We need to see a vision of the mystery of God and the mystery of Christ. The mystery of God is Christ, and the mystery of Christ is the church (Col. 2:2; Eph. 3:4). Thus, Christ and the church are the great mystery (5:32). God, who is a mystery, has been embodied in Christ and is therefore expressed through Christ. Whatever God is, is in Christ. To see, touch, and gain Christ is to see, touch, and gain God, for Christ is the embodiment of God. Christ, who is also a mystery, is embodied in the church, just as God is embodied in Christ. To touch or be in the church is to touch or be in Christ. The secret of the church is Christ.
In this chapter we will consider the mystery of Christ making His home in our hearts. For Christ to make His home in our heart is more particular than for Him to be with us in a general way. Our heart is not merely something in our environment or even something very close to us but the center and content of our being. Therefore, Christ making His home in our heart is not an outward or superficial matter but is something deep in our being. This matter also concerns the real church life. The church is Christ making His home in our hearts.
In Ephesians 3 there are several great matters. Verse 3 says, “By revelation the mystery was made known to me.” This mystery is deep and great, yet it is has been revealed to us and even revealed into us. Colossians 1:26-27 says, “The mystery which has been hidden from the ages and from the generations but now has been manifested to His saints; to whom God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” The mystery is Christ in us. Christ today is subjective to us. He is not only near us but also within us, in the depths of our being. This is indeed mysterious. Unbelievers do not understand why Christians are virtuous and joyful. People may wonder what the source of strength and power is that enables Christians to endure sufferings or to love when others cannot love. This is a mystery to them, but it has been revealed to us. We know that the source of our life and power is Christ within us. The indwelling Christ is the secret of the Christian life.
Another great matter revealed in Ephesians 3 is the unsearchable riches of Christ. In verse 8 the apostle Paul says, “To me, less than the least of all saints, was this grace given to announce to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ as the gospel.” Paul did not preach doctrine or a gospel of theology but the unsearchable riches of Christ.
We need to see some of the items of the unsearchable riches of Christ. First, the unsearchable riches of Christ include God. In order to receive God, we must receive Christ, for God is in Christ. The second item of Christ’s riches is life. Life, which is precious and crucial, is in Christ. In order to receive life, we must receive Christ. The third item of Christ’s riches is His humanity. As human beings, we have many defects and imperfections, but Christ, who is also a man, does not have any defects. His perfection is absolute; He is the perfect man. In order to have a proper humanity, we must have Christ. When we have Christ, we have God, life, humanity, and many other items. The apostle Paul preached these items. By God’s mercy and grace we are doing the same thing today. In the Lord’s recovery we do not preach doctrine or theology but Christ, a living person. We minister a rich Christ, a Christ full of unsearchable riches.
The third great matter in Ephesians 3 is the economy of the mystery in verse 9. An economy is a dispensing, a distribution of riches. The apostle Paul was doing a particular kind of work—he was distributing Christ in His riches into people. As genuine Christians, we can testify that since the day we first called on the name of the Lord, something mysterious has been added into our being; Christ has been dispensed into us. The mystery of Christ is Christ experienced in all His riches. To experience the riches of Christ means that something of Christ, some element of His riches, has been dispensed into us. In this way, we experience and enjoy Christ as our life, life supply, support, and strength. The more we experience Christ, the more He is dispensed into us. The dispensing of His riches into us is the economy of the mystery. Something eternal, mysterious, and incomprehensible yet sweet, rich, and high has been dispensed into our being and makes us joyful, living, powerful, loving, and lovable. This is the enjoyment of the riches of Christ.
Every believer has Christ within. Once we receive Christ, we can never send Him away. We may sometimes try to reject Him, but we cannot get rid of Him. We may even say, “Lord, I do not love You,” but He will say, “I still love you.” The more we talk to the Lord, even in this way, the more of Christ we will receive. Instead of resisting the Lord, we should simply love Him. Loving the Lord and being loved by Him is the reason that Christians may appear to be crazy to others. Saints often travel from a long distance to come to church conferences. At the conferences we only attend meetings. We do not come for entertainment, yet we are happy. Unbelievers cannot understand our joy and may think that we are superstitious or misled, but the real reason is that we have the dispensing of the mystery.
Saints from many different nations meet together in the church life. Naturally speaking, Japanese, Chinese, and Koreans cannot love one another, just as the Germans, French, and British cannot love one another. However, when we see the other saints, regardless of their nationality, we spontaneously love them. The reason and motive for our mutual love is not that we know each other well but that something within each of us corresponds to something within the other saints. Even if we cannot understand one another’s language, we love one another because we experience the dispensing of the mystery. The first time that I went into a Japanese home was in 1933 when I was invited to visit a group of Japanese Christians. When I went into the home, they were all kneeling and praying on a traditional Japanese tatami mat. Right away I took off my shoes and crawled onto the mat to join them in prayer. I was happy to fellowship with them. I loved them, and they loved me. The reason for this love is the dispensing of the mystery.