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;
6)
That the Gentiles should
be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers
of his promise in Christ by the gospel:
7)
Whereof 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;
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his
passage emphasizes that there is much that is not readily understandable in the
Word without the revelation of the Holy Spirit. It is incontestable that His
"riches" are only revealed by the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Many
have gained rudimentary "knowledge" of God, but being without the
Holy Ghost, there is no way for one to be anointed of Him.
The
"sons of men" referred to in verse five of our scripture passage,
denotes man without God. In effect, we are told that these "men" were
not capable of knowing any of the mysteries of the Lord because they were
without the Spirit.
The
greater "equalizer" in the scriptures is its proclamation that all
men must partake of the Holy Spirit in order to obtain salvation. It is,
therefore, fascinating that many "swear by" denominations. Because of
family and societal "mores," many are born into this world and depart
from it having been convinced that what they had done all of their lives was
correct and true. This is, of course, a tragic state of affairs and emphasizes
the fact that those of us "rescued" from denominations are blessed,
indeed.
The
only way that one has a hope of being "fed" correctly by anyone
ministering for the Lord is that that person have the
Holy Spirit. More than any other "pedigree" that he might possess,
his spiritual "credentials" are the most important. If the one
teaching you spiritual things has not the truth within himself, how can he
teach truth to others?
The
infilling of the Holy Spirit is simply something that must be accepted. Neither
understanding of Him, nor the things of God come before the acceptance of the
Spirit. In truth, this is part of His "unsearchable
riches," and is, indeed a "treasure."
Those
who are seeking to delve into His "riches" must first prepare
themselves. Many are capable of "hearing" a call, but few want to
make the preparation necessary to be used by Him. All who would be used to make
a difference in this world must first answer the "call" given to all
to serve Him by serving others.
What
Man is not called to do is carry an individual message. If one call himself a "messenger" of the Lord, then he
must carry His message. One cannot vary in content, doctrine or requirement.
Even the brothers of Jesus, who could have believed it permissible for them to
"interpret" His message, were careful not only to stay true to His
Word, but to "downplay" their familial relationship, as well. Though
they could have emphasized the fact that He was their sibling, they preferred
to call themselves His servants. All who will follow the same example of
humility will find themselves recipients of His "...unsearchable
riches."
It
is impossible to adequately relate all of the many benefits of belonging to the
Lord. Any who dare to fully commit themselves to Him find that there are no
"impossibilities" in the Spirit. You see, salvation breaks all
barriers of "limitation." All that one will ever endeavor to do for
the Lord, under His direction, is attainable. All that it takes is the Lord.
What is most surprising about this is that even though so many of us
"hunger" after satisfaction and the feeling that we really "make
a difference," what we are unwilling to do is to get these feelings from
working from the Lord.
Perhaps
the reason behind this is as simple as the fact that we are frequently willing
to do everything but change and in all cases, in order for one to be useful to
the Lord, he must be willing to change. We will speak for Him, sing for Him,
work for Him, play for Him, but are reluctant to die (to the flesh) for Him.
One can never do so much for the Lord that he loses anything! He opens to us His "riches" that we might be inspired to reach beyond ourselves. The fact that, upon salvation, we are refreshed by the Spirit of Life, itself, should be inspiration enough. Unfortunately, we miss many great opportunities because of our proclivity to accept most things at "face value." This means that if things are not readily apparent to us from the "surface" of a situation, we will be reluctant to "dig beneath the surface" for that which is the greater value. Of course, our greatest example of this comes in our trials and tests. Rarely, can we see the blessing behind the trial and because of this, we are reluctant to endure it. However, every time that we do, the Lord proves to us that there is no situation in which one is tested from which a blessing does not result-if we are willing to "stand" it.
Perhaps
the greatest determination that the saint of God must have is that no matter
what happens, he will learn whatever lesson is necessary. This translates
into a determination that no matter what, I will be saved! As "quiet"
as it might be kept, this the greatest of the "riches" that one
could every gain from the Lord.