Ephesians Devotionals
Bob Morris
Kaleidoscopic Wisdom (Ephesians 3:10-11)
His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Did you ever as a child look into one of those tubular optical toys that shows an infinite variety of brilliantly coloured symmetrical patterns as you turn the tube? The mystery God commissioned Paul to preach was that the Church should be a demonstration of the “kaleidoscopic” wisdom of God. The word used for “manifold” wisdom of God is literally “multi-coloured”, a variation of which word described Joseph’s coat of many colours (Gen. 37: 3).
The multi-coloured intercultural worldwide church proclaims God’s wisdom to the world in a way that mono-cultural churches do not. I belong to a network of church leaders called Intentionally Intercultural Churches. Its manifesto begins,
- Inspired by the glorious vision of an intercultural People of God in eternity (Revelation 5:9, 7:9) and an earthly church breaking down cultural barriers (Ephesians 2:14; Acts 11:19-20);
- Celebrating God’s provision of a sense of belonging through culture, language and ethnicity (Genesis 10:31-32; Acts 17:26-27);
- Motivated by the opportunity to model a new redemptive society … (John 17:21; 1 Peter 2:9-10); And ends, “…we witness to the reconciling power of the gospel of Jesus Christ through embracing the global nature of the Christian faith.
A radically inter-cultural social institution is clearly supernatural when, more naturally, ethno-centrism defines identity and fosters a sense of belonging in our globalized world.
Who is the audience for this colorful display of God’s wisdom in the inter-cultural church? It is the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms – not heaven, but heavenly realms - that in-between world where our spiritual blessings are (Eph. 1: 3) but also where our spiritual battles are fought (Eph. 6: 12). The word Paul uses for “heavenly realms” occurs 5 times in Ephesians, but nowhere else in his writings. It is the unseen part of our cosmos where the Kingdom of Light and Kingdom of Darkness clash.
What once was “mystery” is now seen – seen in the church as “living proof” of the wise eternal purpose of God in bringing “unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ” (Eph. 1: 10). Let the heavenly realms take note – the church is central to God’s purpose and the declaration of good news. Let the church note – only together do we display God’s eternal purpose and multi-faceted wisdom.
Eternal God, we marvel at your purpose in reconciling the world and everything in it to yourself. We the church, proof of your wisdom, gladly bow before Christ Jesus in full view of the unseen and rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms and declare him LORD.
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