• Paul’s Stewardship

  • 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 administration of God’s grace which was given to me for you;
  • 3 that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before briefly.
  • 4 By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ,
  • 5 which in other generations was not made known to mankind, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit;
  • 6 to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel,
  • 7 of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power.
  • 8 To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ,
  • 9 and to enlighten all people as to what the plan of the mystery is which for ages has been hidden in God, who created all things;
  • 10 so that the multifaceted wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.
  • 11 This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord,
  • 12 in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him.
  • 13 Therefore I ask you not to become discouraged about my tribulations in your behalf, since they are your glory.
  • 14 For this reason I bend my knees before the Father,
  • 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name,
  • 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner self,
  • 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
  • 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth,
  • 19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to all the fullness of God.
  • 20 Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,
  • 21 to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.