2 Kings 10
Today we continue the story of Jehu, who was anointed king of Israel and then assassinated the Ahazia, King of Israel and Joram, king of Judah in obedience to The Lord. He then watched as Jezebel’s eunuchs threw her out of a window and let dogs eat her from the street. But he was not finished. God had told him, “And you shall strike down the house of Ahab your master, so that I may avenge on Jezebel the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord. For the whole house of Ahab shall perish, and I will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel. And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah. And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel, and none shall bury her.” (2 Kings 9:7-10).
Jehu was passionate about this mission from God. He cleverly and zealously pursued his calling. It was no small undertaking. Verses 1-3 read,
“Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. So Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria, to the rulers of the city, to the elders, and to the guardians of the sons of Ahab, saying, 2 “Now then, as soon as this letter comes to you, seeing your master's sons are with you, and there are with you chariots and horses, fortified cities also, and weapons, 3 select the best and fittest of your master's sons and set him on his father's throne and fight for your master's house.” 
What Jehu told the guardians was basically, ‘I’m coming to make war on you and kill all of you, and you better hope some of those kids can be your king in battle.’ Verses 4-5 record their reply.
“But they were exceedingly afraid and said, “Behold, the two kings could not stand before him. How then can we stand?” 5 So he who was over the palace, and he who was over the city, together with the elders and the guardians, sent to Jehu, saying, “We are your servants, and we will do all that you tell us. We will not make anyone king. Do whatever is good in your eyes.”
God made sure that everyone had heard about Ahazia and Joram’s deaths. They were so filled with fear simply by his reputation that they eagerly surrendered their charges and submitted to Jehu as their king. Verses 6-8 continue the account.
“Then he wrote to them a second letter, saying, “If you are on my side, and if you are ready to obey me, take the heads of your master's sons and come to me at Jezreel tomorrow at this time.” Now the king's sons, seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, who were bringing them up. 7 And as soon as the letter came to them, they took the king's sons and slaughtered them, seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets and sent them to him at Jezreel. 8 When the messenger came and told him, “They have brought the heads of the king's sons,” he said, “Lay them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until the morning.”
Jehu had only to lift a pen to continue his mission for God. He had obeyed and the Lord had grown his reputation. Now he could look at every person and show them what God had done. Verses 9-11 read,
“Then in the morning, when he went out, he stood and said to all the people, “You are innocent. It was I who conspired against my master and killed him, but who struck down all these? 10 Know then that there shall fall to the earth nothing of the word of the Lord, which the Lord spoke concerning the house of Ahab, for the Lord has done what he said by his servant Elijah.” 11 So Jehu struck down all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, all his great men and his close friends and his priests, until he left him none remaining.”
But the task was not yet done, there was more. Jehu was dogged in his fervor for this one command form God. He was not going to leave any part of it undone. And the more he continued the greater his reputation grew and the more he was cemented as Israel’s king. Verses 12-14 read,
“Then he set out and went to Samaria. On the way, when he was at Beth-eked of the Shepherds, 13 Jehu met the relatives of Ahaziah king of Judah, and he said, “Who are you?” And they answered, “We are the relatives of Ahaziah, and we came down to visit the royal princes and the sons of the queen mother.” 14 He said, “Take them alive.” And they took them alive and slaughtered them at the pit of Beth-eked, forty-two persons, and he spared none of them.”
The people Jehu met were not blood related to Ahab, they were relatives of Ahazia. When Jehu asked them who they were they could have identified themselves as servants King Jehu, Israelites and children of God, or any number of ways. But they identified themselves as relatives of Ahazia. Because they declared themselves that way, it showed they refused to submit to Jehu as king. Their pride made them Ahabites, even when their blood did not. They took Ahazia’s name and he had taken Ahab’s name. They chose their allegiance and they chose their destiny.
Jehu then met someone else on the road. Verses 15-17 say,
“And when he departed from there, he met Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him. And he greeted him and said to him, “Is your heart true to my heart as mine is to yours?” And Jehonadab answered, “It is.” Jehu said, “If it is, give me your hand.” So he gave him his hand. And Jehu took him up with him into the chariot. 16 And he said, “Come with me, and see my zeal for the Lord.” So he had him ride in his chariot. 17 And when he came to Samaria, he struck down all who remained to Ahab in Samaria, till he had wiped them out, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke to Elijah.”
Jehonadab declared his loyalty to Jehu and so he was allowed to go with Jehu and see what he did. There was no one in Ahab’s line left, but there were still worshippers and prophets of Baal. Jehu’s vehemence for this one command was not over yet. Verses 18-27 describe Jehu’s cunning plot to destroy everything to do with Baal in Israel.
“Then Jehu assembled all the people and said to them, “Ahab served Baal a little, but Jehu will serve him much. 19 Now therefore call to me all the prophets of Baal, all his worshipers and all his priests. Let none be missing, for I have a great sacrifice to offer to Baal. Whoever is missing shall not live.” But Jehu did it with cunning in order to destroy the worshipers of Baal. 20 And Jehu ordered, “Sanctify a solemn assembly for Baal.” So they proclaimed it. 21 And Jehu sent throughout all Israel, and all the worshipers of Baal came, so that there was not a man left who did not come. And they entered the house of Baal, and the house of Baal was filled from one end to the other. 22 He said to him who was in charge of the wardrobe, “Bring out the vestments for all the worshipers of Baal.” So he brought out the vestments for them. 23 Then Jehu went into the house of Baal with Jehonadab the son of Rechab, and he said to the worshipers of Baal, “Search, and see that there is no servant of the Lord here among you, but only the worshipers of Baal.” 24 Then they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings.
Now Jehu had stationed eighty men outside and said, “The man who allows any of those whom I give into your hands to escape shall forfeit his life.” 25 So as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, Jehu said to the guard and to the officers, “Go in and strike them down; let not a man escape.” So when they put them to the sword, the guard and the officers cast them out and went into the inner room of the house of Baal, 26 and they brought out the pillar that was in the house of Baal and burned it. 27 And they demolished the pillar of Baal, and demolished the house of Baal, and made it a latrine to this day.”
Jehu’s great sacrifice was every worshipper, prophet of Baal, the temple, and the pillar. He turned the idol’s worship and place of worship into a toilet. Now he had carried out his command from The Lord and he could settle onto Israel’s throne. Verses 28-36 read,
“Thus Jehu wiped out Baal from Israel. 29 But Jehu did not turn aside from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin—that is, the golden calves that were in Bethel and in Dan. 30 And the Lord said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in carrying out what is right in my eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab according to all that was in my heart, your sons of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.” 31 But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn from the sins of Jeroboam, which he made Israel to sin.”
“In those days the Lord began to cut off parts of Israel. Hazael defeated them throughout the territory of Israel: 33 from the Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, and the Reubenites, and the Manassites, from Aroer, which is by the Valley of the Arnon, that is, Gilead and Bashan. 34 Now the rest of the acts of Jehu and all that he did, and all his might, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 35 So Jehu slept with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. And Jehoahaz his son reigned in his place.36 The time that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.”
Jehu was passionate for one command God had given him. He was passionate against two groups of people Ahab’s line and Baal worshippers. He was not passionate for all of God’s Word. He chose which commands he would obey and which he would disregard. He let the false religion that Jeroboam had set up to untruly worship God stand. God honored Jehu’s partial obedience partially. His sons would reign for four generations, not seven, not one thousand, just four. God began to cut off parts of Israel and prepare them for Judgement because of Jehu’s partial worship of God.
Jehu was passionate against Ahab, not passionate for God. Don’t we sometimes do that too? We pick one or two commands that suit us and we are all about it. We wear the banner of anti-something instead of the banner of Christ. We picket against this group or that because of their blatant hate for God, but we do not remember how deeply God loves them. We pretend we hate the sin as much as God does, but we don’t love the ‘sinner’ in spirit or in truth. Picketing, slandering, and spurning are not definitions of love. Love is defined in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, this is a description of Jesus, and how we are to be as bearers of His image. It is not warm feelings or words it is action.
“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
Like Jehu, God gave us a mission too. Matthew 28:18-20 records it.
“And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Jesus gave us two commandments which He said were the crux of all the commandments of Scripture. Matthew 22:37-40 reads,
“And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
Our mission involves teaching people to observe all Jesus commanded us to do. He commanded us to love God with our entire beings and so love people and care about them the way we care about ourselves. He then made it profoundly simple by telling us how to do that. John 13:34-35 says,
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Believer, be zealous for God, all of Him. Be passionate for His whole Word and all His people. Do that by love. Love is active and tangible. Worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. Choosing one part of His word or character and disregarding the rest is making a false religion and that is called idolatry.

Ezekiel Chapter 3 Verses 1-11

Ezekiel was still having his vision of the Lord. God spoke to him and told him to eat a scroll, to fill his belly with it. He was to eat it first before he went to the exiles to speak God’s words to them. The Lord wanted him satisfied with His word, His will, and Him. He didn’t send Ezekiel out to speak to people without equipping him for it. He doesn’t send people out if He isn’t going to give them what they need for the job. God sent Ezekiel to Israel and although Ezekiel didn’t know what he should say yet, God told him that He would give him the words.

And Ezekiel was not being given an easy job. He was going to his own people. People that assumed he was just like them. People who knew he shared the same culture they did. He had been through all the things they had been through, he was exiled the same as they were. They expected him to be like them. People who expect someone to be sympathetic to their vices, don’t take kindly when their expectations are not met. Verses 4-7 record the Lord’s words to Ezekiel.

“And he said to me, “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with my words to them. 5 For you are not sent to a people of foreign speech and a hard language, but to the house of Israel— 6 not to many peoples of foreign speech and a hard language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, if I sent you to such, they would listen to you. 7 But the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to me: because all the house of Israel have a hard forehead and a stubborn heart.”

It is easier to go to the stranger, to go to a foreign country, to go to people who do not know you or what to expect from you and speak the word of God. People who share your culture make suppositions about who you are. Even Jesus had a more difficult time in His hometown than He did in the rest of His travels. When He spoke in Nazareth the reaction was intense. Luke 4:28-30 records it,

“When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. 29 And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. 30 But passing through their midst, he went away.”

It is easier to speak to strangers. Their reactions do not affect your entire life. But talking to the people you know is not the same thing. How they respond to you and against you can make your life miserable. But God sent Ezekiel to his own people. He sends most of us to our own people.

We are a testimony to Christ where we live, not only when we go on a missions trip, but every day, all day. And there is a reason for it. It is harder for people to hear from people like themselves. When they hear and understand the truth from someone just as ordinary as they are, it has to be real for them to believe it and change their life with it.

The person saved by hearing the word of a street evangelist has an awesome experience that probably doesn’t lead them straight into the community of God. When God uses the people around us and in our lives to lead us to Christ, it creates a faith community. It gives us the ‘one anothers’ to love immediately.

If we are the same kind of person they are and they see the awesome things God has done to make us different, then God is that much more real to them. If we were raised in similar manners, if we have the same cultural drives, we speak the same language from the same perspective.

Verses 8-11 describe it like this,

“Behold, I have made your face as hard as their faces, and your forehead as hard as their foreheads. 9 Like emery harder than flint have I made your forehead. Fear them not, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house.” 10 Moreover, he said to me, “Son of man, all my words that I shall speak to you receive in your heart, and hear with your ears. 11 And go to the exiles, to your people, and speak to them and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God,’ whether they hear or refuse to hear.”

Israel was a stubborn, hard headed nation. Because Ezekiel was also an Israelite, he was like them. God said He had made Ezekiel’s forehead like emery and harder than flint. Emery is a very hard substance used as an abrasive to smooth and polish other hard surfaces. Like an emery board files a rough nail and makes it smooth, so emery takes out the roughness of substances like flint. Ezekiel was the right person to go to Israel because God had equipped him for the job.

Likewise, He has made you, prepared you and armed you for the ministry He has for you. He has placed the people in your life that need to see who God is. He has given you at least one Spiritual gift. He has given you brothers and sisters. He has given you the word. He has given you Himself. He has given you a relationship with the Father. He has given you the salvation of Jesus Christ. And He has given you the transformative power, teaching, guidance and comfort of the Holy Spirit.

Your mission field is around you. 

You have an enemy. Whether you are a follow of Christ or not you have an enemy, but if you are a follower you are in the war against him and his minions. Paul wraps up his letter with some powerful and meaty teaching about it. Verses 10-12 read,

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

Paul tells us to be strong, not in our own strength, talent, or wisdom, but in the Lord. We re exhorted to be strong in the Lord. But what does that mean? Remember this, who you are in Christ is different than who you were outside of Him. He gave you gifts. He has trained you, grown you, and moved you through trials. Exercise the faith, wisdom and discernment He gave you and use the gifts He endowed to you. Walk with God, remembering He is alongside you, within you, and you are in Him.

The next verse tells us further how to be strong in the Lord, we are to put on the whole armor of God. It is a choice to use all the gifts and tools we have been equipped with or to let them rust with inactivity. We are all in the battle, but we have a choice in regards to fighting or cowering, and to fight well or poorly.

This isn’t just any fight. We’re not fighting the lost people. They have the same enemy we do, they just don’t know he’s their enemy. It is important to remember that our enemies are not men and women. The lost the prisoners of war. Our enemy is Satan and his underlings the demons who infiltrate, do his bidding, and put the chains on those prisoners. They fight to keep you weak. They fight to keep you ineffective. They do whatever they can to stop you from breaking the POWs out of their prisons and to ensure the captives have no idea they are bound.

But know that you have nothing to fear from Satan much less his demons. You are not called to cower or recoil. You are called to be strong in the Lord and put on His protection. Paul says in verse 13,

“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.”

If we put on all of God’s protection we will withstand and if we use His strength to be active in the war, we will stand firm. We will remain effective fighting warriors allowing Jesus to set the captives free. Let’s take a brief look at the armor we are to wear. And don’t worry it isn’t cumbersome, every piece helps us to stand and fight.

Verse 14,

“Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,”

The belt of truth is the first piece of armor. The belt held up the soldiers’ tunic allowing him to run and move freely. The truth does that for us. John 8:44 describes Satan as a liar and murderer,

“You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

Satan can only lie. And he lies well. He can make lies sound truthful, good, and beautiful. His lies can trip us up, keep us from believing we can fight, leave us tangled in the web of deceit unable to join in the battle. When we know the truth, we don’t have to second guess and trip over the lies that scoundrel tells. We don’t even have to listen to them!

One lie he likes to tell you is that we are not worthy to fight with Jesus, that you are too sinful to dare fight in the Lord’s army. But he’s wrong. The next piece of armor is the breastplate of righteousness. The breastplate protected the soldier’s vital organs and kept him alive and able to use his weapons for fighting instead of trying to constantly protect his life. You do not have your own righteousness. But you do have Jesus’ righteousness. Romans 4:22-24 read,

“That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” 23 But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.”

We were credited with Jesus’ righteousness, not because of any work, not because we fight in the war, not because we pleased God but because we had faith, believed and live with Jesus as our Lord. Jesus’ righteousness gives us eternal life. Our heart is new, it is the temple of God and it is protected. The enemy can’t have our heart. It belongs to God.

Does it bring you joy and excitement to think about your salvation? It does me. Being saved, I want the POWs to be saved as well. And freeing the captives is one of our most important missions. So our next piece of armor is used for that assignment. Verse 15 reads,

“and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.”

You need shoes to walk well and far. Walking barefoot eventually your feet become bruised and painful, causing you to limp. Your feet need shoes to allow you to keep walking with God rather than limping along. Knowing the truth of the gospel, what you believe and why you believe it keeps you walking rather than limping.

Your feet are fitted with the readiness. What does that mean? 1 Peter 3:15 says,

“but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,”

You have to know what you believe and why you believe it. You have to keep Christ honored as your Lord. Your life should show that you belong to Jesus and cause people to ask about the hope, the difference they see in you. You should be able to answer them. You should be able to point them to Jesus, to the Gospel.

The lost have no idea they can have peace with God. They don’t know that God wants to reconcile with them, heal their wounds, and give them freedom and rest. It is our mission as operatives to tell them. We can’t tell them by standing still, we have to go and on order to go, we have to move our feet and travel to them.  Romans 10:13-15 read,

“For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”

Verse 16 reads,

“In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;”

The shield allowed the soldier to stop weapons from hitting him. He kept it on him always and used it to stop the blows that might have injured him, weakened him and stopped him from being useful in the battle. Our shield is our faith. Faith means you know who God is. We trust completely in His power and strength. We believe He is our Savior, Creator, and the whole world and everything in it is His.

The enemy shoots a fiery arrow your way, but faith in God keeps it from touching you. 1 John 5:4-5 reads,

“For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”

We know how the war ends. God wins, we win! We are already victorious and we keep fighting to complete our mission to free the captives with the gospel of peace. So as hard as the enemy wants to try and hurt us, he can’t. Keep the faith in all circumstances. All the arrows the devil throws our way bounce off the shield of faith and don’t even singe us. Satan can’t even get close to us, he has to fling arrows and hope we are not holding up our faith in order to hurt us. He only has the power to hurt us, if we let him.

Verse 17 reads,

“and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,”

The helmet is the most important part of our protection. The breastplate covers the heart and lungs, but the helmet protects the brain. The brain is the control center for our entire body. It coordinates everything in order for us to live.

We can’t be in the Lord’s army unless we have Jesus’ Salvation. That salvation is what directs the faith, gospel, righteousness and truth to work together for our victory. Without salvation we can’t have faith. We can’t reconcile people to god, if we are not reconciled to Him. We have no righteousness without salvation. We do not know the truth.

The next part of our armor is the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. The sword is the weapon of our armor. It takes training to use a sword well. It requires up close combat to use a sword. Unlike the enemy who fling mendacious arrows at us from a safe distance, we are fully involved with the sword of the Spirit, the word of God.

The Spirit is powerful and He is Truth. When we read the word, He reveals it to us and helps us to understand it. He brings it back to us when we need to hear it. He speaks to us and guides us through every circumstance. But to use the sword well, we must be trained in it. He can’t remind us what He has said, if we never read it or listened to Him. We won’t even recognize His voice if we don’t spend time with Him.

The Word of God is powerful if we use it properly. Remember our mission is to free the captives and reconcile them to God. We have to get in there and use the sword as it was meant to be used. Remember just how powerful the Spirit is. He raised Christ from the dead. He brings people to their knees. He can and does do more than we imagine. He speaks to God for us when we don’t know how.

The word of God is a weapon more powerful than we realize Hebrews 4:12 describes it like this,

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

In Jeremiah 23:29 God describes His word.

“Is not my word like fire, declares the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?”

That is an amazing weapon. What good is it laying by your side? Pick it up, handle it, and use it. The truth of the Gospel is in the Word. The Love of God in the Word. Read it, hear it, speak it and do it.

One of the ways we use the sword of the Spirit is through prayer. Yes! Prayer is wielding the sword of the Spirit. Speaking to the Lord and hearing His Word and doing His Word through obedience makes a difference. Verses 18-20 read,

“praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.”

When we pray we are actively exercising the powerful weapon we’ve been given. Asking the Lord to help us and help others, strengthens us, encourages us, equips us, and unites us. Paul ends this letter with verses 23-24.

“Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible.”

Love incorruptible. Nothing can sully God’s love, nothing can damage or rust it. The armor of God, like God is incorruptible. Have faith in Everlasting Awesome God. Be strong.

Ephesians 3 1-13

You have a mission, should you choose to accept it. You are in possession of secrets. You must choose what to do with those confidences.

When you were saved The Holy Spirit revealed things to you. What is mysterious to the world, what doesn’t make sense and is even foolish to them, God made understandable to you. One of those mysteries is that Salvation is available to everyone. The law was given to Israel and they thought that only they would be able to have a full relationship with God. They were His chosen people, His children, given special protection, promises, and the covenant of Law. But through Christ, any one regardless of their origins may come to know God and can be saved. Paul puts it this way in verse 6,

“This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.”

You may think that is obvious and not the slightest bit enigmatic but to those without The Holy Spirit, it is baffling. It is inexplicable that God would offer them rescue from death and hopelessness without strings attached. It doesn’t make sense to them that He loves them so dearly that He gave up His only begotten Son to be able to adopt them as sons. It is beyond understanding that we are heirs to the One True and Living Almighty God.

That secret was revealed to you though and you are not meant to keep it confidential. You were given a job, a mission to share it with someone. You were made specifically for a ministry. Paul’s ministry was groundbreaking at the time. He was to preach Jesus to the gentiles, or those who were not Jewish. At the time it was unheard of. Verses 7-9 describe it this way.

“Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace, which was given me by the working of his power. 8 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,9 and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things,”

Peter’s ministry was to the Jewish people. Timothy was pastor of the church in Ephesus. You were given a ministry as well. When you received the gift of God’s grace it came with responsibility. You were made a steward or manager of that grace. Now you might not be called to lead a church or start an orphanage but your ministry is no less important. You may not be Billy Graham but you are no less able. Maybe you don’t have John’s eloquence, Peter’s passion, or Paul’s candor but you do have spiritual gifts and talents and most of all you have the Holy Spirit. You have His amazing power. You have a soft spot for someone. Is it prisoners, single parents, or teenagers? That is who you were given a ministry to share the gospel with. Is your talent baking? Is your gift kindness? That is how you are meant to share the truth of God’s love. You have confidence because you have the ability to communicate with God anytime. You have the promises of salvation. Do you need anything else?

Why should you share the gospel of Jesus Christ? Verse 10 answers,

“so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.”

Because God wants everyone to know His deep love, His inexhaustible grace, promises, and love. Because when you become a good guardian of the treasure of grace and love God gave you, you administer it wisely and it increases hugely. It becomes so big that even the angels will talk about it.

You have a mission but it is not impossible. You have a mission but rather than keep secret and work covertly, you are to reveal the secret and work overtly. You have a mission whether you choose to accept it or not.