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Ephesians 1:7-9, 3:1-6, 8-12

7 “In Him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace 8 that He lavished on us in all wisdom and insight.  9 He did this when he revealed to us the secret of His will, according to his good pleasure that He set forth in Christ.

3:1 For this reason, I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you gentiles 2 if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you.  3 that by revelation the divine secret was made known to me, as I wrote about briefly.  4 When reading this, you will be able to understand my insight into this secret of Christ.  5 Now this secret was not disclosed to people in former generations as it now has been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the spirit.  6 Namely, that through the gospel the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus.  8 To me – less than the least of all the saints – this grace was given, to proclaim to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ.  9 And to enlighten everyone about God’s secret plan – a secret that has been hidden for ages in God Who has created all things.  10  The purpose of this enlightenment is that through the church the multifaceted wisdom of God should now be disclosed to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly realms.  11  This was according to the eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.  12  In whom we have boldness and confident access to God because of Christ’s faithfulness.

In today’s day and age where people have a McDonald’s mentality, I must apologize if the scripture reference is a bit lengthy – ok, I do not apologize – I really wanted you to see the key verses in context!  Take a deep breath and take 5 minutes to bask in His Word.

We’ve all been there – curious with wonder over a supposed secret being kept.  In our self-absorption, we contemplate that perhaps the secret is about us.  Or perhaps it will change our lives forever.  Some secrets break your heart but unbeknownst to you, deliver you in the same moment.  I don’t much care for secrets; it is much more peaceful to not hide things, rather than participate in the tantalizing glory of the image of secrecy – perfection – only to have your own folly exposed later.

When I was a child, (ok, as an adult, too), I loved watching movies that were about adventures various explorers were on, as they were uncovering some amazing secret.  Indiana Jones’ discovery of the lost ark was probably one of my favorites, with the National Treasure movie series close behind.  There was something about being the keeper of a secret – the privileged one to whom a secret was entrusted that made you feel special, chosen.  Rather than merely living a mundane existence, you were part of an amazing plan.

I remember when I was first told the greatest secret of my life.  I was 19.  The year before, God had sprinkled people across my path who were born again.  Odd people, I felt at the time.  Suddenly, my eyes were opened to the secret of God’s plan – and I was to be part of it!  Me – why me?  Usually a secret keeper is charged with keeping the coveted hidden treasure unknown to anyone else.  Sometimes the secret keeper serves as a safe place for someone to share their burdens, and sometimes a confidant serves a malicious purpose of sharing slander.  But the secret God shares with His people is completely pure and has now been made evident to mankind and all spiritual beings.

Just like Paul, it takes revelation by God for us to be able to see the treasure.  The treasure is laid out for all to see, but unless God opens our eyes, we cannot fathom, understand or see it at all.  The vessel for the secret?  The church.  Now I begin to understand why the enemy has attacked the church so very much.  She holds the most precious secret of all time, and if her character is in question, people will not be able to see.  If there is a legalistic mentality, or a denominational preference, people who do not fit into those categories will be left outside, wondering what is so special about the secret.  We, the church, share the greatest mystery of all – that God predestined from the beginning the Jewish people to be His and grafted the gentiles into His plan.  The entire world can know the living God! 

This secret was first hinted at in the garden of Eden, but the people could not fully comprehend God’s plan, nor did He reveal it completely to them.  Now, here we are, recipients of this amazing grace and I daresay we have grown so familiar with it that we do not see it for the treasure it is.  Perhaps our eyes need to be opened again, afresh, so we do not lose our zeal in being the secret sharers – not keepers – with any who will listen.  The revelation of this secret was set forth in Christ – a couple thousand years ago – but many tripped over that revelation, and many refused to believe it.

That is the second crucial piece to secret keeping and telling – belief.  We can errantly believe a secret that is a lie, but sometimes we can be blind to see the validity of a true secret, when it is right in front of our eyes.  To hear the secret is not enough, no, we must apprehend it, believe it, accept it and apply it to our lives.  How we live will display whether or not we have truly believed and understood the greatest secret of all time.  Not perfect vessels, God in His infinite wisdom chose broken pottery to display His beauty.  But it is in our recognition of this fact that His secret becomes all the more precious.  We, the recipients, are not worthy, will never be, but He lavishes His love and grace on us so we can lavish it on someone else.  What a loving God!

So, secret bearer – you have been grafted into the greatest club of all – the body of Christ!  You have been trusted with a secret that is life changing.  Don’t let the weight of this world keep you so preoccupied that you forget that this secret has been entrusted to you for the purpose of passing it on!

Lord, thank You for sharing Your secret plan of salvation with me and so many others.  Please open the eyes of all who read this blog and help us all to share Your most Holy, magnificent secret with all who have ears to hear.