On the eve of His crucifixion Jesus met with His disciples in the upper room (Mk 14:15). He spoke to them about going to His Father's house and about returning to take them there to be with Him (Jn 14:2-3).

Later that night in prayer He expressed to His Father His desire: "that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory" (17:24). To those disciples, who were representative of us, He spoke of our hope that "we shall see him as he is" (1 Jn 3:2).

Yet, as much as He desires to have us with Him, in the same prayer He said, "I do not ask that you take them out of the world" (Jn 17:15). Yes, He wants us with Him. He wants to present us to Himself as His radiant church (Eph 5:25-27). But to do that He has to build His church first, doesn't He?

When He was here on earth He said, "I will build my church" (Matt 16:18). That's what He's doing in our age. His church is made up of every believer everywhere. Every believer in the world is joined to Christ. Every believer no matter where they live is joined to every other believer in Christ.

And that brings to mind something else Jesus said in His prayer. He prayed not only for those who were believers at that time but for those who would be believers in the future through the perpetual testimony of those early believers (Jn 17:20). So evangelism, the fulfilling of the Great Commission, is a good reason why Jesus leaves us here.

Jesus has sent us into the world to fulfill our commission just as Jesus Himself was sent into the world to fulfill His commission, which He did (vs 18; vs 4). We are in the world but not of the world (vs 14). We are heaven's ambassadors in an alien land (2 Cor 5:20). As the old song says:

This world is not my home; I'm just passing through.
My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue.
The angels beckon me from Heaven's open door,
And I can't feel at home in this world anymore.

As citizens of heaven we are waiting for our Savior to return for us. And when His Church is complete it will be up, up and away! "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye," we'll be "caught up… to meet the Lord in the air" (Phil 3:20; 1 Cor 15:52; 1 Thess 4:17). Talk about rapid transit, we're out of here!

We wait for that great event. But in the meantime we have our niche to fill for Jesus in the world. As the old poem says,

Only one life; t'will soon be past,
Only what's done for Christ will last!

But here's a wonderful promise Jesus made when He gave His disciples the Great Commission. "I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Matt 28:19-20). It's mind-boggling that He's in heaven but also here with us! The glorified God-Man in heaven and still Emmanuel, God with us.

He consecrated Himself to sanctify His own who are in the world. Though His consecration was for the sake of His original disciples it also applies to those who would come to Him through their word. And just like the Great Commission given to the original band it perpetuates and includes us (Jn 17:18-20).

Sanctification means setting us apart or separating us. In context He sets us apart from the world. We are in it but not of it. To enact this sanctification God sanctifies us in the truth, that is, by His Word. That is, "the word of His grace." (vs 16-19; Acts 20:32).

He has also sent "the Spirit of His Son" into our hearts. Thus the Spirit of God's Son as "the Spirit of truth" guides us into the truth of the Word of truth (Gal 4:6; Jn 16:13).The Spirit of truth is "the Spirit of grace" (Heb 10:29). While we wait for God's Son to return the Spirit of His Son has a major role to play as the Spirit of grace in the meantime.

And so in this message we're going to pay particular attention to IN-THE-MEANTIME GRACE

Grace in the New Testament finds its application by us in "the present age" while we are "waiting for our blessed hope." During the present age we have a view of our Lord's return for us. While we reflect on that blessed hope we live the Christian life by grace. (Tit 2:11-14).

The functions of grace personified are "bringing salvation for all people" and "training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled. upright, and godly lives." As forerunner of such behavior our Savior "gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works." IN-THE-MEANTIME GRACE combines action and anticipation (1 Pet 1:13).

God is "the God of all grace" (1 Pet 5:10). His in-the-meantime grace for victorious Christian living and service is:

G od's
R iches
A s
C hrist's
E nablement

This brings us to further consideration of grace as God's method of administration in this present age. So, here's more about the Greek word translated "dispensation" a few times in the King James Version of New Testament. And since the KJV has branded the word as "dispensation" in so many minds, its the word I'll refer to now in defining the Greek word it has been translated from.

The word "dispensation" actually has the Greek word in it. Recall oikos, meaning for house or household. Now look at the Greek word for "dispensation": oikonomia. New Testament Greek scholar W. E. Vine tells us it's made up of oikos, which is a house, and nomos, which is a law. He defines "dispensation" this way: "Oikonomia primarily signifies the management of a household or of household affairs; then the management or administration of the property of others, and so a stewardship."

"Dispensation" is more properly translated either "administration" or "stewardship." It should be taken as "administration" when referring to God's method of government over His church in the age of grace. It should be taken as "stewardship" when referring to the participation of God's servants in His administrating activity. As far as God's grace is concerned it may mean either.

It should never be taken as an age. When we use it as characteristic of the way God governs His people in this present age we shouldn't make it synonymous with the age itself. The age of grace and the so-called "dispensation of grace" have been mistakenly treated as synonymous. We call the age by that name, not because it is a "dispensation" but because of the administration and stewardship of God's grace that characterizes it.

Previously we gave our attention to God's management of His household. Now we give our attention to His employment of His servants as stewards engaged in the management or administration of His household affairs. It's our stewardship in the household saffairs of Another.

We'll take note of:

1. The Apostle Paul's stewardship of administering God's grace
2. The stewardship of all members of Christ's body in administering God's grace

In this passage we see testimony from the Apostle Paul that God had given him grace as stewardship for ministry and preaching. Here we see the humble Apostle Paul. He's a steward, a minister and a preacher, but he'll not take a trace of credit for anything he says or does in these capacities. Instead, he'll always attribute anything he's capable of to the grace of God.

Observe:

- the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you (vs 2)
- I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace, which was given me (vs 7)
- this grace was given to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ (vs 8)

But yet another text that I must not keep from you has leapt into my mind (1 Cor 15:9-10). Let me anecdote it.

Imagine a contemporary of Paul. We'll call him Adin. He has high regard for Paul and finds the opportunity to chat a bit with him.

Adin: I'm glad to meet you, sir. I'm Adin.

Paul: The pleasure is mine Adin.

Adin: No, it's my pleasure. Your reputation precedes you.

Paul: Once James and Cephas and John gave Barnabas and me the right hand of fellowship. But it wasn't because my reputation preceded me. It was because they perceived the grace that was given to in me.

Adin: Wise men. They were pillars themselves but they knew another great apostle when they met one him.

Paul: I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

Adin: Well, from what I hear you've done as good a job as any of them. And you've certainly made up for your past mistakes.

Paul: By the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.

In Romans Paul calls himself "a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God." Then he repeats this calling, relating it to grace, speaking of "Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations." Paul was called to be an apostle to the Gentiles; here we see the grace of God through Paul "bringing salvation for all people." (Rom 1:1; 1:5; Tit 2:11)

Paul the minister and preacher is also a teacher. His stewardship includes proclaiming Christ and warning and teaching everyone in order to present them as mature in Christ. To do this Paul and his apostolic colleagues toil, yes, struggle with all their energy. But that energy is theirs only by the powerful working of Christ in them (Col 1:27-29). Obviously, the grace of God enables them to fulfill their stewardship.

Paul likens himself to "a skilled builder" who has laid a foundation for a building. In his case the foundation is Christ. But he's not boasting in his own ability, for he prefaces his simile with the attribute: "According to the grace of God given to me" (1 Cor 3:10-11).

Grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift." From Christ "the whole body" receives the ability to build itself up in love. This ideal expression of reciprocal love requires "each part" of the body of "equipped" members to be "working properly" to make the body grow. Thus, "speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ" (Eph 4:7: vss 15-16).

Christ's body is one, made up of many members. Each member of the body has their spiritual gifts to use in building up the others. There is diversity in unity (1 Cor 12:12).

Observe in (1 Cor 12:4-6):

- there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit
- there are varieties of service, but the same Lord
- there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone

"Varieties." That's diversity. "But the same." That's unity. "Gifts," "service" and "activities." These are what God empowers in all of us in the body of Christ.

This empowerment is given to each of us as "the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good (vs 7). We "serve one another…by the strength that God supplies." We render the service according to our individual gifts that we have received "as good stewards of God's varied grace." But it is God Who gets the glory in everything (1 Pet 4:10-11).

"Varieties" of gifts, service and activities, administered by good stewards of God's "varied" grace. This administration is "the manifestation of the Spirit." God empowers all of us so that in everything He may be glorified, specifically, glorified "through Jesus Christ," the One from whom the body receives its ability to build itself up in love.

There are varieties of gifts administered by "the same Spirit." And I don't hesitate to suggest that the "same Lord" the varieties of service are connected with is the Lord Jesus Christ; and that the same God" the varieties of activities are connected with is God the Father.

On the subject of spiritual gifts Paul speaks as a steward of God's grace. "For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you…." And he speaks to other stewards of God's grace. In fact he joins himself to them: "Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith" (Rom 12:3; vs 6)

What a striking example of his own advice he is! "I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think," he says by the grace given to him (vs 3). And God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble, right? (1 Pet 5:5)

"The members do not all have the same function…having gifts that differ according to the grace given." God administers his "varied grace" through His humble and "good stewards." He empowers a variety of gifts, services and activities in our lives if we first humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God.

In-the-meantime grace is for us who are not of the world, just as Jesus is not of the world (Jn 17:16). Let's look up to Him on His heavenly throne. The Apostle John writes concerning Jesus and ourselves: - "as he is so also are we in this world" (1 Jn 4:17). "Jesus Christ the righteous" is seated in the heavenly realms and so are we in Him. He is our life (2:1; Eph 2:5-6 Col 3:3-4).

Taking this upward look motivates us to avoid being conformed to this world and to be transformed in the renewal of our mind. This in turn calls for regular self-examination. We should be regularly looking inward to make sure that our minds are guarded by God's peace and thinking the kinds of thoughts that come out in practice that assures the approving presence of the God of peace (Phil 4:7-9).

Our motivation is reinforced by a backward look to the cross of Christ where the world was crucified to us and we were crucified to the world (Gal 6:14). By the cross the world became separated from us and we became separated from the world.

By the death of Christ we are dead to the world. We are separated from the world. That's what we are in Christ. But the question is: To what degree are we transferring this into our Christian experience?

Many Christians today have little idea of what worldliness is. "Do not be conformed to this world" is but a faint whisper in the crowd of worldly voices that capture their attention.

As a Bible teacher I'm not one to make frequent use of paraphrased editions of the Bible. Yet, I quite appreciate the one J. B. Phillips has made of this quote from Rom 12:2: "Don't let the world squeeze you into its mould.'' "Do not love the world or the things in the world." He blatantly tells us: that "all that is in the world" is in substance the desires and pride that don't come from the Father but "from the world" (1 Jn 2:15-16).

We are in the world but not of the world, so we should not adopt a lifestyle from the world! Christian, are you in such a relationship with the world that you desire worldly peers, worldly popularity, worldly praise, worldly pleasures and worldly pursuits? James treats friendship with the world as adultery and enmity toward God (Jam 4:4).

If you are a genuine Christian doesn't the thought of being classified as an adulterer (unfaithful in your relationship to God), or an enemy of God abhor you?

Perhaps you're looking inwardly right now, admitting your need for repentance, that is, a change of mind, from worldliness to spiritual renewal. You see your need to make or renew the commitment of (Rom 12:1-2). If so, I with Paul urge you to do it now.

The totality of that commitment is implied in presenting our bodies to the Lord. When we do this we separate our bodily members from unrighteousness and present them to Him as instruments of righteousness (6:13).

And speaking of our body, someday we will appear at the judgment seat of Christ to give an account of what kind of works we've done in our body in this life (1 Cor 5:10). We should soberly give our forward look to that event.