1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus:
by the will of God,
Paul was an apostle by the will of God. It was not his choosing but something that came from God. He had God’s authority for writing Ephesians. The agency of Paul’s apostleship was “through the will of God,” and his writing of Ephesians was through the will of God. Paul had the authority to speak with God’s voice.
God did not call Paul because of his merit or worth. His apostleship did not come from himself or some church authority. Paul’s apostleship did not come through self-seeking; his call came through the will of God.
Paul considered himself a personal envoy of Jesus Christ by the will of God to write Scripture and found the church. He was a personal ambassador of Christ. By stating this, Paul presented Ephesians as an official communication from God; Ephesians is the Word of God.
PRINCIPLE:
When we truly meet the Lord, we lose interest in solely pleasing self.
APPLICATION:
When Jesus Christ fills our horizon, we can do nothing else but serve Him. When we truly meet the Lord Jesus, we lose interest in exclusively pleasing self. The greatest thing that can happen to people is to meet the Lord Jesus at a young enough age to give their entire lives to Him. Boyfriends, girlfriends, cars, career do not compare with knowing and serving Him (Phil. 3:10).
When we devote our lives to the Son of God, we don’t live lives of regret. Paul made his commitment clear in 1 Co 9:16,17: “Or if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!” He was saying that he must preach the gospel whether he wanted to do it or not; he had no choice. God is no cruel taskmaster. He is a wonderful Master who gives us a sense of satisfaction when we serve Him.
Paul did not quit. He served to the best of his ability, which is all God asks. This kind of commitment gives us direction, point, and purpose. We keep our drive to serve the Lord no matter what opposition might come our way.
It is possible to understand the will of God:
Eph 5: 17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
We can prove the will of God:
Ro 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
God used this passage and your comments to remove a battle I have been having with a false guilt issue. Thank God and you for being there.
Sharon, it is great to hear from you. You were a blessing when I was at Immanuel. Say “hello” to your side-kick “B.”