Ephesus was a prime site for evangelizing Asia Minor due to the city’s accessibility and prominence in the region. Craftsmen sold shrines and household images of the goddess Artemis or Diana that worshipers could take with them on long journeys. The Ephesians were proud of their religious heritage and its accompanying legends as Luke records in Acts 19:35: “And when the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, “Men of Ephesus, who is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple keeper of the great Artemis, and of the sacred stone that fell from the sky?” According to Acts 19:19, many new believers “who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver.”
Ephesians 3:10: “so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known….”
The word “mystery” occurs in vv. 3, 4 and 9. It does not mean that which is obscure or unintelligible, but it means a divine secret which is known only to those to whom it is revealed – note v. 3 and compare 1 Corinthians 2:7-12. The special revelation of the truth of the Church was first made to Paul, but he would not have understood the significance of the “mystery” of the Church apart from the revelation given to him by God; and likewise we cannot understand the significance of the “mystery” without the help and illumination of the Holy Spirit. For further study look up Romans 11:25; 1 Corinthians 15:51; Ephesians 3:3-4; 6:19; 1 Timothy 3:l6.
What do we mean when we speak of the Church? What does God mean? We are not thinking about a church, that is, a building; we are thinking about the Church – v. 10, and in v. 6 we are told what the Church is and how it is composed. The key word here is the word “Body”. The Church, then, is the Body of Christ – compare Ephesians 4:12, 15-16 and Colossians 1:18. If the Church is the Body of Christ and He is the Head of the Body, who are the members of the Church and how do they become members?
V.6 tells us that the Church, which is the Body of Christ, is composed of Jews and Gentiles. This is the “mystery” – that Jew and Gentile were to be united in one body was an entirely new thing. But how is the “Body”, the Church, formed? It is formed “through the gospel” (v. 6); that is, by the preaching of the gospel. When the gospel is preached the Holy Spirit convicts and converts, souls are born again – Jews and Gentiles – and are baptized into the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13). This is what the Holy Spirit is doing today (Acts 15:13-14), and only those who have been born again and washed in the precious blood of Christ are true members of the Church, which is His Body.
What is the function of the Church in the world? It is a two-fold function, as vv. 8 and 10 make clear. The purpose and ministry of the Church in the world is that men may hear the gospel, and that to the angels and unseen hosts may be made known “the manifold wisdom of God.” Note the Church’s message – “the unsearchable riches of Christ”, and “the manifold wisdom of God” – not merely ethics, morality, philosophy or politics! The mission of the Church is not just to gather people together for “religious” purposes; it is not to compete with the world in worldly things. The mission of the Church is to evangelize the world (Matthew 28:19).
V.7 tells us that Paul was a minister, or servant, of the Church, and therefore of the gospel, but the word here is not used in any official sense. All true members of the Church are ministers of the Church and are responsible to take their share in proclaiming the gospel. Notice how we become ministers or servants. Paul writes, “I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace” (v. 7). If the question is asked, “How are ministers made?”, the answer is that God makes them (Ephesians 4:11).
This portion of scripture tells us also some of the characteristics of those men and women, Jews and Gentiles, who are members of the Church. What are they like, or what should they be like? Notice the following five marks which should characterize every member of the Body of Christ: (1) Captivity. Are we bond-slaves of the Lord Jesus? (v. 1); (2) Fellowship. The words “heirs” and “sharers together” remind us of that which we share in Christ (v. 6); (3) Humility. (v. 8); (4) Testimony. (v. 8); (5) Acceptance. (vv. 11 – l2). Underline the words “approach”, “freedom”, “confidence” and “in Him”.
But who is sufficient for these things? Can we fulfil this high calling in our own strength? No! Note finally:
This is indicated in v. 7 in the words, “the gift of God’s grace given me”; and also in the words, “through the working of His power.”
