TEACHING

Paul Galligan

(Paul is an apostle based in Australia, and a part of the Apostolic Council of Kingdomquest.Net.)

STEWARDS OF THE MYSTERIES OF GOD!

The knowledge of the mystery

"Let a man so consider us as servants of Messiah and stewards of the mysteries of God" 1Cor.4:1. What an awesome statement this is! And who will dare to accept this awesome privilege and responsibility to be a servant of Messiah and a steward of the mysteries of God? Jesus told His disciples that "it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven" Matt.13:11. He further said "blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear: for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see" v.16-17. The first apostles and prophets were given knowledge of the mystery, firstly by Jesus to the twelve and then by the Holy Spirit to those who followed after (Eph.3:5). The first church was built upon the foundation of apostles and prophets (Eph.2:20) who had knowledge of the mystery. However this knowledge of the mystery was lost as the church historically rejected firstly the apostles and then the prophets. In these last days as God completes His great work of restoration, we again welcome apostles and prophets to minister among us to make known the "deeper wisdom" of God. This wisdom is for the mature (1Cor.2:6-7).

Bringing the saints into the inheritance

Paul tells us that the knowledge of the mystery "has been hidden in God from the beginning of the ages" Eph.3:9. This knowledge of the mystery is "the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory" 1Cor.2:7. Paul said "that by revelation He made known to me the mystery" Eph.3:3. In v.2 Paul says that this revelation came to him because of "the dispensation of the grace of God, which was given to me for you." Paul is clear that his ability to minister was according to the gift of grace he had received (v.7). In Colossians, again Paul refers to the stewardship or dispensation that he had received whereby he was able to "fulfil the word of God, the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Messiah in you, the hope of glory" 1:25-27. The mystery is first revealed to the apostles and prophets but for the very purpose of it then being made known to the saints! The knowledge of the mystery is the inheritance of all the saints. Without the knowledge of the mystery, we cannot inherit and come into the maturity/completeness that God intends.

The fellowship of sonship

When the saints have received the knowledge of the mystery, the saints then are able to share that knowledge. Paul puts it in another way in Ephesians: "to preach the unsearchable riches of Messiah among the Gentiles and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery" 3:8-9. When we come to know the mystery we enter into a deeper fellowship {Gr. koinonia}. This is the fellowship of knowing we are sons, having received the "predestined adoption as sons" (Eph.1:5), having received "the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, … no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Messiah" Gal.4:6-7. Jesus is to be "the firstborn among many brethren" (Rom.8:30) and through Him God is "bringing many sons to glory" (Heb.2:10). God’s goal is for the brethren to grow up into maturity, able to receive the deeper wisdom as sons, who are to become manifest in the earth showing forth the glory of God (Col.1:27, Rom. 8:19).

The oracles of God

Peter instructs all of us to be "good stewards of the manifold grace of God", ministering to one another according to the gift given. When the saints are properly discipled and then taught the deeper wisdom, then every saint becomes a minister and the way of ministry is through grace. The gift that Christ gives each one is ministered in one of two ways: "If anyone speaks let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, do it with the ability which God supplies" 1Pet.4:10-11. The speaking as the oracles of God is referring to ‘making known the mystery’. The oracle of God is the actual word of God. The origin of this word oracle in the Hebrew refers to God speaking forth from the Holy of Holies (Ex.25:21-22, SC #1687 Heb.). Therefore it is referring to the deeper wisdom, the mystery. Remember that it was Peter’s confession "You are the Christ [Messiah], the Son of the Living God" that is the foundational revelation of the mystery of ‘Who Jesus Is’ upon which the church is built (Matt.16:16-18).

Every disciple being able to preach

Philip, one of the seven (Acts 6), grew up under the first apostles and was one of the disciples "scattered" when the persecution arose at the time of Stephen’s martyrdom (Acts 8:1-4). The Scripture says they "went everywhere preaching the word". Philip went to Samaria and he "preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus the Messiah" v.12. How different was Philip’s message to the ‘normal’ preaching of the gospel in the 20^th/ 21^st century! Philip had knowledge of the mystery: he knew ‘Who Jesus Is’!

Ministering to one another

Peter also referred to "if anyone ministers, do it with the ability that God supplies". Paul shows us that God enables us to be ministers "by the Spirit of the living God", that we are ministers "of the heart" 2Cor.3:3. The Scripture says "not that we are sufficient [able] of ourselves to think anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency [ability] is from God, who has made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant" v.5-6. The ministry Peter is referring to is serving one another in the body. There is the ministry of the word [the oracles of God] and there is the ministry of serving which refers to the relational aspect of body ministry. Once we have the revelation of the mystery, we are not only able to share the deeper wisdom with the brethren, but we are able to enter into the fellowship of the mystery, and we do this by ministering to one another as "good stewards of the manifold grace of God".

The manifold grace of God

There is no doubt that God in His grace wants His church to receive His manifold [numerous and varied] grace. Grace has been the missing element in our ministries and in our lifestyle. Humans always find it easier to live by rules and so each church [denomination/movement] prescribes what they believe and how their members are to act. However, such a church keeps the saints in permanent immaturity, not being fed the deeper wisdom and not being ministered to in the manifold grace. It seems easier for leaders to set the rules and then expect people to measure up. However there is a different way and it is through grace. Both the ministry of the word and the relational ministering to one another in the body is enabled and made effective and freeing and edifying by the grace of God as we all become "good stewards of the manifold grace of God".