The Great Producer

In television news, producers are in charge of the newscast.  The producer is the one who decides the stories you and I watch each day.  The producer plans it.  

The producer works with the reporters and photographers who gather the news.  And the producer sits in the control room making sure the broadcast goes off without a hitch.  

Here in his letter to the folks in Ephesus, Paul reminds them that God is the Great Producer behind the Good Newscast.  

It's God who "worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places" (Eph 1:20).  

God planned it all.  God executed it all.  And now God sits in the heavenly control room making sure it all goes as He planned.

God is the Great Producer behind the Good Newscast.

The Apostle Paul writes to the folks in Ephesus to remind them exactly who Jesus is and what He's done.  He had made that clear during his three-year gig in there just a few years ago (Acts 19).  

But something's come up.  A team of spiritual snake oil salesmen have duped folks just down the road in Colossae into believing some not-so-good news.  

They've convinced Christ's followers that He might have been good but He wasn't God.  He might have gotten us into His kingdom but it's up to us to stay in. 

According to these morons, we've gotta follow the rules.  We've gotta eat certain foods.  We've gotta observe certain holy days.  That's the only chance we stand of salvation.  

But Paul wrote a letter to the Colossians letting them know that Jesus was not only God but more God than we can wrap our brains around (Col 1:15-20).  

And now he writes a second letter to Ephesian believers trying to prevent them from falling for the same con.  The apostle opens this second letter with a spectacular picture of exactly who Jesus is and what He's done for us (Eph 1:3-14).  Call it the Good Newscast.

Paul lets them know that he's praying all the time for them (Eph 1:16).  He prays that God will flip on the lights so they can clearly see Jesus for who He is and how He's powerfully working in their lives (Eph 1:18-19).  

The apostle says that the very same power source that's working in our lives is same power source that "worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead" (v20).  God the Father raised His Son from the dead through the power of His Holy Spirit.  

Paul confirms that idea in Romans.  "If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you" (Rom 8:11).  So resurrection is a powerful picture of Trinitarian teamwork!

Don't miss the fact that Jesus was dead.  No pulse.  No brain activity.  Dead.  He wasn't asleep.  He wasn't in a coma.  He didn't swoon.  He was dead.  

There's absolutely no way Jesus could have survived the brutality of that bloody Friday.  The Romans beat Him unmercifully, ripping Him apart with a cat o' nine tails.  They punched and kicked Him.  

They forced Him to carry the massive crossbeam on His bloody back through the streets of the city where He fell several times.  Soldiers then pounded railroad spikes through His hands and feet, nailing Him to cross.  

He hung naked and bleeding on that cross for six hours, struggling to breath. 

Eventually when He eventually stopped breathing, a professional Roman executioner rammed a spear through His ribcage and pierced His heart, causing the loss of a massive amount of blood and fluid.  

He was dead.  

Some of His followers took His body down from the cross and prepared it for burial.  They wrapped His corpse in burial cloths and covered it in about 100 pounds of spices.  

Eventually they placed this remains into a tomb carved out of rock and rolled a huge stone over the entrance.  Jesus was dead.  Dead.  No pulse.  No heartbeat.  No brain activity.

Because He was really, actually and literally dead, He couldn't raise Himself.  He didn't set His alarm for three days and simply wake up Sunday morning.  

Paul makes it clear in this letter to his friends in Ephesus that it was God who "raised Him from the dead" (v20).  It was Jesus' resurrection that lit the fire in His followers.  

This was the lead story to the Good News throughout those incredible first days of the church we read in Acts (Acts 2:24; 3:15, 26; 4:10, 33; 5:30; 10:40; 13:30; 17:3, 31).  

God brought His Son back from the dead.  Paul Himself saw Him first hand when the risen Jesus jumped him just outside Damascus (Acts 9:27).  

This is the ultimate proof to Jesus' first followers that He is EXACTLY who He said He was.  He rose from the the dead.  And because God raised Jesus, His followers knew for certain He would raise them too.

Paul tells us that God "worked" (v20) to raise Jesus.  He uses a very similar word to one in the previous verse.  It's the Greek verb energeo/ενεργεω, which means to provide power, energize, work effectively and produce.  

God provides the power for raise Jesus.  God energizes Christ's resurrection.  God works effectively to raise His Son from the dead.  God produces a risen Jesus.  

God is the Great Producer of the Good Newscast.

We see a VERY familiar phrase here: "in Christ" (v20).  Paul uses some form of this idea 28 times in this letter alone.  Everything we have and everything we hope for is "in Christ.”  

These two little words remind us that He lived the perfect life of obedience to the law that we failed to live.  They remind us that He died the awful death of punishment that we should have died.  

They remind us that God raised Him up to a glorious new life we don't deserve.  They remind us that He did for us what we could never do for ourselves in a gajillion years.  

We trust "in Christ" (v20).  We believe in that it truly is finished, over and done with (Jn 19:30).  There's nothing more we can do to earn or merit His blessing of salvation.  That's what it means to believe "in Christ" (v20).

God didn't just stop at resurrecting Jesus.  Through the same power of the Holy Spirit that brought Him back from the tomb, He "seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places" (v20).  

A few weeks after His resurrection, Jesus headed home to heaven right before the eyes of His followers (Acts 1:9-10).  Reunited with our heavenly Dad, He sat down.  He sat down just to the right of Father God.  

That's the place of ultimate honor.  That's the place of ultimate power.  The authors of the books of the Bible talk about it all the time (Ps 16:8; 110:1; Mt 22:44; Lk 22:69; Acts 2:33-34; 5:31; Rom 8:34; Col 3:1; Heb 1:3, 13; 8:1; 10:12; 12:2; 1Pet 3:22).  

Jesus is sitting at the right hand of His Father in heaven.  Yeah, it's kind of a big deal.  It's a very important way of saying He's in charge.  

He's in authority.  He's running the show.  We can trust Him completely.  God raised Him from the dead.  God put Him in power.  

He’s able to do that since God is the Great Producer of the Good Newscast.

©2013

Jay Jennings

Protecting the Treasure

“O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called ‘knowledge’” (1Tim 6:20).

Imagine guarding America’s gold at Fort Knox. How about the assignment to protect the crown jewels in Tower of London? Hey, no pressure. You’re only in charge of protecting some of the world’s most precious assets. It’s not yours. But it is your responsibility. 

You might find this hard to believe but 2,000 years ago, a young pastor named Timothy was given a treasure even more valuable to defend. His mentor Paul has written Tim some critical instructions about getting the church of Ephesus back on track. Near the end of that letter, the apostle reminds him of the central purpose of his mission. “O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called ‘knowledge’” (v20). Don’t fall for distractions. Protect the treasure.

While on divine assignment in Macedonia (1Tim 1:3), the man from Tarsus gets personal with his protege. “O Timothy” (v20). In essence, Paul grabs Tim by the shoulders and wants his full and undivided attention. He gets raw. He gets real. Look me in the eyes, young man. It’s no surprise, really. The apostle considers the young buck from Lystra his spiritual son (1Tim 1:2). 

Not long after they met (Acts 16:1), Tim moved inside Paul’s circle of trust. Starting in Acts 16, Dr. Luke repeated mentions Tim as a key player in the spread of the Gospel around the Mediterranean rim (Acts 17:14-15; 18:5; 19:22; 20:4). The apostle drops his name throughout his letters (Rom 16:21; 1Cor 4:17; 16:10-11; 2Cor 1:1; Phil 1:1; Col 1:1; 1Th 1:1; 3:2; 2Th 1:1; Phm 1). Paul goes so far as to tell his Philippian friends, “I have no one like him” (Phil 2:19-23). I don’t know about you, but I certainly wouldn’t mind having that on my resume!

Now that the apostle has Tim’s full attention, he instructs him to “guard the deposit entrusted to you” (v20). Paul uses a Greek verb here (Gr. phulasso) that paints a picture of keeping watch over someone or something, protecting them, keeping from harm, or even defending them. When Paul tells the story about the dark day before Jesus saved him when he ran the coat check table at Stephen’s stoning, he says he was “watching over (Gr. phulasso) the garments of those who killed him” (Acts 22:20). (Gr. phulasso) in Herod’s praetorium” (Acts 23:35). The apostle tells the Thessalonians how we can be sure Jesus will “guard (Gr. phulasso) you against the evil one” (2Th 3:3).

Tim is to focus his energy on protecting the “deposit entrusted to you” (v20). Just what is this deposit he’s supposed to guard? What could it be? Gold? Jewels? Cash? Paul’s collection of Bible trading cards that includes his Methuselah rookie card? Nope. Not even close. Something much more precious. Something much more valuable. Truth. Specifically, THE truth. God’s Truth. The capital “T” Truth of Jesus’ substitutionary sacrifice for you and me. Trust me, there’s no greater treasure to protect. 

That’s because guarding the Gospel hasn’t exactly been a top priority at the Ephesian church. A team of spiritual hucksters duped folks from following Jesus with all sorts of goofy stuff. A quick check of this letter tells us they taught everything from crazy myths to complicated family trees to outright lies to demonic doctrine (1Tim 1:3-4; 4:1-2). Anything and everything BUT salvation by grace through faith. Get back to Gospel. Jesus lived the perfect life we failed to live. He died the death for our sin we should have died. He rose to the new life we don’t deserve. Preach that truth. Protect that treasure.

Once we get back to the true message of God’s grace, we need to steer WAY clear of the cotton candy that’s too often make a regular part of our spiritual diet. “Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called ‘knowledge’” (v20). Pretty much gives you Paul’s take on the gobbledegook the false teachers have been spreading. One very important way of protecting the treasure is putting distance between you and anything that leads me away from a deeper relationship with Jesus. 

I actually think the original language here is actually tougher than most of the modern translations. Paul takes the gloves off and starts punching bare knuckle. According to the apostle, the false teachers have gone WAY too far. “Irreverent” is the Greek word bebelos, which literally a “step over the threshold.” We see the very same term when Paul gives Tim very similar instructions. “Have nothing to do with irreverent (Gr. bebelos) silly myths” (1Tim 4:7). We all know someone who’s constantly right up to the line and going over like an athlete who doesn’t realize he’s gone out of bounds.

If that’s not bad enough, their counterfeit message is a complete waste of oxygen. The ESV translators use “babble” which is actually kenophonia. It’s a compound word the apostle uses to paint an incredibly descriptive picture of empty talk. Remember Charlie Brown’s teacher? “Wah-wah-wah-wah.” Their lips are moving but nothing’s really coming out. Their babble is just unbiblical blah-blah-blah. In his followup letter to Tim, Paul uses both of these words together again. “Avoid irreverent (Gr. bebelos) babble (Gr. kenophonia), for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene” (2Tim 2:16-17). Well there’s a lovely image.

It gets worse. Their teaching simply doesn’t make sense because it’s loaded with “contradictions” (v20) It should come as a surprise to no one that the Greek word here is antithesis. They actually disagree with themselves. The only thing consistent about them is their inconsistency. A person who takes one position today and then does a 180 tomorrow. You know people like that, don’t you? Of course you do. They’re called politicians. When a church leader constantly changes their position on an issue based on the shifting political and cultural winds, run away. Run away fast. Run, Forrest, Run!!

And just because someone tells you something is the real deal, don’t take it at face value. Folks in Ephesus have been falling for “what is falsely called ‘knowledge’” (v20). They’ve been selling lies under an assumed name. That’s exactly what the original language tells us. “Falsely called” is the word pseudonumos. Look familiar? Well, it should. It describes someone using a fake name or an alias. They’ve slapped a label over their snake oil and sold it as the truth. 

Take a page out of the Bereans playbook. Remember them? Back when Paul first told Jews in Berea that Jesus was the Messiah God had long promised, they didn’t just take it at face value. “They received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:11). Be a Berean. Do your research. Just because somebody says their teaching so-called “knowledge” (by the way, use “air quotes” if it helps), don’t just accept what they say without seeing if the Bible backs it up. Otherwise, I’ve got bad news about that email you just received from the Nigerian prince.

How does this 2,000-year-old letter apply to you and me? So very glad you asked. We need to carefully “guard the deposit” given to us. We must protect treasure that is the truth of the Gospel. Every follower of Jesus has that responsibility. While this is especially important for those in ministry, it applies to all of us. Paul tells the believers in Corinth that we’re all “servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God” (1Cor 4:1). The apostle reminds the Thessalonian church how his team guarded the message of Jesus and “entrusted with the Gospel” (1Th 2:4). Protect the treasure. Guard it with your life.

One very specific way to do that is avoiding useless discussions about things that seem religious on the surface but are really a spiritual black hole. You know what I’m talking about don’t you? Stuff like Bible codes, dinosaurs on the ark, who were the Nephilim, and Jesus’ alleged marriage to Mary Magdalene. Don’t go there. Don’t even go anywhere near there. It’s a total waste of time. Concentrate on what matters. Let’s keep our eyes on Jesus, the Founder and Finisher of our faith (Heb 12:2). Let’s keep the main thing the main thing. 

Forget Fort Knox. Don’t worry about the crown jewels. If we’re going to guard anything, guard the Good News of grace. Let’s protect the treasure.

Snake Oil in E City

“As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine” (1Tim 1:3).

Radical problems call for radical measures. A diagnosis of cancer probably means treatment involving chemo, radiation, or even surgery. The driver who suddenly finds himself behind the wheel of skidding car on ice, has to take action NOW! That’s the scene in Ephesus as Paul writes to his buddy Timothy with important instructions about what to do next. The apostle had to leave for his next assignment and handed the reins of leadership of the Ephesian megachurch. Things may be at DEFCON 1 in the congregation, but Tim is to hang tight in E City with some very specific instructions. “As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain in Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine” (v3). You see, there are certain situations which demand immediate and drastic action. 

It’s really easy to read these books of the New Testament as pie-in-the-sky theological treatises that have nothing to do with real life. These original churches back in the first century must have been perfect. Everybody gets along. The preaching is pure. The worship is awesome. Yeah, right. These expansion franchises dealt with much of the same garbage your church does today. Paul’s note to Timothy is a perfect example. This is a real letter to a real person in a real place dealing with real problems. It’s a snapshot in time which God has included in His Word that not only describes what they faced in Ephesus but godly instruction on how we roll up our sleeves to fix the same problems 2,000 years later.

Understanding the setting is a pretty big deal. Paul is finally out of Caesar’s Supermax after waiting around five years for a hearing over his role in a riot at the temple in Jerusalem. Dr. Luke spends almost eight chapters in his sequel writing all about the apostle’s legal troubles and how Jesus uses them to spread His message of grace across the Mediterranean to the capital of the Roman Empire (Acts 21:27-28:31). While he’s behind bars, Paul writes a series of letters to various churches helping put out fires in the fellowship. 

The apostle writes one of those epistles to the Ephesian church. There’s false teaching just down the road in Colossae that’s almost certainly headed their way (Col 2:16-23). A team of spiritual hucksters are telling Christ followers that Jesus may have gotten them into God’s kingdom but they have to follow some VERY specific rules in order to stay in. Once he’s released, Paul makes a point of dropping by to see his friends in E City, a cross cultural crossroads and important seaport on the west coast of what is now modern day Turkey. It certainly appears that despite his previous efforts, a doctrinal cancer is growing in the church he planted about ten years ago (Acts 19). So you may want to see 1st Timothy as 2nd Ephesians. The only difference is that Paul and his buddy Tim have had boots on the ground and seen the situation firsthand. It doesn’t take long to find out the Colossian cancer has spread the 100 plus miles to Ephesus.

Right out of the chute we see Paul’s not there. But he gives detailed instructions “as I urged you when I was going to Macedonia” (v3). The apostle has hit the road to handle stuff just across the Aegean Sea in Europe. Jesus used Paul to plant Macedonian churches in Philippi (Acts 16:12-40), Thessalonica (Acts 17:1-9), and Berea (Acts 17:10-15). While the apostle certainly has a ton of friends in Macedonia, he also made an army of enemies. Folks got so ticked off at him that huge riots erupted in each of those cities. He’s not exactly going to kick back for a few days of R&R on a beach chair holding a drink with an umbrella in it. When the Gospel gets ahold of your heart, you’re like a first responder. You run INTO trouble, not away from it.

Paul tells Tim to “remain in Ephesus” (v3). In giving his instructions, he uses the Greek verb prosmeno. It means to hold fast, continue with the current situation, stay, or endure. Throughout the NT, this term doesn’t describe hitting the pause button for a few seconds. We’re talking about endurance and faithfulness. Barnabas did his best to fire up the church in Antioch “to remain faithful (Gr. prosmeno) to the Lord with steadfast purpose” (Acts 11:23). Paul hung tight at the church in Antioch and “stayed (Gr. prosmeno) many days longer” (Acts 18:18). Later in this letter, he tells Tim how a truly godly widow “continues (Gr. prosmeno) in supplications and prayers night and day” (1Tim 5:5). 

Hang in there, Tim. Hold what you’ve got. Stay…just a little bit longer. How about you? Are you thinking of bailing on your current situation? Thinking of pulling the rip cord? Maybe God has placed you in that circumstance to be the one to spread His salt and shine His light during these difficult days. Maybe He’s doesn’t want to deliver you from what you face but deliver you THROUGH it. Hey, I’m not exactly the poster boy of perseverance myself. I’ve punked out when times got tough. But God’s Spirit has also given me the strength in the storm more than once. Maybe, just maybe Jesus wants you to hang in there. Stay…just a little bit longer.

The apostle tells Tim he’s to hang in E City “so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine” (v3). There’s a pretty good chance these are probably the same spiritual hucksters who stirred up trouble down the road in Colossae. Paul tried to inoculate them from this false teaching in his letter from prison to the Ephesians. Clearly this rotten gospel has jacked up these believers in a big way.

Before the apostle hit the road for Macedonia, he tossed Hymenaeus and Alexander out of the church (1Tim 1:20). They were probably the ring leaders of this posse of religious snake oil salesmen who had weaseled their way inside the fellowship. Interestingly, John MacArthur believes these goobers held official leadership positions in the Ephesian church. That may explain why he gives very specific instructions about the qualities and characteristics of elders later in the letter (1Tim 3:1-7) as well as what to do when an elder sins (1Tim 5:19-22). These two knuckleheads may be gone, but their influence remains. 

Paul tells Tim to shut it down right here and right now. He’s to stuff a sock in anyone who would “teach any different doctrine” (v3). This phrase is actually one Greek verb: heterodidaskaleo. It means to teach something other than what should be taught, instruct error as if it was proper, or teach a false doctrine. This word only appears one other time and it happens to be later in this very same letter. “If anyone teaches a different doctrine (Gr. heterodidaskaleo) and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing” (1Tim 6:3-4). These hucksters had duped believers into thinking they had to follow a certain set of rules to ensure their place in God’s family.

Don’t be fooled. There is only ONE Gospel. There is single message of Good News. The only way to have a relationship with God is by trusting in who Jesus and what He’s done for us that we could never do for ourselves. He followed God’s Law perfectly. I’ve failed miserably. He died the death on a cross for my disobedience. I certainly should have. He rose to new life. I absolutely don’t deserve it. He does it all for me and you. There’s absolutely nothing left for us to do to seal the deal of our salvation. It’s the reason Jesus shouted for the world to hear from the cross, “It is finished! (Jn 19:30). Instead of counterfeit not-so-good news, we to place our trust in the “Gospel of the glory of the blessed God” (1Tim 1:11). Accept no substitutes.

False gospel garbage not only stinks up the joint but is incredibly unhealthy for everyone around it. It can’t continue. It needs to be cleaned up and taken to the dump. Here’s an important part of church life that some of us don’t like to talk about. There are critical times when you have to confront folks who are teaching something other than the true Gospel of Jesus. Yeah, we want the church to be a place of love and grace. But in order to get there, evil and wrong must be dealt with. Jesus places pastors and church leaders in the position to protect His flock. When wolves infiltrate and start spreading their stinking thinking, drastic measures are required. They must be confronted. They must be shut down. Radical measures must be taken.

Get under the Waterfall...and Stay There!

Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible (Eph 6:24).

As he signs off, Paul gives us a good shake to make sure we were paying attention to what he’s written.  He points us back to God’s grace.  He points us back to Jesus’ undeserved goodness.  This letter starts with grace.  This letter ends with grace.  This letter drips with grace.  In a first century “Hello, McFly!” moment, the apostle grabs us by the ears and makes his point.  “Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible” (v24).  Grace.  Grace!  GRACE!!!

Back in the opening lines of his letter, Paul works his tail off to get us to see God’s goodness toward us.  God didn’t just “like” our status on Facebook.  He didn’t just give us a retweet.  He didn’t just drop us a card in the mail.  He drenches us in His overwhelming goodness.  Or in the words of the apostle, “According to the riches of His grace which he lavished upon us” (Eph 1:7-8).  Paul’s purpose is to get us to stand under the waterfall of God’s grace.  Only then can we have any clue about all that He has done, is doing and will do for us.  Now at the end of this letter, the man from Tarsus doesn’t want us to experience the exhilaration just once.  Don’t just stand under the flow for a moment.  This is so much more than a vacation photo op.  He wants us to stay there.  

Get under the waterfall of God’s grace.  And stay there!

In case you’re just jumping onto this Ephesian party wagon and are new to the story, let’s get you up to speed.  Paul’s in a Roman slammer waiting for his appeal.  The pastor over in Colossae hunted down the apostle for help.  A group of spiritual hucksters have stirred up a truckload of trouble in his church.  They’ve fooled Jesus’ followers into believing Christ might be good but He’s not God.  In order to ensure our place in God’s kingdom, they say we need to follow a complicated list of religious rules and regs.  And lookie there, they just happened to have it with them.  Imagine that!  After writing a letter to the Colossians in order to get them back on track, Paul fires off another to his friends in Ephesus.  They’re just 100 miles up the road from Colossae.  If his letter to the Colossians is treatment for the disease, Ephesians is an inoculation against it.  The apostle knows that when we understand who Jesus is, what He’s done and who we are in Him, there’s very little chance we’ll buy any of this spiritual snake oil.

That means constantly realizing the scope of God’s grace.  This is that great Greek word charis.  It means an overwhelming and undeserved goodness.  It’s unexpected pleasure.  It’s unmerited favor.  It’s kindness given for no reason.  The Bible is a collection of letters and writings over the scope of 1,500 years that tell the story of God’s overflowing grace.  He creates the universe out of His goodness.  He creates people out His irrepressible love.  And even after we jack it all up, He’s coming back to fix it all because of His crazy good kindness.  Just as Ephesians is all about grace from beginning to end, so is the entire length of Scripture.  

Get under the waterfall of God’s grace.  And stay there!

Paul ends his letter with the phrase “Grace be with you all” (v24).  Hmm.  That seems familiar.  VERY familiar.  Flip back to the opening lines of this note from a Roman jail.  The apostle kicks this thing off by wishing “Grace to you” (Eph 1:2).  Similar.  But different.  He sends his wish of God’s grace at the beginning of his letter.  Now at the end, he wants us to know and live in the light of God’s grace.  Once we realize all that we really need we already have in Jesus, we can experience His grace.  Take one long, last drink of God’s goodness that the apostle has gone to great lengths to explain in this letter.  Start with the Tsunami of Blessings in Ephesians 1:3-14, that amazing run-on sentence where Paul bubbles over as he becomes so excited about all God has done for us.  He blessed us, chose us, predestined us, adopted us, redeemed us, forgave us, lavished riches on us, made His will know to us, given us an inheritance, predestined us (just in case we missed it the first time!) and sealed us with His Holy Spirit.  His entire purpose is that we would have “the eyes of our hearts enlightened” (Eph 1:18) to all that God has done for us.  Live in light of God’s “grace with you” (v24)!  His grace just doesn’t stop!

Get under the waterfall of God’s grace.  And stay there!

And as they say in the infomercial, “but wait there’s more!”  Paul reminds us of our situation BC: before Christ.  We used to be stumbling around like spiritual zombies as members of the Walking Dead (Eph 2:1).  But our gracious God came to our rescue and brought us to life in His Son Jesus (Eph 2:4).  Just in case you might miss how good God and how little we deserved what He’s done, we read, “By grace (Gr. charis) you have been saved...For by grace (Gr. charis) you have been saved through faith.  And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works so that no one may boast” (Eph 2:5, 8-9).  God has placed us under the waterfall of His grace so He could show off “the immeasurable riches of His grace (Gr. charis) in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Eph 2:7).  That’s because His grace just doesn’t stop.

Get under the waterfall of God’s grace.  And stay there!

Later we see that Jesus has blasted down all the walls between race, religion and culture and invited everyone to the party (Eph 2:14).  Through His death on the cross at Calvary, He brings both Jews and Gentiles together into one body we call His church (Eph 2:15-16).  This is a HUGE deal!  Jesus makes outsiders insiders (Eph 2:17-22).  And He handpicked Paul specifically to spread the Word to non-Jews (Eph 3:1-13).  If you’re not Jewish and Jesus has saved you, then you should be eternally grateful for this specific move of God.  I know I am!  The apostle goes on to tell his friends in Ephesus that God’s grace keeps on rolling.  He’s given us unlimited and mind-blowing power through the Holy Spirit living in every believer (Eph 3:16, 20).  That’s the only chance we have to wrap our brains around the massive scope of the love Jesus drenches on you and me (Eph 3:19).  That’s because His grace just doesn’t stop.

Get under the waterfall of God’s grace.  And stay there!

So is that all of His grace?  Is that all He’s done for us?  Absolutely not!  Check this out.  “Grace (Gr. charis) was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift” (Eph 4:8).  In what Paul describes as the Grace Parade, Jesus gave a group of spiritually gifted people to His people in order to give them everything they would need to live in the fullness of His grace.  These are “the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers” (Eph 4:11).  Jesus puts them in place to teach us, lead us and build us up in God’s Word so that we’ll be grow into unity and Christ-like maturity (Eph 4:15-16).  He gives.  And He gives.  And He gives.  And He gives.  His grace just doesn’t stop.

Get under the waterfall of God’s grace.  And stay there!

Once we position ourselves in front of God’s fire hydrant of goodness, it changes everything.  We become God imitators (Eph 5:1) who walk around loving others selflessly like Jesus did (Eph 5:2).  We become shiners of God’s light (Eph 5:8-9).  His grace impacts our marriages (Eph 5:22-33), our families (Eph 6:1-4) and our jobs (Eph 6:5-10).  God’s goodness impacts every inch of our lives.  Or as Paul tells the folks in Corinth, “His grace toward me was not in vain” (1Cor 15:10).  God’s no grace waster.

Get under the waterfall of God’s grace.  And stay there!

Keep the Main Things the Main Things

Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (Eph 6:23).

Not too long ago, Elvis Costello asked the musical question, “What’s so funny about peace, love and understanding?”  A couple of thousand years before, Paul told his friends in Ephesus that peace, love and faith are a VERY big deal.  In many ways, they are the main thing when comes to following Jesus.  The apostle begins signing off his note to the Ephesians by writing, “Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (v23).  Peace.  Love.  Faith.  He hits the highlights of his letter.  Peace.  Love.  Faith.  These are the main things.  As he wraps things up, he summarizes the big ideas.  Peace.  Love.  Faith.  

Keep the main things the main things.

Too many times I blow right past the opening and closing lines in Paul’s letters.  I want to get to the good stuff.  I want to get to the meat.  But the apostle doesn’t waste any words.  This IS the good stuff.  This IS the meat.  So let’s slow down.  And let’s dig in.  Because Paul uses these parts of his epistles in very important ways.  They almost always contain the big ideas.  The main things.  His letter to the Ephesians is no different.

From a prison cell in Rome, the apostle wishes “peace to the brothers” (v23).  This is so much more than a call for folks to stop fighting.  He uses the Greek word eirene, which means harmony, welfare, freedom from anxiety and tranquility.  In many ways, Paul is referring to the wonderful old Hebrew term shalom.  Throughout the Old Testament, this word describes the perfect rhythm of God’s original created order.  Think back to the way things were in Eden before we jacked up the whole deal.  Everything flowed together in divine synchronicity.  God created His handcrafted paradise for Adam and Eve to enjoy.  Other than one tree, our first parents could eat and savor every bit of God’s unspoiled goodness. And don’t forget about the fact that clothes had not been invented yet.  This is the perfect rhythm of our Creator’s original design.  Shalom.  Peace.  It’s completeness.  It’s contentment.  It’s the absolute opposite of the chaos that our sin brought on the scene.

If you thought that it was a big deal that Justin Timberlake brought sexy back, check out what Jesus has done.  He’s bringing peace back.  He’s bringing shalom back.  He’s bringing God’s perfect rhythm back.  That’s why it’s one of the main things in Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus.  Right out of the chute, the apostle tells his readers, “Grace to you and peace (Gr. eirene) from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph 1:2).  This peace isn’t just an idea.  It’s a Person.  Jesus “himself is our peace (Gr. eirene)” and has smashed the walls divided all races, religions and cultures (Eph 2:14-15).  Christ showed up and “preached peace (Gr. eirene)” to both insiders and outsiders (Eph 2:17).  This makes a ton of sense when we look back at what the prophets said about the Messiah to come.  Seven hundred years before Jesus was born, Isaiah announced that He would be the “Prince of Peace (Heb. shalom)” (Is 9:6).

The Prince of Peace isn’t just the embodiment of God’s peace, He gives us peace as a gift.  He gives us His peace so that we can begin to live in that perfect rhythm of God’s original creation.  We see the impact of this peace on our church.  A big part of walking in a manner worthy of Jesus’ calling on our lives is living “bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Gr. eirene)” (Eph 4:1-3).  An important part of God’s armor are the cleats which make us ready to share “the Gospel of peace (Gr. eirene)” (Eph 6:15).  Yeah, peace.  It’s kind of a big deal.

Keep the main things the main things.  And one of those things is peace.  God’s peace.

Next, Paul encourages his readers to realize and practice God’s “love” (v23).  Another one of his main things.  This is the Greek noun agape.  If you’ve been around the church for any length of time, you’ve heard this word.  The problem is that God’s idea of love is nothing like our culture’s definition of love.  Movies (especially romantic comedies) have corrupted the idea of love as simply the emotion of a deep and warm fuzzy feeling.  But that’s NOT God’s definition of agape.  This love is a choice that’s put into action.  This is a love that does.  This is a love with hands and feet.  Love isn’t just a feeling.  Love is a verb!  As a matter of fact, the verb form of love is agapao.  Want the greatest example of love the universe has ever seen?  “God shows His love (Gr. agape) for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8).  Love doesn’t just feel.  Love does.

Love is one of the three main things in Paul’s letter to his friends in Ephesus.  Let’s hit the highlights.  “In love (Gr. agape)” God handpicked us for adoption into His family (Eph 1:4).  We used to be among the Walking Dead but God brought us to life in Jesus “because of the great love (Gr. agape) with which He loved (Gr. agapao) us” (Eph 2:4-5).  God gives us His Spirit so that we have a chance to wrap our minds around “the love (Gr. agape) of Christ that surpasses knowledge” (Eph 3:16-19).

Once we’re blown away by God’s love, we can’t help but love.  We’re to imitate God by walking “in love (Gr. agape) as Christ loved (Gr. agapao) us,” living a life of self-giving and sacrifice (Eph 5:1-2).   Over and over and over, Paul tells married men to follow Jesus’ example of love in action.  “Husbands, love (Gr. agapao) your wives, as Christ loved (Gr. agapao) the church...husbands should love (Gr. agapao) their wives...He who loves (Gr. agapao) his wife loves (Gr. agapao) himself...let each one of you love (Gr. agapao) his wife...” (Eph 5:25-33).  Yeah, so do you get Paul’s point?  Love is kind of a big deal.

Keep the main things the main things.  And one of those things is love.  God’s love.

The apostle makes the very important point that God’s love doesn’t travel by itself.  Elvis Costello missed on this one.  It’s “love with faith” (v23).  Paul uses the word pistis, which means trust, belief and assurance.  He’s encouraging us to place our faith in the only truly reliable Person to ever walk the planet.  Jesus.  We place our trust in the fact that He’s done for us what we could never, ever do for ourselves.  We place our faith in His flawless faith.  He was faithful to live the perfect life that I completely failed to live.  He was faithful to die the brutal death for my sin that completely deserved to die.  And He rose to a breathtaking new life that absolutely do not deserve.  I place my faith in who He is and what He’s done.  That’s why Paul writes, “By grace you have been saved through faith (Gr. pistis).  And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” (Eph 2:8).

Our faith in who Jesus is and what He’s done becomes the one thing that draws us together no matter our backgrounds.  We’re to be unified in “one Lord, one faith (Gr. pistis), one baptism, one God and Father of all” (Eph 4:5-6).  God uses human leadership to build up His church so that “we attain to the unity of the faith (Gr. pistis)” (Eph 4:13).  Paul tells us to never forget to take our “shield of faith (Gr. pistis)” into battle as protection against Satan’s attack (Eph 6:16).  You see, our faith isn’t based on how much faith we can muster.  It’s not based on the strength of our faith.  Our faith is completely dependent on the Object of our faith.  That’s Jesus.  He’s totally and unshakably faithful even when we’re not (2Tim 2:13).

Keep the main things the main things.  And of those is faith.  Faith in Jesus.

Elvis Costello was close.  Very close.  

The Mail Man

So that you may also know how I am and what I am doing, Tychicus the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord will tell you everything (Eph 6:21).

There’s a mystic about the image of the High Plains Drifter.  You know, the character that Clint Eastwood made famous.  That lone dude who roams the land alone.  Relying on no one.  Solitary.  Self-sufficient.  Bringing law and order to every town along the trail.  There’s an image of the Apostle Paul that’s a lot like that.  Rolling into the city.  Kicking butt.  Taking names.  All in the name of Jesus, of course.  Then mysteriously moving on to the next town as everyone wonders, “Who was that man?”  

There’s only one problem with that picture of Paul.  It’s not true!  He was no Lone Ranger.  He was no High Plains Drifter.  He was rarely alone on his divine assignments.  You’ve probably heard of his partners, guys like Barnabas, Silas, Timothy and Titus.  But there’s another “go to” guy that doesn’t get the headlines.  Tychicus.  In several key situations, the apostle counts on Mr. T to get the job done.  This is one of those instances.  “So that you may also know how I am and what I am doing, Tychicus the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord will tell you everything” (v21).

Call him the Mail Man.  Because he always delivers.

Let’s set the scene once again.  Paul’s locked up in a Roman joint waiting for his appeal to be heard by Caesar.  He’s just gotten a surprise visit from Epaphras, the dude who planted a multisite church in Colossae, Hierapolis and Laodicea.  A group of spiritual hucksters have duped Jesus’ followers there into believing a lie.  They’ve fooled folks into thinking Jesus might be good but He’s not God.  According to these goobers, to ensure your place in God’s kingdom, you must save yourself by following a complicated list of religious rules and regs.  After writing a letter correcting the Colossians, he fires off another one to his friends in Ephesus, just 100 miles down the road.  The apostle knows that if we truly know our identity in Jesus, who He is and what He’s done for us, we won’t fall buy any spiritual snake oil.  

In a dark prison cell, Paul licks the envelopes of these letters and hands them to Tychicus.  The Mail Man.  He counts on Mr. T to deliver these crucial communications.  It will be Tychicus who will tell the Ephesians of the apostle’s situation.  “So that you may also know how I am and what I am doing, Tychicus the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord will tell you everything” (v21).  Writing under the influence of God’s Spirit, the apostle instructs and encourages his readers.  Meanwhile Tychicus will tell the folks in Ephesus how Paul is doing, what he looks like and his hopes for release.  

Paul gives the Mail Man quite a reference.  He gives him the apostolic seal of approval by calling him “the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord” (v21).  When you’ve got the Paul telling folks you’re legit, then you certainly must be the real deal.  He makes it clear to the Ephesians that he loves him some Tychicus.  As a matter of fact, he loves him like a brother.  This is a great reminder of just what it means to be a member of God’s family.  Paul and his handpicked courier come from completely different backgrounds.  The apostle grew up as a hardcore Pharisee in Tarsus.  He admits to being a former first-team all star in the Jewish big leagues (Phil 3:5-6).  There’s a better than even chance that Tychicus is a Gentile from Ephesus.  We see a couple of clues in Scripture.  First of all, he’s from Asia (Acts 20:4).  In that same verse, Dr. Luke describes Mr. T and Trophimus as some sort of Asian Dynamic Duo.  Back in Jerusalem, things went nuclear when Jewish hardliners thought the non-Jewish Trophimus went to “Hebrew Only” section of the temple (Acts 21:28-29).  So his buddy Tychicus is also probably a Gentile follower of Jesus.

Let that sink in for just a moment.  Paul and Tychicus, the former Pharisee and the foreign non-Jew, are best buds.  Or in the apostle’s words, “the beloved brother” (v21).  Despite all of the racial and religious discrimination that was a big part of the day, Paul loves this dude like a brother.  A brother in Christ.  Do all your friends look like you?  Do they all have the same background?  Jesus is up to something crazy in His kingdom.  He’s busting down walls between races, religions, cultures, genders and nations (Eph 2:13-14).  He’s making insiders out of outsiders.  He’s bringing folks who are far apart and making them family.  He did it for Paul and Tychicus.  Let Him do it for you too.  You can almost see the big bear hug between these two before the Mail Man hit the road.  “Love ya, bro.”

The apostle also wants the Ephesians to know what an awesome servant of Jesus their letter carrier is.  He’s “the faithful minister” (21).  While we don’t know exactly what Tychicus’ ministry is, he seems to be some sort of special projects guy.  Whenever something big comes up, the Mail Man is on Paul’s short list.  And we see why.  He’s faithful.  That means a couple of things.  He’s placed his faith in who Jesus is and what He’s done for him.  Tychicus is a man of faith.  It also describes his never-give-up-never-say-die devotion to his assignment.  When the going gets tough, he gets going.  Paul sends him to Crete to relieve Titus (Titus 1:5; 3:12).  And in the months before his death, the apostle sends him to Ephesus one more time (2Tim 4:12).  There’s no doubt that’s why the man from Tarsus counts on the Mail Man.  Because he always delivers.

Flip back a few years and you’ll see when these two friends got acquainted.  During Paul’s second missionary journey, he was collecting money for the church in Jerusalem that had fallen on very hard times.  As each church contributed to the cause, they also sent along men to accompany the apostle for security and accountability.  “Sopater the Berean, son of Pyrrhus, accompanied him; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Seconds; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy; and the Asians, Tychicus and Trophimus (Acts 20:4).  So the T-Man was part of the bigger posse that traveled with Paul as he delivered the financial support from the churches of Asia, Macedonia and Greece to the home office in Jerusalem.  Like his mentor, Tychicus rarely traveled alone.  Here he makes the trip to Crete with Artemas.  Previously he rolled with Paul’s big posse to Jerusalem.  On the assignment to Ephesus and Colossae, the runaway slave Onesimus was his partner (Col 4:9).

As I mentioned earlier, Tychicus is the courier who delivers not just this note to Ephesus but letters to the church at Colossae as well as one to Paul’s buddy Philemon.  The apostle gives him a very similar glowing recommendation to the Colossians.  “Tychicus will tell you all about my activities.  He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord.  I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts” (Col 4:3-4).  When the Apostle Paul vouches for you not once but twice, you must be the real deal.

Do you have a brother or sister in Christ that you can lean on?  Someone that you can count on?  Someone who’ll always deliver?  And are there folks who can count on you?  Are you a “beloved brother?”  Are you a “faithful minister?”  Are you someone who will always deliver?  Following Jesus is a team sport.  Paul and his boy Mr. T are proof of that. 

A Chain Letter

...for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak (Eph 6:20).

Don’t you just hate chain letters?  You know what I’m talking about.  Some so-called “friend” sends you something that promises ridiculous rewards if you’ll just send it along.  These annoying notes have been around for years.  They’ve survived the transition from snail mail to email and now to Facebook.  I’m beginning to believe that the only things that will survive the apocalypse are cockroaches and chain letters.  But there is one kind of chain letter that I love.  It’s the kind that Paul writes to Ephesus.  He tells the folks opening the envelope that it’s because of the Gospel “for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak” (v20).  

As the apostle wraps up his note to his Ephesian friends, he reminds them of his current situation.  He’s in the joint.  He’s in prison.  He’s behind bars.  And the reason he’s there is because he’s devoted his life to telling non-Jews that Jesus has thrown the doors of God’s kingdom party open to them too (Eph 3:5-6).  The resurrected Christ mugged Saul outside of Damascus and transformed him into Paul, His number one apostle to the Gentiles (Acts 9:1-5, 15).  From ambushed to ambassador.

In using the term “ambassador” (Gr. presbeuo), the man from Tarsus describes what it means to be an official representative for a king.  It’s to act as an ambassador or envoy sent on special assignment by the government for high level negotiating.  In this case, Paul’s an ambassador sent by the King of Kings.  Over in one of his notes to the Corinthian church, he lets us know that every one of Jesus’ followers are sent by King Jesus.  “We are ambassadors (Gr. presbeuo) for Christ, God making His appeal through us.  We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (2Cor 5:20).

There’s a big difference between Jesus’ ambassadors and those serving in embassies and consulates around the world today.  Modern ambassadors have diplomatic immunity.  That basically means an envoy can’t be arrested or prosecuted when on assignment in another country.  Paul didn’t enjoy diplomatic immunity.  He’s “an ambassador in chains” (v20).  He’s in custody in a Roman prison.  The Greek word halusis means exactly how it’s translated.  A linked, metal instrument that binds any part of the body, usually the hands.  In other words, a chain.  

The demon-possessed dude who lived in the Gerasenes graveyard was often “bound with chains (Gr. halusis) and shackles” (Lk 8:29).  An angel busted Pete the apostle out of the joint as “the chains (Gr. halusis) fell off his hands” (Acts 12:7).  When Roman soldiers took Paul into custody at the temple riot in Jerusalem, the commanding officer ordered that he “be bound with two chains (Gr. halusis)” (Acts 21:33).  It can certainly mean an imprisonment.  But most likely the apostle is in handcuffs.  He wants us to hear the chain rattle and clank as he writes and we read.  That’s what makes this a chain letter.  Linked In meant something VERY different in the first century!

But being behind bars wearing the latest in jail jewelry isn’t going to get in Paul’s way.  He sees this as an incredible opportunity to tell folks in the joint about Jesus, “that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak” (v20).  The apostle uses the Greek verb parresiazomai, which means to speak openly without fear or talk freely and boldly.  He holds nothing back.  While he might not have earthly diplomatic immunity, he holds the ultimate “Get Out of Jail Free” card.  He knows that no matter what happens on this side of eternity, Christ has come to eventually set the prisoners free (Lk 4:17).  That’s what allows him to speak boldly about Jesus.  

The former Pharisee pulls no punches in sharing the Gospel of grace.  This is full disclosure.  He doesn’t just tell folks what they want to hear.  He tells them what they need to hear.  In order for the Good News to be REALLY good, the bad news has to be REALLY bad.  And it is VERY bad.  We’ve fallen short of God’s perfect standard.  We’re more than good people who’ve made a few mistakes.  We’re sinners.  We’re rebels fighting against His kingdom.  As a response, Paul fires both barrels.  The bad news.  The Good News.  And he declares it “boldly” (v20).

This fearlessness has put Paul in prison once again.  It’s not his first time.  He and his sidekick Silas had the privilege of checking out the inside of Philippi’s correctional institution (Acts 16:24).  Jewish leaders cooked up a plan to nab Paul once he returned to Jerusalem.  That resulted in his arrest at the temple (Acts 21:33).  He probably spent most of the next eight years in custody before appealing his case to Caesar.  He was locked up in Judea for a couple of years.  He spent over a year sailing as a prisoner to Rome.  And Paul finished his bid in Rome for a couple more years.  There he had a chance to write a series of chain letters.  He wrote to the Ephesian church (Eph 3:1, 4:1), the multisite churches based in Colossae (Col 4:3, 18), as well as his friend Phil (Phm 1, 9, 13).  He’ll eventually be released only to be re-arrested and executed.  You can read the last letter he wrote before his death to his pal Tim (2Tim).  

These chain letters certainly aren’t annoying.  But they are convicting.  VERY convicting.  It’s very difficult for me to comprehend the kind of courage it takes to tell others about Jesus at the cost of incarceration.  I’m incredibly convicted by Paul’s passion and commitment to Christ.  He’s willing to go to jail for Jesus.  I’m rarely willing to share the Gospel with my friends at work.  Lord, give me the boldness, the openness and the courage to tell others about You.  

Full Disclosure

And also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the Gospel (Eph 6:19).

When the bailiff swears in a witness to testify in a trial, he asks them if they are willing to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.  No half truth.  No shaded truth.  The whole truth.  Nothing but the truth.  It’s absolutely necessary that the witness spill the beans.  There’s a need for full disclosure.  Paul asks the Ephesian church to pray for him.  “And also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the Gospel” (v19).  He realizes that he needs supernatural power in order to make a difference for Christ.  Paul knows the importance of full disclosure.

Paul asks for prayer.  It certainly makes sense that he wants prayer.  He’s in prison for crying out loud!  In the very next verse, he says that he’s “an ambassador in chains” (Eph 6:20).  That’s his way of saying he’s locked up in the joint.  But the apostle doesn’t ask his Ephesian friends to pray for his release.  He doesn’t ask them to pray that he’ll be moved to a better cell.  He doesn’t even ask them to pray that he’ll get better food.  He pleads with them to pray that God will give him courage in telling people about Jesus.  The man from Tarsus sees his incarceration as an opportunity to share the Good News with anyone who will listen.  So he wants boldness.  Godly boldness.  He’s going to leverage his prison bid for Christ.  He sees his stretch in the slammer as a unique privilege to tell prisoners and guards the Gospel.

Do I see every circumstance that way?  When things don’t go my way, do I understand that my situation could actually be a divine appointment?  Has Jesus placed me where I am “for such a time as this?” (Est 4:14)?  Here’s my problem.  All too often, I’m too hung up on myself and my problems to worry about anyone else.  Woe is me.  Or in the words of the great philosopher and theologian Warren Zevon, “Poor, poor, pitiful me.”  Rick Warren is right on target with the opening line of “The Purpose Driven Life.”  “It’s not about you.”  Good or bad, my situation is NOT about me.  Paul understands that.  I’m still not there yet.  I’m still obsessed with me.  It’s like what the self-absorbed dude said.  “Well, that’s enough about me.  What do you think about me?”  Well, enough about me…

Paul wants the Ephesians to ask God to give him the words to say to tell folks about Jesus.  But he’s not looking for slick techniques or clever illustrations.  He wants to be able to speak “boldly” (v19).  This is the Greek word parresia.  It’s a compound word that literally means to speak everything.   Don’t hold anything back.  It’s to speak openly, frankly and freely.  The apostle wants to speak fearlessly in the face of intimidating circumstances.  Courageously.  Confidently.  Publicly.  Without reservation.  With cheerful courage and a joyful sense of freedom.  It’s free speech.  Americans commonly call this exercising our First Amendment rights.  The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

Full disclosure.

Just as that’s not the case in most countries around the world, it was certainly not the case in the first century.  Jewish leaders intimidated people to such a point that “no one spoke openly (Gr. parresia)” about Jesus (Jn 7:13).  Later many of these same religious leaders are blown away by “the boldness (Gr. parresia) of Peter and John” as they told about the resurrected Rabbi/Carpenter (Acts 4:13).  The writer of Hebrews encourages folks to hang on tight to their courage in living for Christ and the “boldness (Gr. parresia), which has a great reward” (Heb 10:35).

The Gospel was and is a threat to culture.  In the earliest days of the church in Jerusalem, religious leaders were doing everything possible to shut up Jesus’ followers and wipe them off the face of the earth.  As authorities dropped the hammer on the church, believers prayed, “And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak Your word with all boldness Gr. parresia)” (Acts 4:29).

Full disclosure.

So what’s this whole truth that Paul so desperately wants to share?  “The mystery of the Gospel” (v19).  Here’s the problem.  We don’t really have an English word that translates the original text very well.  For us, a mystery is something that’s darn near impossible to explain or understand.  But the Greek word musterion describes something just a bit different.  This is a secret that has been revealed or something hidden that has been disclosed.  It used to be a mystery.  It used to be a secret.  Not anymore.  It’s a secret in the past tense.  We now know what’s behind door number three.  God is revealing His amazing goodness to His church.  Jesus told His crew that they were in on this divine breaking news.  “To you it has been given to know the secrets (Gr. musterion) of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given” (Mt 13:11).

Paul’s past tense mystery is the “Gospel” (v19).  The Greek word (Gr. euangelion) simply means good news.  News that makes you happy.  Info that causes you joy.  Words that bring you a smile.  Jesus uses the man from Tarsus to break into programming with the most spectacularly Good News the universe has ever heard.  God’s impossible standard has been met!  Jesus has lived the perfect life that I’ve failed to live.  He died the brutal death for my sin that I should have died.  He rose to a spectacular new life that I certainly don’t deserve.  God sees me as His spotless, sinless Son when I place my trust in Jesus.  He did for me what I could never do for myself.  That’s not just Good News.  That’s GREAT NEWS!!!

But the apostle’s divine assignment has a special focus.  Jesus has handpicked this former Pharisee to reach out to non-Jews (Acts 9:15).  The Jewish Messiah isn’t just for Hebrews anymore.  When Jesus throws open the doors of God’s kingdom to Gentiles, the fecal matter really hit the whirling device.  There were a lot of folks at the home office in Jerusalem who thought that Gentiles must convert to Judaism before they could follow Christ.  After a big confab of church leaders, they decided that if Jesus was saving them who were they to say differently (Acts 15).  

This certainly was very Good News to the folks in Ephesus.  On Paul’s second expedition, he dropped into this massive seaport for three years (Acts 20:31).  Dr. Luke spends an entire chapter of his sequel telling what went down there (Acts 19).  While he started his work there telling Jews about Jesus, synagogue leaders soon gave him the boot.  At that point, he started spreading the Gospel to everyone who would listen.  Jews AND Gentiles.  Earlier in this letter, Paul reminds his readers that Jesus drafted him to be His spokesmen to tell non-Jews the Good News (Eph 3:1-9).

For the apostle to do so took boldness.  That means full disclosure.  No half truth.  The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.  For the Good News to be good, the bad news has to be bad.  REALLY bad.  And it is bad.  REALLY bad.  We can’t meet God’s perfect standard.  Not no way.  Not no how.  Not without Jesus anyway.  To tell folks the Good News means telling them the bad news.  That takes boldness.  So Paul asks for prayer to tell folks the whole truth.  He knows that the grace of Jesus is the only real hope.  So he needs boldness.  In the opening portion of his letter to the Romans, the apostle puts his hands on his hips and writes, “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel (Gr. euangelion), for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Rom 1:16).

Full disclosure.

Am I willing to ask people to pray for my boldness to share the Gospel?