Ephesians 3:9-13

Paul's task was to make God's plan plain to all mankind. Prior to the coming of Christ it was a complete mystery how God was going to fulfil His plans. Moreover, most of the world did not know He even had a plan and that it included them. Does this state of affairs seem familiar? For still, most people around us do not know that God has a plan for them.

God's plan is now that His purposes are made known. They are to be made known through the church, we are His chosen instrument for making known the wonder of what He has done in Christ. And His wisdom is to be made known to the principalities and powers in the heavenly realms. This is a spiritual battle, but this most certainly does not mean it is "other worldly". Jesus urged us to pray "your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven", and later in the letter, as in all of Paul's letters, there is very down to earth instruction on how we should live.

In and through Christ we can approach the living God with confidence. Finally in this section, Paul prays that they will not be discouraged because of his situation, for it is all part of God's plan to work out His purpose (Rom 8:28). God has a wonderful plan, at times circumstances may tell us otherwise, but we should not lose heart.