To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. Ephesians 3:8-10

This morning, I continued with John Piper's book Holy Ambition.  My focus today is on chapter five The Unsearchable Riches of Christ for All Peoples, pages 84-92. Here, Piper unpacks the greatest goals of missions by looking "backward through three successively smaller means to reach this goal." He works backwards because he wants to end with us - individual believers - and an examination of our role in the Great Commission. So, working backwards from the greatest goal of missions using successively smaller means, here we go:

1. the display of God's manifold wisdom (v3:10)
2. the gathering of God's global church (v3:8-9)
3. the preaching of Christ's unsearchable riches (v3:8-9)
4. the service of God's ordinary missionaries (v3:8)
   

In this chapter, I am highlighting key excerpts:

• "There are twists and turns in history that bring about God’s design in ways that no one ever dreamed. There are no wasted strokes on this canvas as God paints his wisdom in the history of missions." (page 90)
  
• "[I]t is going to take eternity for God to exhaust on you the unsearchable riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. It will take ages upon ages upon ages for the riches of Christ to be searched out." (page 91/Ephesians 2:7)
• "So here is one of the greatest incentives of all to give ourselves to missions. God intends to use ordinary, messy, small paint brushes on the canvas of the history of missions because every minute stroke of his brush matters. Every bright stroke of triumph and every dark stroke of
  suffering matters. He is an infinitely wise painter. He knows what he is doing with your life. Not one stroke will be wasted. You can trust him with your life. Yield to the wise hand that would paint with your life." (page 92)

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who is full of grace and mercy for me - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such grace and mercy - I know, because of my sin - that I deserve death.  Yet You came to seek and save me - thank You Jesus! Please forgive me for my sin of harsh words, gossip, worry, etc. and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You. Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.