Made a Minister

Good morning, welcome to NHCC. Please open your Bible to Ephesians 3.

Baptisms next week- Eric and David Updegraff

Read Ephesians 3:7- “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.”

Pray.

Four perspective changes in relation to God’s grace.

1. God’s grace creates, sustains and complete’s Paul’s gospel ministry.

A couple of perspectives that are changed here.

First, Paul’s ministry is not the result of his own efforts, talents, accomplishments and morality.

All of what Paul is and does is seen here as a gift of God’s grace.

This has been highlighted throughout all of what we have read in Ephesians.

Chapter 1 was a celebration of God’s grace, a hymn of praise giving thanks for all God has done from eternities past to eternities future.

Chapter 2 began by highlighting God’s defeat of sin and death in our own lives, and ended by highlighting God’s defeat of human division and hostility.

Paul sees all of faith, its genesis, its continuation and its completion as reliant upon God alone.

Now in Chapter 3, Paul’s ministry is now brought into focus. How will he speak of his ministry? Notice the words and phrases that he uses.

Made a minister, given to me.

There is no hint of Paul seeking credit for everything he has accomplished as an apostle of Jesus.

Speaking of his imprisonment for the gentiles- not a hint of regret or holding it over their heads. How is this possible?

Paul has God’s grace in mind.

Ministry to the gentiles and the accompanying imprisonment are gifts from God.

Second, Paul’s receiving of God’s grace is not a one-time event, but instead a constant state of being for Paul, not only in his salvation, but even in his ministry.

For many, we think of grace having been received one time in order to bring us into Christ. Paul paints a wildly different picture.

Adam and Eve. God did not merely give Adam and Eve their creation and life. But his grace shown in His goodness and kindness continued.

He created a garden, He provided for their every need, He gave them purpose, He walked in right relationship with them.

In the same way, God saves us by grace through faith. He saves us for the purpose of good works which have been prepared for us from long ago.

God doesn’t simply now set us loose to try our best.

Harold Hoehner- “God does not give responsibility without the provision of his power to carry it out. In the end God is to be praised, for humans can neither initiate nor accomplish the work in their own power.”

Paul could praise God even for his own imprisonment because he KNEW that God was at work still. God had not abandoned him, but was walking through all of life and ministry with Paul, just as He had walked through the garden with Adam and Eve.

2. God’s grace is exhibited by God’s effectual power.

The promises of God mean little without the backing of God’s infinite power.

What is the perspective here that must be shifted, or maybe strengthened? How do we typically consider the omnipotence of God?

Joseph Addison- “The spacious firmament on high, With all the blue ethereal sky, And spangled heavens, a shining frame, Their great Original proclaim. Th' unwearied Sun from day to day; Does his Creator's power display; And publishes to every land; The work of an Almighty hand.”

We tend to think about God’s power on a cosmic scale, but do we ever pause to consider God’s power on a personal scale?

Paul here mentions that he was made a minister of the gospel by God’s grace through God’s power.

Two words used to describe God’s power here- energeia and dynamis.

We have theological categories for the differences between these two words- the decretive will of God and the preceptive will of God.

Dynamis, or what we might call the decretive will of God, refers to the claim of God’s power- God is all-powerful and we are to see Him as such. God has the power to do all things, even that which He does not do.

Energeia, or what we might call the preceptive will of God, refers to the action of God’s power- The proof of the claim.

God tells Moses that He has the power to deliver the Israelites, then He performs the necessary flexes of power in order to deliver the Israelites.

God’s claim of power was His decretive will, His working of His power was his preceptive will.

How does all of this apply to Paul’s ministry?

John Calvin- “To produce something great out of nothing shows the effectual working of His power.”

Relive for just a moment Paul’s entry into faith in Jesus, and what would ultimately be the beginning of his ministry.

On the way to put and end to the gospel of Jesus, meets Jesus, was then on his way to further the gospel of Jesus.

Acts 9:15–16- “But the Lord said to him, ‘Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.’”

God makes a claim on Paul’s life and ministry and gives a small glimpse of his power through this claim.

Can you imagine being Ananias and hearing God say this to you?

As Calvin has said, God’s power is shown through the life and ministry of Paul.

Do we trust in God’s power?

God’s will and power promise to do so much in the life of a believer.

Regeneration. James 1:18- “Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.”

Sanctification. Philippians 2:12–13- “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”

The workings of your life. James 4:15- “Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.’”

Even the small things that happen around us. Matthew 10:29- “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.”

God’s will, the expression of His power, is constantly at work in your life. Do you see it?

3. God’s grace drives all believers into gospel ministry.

Temptation for our perspective- I am saved by grace and so how I live my life matters not.

Paul does away with such a notion. Grace not only provides new life and salvation, grace even provides ministry.

Klyne Snodgrass- “The gift obligates…Grace not only connects us to God and Christ and to each other, but it also enlists and empowers us…Christianity is not a religion of works, but it is still very much a religion of action.”

Consider the raising of kids.

Our desire is to love our kids, and to make sure that they know that they are loved by their parents.

But it’s not enough that they know that they are loved. Our hope is that they live in light of knowing they are loved.

While they are living in our home, we desire for them to live as behave as though they are constantly aware of our love for them.

Shows up in the little things.

Eva coming downstairs in the morning and raising her arms to be picked up.

Azariah climbing all over me out of nowhere.

Aletheia feeling welcome to ask any questions she has as a preteen girl.

Ainesis licking her lips as much as she can and giving me a kiss on the cheek.

All of these behaviors result from children knowing that they are loved and living in light of it.

The same must be true for how we live in light of God’s grace. Grace obligates a certain type of life.

We live differently, we live to follow Jesus closely, because we are ever aware of God’s grace.

It’s not enough to merely know it, truly knowing changes all of life.

Ralph Waldo Emerson- “Only so much do I know, as I have lived.”

Our knowledge is proven by our lives.

Does this seem too difficult? Let’s look at the last observation.

4. God’s grace should be received with joy and gladness.

Notice how Paul speaks of ministry in these texts.

He refers to his ministry, i.e. his being made a minister of the gospel, as a gift from God, given as undeserved favor.

Shift in perspective- For many, we tend to see ministry as something that we must offer to God. And in a sense, this is true.

Romans 12:1- “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”

On another level, and one much less often considered, Paul expresses that his gospel ministry is a gift that has been received.

Klyne Snodgrass- “Implicitly we think of ministry as our gift to God, but Paul thought of ministry as God’s gift to him. Ministry is not drudgery to be endured or something for which God owes us, and it is certainly not a job to be acquired or kept. Rather, ministry originates in and is the expression of God’s grace.”

We receive God’s grace and calling to a life of action, and the working of God’s power in our lives and ministries, with joy and gladness, seeing them as a gift.

Duck Tales- Why did Huey, Dewey and Louie never move away from their uncle?

On some level, they loved being with him, even through all the dangers they faced week by week.

How do we make it through the most difficult times of life and ministry?

By being constantly aware of the presence of the Father and seeing that all of what we face is a gift of grace.

God is not only shaping us through our lives, he gives us the opportunity to partner with Him in reshaping all of existence.

It is truly a gift of great value, and we do well to constantly give Him thanks.