EPHESIANS 3:7-13 THAT NOW THE MANIFOLD WISDOM OF GOD MIGHT BE MADE KNOWN

Eph 3:7 of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power. 8 To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; 10 to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, 11 according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him. 13 Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.

 In this section we see Paul had a task which was given to him by God’s great power.  'Paulus' is Latin for 'little' or 'small', and tradition says he was a little man. 'I am little,' he may be saying, 'little by name, little in stature, and morally and spiritually littler than the littlest of all Christians.  He also was to explain this mystery that Jews and Gentiles would be one in the church, with a purpose that God’s manifold (of many kinds; numerous and varied) wisdom would be known by the church and the angels in the heavenly places would too.  That this was something planned according to his eternal purposes and was accomplished by Jesus’ death on the cross.  He also tells them that we have boldness and access to God and we should come to Him with confidence because we have faith in Him.  Lastly that they would not lose heart at Paul’s trouble and the trials that he was going through.