The Manifold Wisdom of God Part II

 

Reading Ephesians 3: 1-13 ~ God’s Marvelous Plan for the Gentiles

For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly.  

In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets.  This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power.  Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.  

His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.  In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.  I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.

What is the Manifold Wisdom of God? … that Christ is Supreme

Reading from Colossians 1: 15-23 ~ Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.

Everything was created through Him and for Him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead.

So, He is first in everything. For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.

This includes you who were once far away from God. You were His enemies, separated from Him by your evil thoughts and actions.  Yet now He has reconciled you to Himself through the death of Christ in His physical body. As a result, He has brought you into His own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before iHm without a single fault.

YOU must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God’s servant to proclaim it.

 

 

 

 

The Manifold Wisdom of God Part I

 

Philippians 3: 2-11 ~ Watch out for those dogs, those workers of evil, those mutilators of the flesh!  For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh— though I myself could have such confidence.

If anyone else thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more:  circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin; a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, persecuting the church; as to righteousness in the law, faultless.

But whatever was gain to me I count as loss for the sake of Christ.  More than that, I count all things as loss compared to the surpassing excellence of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God on the basis of faith.

I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to Him in His death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Who are those dogs Paul was referring to? Well, we know that sincere Christians rejoice in Christ Jesus; giving Glory to God. In Isaiah, we read that the prophet calls the false prophets dumb dogs… Isa 56:10; to which the apostle Paul also seems to refer to in Philippians. Dogs, for their malice against faithful professors of the gospel of Christ, barking at them and biting them. Those who bark at the gospel, those who urge human works in opposition to faith in Christ; Paul calls them evil-workers. 

But, doesn’t God love all people? His loving devotion endures forever, right? So how could there be any dogs out there and if they are and there are why wouldn’t God love them too. He is the creator of all things. The answer is He does… but they don’t love Him back in return…

Indeed, God loves all His creation but only those who love Him can and will inherit the Kingdom. The Kingdom of God was not made for dogs. It was made for His Son and those who believe in His Son … so, we too share in the Kingdom of God… Hallelujah! Glory to God.

You see folks, many people behavior like dogs, like Pavlov’s dog if you know that experiment… indeed like dogs there are people who follow the scent, or are looking for the handout, eating it up and looking for more. They go about sniffing behinds, and barking out loud for what  they want when they want it. Its not a pretty picture but surely we can observe such behavior today.

Those people deny the power of Jesus Christ God incarnate; they deny their being alive in Him… they are children of the flesh, so they behavior like a dog. After all, it’s a doggie dog world isn’t it? Yes, it is.

Come out of her… commands the Lord before its too late. Repent and renew your mind in Jesus Christ. You were created by God, the almighty God, Lord of Lords and King of Kings… Glory to God.

Matthew 15: 26-28~ …But Jesus replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” “Yes, Lord,” she said, "even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table.  “O woman,” Jesus answered, “your faith is great! Let it be done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.…

What does that mean? It means that it is not right to take from the bread from the children of God and toss it to the dogs… but even dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table… So, those dogs that Paul speaks of are those who bark at the gospel, those who urge human works in opposition to faith in Christ…evil-workers. Yes, even those dogs will eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.

Yes, the best food should be given to the children of God; but in that reading from Matthew, the woman begs to let the dogs beneath the table eat the crumbs. Her faith was in believing that God sent His son because He so loved the world… therefore, anyone regarded as a dog, a pagan/Gentile, as unworthy of everything still has access to the bread of life for if at any moment they too be transformed by the renewing of their mind through the almighty power of God the Son Jesus Christ and Holy Spirit… Glory to God, Glory Glory Glory!

Total transformation is a choice… you decide to stop being a dog once you have tasted the bread of life. You Give your life to Jesus and love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength by the power of the Holy Spirit. Because, dogs [metaphor for those who deny Christ] who remain dogs cannot enter the Kingdom of God. 

 But indeed, the Gospel has the power to change… it is the bread of life that everyone desires to eat; even dogs.  Reading from Romans 9:8…So it is not the children of the flesh who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as offspring.  

Romans 10:8-10 ~ “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming… that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved.