Mystery 

God on Monday
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‘Pray for me…to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains’ (Ephesians 6:19). 

Reflection

Saul was a religious terrorist. He believed he was doing God’s will by killing ‘Followers of The Way’. But then he had an encounter with Jesus Christ, received the Holy Spirit, was baptised, and changed his name to Paul. He went on to write a good deal of the New Testament and became a firecracker for Jesus - planting churches, preaching the gospel, and performing miracles. 

He also, however, experienced persecution. He became, as he puts in this verse, ‘an ambassador in chains’. Remarkably, he was willing for this to happen for the sake of a mystery – ‘the mystery of the gospel’, as he puts it.

But for something to be a mystery it does not mean that there can be no true ‘knowing’. Paul knew that he had been forgiven much. And he knew such grace was a gift from God. He also knew that God loved him before he loved God. That love of God within him overflowed to the world around him.

As it was for Paul, so it is with us: following Jesus is hard. It is a narrow road. In the world of work, it is not believing in mysteries that is rewarded but producing hard data. Knowledge is one of the key currencies in the contemporary economy. Having it will help us climb the ladder. It will help us do more, get more, be more, and achieve more. 

We need to unlearn this culture. We need to go back to the basics of loving God and loving our neighbours. For we do not come to God by our own navigation, but by God’s love. It is this love, which is unfailing, that will keep us following God. And when we follow God, others will follow God too. Because no one, ultimately, wants knowledge as much as they want love, even though love (as the gospel demonstrates) is a mystery.

Prayer

Father, may our everyday lives reflect the simplicity of the gospel. Fill us with your love for all with whom we work.

This Week's Author

God on Monday is produced in partnership with the Church of England. The reflections are based on the scriptural readings
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