Fellowship of the Mystery!

“FELLOWSHIP or STEWARDSHIP of the MYSTERY”

One important part of the restoration of the apostolic today is found in Acts 2:42- “And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.”

This is also a key reference and scripture for us here at ATF! These are foundational stones that must be carried out to build properly present day truths that are back in focus today! In this post, I want to focus in on the word “fellowship!” Almost every place in scripture where fellowship is used, it is brought for the Greek word “koinonia” that denotes “sharing, partnership, unity participation, a communion, a fellowship and the brotherhood.”  And all these are important in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship. But there is a distinction to this word I want to bring:

One place where in a lot of translations “fellowship” is used is actually a different word, and I want to share it out of Eph. 3:9- “…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;” It is actually the same word in verse 2 again translated many times “dispensation” but actually means “stewardship”, or a “spreading, distributing, and administering the great truth of God’s purpose in the church.”

Eph.3:1-5- For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the Gentiles–if indeed you have heard of the ‘stewardship’ of the grace of God which was given to me for you, how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already), by which when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: (Now down to 8 & 9) “To me, who am less the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, AND TO MAKE ALL SEE WHAT IS THE STEWARDSHIP OF THE MYSTERY,…”

Stewardship comes from the word “oikonomos” or stewards which literally means “to arrange a house”, or the manager of a household. It can also be used to denote an administrator or steward in general. In I Peter 4:10, it is used for all believers: “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good ‘stewards’ of the manifold grace of God.” One translation says, “Employ it in serving one another, as good stewards….”

A greater purpose is given as an “apostolic adminstration” to the apostles and prophets that “to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by (through) the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenlies, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord,” (Eph. 3:10,11)   Or, literally, “through the church” the manfold (many-sided, multicolored, and much variegated) wisdom of God might be made known to the ‘authorities and rulers’ in the heavenlies…

This is why we shall see a greater shift in bringing “mysteries of God” (hidden truths) to light, so that the dispensing of the great truth of God might be displayed through a mature church, the ‘ekklesia” that understands its role in the earth today through the power of the Holy Spirit! Let’s administer the great wisdom and insight of God today through His grace and power…. Blessings!

JB