant of the Lord.
having predestined us to adoption as sons (Greek, HUIOTHESIA – to place as sons) by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
God’s destiny for us is a predestiny. His purpose from before the foundation of the world was to take us from the darkness of this present world system and adopt us as His children into His family. When I was young in the faith, I would struggle with this thought because the Scriptures teach that we are born of God. “I’m not adopted. I’ve been born of the Spirit of God. He actually is my Dad! I was born into His family.” Then I realized that the issue was not an either/or; it was both. Not only was I born of God, He also took me from spiritual darkness, from my own spiritual destructions, I who had no business being in His household, and He placed me into His family welcoming me as His own son. Both truths reveal different aspects of our salvation. And both are equally true.
Indeed, we are royalty, a priesthood of kingly lineage (1Peter 2:9), children of the King of the universe, born into His family. At the same time, we can look into the surrounding spiritual darkness, see the foulest of sinners, and acknowledge that such were we – lost, hopelessly bound in spiritual chains, and having no hope (Ephesians 2:12). But now, everything has changed.
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,
God saw with perfect wisdom and insight that to take into His household people of such spiritual corruption as us would require the wealth found in His own grace not just trickled to us but abounding toward and lavished upon us. Though He could see the depths of our sin, He obviously was not intimidated by that as He set about establishing us in holiness before Him. Here again was His determination.
Today, as we look around us in our society, some have perhaps begun to think that the prevalent sin and spiritual darkness permeating our world is greater than the grace that Heaven has to offer. Is the darkness to prevail? Or will God continue to lavish upon His people the wealth of heaven found in His grace so much so that the beauty and glory of His ways will come into greater and greater clarity before the eyes of the whole world? Is God planning to make a supernaturally powerful statement to the nations through the power of the Holy Spirit prior to His return?
I believe that the answer in some measure lies here. If He was just releasing among us a trickle of His grace then maybe one could make a case for Christ to return for a divided Church. But if He is making the riches of His grace to abound toward us, then surely His people will ultimately be transformed into a glorious bride without spot or wrinkle. And the nations will see a united people moving forward in one heart revealing the one mind of our Head, the Lord Jesus Christ. Even so, keep arising among us O Lord. Amen.
Donald Rumble – March 2024
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