Timeless Mystery

The mystery was not made known to people of other times. But now the Holy Spirit has made it known to God's holy apostles and prophets (Ephesians 3:5 NIRV).

Some call it coincidence; others serendipity; the Bible calls it providence.  No matter what you call it, timing is a key factor in life.   From the lightning bolt that hit Benjamin Franklin’s kite, to the exact moment in time when the God of the Universe stepped into time in the form of a tiny, helpless baby, the orchestration of circumstances surrounding events all go into making something the right “time.”

So, why was this now the time to make known the mystery of the Gospel?  Why had God waited until the lifetime of Paul to explain the key connection between the story line of the Old Testament and the story line that would be written through the New Testament? 

There may be many reasons, but the one that is most obvious is that the main character had finally arrived on the scene and the final curtain on His performance had set the stage for the revelation of the greatest romance story every written.  And now, 2000 years later, we all know the mystery:

"This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person's failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him (John 3:16-18 MSG).

I can remember, like it was yesterday, the first time this mystery became known to me.  And while it was almost 30 years ago, the magic of that moment is revived every time I think about it.  No wonder the Bible tells us to remember our first love – the first moment it dawned on you that Jesus was not just an historical figure, but a living, loving, live person who was madly in love with you. 

The Holy Spirit encourages us through Ephesians 3:5 to not let the mystery of this message become mundane just because the revelation is 2000 years old.  Remember that for many people every day the mystery is just being revealed.

I need to be vigilant to look for the circumstances that may be lining up for the perfect timing in the lives of those around me for the mystery of the Gospel to come alive.