Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:07] Speaker B: I'm Chuck Allen, and thanks so much for joining me on today's weekday podcast. Today we're going to dive into a passage from Paul's letter to the church in Ephesus. It's the book called Ephesians, specifically in chapter three from the New Living.
I just want to take a few minutes and explore this together. Not just to understand the words, but to feel the wild, expansive love and mystery that Paul is wrestling with here. Because he's talking about a mystery that's revealed.
Paul starts by calling himself a prisoner of Jesus Christ. Not in bitterness, not in defeat. No, he's a prisoner for you, for the Gentiles, for the outsiders, for the ones who didn't have a seat at the table before.
And what's so crazy is that God gave Paul this special mission to extend grace to those who were once excluded. Now, this is not just a historical footnote, y'. All, It's a cosmic invitation. The mystery that God kept hidden for ages is now revealed.
Gentiles and Jews all alike, all people share equally in the riches of God's kingdom. We're all part of the same body, same family, same story. Think about that for a minute. The God of the universe, who could have chosen exclusivity, chose radical inclusion. The good news is for everyone. No exceptions, no fine print. You see, Paul admits he feels unworthy, the least deserving of all God's people, he says. Yet by God's grace and power, he's been given the privilege to share this good news. It's a reminder that none of us, none of us at all are earn this calling by merit. It's a gift, a grace, a wild, generous love that breaks down walls. God's plan is to use the church. Now you say, well, who's the church? Us. People that follow Jesus. We are the church to use us to show the wisdom of God to the unseen spiritual realms. This means our lives, our communities, our shared love and grace are a testimony to the universe about what God is like.
Remember, your testimony and your grace and your shared love says to our communities what God is like. Based on that, I wonder what people think about our God.
Because of Christ and our faith, Paul says we can now come boldly and confidently into God's presence.
Boldness. Think about boldness, confidence. Not because we're perfect, but because God's love is perfect and relentless. This is an invitation to live without fear, without shame, without knowing that we actually belong. And yet we do.
You see, Paul's prayer is beautiful and profound, that we would be empowered with the inner strength through the spirit of God. That Jesus would make his home in our hearts as we trust him.
That our roots would grow deep into God's love, keeping us strong.
That we would grasp the vastness of God's love. How wide, how long, how high, and how deep that it truly is.
This love is too big to fully understand.
So here's the heartbeat of Ephesians, chapter 3, y'.
[00:03:28] Speaker A: All.
[00:03:29] Speaker B: God's love is a vast ocean, and we're invited to dive in. Not as outsiders, but as beloved family children.
We don't have to earn it. We don't prove ourselves. We don't hide parts of who we are. It's an invitation to live boldly, to be the church that shows the world what grace looks like. To be rooted deeply in a love that never lets go.
I'm so glad you joined me today. I hope this reflection on Ephesians 3 might encourage you to embrace this beautiful mystery. So until next time, keep seeking, keep loving, and keep living boldly. This is Chuck Allen, and I'm so glad you joined me on today's weekday podcast.
