A THEOLOGY OF SUFFERING & JUSTICE, FALL 2012: SESSION 08 NOTES RACISM: THE WORSHIP MOVEMENT & RACIAL CONFLICT

IN THE BIBLE, PART 1- STUART GREAVES

I.

INTRODUCTION A. There was a wall of hostility keeping Jew and Gentile from worshipping together but now in Christ, not only do Jew and Gentile worship together (Eph. 2:13, 17, 18), they have also become the Holy of holies, the place where Gods glory will dwell; and from there He will express His fullness throughout all of eternity (2:22). All of human history through the Spirit of Might (ch. 3) is unto the forging together of the two most hostile people groups in history into the dwelling place of God. Chapter one of the book of Ephesians emphasizes the eternal destiny of the Church (the hope of His calling), chapter two unfolds the riches of the glory of His inheritance, whereas chapter three shows us the operation of His power unto bringing the people of God into their destiny (Ch. 1) and God obtaining His inheritance (Ch. 2). Ch. 4-6 shows the exceeding greatness of His power and the cooperation (obedience) that is required. Ephesians three focuses on the power of the Spirit that is released for the forging together of One New Man: 1. 2. 3. 4. The Holy Spirit, the Spirit that raised Christ from the dead, reveals the mystery. (Eph 3:3) The Holy Spirit releases the anointing (grace) to proclaim. (Eph 3:8) The Holy Spirit releases might in the inner-man unto walking out Ch. 4-6. (Eph 3:16) The Holy Spirit imparts the revelation of the love of God to our emotions. (Eph 3:17-19)

B.

C.

II.

HIDDEN MYSTERY: GODS ACTION PLAN TO END RACISM (CHAPTER 3) A. The mystery of God is not understood by the natural mind. I believe that when Paul refers to his brief mention of the mystery, he is referring to ch. 1-3. I believe that it is considered brief because ch. 1-3, in particular ch. 1, are but a table of contents of profound divine realities.
14

But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 16 For who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ. 1 Cor. 2:14-16 B. The mystery for Paul is also the fullness of the gospel that was revealed in Christ. For Paul the mystery of Christ refers to the fact that the mystery is hidden and disclosed in and through Christ Jesus (Col 2:1-4). It is believed that Paul gained insight into the mystery in the three years he spent at Arabia and the remaining twelve years at Antioch until his commissioning (Acts 13:1-2).

IHOP-KC Mission Base

www.IHOPKC.org

A THEOLOGY OF SUFFERING & JUSTICE, FALL 2012: SESSION 08 NOTES RACISM: THE WORSHIP MOVEMENT & RACIAL CONFLICT IN THE BIBLE, PART 1- STUART GREAVES
PAGE 2

C.

3:5, the prophets of old did not have access to the mystery of God. It was not until the Christ was revealed and He declared with His own mouth the mysteries, died on the cross and was raised that the mystery would be given to the church.

III.

THE DISPENSATION OF THE STEWARDSHIP OF THE MYSTERY (3:2, 6-10)

2

if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you Eph. 3:2 A. As the Lord found Paul faithful He entrusted Paul with His heart and commissioned Him as an apostle to the nations of the earth. He received a divine commissioning from heaven as he states in 1:1. Paul here speaks of having received a stewardship in regard to the mystery of God. This means that He was entrusted with a message. The Father of glory by revelation gives Paul insight into that which is near and dear to the holy heart of God the mystery of the gospel.
4

B.

But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts. 1 Thess. 2:4 Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful. 1 Cor. 4:1
1 2

12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry 1 Tim. 1:12 C. The surprising reality is that God intended for His promises to be for the whole earth in Christ, first to the Jew and then to the Gentile.
1

Now the LORD had said to Abram: Get out of your country, from your family and from your fathers house, to a land that I will show you. 2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Gen. 12:1-3
12

Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness! 13 For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, 14 if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and save some of them. 15 For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? Rom. 11:12-15

IHOP-KC Mission Base

www.IHOPKC.org

A THEOLOGY OF SUFFERING & JUSTICE, FALL 2012: SESSION 08 NOTES RACISM: THE WORSHIP MOVEMENT & RACIAL CONFLICT IN THE BIBLE, PART 1- STUART GREAVES
PAGE 3

D.

But the divine plan has been revealed that all the families of the earth should through the gospel not only be blessed in Abrahams posterity but should be reckoned among his posterity, children of Abraham because they share the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all (Rom. 4:16). Gentile believers are therefore with Jewish believers fellow-heirs of all the blessings pledged to Abraham and his descendants heirs of God, in fact, and fellow-heirs with Christ, as Paul puts it elsewhere (Rom. 8:17).1 The full inheritance is powerfully depicted in Revelation 21-22 (Eph 2:19-22).
6

E.

that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel, 7 of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power. 8 To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; 10 to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places Eph. 3:6-10 F. Pauls stewardship included: 1. Night and day intercession concerning the mystery (Eph 1:17-19, Eph 3:16-19, Col 1:913) To declare and unfold the mystery to the saints by giving instruction To be faithful in holding the line concerning the mystery even unto imprisonment (3:1, 13, 4:1) to be a faithful witness

2. 3.

G.

Another component of Pauls stewardship of the mystery was that he was sent as an apostle to the Gentiles and he was to be faithful in that mandate before heaven.
8

To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ Eph. 3:8
27

To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Col. 1:27
15

But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mothers womb and called me through His grace, 16 to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood Gal. 1:15-16 H.
1

3:8, Paul seeing himself as the least of the saints depicts his humility. I believe that this is due to his insight into the mystery as a direct reflection of the transcendent beauty of God.

The Epistles to the Colossians, to Philemon and to the Ephesians, by F.F. Bruce NICNT pg 315-316

IHOP-KC Mission Base

www.IHOPKC.org

A THEOLOGY OF SUFFERING & JUSTICE, FALL 2012: SESSION 08 NOTES RACISM: THE WORSHIP MOVEMENT & RACIAL CONFLICT IN THE BIBLE, PART 1- STUART GREAVES
PAGE 4

Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one cried to another and said: Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory! 4 And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 So I said: Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. Isa. 6:2-4 I. Paul was anointed to preach on the riches or the beauty of the knowledge of Jesus. He is anointed by the power of the Spirit the effective working of Gods power to accomplish this task. (3:7) This grace was given, that I should preachthe unsearchable riches of Christ Eph. 3:8 J. There is a four-fold result in the mystery being proclaimed: 1. 2. 3. 4. IV. The beauty of Christs unsearchable riches is declared The mystery is made known The church is equipped to walk in the fullness of God Powers and principalities (good and evil) gain insight into the mystery (3:10)

RACIAL TENSION BETWEEN JEW AND GENTILE HEALED, ISAIAH 60:6-7, 10-14 A. The worship of the Gentiles will be accepted (Isa 60:6-7). The issue of racism is about the issue of worship. The fullness of God comes to every family called by Gods name in unity and worship. Racism keeps this reality from happening. The worship that God desires is worship that flows from every nation, tribe, and tongue in the embrace of one another in Christ Jesus. For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole (redeemed) family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you (Jew and Gentile), according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all (Jew and Gentile) the saints what is the width and length and depth and height to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you(One New Man) may be filled with all the fullness of God. Eph. 3:14-19 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him we both (Jew and Gentile) have access by one Spirit to the Father. Eph. 2:1718

IHOP-KC Mission Base

www.IHOPKC.org

A THEOLOGY OF SUFFERING & JUSTICE, FALL 2012: SESSION 08 NOTES RACISM: THE WORSHIP MOVEMENT & RACIAL CONFLICT IN THE BIBLE, PART 1- STUART GREAVES
PAGE 5

And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written: After this I will return and will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will set it up; So that the rest of mankind may seek the LORD, even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, says the LORD who does all these things. Ac. 15:15-17 B. The nations that hated Israel have now become lovers of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacobthe God of our Lord Jesus Christand messengers of the gospel to the nations of the earth. (they shall proclaim the praises of the Lord) Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it. Zech. 12:2-3 C. D. Nations will help rebuild Zion. (Isa. 60:10-14) The coming of the nations to rebuild Jerusalem is a revelation of the kindness and the compassion of God to the nations of the earth. The Gentiles can only come to Jerusalem if they have had the revelation of Gods kindness in the cross of Christ; and the Gentiles can only come to Israel if they have had a revelation of Gods kindness to Israel. If the words rebuild and serve suggest menial status, we are missing the point. They are rather evidence of a true zeal to a citizens part now that they are citizens.2 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God Eph. 2:19 F. The transformation of Jerusalem (Isa. 60:15-18) 1. 2. 3. 4. Alienation due to racism will be healed. Ethnic groups will enjoy one another (Jew and Gentile). Ethnic groups will nurture one another (Jew and Gentile). Nations will give of their best to others, no more hoarding of national goods (Jew and Gentile). There will be international, national and urban safety again and people will feel safe in their communities.

E.

5.

The Prophecy of Isaiah by Alec Motyer pg 496

IHOP-KC Mission Base

www.IHOPKC.org