DM#17: Who is a minister to whom?

Doctrine of the Mysteries #17

Who is a minister to whom?

Rom 15:8 Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers:

Many people would read this sentence and not even notice the specific audience mentioned to whom Jesus ministered. Detail like this is important and should not be ignored if one desires to understand the Bible in its true context.

Paul tells us that Jesus Christ was a minister to the circumcision. Thus, Jesus ministered specifically to Israel. This statement cannot simply be dismissed as irrelevant as we have confirmation from Jesus himself,

Mat 15:24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Mat 10:5-6 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: (6) But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

According to prophetic texts, the purpose of Jesus first advent was to prepare and save Israel for the Millennial Kingdom. In turn, Gentiles would then be saved by the rise of Israel; by Israel being a light to the nations; by Israel fulfilling their great commission, being priests and kings, ministering the Word of the Lord in all the earth.

However, due to Israel’s unbelief and rejection of their Messiah, God suspended the whole prophetic program and blinded the Jews, Rom 11:25. It is at this point that He called Paul and sent him, as an apostle to the Gentiles, with a mystery doctrine that was never revealed in the prophetic scriptures. Paul confirms his calling by saying,

Rom 15:16 That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost.

Paul became ‘the’ minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles. In other words, Paul was ministering revelations given to him by the risen and glorified Lord. Paul was the spokesman for the heavenly ministry of Jesus Christ. Where Jesus ministered to Israel concerning their prophetic kingdom program, it is Paul who ministers to us as the Body of Christ concerning our mystery program of grace.

Even with all proof that the Word provides, there are still many people who are stuck in the traditional, or in the Kingdom understanding of scripture, and who cannot accept that Jesus’ earthly ministry was for Israel only. They reject all proof and correction, being so invested in their old ways or in the patterns they are familiar with. However, we must be careful not to hold on too tightly to things we have been taught before, so that when truth comes knocking, we miss it completely. Isn’t this how the Scribes and Pharisees ended up rejecting Jesus and His teachings. They were so comfortable in their traditions that they never recognized their Messiah standing right in front of them.

Mar 7:6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. (7) Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. (8) For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. (9) And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

The majority of Israel never recognized their Messiah, via the voices of their prophets and the written scriptures. They were so steeped in traditions and religious observances that their faith in the physical ‘Word of God’ was choked. As for us today in this age of grace, we stand in the same blindness of the Scribes and Pharisees if we do not rightly divide the Word of truth. If we get too invested in the prophetic program and miss the fact that God is speaking to us through the spiritual ‘Word of God’, —the mysteries of Paul. If this is the case, and we don’t wake up to the fact, we will continue to plod along in blindness, practicing a false doctrine and producing dead works, in a dead religion, in a dead church.

Have a look at what Paul says in this most revealing scripture,

2Co 5:16-17 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. (17) Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Did you get it! Do you understand what Paul just said? Even though we have known Christ in the flesh, in His earthly ministry, from now on, we do not know Him anymore. Did you ever notice that Paul never spoke of Jesus miracles. Paul never wrote or taught anything of that great lesson of Jesus called the Beatitudes (Matt 5-7). Nowhere does Paul use any parables of Jesus to emphasize his teachings. As a matter of fact, the ONLY thing that Paul glories in concerning Jesus earthly ministry was the cross and His resurrection. The cross is the ONLY part of Christ’s earthly ministry that is absolutely significant to us. By the cross we are forgiven, by His resurrection we are justified, Rom 4:25. SO, if that is all that Paul spoke of, then everything else Paul wrote and taught was new. This is why he says, “if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things [doctrine, practices, observances] are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

In closing, let’s consider another verse that Paul penned,

1Co 14:37 If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.

The mystery doctrine is our doctrine today. Though we can learn of Christ’s earthly ministry, all the new content in Romans to Philomon are the commandments of the Lord to us today as the Body of Christ. As the 12-apostles and the Jewish church aligned themselves with Jesus’ earthly ministry, for us today, we align to Christ’s heavenly ministry, abiding in and practicing the spiritual truths of the mystery doctrine, ministered to us by Paul, having received them by revelation as the commandments from our risen and glorified Lord, Jesus Christ.