What does Ephesians 3 show about Paul's motives in ministry?
Ephesians 3 shows Paul's ministry motives were not self-serving. He was not in it to become a religious bigwig or build a personal empire. Instead, his apostleship was marked by service, not self-promotion. He presented himself as a bondslave for Jesus' sake, preaching not himself but serving Christ.
Les explains that in Ephesians chapter 3, the apostle Paul constantly shows he is not in ministry because he wants to be some religious bigwig, nor is he there to build a personal empire. This matches Paul's defense of his apostleship in 2 Corinthians 4:5, where he says, 'we preach not ourselves.' Les points out that Paul was not coming to gain personal support or fame. The Greek word for servant is 'bondslave,' and Paul says he is a bondslave for Jesus' sake. So Ephesians 3 reveals Paul's motive was humble service to Christ, not self-promotion or empire-building.