I. The Word: Ephesians 3:7-12
7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. 8 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, 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. 10 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, 11 according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.
II. Reflection Questions:
1. Do I believe with my entire being that God has a marvelous plan for people of every ethnicity/background to gather as one in worship at His throne?
2. Do I desire to be used by God to work out racial reconciliation through Christ?
By Jason Scherzer
Paul wrote the letter to the church at Ephesus approximately the same time that he wrote Philemon and Colossians, 60 AD plus or minus a year. He was in prison in Rome at the time and sent the letter out by the couriers Tychicus and Onesimus. When Paul preached the gospel in the Jewish synagogues, he frequently encountered opposition from people who hated to hear the message of Jesus Christ.
Paul says in these verses that he became a servant (slave) of the Gospel by the powerful working and grace of God. The fact of God’s power working in Paul is undeniable when we consider that Paul (previously called Saul) was among the strongest enemies of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, giving approval to acts of persecution and execution, including that of Saint Stephen.
So God appointed Paul to teach and to preach the message of Christ to the Gentiles, which should be understood to include every ethnicity on earth outside of the Jews. The Jews were, are, and always will be God’s chosen people, and the New Testament corroborates that God has not given up on them, even with the hardness of many hearts.
The good news is that God has opened the door to us to believe upon the name of Jesus, repenting of our sins, and turning toward Him. If we have received the gift of faith in Christ Jesus, then we have eternal life. God’s intention from all eternity past, unchanged, has always been to show His wisdom through the church. This means a multi-ethnic, diverse people that span every century, every continent, every color. God’s intention was to make His grace and wisdom known to all nations, although He first revealed Himself in the Old Testament through the people of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (also named Israel).
IV. Application:
The Gospel also means that we have the freedom to confidently (and reverently) approach God and be accepted by Him – only because of Jesus. But we must recognize that every one of us is sick with sin, and none of us is righteous apart from Christ. We cannot deny that racism is a real problem that affects every human heart. There is no room in the church to hold onto racism or the deeply ingrained distrust of other races. God has to pull out all of the “weeds” in our hearts that fight to choke out the good things that He is growing – joy, peace, kindness, accepting one another, for example.
V. Prayer:
Almighty God, You demonstrated Your mighty power when You changed the heart of Saul to become the Apostle Paul and receive Christ as Lord. Show Your mighty power in my life by removing the discord, distrust, and “preferences” in which I have selfishly put myself before serving others. Show Your glory as we all appreciate how You have created people of diverse ethnic backgrounds to reflect Your glory and represent the church. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
City Life Starter 
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