Ephesians Lesson 21 of 39 part 7

Ephesians 3:8
"Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;"
What is he emphasizing? Gentiles. We want all to realize that Paul is always emphasizing his message was to the Gentiles who are the non-Jews, although some Hebrews had become Hebrew-Christians because of his message. Which meant this for them, they had to turn their backs on Judaism and basicly renounce all that was associated to it for this is Christ's requirement when we listen to Jesus' own words correctly. Sadly for the most part they did not. In fact if you'll remember when we were studying back in the Corinthian and Galatia letters, who were the people that were opposing Paul’s preaching to the Gentiles? The Jewish people. Those Hebrews influenced by the priest's thought that Christ was an impostor, and they certainly thought that Paul was, and so they were doing everything they could to disrupt his ministry. After all he had been one of them, now hadn't he. Nevertheless, Paul still had a goodly amount of Hebrews in his congregations. For like Lydia the Lord had opened their hearts to receive Him and the Truth, hard as it must have been for them. Archaeologists confirm that a good number of early Church believers were Hebrews. They found proof of that away from Jerusalem, especially up in the area East of Galilee. But by the end of the first century they had just totally dropped out of the picture, and with exceptions here and there, most of Paul’s converts were Gentiles. This all bears with John Revelation in the first three chapters of that book. Looking at verse 8 again.
Ephesians 3:8a
"Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints,..."
Here, Paul says that he was least of all the saints. How many people stop to think what a direct opposite that is of the "twelve". Because what were the twelve always debating? "Who’s going to be the greatest. Who’s going to sit next to the Lord. Who is the greatest." But this man says, "I’m the least." Paul never claimed to be the greatest except by inspiration back in 1 Corinthians, when he had to prove to those people that his apostleship had become the most superior of the apostleship's. That he was not one step behind Peter or any of the others, he was a step ahead by virtue of his revelation. By way of the Lord's opening of the small books seals and then teaching Paul the contents of it, once his minds eyes had been opened to what had until him been kept hidden, until after the day of the Lord. The first of many such days, though they maybe titled differently,  for we each have our own day of the Lord, in some way of His making. But Paul as an egotist he had none,  for he had lost that character or nature, in Christ. He had absolutely no pride in himself other than the fact that he was the Apostle to the Gentiles. 

When we read this verse we have to think of an old time Bible teacher, William R. Newell. Many of you have heard of him and many of you haven’t, but he’s the one who authored the words to your well-known hymn At Calvary. In fact the next time you’re in church and you sing that song, just look at the top of the page and you’ll see that the author of the words was William R. Newell. Well, William R. Newell is said to have made this statement, "I can envision that one day when the Bride is introduced to Christ, Paul is going to be the honored one to introduce them". And this was his reasoning. When the disciples were debating who would be the greatest, what was Jesus’ answer? "He that is the least." Then when Paul says that he’s the least, that must have been what the Lord was referring to. Now here's another thought, remember the gate keeper or porter as found in John:

John 10:3-6
“To Him the porter opens; and the sheep hear His voice: and He calls His own sheep by name, and leads them out. And when He puts forth His own sheep, He goes before them, and the sheep follow Him: for they know His voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. This parable spoke Jesus to them: but they understood not what things they were which He spoke to them.”

Paul fills the bill of the porter or gate keeper in this teaching by all accounts.

Well be that as it may, we’re not going to make a big deal of it, but nevertheless this man is now again, by inspiration, even though he puts his own person down, yet he lets us know that the Grace of God has made it possible for him to be the minister, and the revilers put him down because they don't believe any of all these secrets by virtue of his being commissioned to go to the Gentile world. And turning away from his own people who had refused to accept their Messiah, as a nation. As we come on to the last part of verse 8.

Ephesians 3:8b
"...that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ:"