7. The Function of the Church (1)

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Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians

Knowing Your Privilege in Christ

“The Function of the Church”

(Ephesians 3:1-13)

1For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, 2If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: 3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, 4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) 5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; 6That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: 7Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. 8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; 9And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: 10To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,11According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: 12In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him. 13 Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.

OUTLINE

  • Unveiling the Unsearchable Riches of Christ (v1-13)

a.    By God’s Word (v1-6)

  • By God’s Servants (v7-13)

INTRODUCTION

What is the function of the church? It is to declare unsearchable riches of Christ that men may come to salvation and to live in the richness of Christ living in us.

Jesus says the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life (John 4:14). This is the Holy Spirit that comes to indwell us to open the store of the riches of God in Christ for our earthly and eternal benefit.

Jesus says to His disciples in John 14:26 But the Comforter, which isthe Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

Also, inJohn 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, eventhe Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

The Spirit of God moved holy men to pen the words of Scripture.

2 Peter 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they weremoved by the Holy Ghost.

Ephesians 1:17-23 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may giveunto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hopeof his calling, and what the richesof the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what isthe exceeding greatness of his powerto us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set himat his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all thingsunder his feet, and gave him to bethe head over all things(Christ, the Supreme ruler) to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

The church of the living God functions as the pillar and ground of the truth. There is no other organization in the world that is entrusted with the riches of Christ but the church of Jesus Christ, the body of Christ upon earth.

Ephesians 2:19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

The leading institutions of higher learning today like Cambridge in England and Harvard in America were founded with the purpose of training men and women with the knowledge of the Word of God, the take possession and enjoy the unsearchable riches of Christ for their lives. These institutions from their humble beginnings flourish under God supported by the churches until there came a falling away when the Christ that blessed and prospered them were squeezed out, and therein the decay and decline and death.

Society at large benefited from the lives of men and women who shined as light for the truth in Christ in a dark world.

As such, the church holds a most crucial responsibility that she is entrusted to bring men to enjoy the benefits of Christ in their lives.

The Apostle Paul shares with us the function of the church by his personal testimony here in our text from v2-13 which consist of one long sentence, the fourth in this epistle with 189 words in the Greek, others include (1:3-14, 15-23; 2:1-7; 3:14-19; 4:1-6, 11-16; 6:14-20).

The Apostle calls it a mystery. There is that knowledge that is revealed to man, these are providentially written and perfectly preserved in God’s Word. 

In a limited sense, a mystery is a secret. But a mystery is truth known by divine revelation. God uncovers the secret for us in His Word and it is for God’s children to unravel that mystery by the deep study of His Word. This term “mystery” refers to that which has been kept secret by God in the past, but which He has now chosen to make plain.[1]

Deuteronomy 29:29 tells us there are those closed doors of knowledge known only to God and not unlocked to man. 

Deuteronomy 29:29 The secret things belongunto the LORD our God: but those things which arerevealed belongunto us and to our children for ever, that wemay do all the words of this law.

The secret things are things hidden, concealed, not to be made known.

Herein is the difference between secrets and mysteries, biblically speaking. Deuteronomy 29:29 is a warning to God’s children not to rebel against God’s boundary of revelation, not to venture beyond. That realm that is locked and unfathomable, let it remain so, for it is the will of God. It is in His pleasure, to withhold it for our good. The “secret things” refer to “things hidden”. Although these things are secret to us, they are not secret to God, thus the phrase “The secret things belong unto the Lord our God.”[2]

And the sequel, “but the things which are revealed belongs to us and our children forever” tells us that what God has revealed to us, in His Word will not be lost but remains with God’s children for every generation to come. The context is with reference to all the words of God’s law. 

What comfort it is for God’s children that they can be guided by those same words of Scripture revealed to their forefathers, available in every generation by the providential hand of God. To illustrate “the things secret versus things revealed”, we consult the first written book of divine revelation, the book of Job. When Job was undergoing the afflictions of faith, he did not know the conversation between God and Satan for it was a secret to him. God had allowed Satan to try him. He could not understand why these afflictions were allowed but he submitted himself to the sovereign hand of God. It was complete trust in the Lord. He says in Job 13:15, “though he slays me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.” To Job, God is trustworthy come what may. Even at the close of the book, even after his trial was lifted, to Job was not revealed the spiritual realm of Satan’s wiles. 

But he had sufficient knowledge of God to persevere and help him refute his friends’ wrong theology and to triumph in faith by forgiving them and praying for God to pardon them (Job42:8). It fact, Job was the only true theologian in the book. He talks to God; his friends talk about God. It must be the same for us. Job’s friends attempted to interpret the mind of God to explain Job’s predicament but they were erroneous. As God’s children, we are given God’s Word, it behoves us to understand it for our blessing, benefit and well-being. Then, there are mysteries in the word of God that we are to diligently seek after for our spiritual well-being. 

The word “mystery” is illustrated in Colossians 1:26 “Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints.” 

This mystery is explained in the subsequent verse, Colossians 1:27 “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” This is the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ and the riches of life in Christ.

For example, in Romans 11:25, the Apostle Paul says, “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until thefulness of the Gentiles be come in.” 

This verse tells us God has deliberately blinded the spiritual eyes of Israel so that salvation comes to the Gentiles. But Gentiles are advised by Apostle Paul not to be proud because of the unbelieving Jews. Instead, they were instructed that in His time, God will usher in the last Gentile to be saved before all Israel is saved (Romans 11:26a).

To illustrate the task and blessings of uncovering mysteries in God’s revelation, a good illustration may be found in natural science. Consider the discovery of electricity. Man did not create electricity but discovered its uses when God deemed it fit to reveal them to man in human history. But there are limits set, and he can go no further. Every man who has given himself to thought and investigation along any line possible to the human mind has discovered a point of limitation.” We do not know anything beyond what has been revealed to us regarding the glorified body from Scriptures, but we can by searching God’s Word discover the mysteries of the glorified body. The secret things therefore we will know when we see our Lord. 

Until then, they will remain a secret. The revealed things include the mysteries in His Word that we are to discover for our eternal blessings. May we spare no effort like the noble Christians in Berea in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so (Acts 17:11).

Just one thought:

  • Unveiling the Unsearchable Riches of Christ (v1-13)
    • By God’s Word (v1-6)
    • By God’s Servants (v7-13)
  • Unveiling the Unsearchable Riches of Christ (v1-13)
  • By God’s Word (v1-6)

1 For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, 2If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: 3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,

The Apostle Paul tells us of his conversion. When Christ was revealed to Him, he immediately submitted to His authority. Until his conversion, he did not understand that Jesus is the Christ. For him, he was blinded by the bright light from heaven.

Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise.

The encounter with Christ is by the working of the grace of God. Here is a first-class conditional sentence, stating a fact. The word “dispensation” means “stewardship” or “administration”. 

He speaks of his salvation and calling to the work of reaching out to the Gentiles. These are Jesus’ words to Ananias:

Acts 9:15-16 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.

He was being shown that the Gentiles who have believed the gospel have been made one body with the Jews in Christ Jesus.[3]

4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) 

Acts 26:13-20 At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me. And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it ishard for thee to kick against the pricks. And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; Delivering thee from the people, and fromthe Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, andto turn themfrom darkness to light, and fromthe power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision: But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and thento the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.

The secret of power that is begotten for church growth and missions, observed Tow Siang Hwa, “Church Growth is simply the work of the Holy Spirit through obedient men and women heeding the Lord’s command to go into all the world and preach the Gospel. It is the founding of Bible-believing God-honouring churches, standing on the Word of God against the floodtide of the end time apostasy now sweeping around the world.”[4]

Tow Siang Hwa further observed

No church can grow and prosper without a succession of good and strong leaders for future generations. The Apostle Paul, church planter and wise master builder, was ever mindful of this basic need. His instructions to Timothy are vital for church growth:

Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.  Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. (2 Timothy 2:1-3)[5]

This writer caught the spirit of fulfilling the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) during the FEBC night class on Systematic Theology VI – Eschatology in 2001 from Timothy Tow when he gave the message that there is no escape for mankind outside Jesus Christ. The only escape from this judgment is repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 20:21, Hebrews 6:1). 

We are the privilege people with the message of salvation. The only solution is in Missions, Accelerated Missions…And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. (Matthew 24:14)” 

As Timothy Tow led the class in singing the song “The Last Hour” written by Tow Siang Hwa after the tune of “O Master Let me Walk with Thee” by H Percy Smith (1825-1898), this writer felt the urgency of the message, as we were transported to the very gates of heaven to receive this heavenly mandate.


“The sunset burns in western sky, upon the air a warning cry. The siren wails from tower to tower, brethren this the last, last hour.”

This was before the infamous 11 Sept 2001 attack on the twin towers in New York City. 

This writer’s response to the same music composed by H Percy Smith of the hymn “O Master, Let Me Walk with Thee”

“Our loved ones do we bring to God, in prayer pleading for their souls. For His great mercy on their lot, that heaven be our common hope.”

5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; 6That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:

In fact, the plan of God to reach out to the Gentiles was revealed to the Apostles and recorded in the Acts of the Apostles. You recall the conversion of the family of Cornelius was that beginning of God’s revelation of His plan to save the Gentile world in Acts 10.

We said in our sermon, “The gospel mandate that Jesus gave to the disciples is a mission to all the nations of the world. In other words, there is no one that is outside the scope of the gospel’s reach. There is no one that cannot be saved.

The door of salvation is opened when Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died on the cross for the sins of the world and His resurrection the third day averted judgment of hell fire upon all who will believe to receive eternal life with God in heaven.

And this mandate was first given to a group of unlearned Jewish men who formed the nucleus of the New Testament church. Being Jewish in upbringing, they had to understand the broadness of God’s heart, the broadness of God’s salvation plan. It is a plan to reach all who will believe. So this gospel is not only for the Jews but the Jews are the first recipients of this gospel because God has given this nation to be His witness to the world and God has chosen this nation and this people from whom the Saviour of the world will come from.

They were the privileged people with the message of salvation that only Jesus saves and they are called to proclaim this message far and wide. And they are to do so not by their own wisdom but it will be a God-directed, Holy Spirit-enabled mission to reached the unsaved world.

The book of Acts is a historical record of the initiation and enactment of God’s plan to reach the world with the message that “only Jesus saves”.

Our story brings us to the Mediterranean coast line of Caesarea, a modern seaport during those days built by Herod and to a Roman military commander Cornelius whom God’s grace has visited.”

The authority of the church, the visible church is a spiritual and heavenly kingdom with its citizens, pilgrims on en-route to the heavenly kingdom – Matthew 16:19And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

The keys symbolize the authority to open the kingdom of heaven to men through the proclamation of the Gospel. 

What the disciples were commissioned to do, were to facilitate the entrance of the people into the kingdom of heaven.

The keys were symbolic of authority, which is here specified as the power of binding and loosing. It is clear that the consequences of what the disciples did in this regard of the giving of the Gospel would go far beyond earth and would have their permanent results in heaven. They were in a real sense building for eternity. 

Peter saw a vision of a sheet with 4 corners representing the earth and its inhabitants. God sovereignly chose this time as it was about noon when Peter would be hungry and he would see lots of food before him.

Peter falls into a trance (ekstasis) and saw a vision of heaven opening, the word literally means “to stand outside of yourself” and refers to a state of being brought by God “in which consciousness is wholly or partially suspended. The same word was used to describe the vision Daniel sees on the banks of the Tigris River after fasting for 3 weeks and interceding for the people of Israel (Daniel 10:7).

12Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. 13And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. 

In this vision, Peter sees all kinds of animals. Thios description is reminiscent of the summary of animal life at the beginning of creation (Gen. 1:24). The Torah, however, prohibited the Israelites from eating certain animals. A detailed set of criteria for determining which animals were clean and unclean is given in Leviticus 11.

There are 4 basic criteria:

  • Land animals had to both chew the cud and have a split hoof.
  • Sea creatures had to have fins and scales.
  • Winged insects had to have jointed legs to hop.
  • Birds of prey, reptiles, and other crawlers were off limits.

Among those animals the Israelites could not eat were camels, rabbits, pigs, eagles, vultures, owls, weasels, rats, and lizards. Peter sees many of these prohibited (unclean animals in the sheet), presumably mingled together with animals that are ritually pure.

Peter said in verse 14 that he has never eaten any of the prohibited animals. He exercises sensitivity not to defile himself with any food that will render him ceremonially impure. God has clearly revealed in the law that he should not eat any of them.

Leviticus 11:43-44 Ye shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creepeth, neither shall ye make yourselves unclean with them, that ye should be defiled thereby. 44For I amthe LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I amholy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

Peter reacted to the vision with great perplexity this is understandable. Unclean is the typical description in the law for the prohibited animals. Doubtless, Peter had searched the Scriptures literally the night before or mentally since seeing the vision on the roof top.Gentile evangelism was not an afterthought in God’s redemptive plan. It was true that God has elected the Jews from the rest of mankind, but only because He wanted them to be a demonstration to all the other nations of the relationship God wants to have with every nation and every people.

Jesus Himself witnessed to the woman in Samaria in John 4 and the Syrophenician woman in Mark 7:24-30 and Matthew 15:21-28. It has been plainly promised in the great covenant with Abraham that in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed (Genesis 12:3). That blessing was to come through Christ, Abraham’s seed. Gentile evangelisation is not a new teaching.

Isaiah 42:6-10 I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; 7To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, andthem that sit in darkness out of the prison house. 8I amthe LORD: that ismy name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. 9Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them. 10Sing unto the LORD a new song, andhis praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof.

Isaiah 60:1-4 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. 2For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. 3And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. 4Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thyside.

The full implication of the coming of Christ and the inauguration of the new covenant has not dawned on Peter. God is lifting the distinction between clean and unclean foods – a boundary that separates Jews from Gentiles.

The prophets anticipated a time when God would cleansed anyone who worshipped Him. The new covenant promise of Ezekiel anticipated a time when God would cleanse His people from impurity and place His Spirit in them.

Ezekiel 36:25-28 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 26A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. 28And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.

Acts 10:14But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. 15And the voice spakeunto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, thatcall not thou common. 16This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.

Jesus emphasized that it is actually sinful thoughts and tendencies that defile people rather than what they eat. 

Mark 7:18-19And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, itcannot defile him; 19Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?

Mark 7:20-25And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. 21For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: 23All these evil things come from within, and defile the man. 24And from thence he arose, and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into an house, and would have no man know it: but he could not be hid. 25For a certainwoman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet:

God now impresses the reality of this teaching of Jesus on Peter by means of this vision. Of course, this is a critical time. The gentiles are not to be incorporated into the new people of God.

To be continued…

[1] Expository Dictionary of Bible Words, Stephen D. Renn, 659.

[2] Secret and Revealed Things, The Westminster Pulpit, The Preaching of G. Campbell Morgan Volume III, Baker Book House, 25.

[3] D.M. Lloyd-Jones, Unsearchable Riches of Christ 3:1-21, The Banner of Truth Trust, 2004, 11.

[4] Timothy Tow, Forty Years on the Road to Church Growth, (Singapore: Christian Life Publishers), 153.

[5]Ibid., 153-154.