Musterion

Ephesians 1:9-14 "Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:  [10]  That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:  [11] In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:  [12]  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.  [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,  [14]  Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory."

Confusion. We see it all around us, and see it even in various "Church" groups. Scripturally we know that God is not the Author of Confusion, but of Peace:

1 Corinthians 14:33  "For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints."

So when I am confused, or at a loss, I know that this does not come from God, but from my own humanity. Confusion comes when I place my will in the equation, rather than God's Will. Though we are saved once we accept Christ as Savior, we still have an Old Sin Nature. We are still in the flesh, and subject to confusion when we walk away from God's leading in our lives. Thus we need to re-focus, from time to time, on what our goal as the Church of Christ is.

What is God's will in this present Church Age? Is it to entertain? Is it to make people happy, or to satisfy and comply with the whims of the world? Absolutely not. God's will in this present Church Age is the same will that He has always had, which is to glorify Christ our Savior while re-uniting us to the Godhead through Him who saved us. Look at what Paul told the Ephesians:

Ephesians 1:9-10 "Having made known unto us the mystery {musterion [moos-tay'-ree-on], a secret known only to the members of the fraternity, religious secrets, confided only to the initiated and not to ordinary mortals [Thayer]} of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:  [10]  That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him"

We who are in the Church, united with God our Father through the Lord Jesus Christ - we are the ones who truly understand God's will among humanity. God's will has always been to "gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him", to unite man and God through God the Son. This was not a "later development" or a thing that happened because our Father had to change tactics. This was not something that occurred because God tried one method, reaching the world through Israel, then had to change His will because we wouldn't play along. Our God does not change, nor learn, for the Scripture says:

James 1:17  "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."

Numbers 23:19  God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

Though man has not always understood the mind of our Father, though we saw but a shadow of Christ in the Old Testament, and though Israel - Christ was a "mystery", a musterion. Though it was determined from eternity past that He would come and unite all who believed in Him with the Godhead, though the Father determined this, this truth was only dimly seen through hints and shadows, here and there, throughout the Old Testament. Some saw this truth, the truth that God has "purposed in himself" to unite all who will believe in Christ:

John 8:56-58  "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. [57] Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? [58] Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am."

Abraham saw, King David saw, the prophets had a hint, a touch from God, and even believing Israel understood about the coming Messiah to a degree. But to most the truth of Christ was still a mystery, a fraternal secret. Until you are on the inside, until you are privy to the secret, until it has been revealed by the Author, then it is still a mystery, a story that you do not know the end of.

Walking the aisle of a local Church does not give you knowledge of the mystery. Hearing me explain the mystery does not give you knowledge of the truth. You can only understand the goal of the Church if you have been brought into the Church by God. You can only understand the goal of the Church if you are a member of the Church by faith in Jesus Christ. If you do not know Jesus Christ as Savior, if you have not been gathered into the Church by God the Father, then you cannot know the musterion, the goal of the Church.

What is God's Will? Is it to entertain? No! Is it to forsake Scripture while promoting hand raising and catharsis? No! Is it to compromise the fellowship of the saved in order to draw larger numbers to the assembly? No! His will is, as it has always been, to:

Ephesians 1:10 "... gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him"

Just as the Church of Christ is composed of believers who have accepted Christ as Savior, and no organization can truly be the Church unless it is composed of believers compliant to the will and Word of God, the Church loses its effectiveness when it loses sight of God's Will. You see, our will and purpose must be consistent with God's Will and Purpose. Just as the Apostle Paul stated:

Ephesians 1:11-12 "In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:  [12]  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ."

and again in Ephesians,

Ephesians 3:8-11 "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; [9] And 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: [10]  To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, [11] According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord"

The great Apostle realized that his will had to be one with God's Will, and that His Will is to "make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery {musterion}". We are in fellowship or in relationship to the Father because we are first in relationship to the Son. We are in fellowship or relationship to one another because we are first in relationship to the Son. We cannot, as the Ekklesia, forget that our goal is to lift up and promote Christ in our lives, and to a lost and dying world.

People around us are chasing after dreams, seeking riches, following the monies and fame that this world has to offer, believing that this inheritance is all that matters. They seek the things of the world, certain that this life is all there is - that after death, there is only non-existence.

We as the Ekklesia are in the position of showing the world Christ through us. Just as Paul strove to promote Jesus to all who saw him, we must promote Jesus and His Word, not our opinion, to this lost world around us. As Peter said:

1 Peter 4:15-18  "But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. [16]  Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. [17]  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?  [18]  And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?"

As Ekklesia, the Church, we must conform our very thought pattern, our very will, to the will of Him who must be glorified. Jesus and His Word must be pre-eminent, else we will become just another organization catering to a lost world. Each day thousands depart this life without a true understanding of God's Will, without being told by the saved of the Church that Jesus Christ is the only way to be saved. That He alone is God's predestined means by which we can be saved. That Jesus Christ alone must be glorified in the Church, which exists only because of Jesus, because of His great sacrifice on the Cross.

Ephesians 1:13-14 "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,  [14] Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory."

As a Church Body we must be focused on the simple truth of the musterion. God's Will is pre-eminent. We may not like to think so, but God our Savior ultimately controls the Ages. Do we want to be blessed as a Church, and as individual Christians? Then we must bring our ideology into line with God's Will.

I was only "sealed with that holy Spirit of promise" when I submitted to the will of God, relinquished control of my life, and called on the the name of Jesus Christ for my salvation. There was no plan, no work, no thing that I could do to attain salvation apart from Christ. This was and has always been God the Father's Will, and because of that one great truth, though a mystery throughout the other dispensations or ages of man, this Will has never changed.

Each believer in Christ, each person who has united their will with God's Will and Word, are members of the Body of Christ. Because we have subjected our will to His will, we are:

Ephesians 2:19-22 "Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; [20]  And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; [21]  In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: [22]  In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit."

We are a Church because we are in union with Christ, and only function as a Church while we are in union with God's Word and Will. May we remain focused on that. Not on artificial means of growth, not on entertaining the masses, but on spiritual unity through Christ and His Word.

Otherwise, we're just another club in a world full of clubs - something useless in the big picture of God's Will.

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