Podcasts about him ephesians

MARCH 23 | Redeemed in Him | Ephesians 1:7 | ... In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace.

MARCH 23 | Redeemed in Him | Ephesians 1:7 ... In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace.

MARCH 23 | Redeemed in Him | Ephesians 1:7 | ... In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace.

MARCH 23 | Redeemed in Him | Ephesians 1:7 ... In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace.

MARCH 23 | Redeemed in Him | Ephesians 1:7 | ... In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace.

MARCH 23 | Redeemed in Him | Ephesians 1:7 | ... In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace.

MARCH 23 | Redeemed in Him | Ephesians 1:7 | ... In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace.

MARCH 23 | Redeemed in Him | Ephesians 1:7 ... In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace.

MARCH 23 | Redeemed in Him | Ephesians 1:7 | ... In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace.

In Luke 13 the enemies of the Lord maliciously attack him by drawing his attention to the Galileans, who Pilate had slaughtered as they were sacrificing in Jerusalem. Jesus tells his audience of Judeans of a recent event where a wall in Siloam – Jerusalem's backyard – fell on many Judeans. Did it happen because they were bad sinners? No, on both counts – but both tragedies provided opportunities for reflection and repentance. This is followed in chapter 13 by the parable of the barren fig tree which represents Israel's failure to bring forth fruit to God. Jesus next, on the Sabbath day heals a woman with an unclean spirit. The parables of the mustard seed and the leaven come next in the record. Then the record speaks of the parable of the narrow door, through which every disciple must strive to enter. Our Lord Jesus Christ laments over Jerusalem – to be torn down stone by stone as the leprous house. He will be welcomed in the Kingdom, when they would say, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord” (Psalm 118 verse 26). Chapter 14 of Luke begins with Jesus healing a man on the Sabbath day. That man had clearly been planted as a test for Jesus. Would he heal on the Sabbath day? The Lord was invited to speak at a dinner for Pharisees and Jesus gives advice in the parable of the wedding feast. Then came another parable about the great banquet to which each invited class found excuses not to attend. These people who were called by the gospel to come to the wedding feast of the Son of God all adjudged themselves unworthy of eternal life in the kingdom. As a result of their rejection we have graciously been offered a place. Two parables follow which tell us that as disciples of Jesus we must about count the cost of discipleship and wholeheartedly pursue that goal. Every disciple of our Lord must accept the peace that our Sovereign offers to us through the emissaries of the gospel and then make peace with Him: Ephesians 2 verses 11 to 22. The chapter concludes with the need for zest and salt among our Master's disciples. Salt speaks of sincerity in Christ's disciples as we are told in 1 Corinthians 5 verses 6 to 8.

Numbers 3 briefly tells us of the genealogy of Aaron, the High Priest, and of his 4 sons (two of whom Nadab and Abihu, were slain by Yahweh on the opening day of the Tabernacle) – the priests – the other 2 sons being Eleazar and Ithamar. Verses 5-39 outlines the duties of the Levites. As a result of their faithfulness, in the tragedy of the idolatry associated with the golden calf, the Levites became the ministers who acted for the LORD and in service of the Tabernacle. The Levites answered Yahweh's call: “Who is on My side?” There were 3 sons born to Levi, who was Jacob's 3rd son. Levi's sons were Gershom, Kohath and Merari. These were responsible for the carrying of the Tabernacle and its furniture. The special items of furniture were carried by the Kohathites. The numbers of adult males for the 3 clans is stated in the record. Verses 40 to 51 speaks of the redemption of the firstborn males of the Levites and of their cattle. The valuation for the male Levites was 5 shekels of silver per person. Psalm 148 completes the Deuteronomy Psalms. The writer, in verses 1 to 12, calls upon every created being to praise Yahweh. Even the inanimate natural created objects to praise the Almighty Creator. Verses 13 and 14 tell us that the greatest praise is due to the LORD because of the redemptive work of our God in raising up “a horn of salvation” for His people Israel and for His saints (the faithful followers of our Lord Jesus Christ). Note how these words are quoted by Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, in Luke 1 verses 68 and 69. Psalms 149 and 150 are the conclusion to the Psalms; just as Psalms 1 and 2 were the introduction. The Book of Psalms is brought to a crescendo in these two Psalms (149 and 150). Psalms 149 and 2 are companion Psalms which carry the same essential message – the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ will be established by the power of the Almighty. None can prevent the kingdom from coming; and the Almighty's wisdom is to be found among those who submit to the divine authority: all resistance will be totally crushed. So the two Psalms bookend the Book of the Psalms. Psalm 149 calls upon the righteous to be glad and rejoice in their king. The humble will extol the triumph of their God. Together with their praises is a readiness to avenge all wickedness in high places (2 Corinthians 10:4-6). Psalm 150 is a song that was accompanied by a massive orchestra composed of all manner of instruments. It calls upon everything with breath to praise the Name of Yahweh. Every verse of the song commences with Hallelujah, meaning praise Yah; and the Psalm concludes with Hallelujah. Let everyone of us praise God with our lips; but more importantly let us glorify Him by the way we live. In Luke 13 the enemies of the Lord maliciously attack him by drawing his attention to the Galileans, who Pilate had slaughtered as they were sacrificing in Jerusalem. Jesus tells his audience of Judeans of a recent event where a wall in Siloam – Jerusalem's backyard – fell on many Judeans. Did it happen because they were bad sinners? No, on both counts – but both tragedies provided opportunities for reflection and repentance. This is followed in chapter 13 by the parable of the barren fig tree which represents Israel's failure to bring forth fruit to God. Jesus next, on the Sabbath day heals a woman with an unclean spirit. The parables of the mustard seed and the leaven come next in the record. Then the record speaks of the parable of the narrow door, through which every disciple must strive to enter. Our Lord Jesus Christ laments over Jerusalem – to be torn down stone by stone as the leprous house. He will be welcomed in the Kingdom, when they would say, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord” (Psalm 118 verse 26). Chapter 14 of Luke begins with Jesus healing a man on the Sabbath day. That man had clearly been planted as a test for Jesus. Would he heal on the Sabbath day? The Lord was invited to speak at a dinner for Pharisees and Jesus gives advice in the parable of the wedding feast. Then came another parable about the great banquet to which each invited class found excuses not to attend. These people who were called by the gospel to come to the wedding feast of the Son of God all adjudged themselves unworthy of eternal life in the kingdom. As a result of their rejection we have graciously been offered a place. Two parables follow which tell us that as disciples of Jesus we must about count the cost of discipleship and wholeheartedly pursue that goal. Every disciple of our Lord must accept the peace that our Sovereign offers to us through the emissaries of the gospel and then make peace with Him: Ephesians 2 verses 11 to 22. The chapter concludes with the need for zest and salt among our Master's disciples. Salt speaks of sincerity in Christ's disciples as we are told in 1 Corinthians 5 verses 6 to 8.

MARCH 16 | Adopted in Him | Ephesians 1:5-6 | ... he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

MARCH 16 | Adopted in Him | Ephesians 1:5-6 | ... he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

MARCH 16 | Adopted in Him | Ephesians 1:5-6 | ... he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

MARCH 16 | Adopted in Him | Ephesians 1:5-6 | ... he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

MARCH 16 | Adopted in Him | Ephesians 1:5-6 | ... he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

MARCH 16 | Adopted in Him | Ephesians 1:5-6 | ... he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

MARCH 16 | Adopted in Him | Ephesians 1:5-6 | ... he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

MARCH 16 | Adopted in Him | Ephesians 1:5-6 | ... he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

MARCH 16 | Adopted in Him | Ephesians 1:5-6 | ... he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

MARCH 16 | Adopted in Him | Ephesians 1:5-6 | ... he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

MARCH 16 | Adopted in Him | Ephesians 1:5-6 | ... he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

MARCH 16 | Adopted in Him | Ephesians 1:5-6 | ... he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

MARCH 9 | Chosen in Him | Ephesians 1:3-4 | Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love ...

MARCH 9 | Chosen in Him | Ephesians 1:3-4 | Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love ...

MARCH 9 | Chosen in Him | Ephesians 1:3-4 | Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love ...

MARCH 9 | Chosen in Him | Ephesians 1:3-4 | Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love ...

MARCH 9 | Chosen in Him | Ephesians 1:3-4 | Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love ...

MARCH 9 | Chosen in Him | Ephesians 1:3-4 | Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love ...

MARCH 9 | Chosen in Him | Ephesians 1:3-4 | Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love ...

MARCH 9 | Chosen in Him | Ephesians 1:3-4 | Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love ...

MARCH 9 | Chosen in Him | Ephesians 1:3-4 | Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love ...

MARCH 9 | Chosen in Him | Ephesians 1:3-4 | Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love ...

MARCH 9 | Chosen in Him | Ephesians 1:3-4 | Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love ...

MARCH 9 | Chosen in Him | Ephesians 1:3-4 | Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love ...

Return of the Man-Child   (audio) David Eells – 3/5/25  Saints, today I'm going to talk to you about the Genealogy of Christ Jesus.  The Bible says, That which hath been is that which shall be; and that which hath been done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun (Ecc.1:9). We quite often look at the Scriptures, even in the natural, as something that's a revelation of the distant future, but we need to study the Gospels to give ourselves a revelation of soon-coming things that are now almost upon us. Years ago, I shared with you how everything that has happened in the Gospels and the Book of Acts is coming again now, except the cast of characters has been multiplied many times over, meaning that they will be corporate bodies of people all over the world walking in the steps of earlier individuals. The Lord also spoke to me years ago that the Gospels represented the first 3½ years of the Tribulation period and that the Book of Acts represented the second 3½ years of the Tribulation period.  There's a doctrine out there which teaches that Jesus ministered for only one year because they do not see that the Feasts that Jesus kept did not all happen in the same year in the Scriptures. But one very good proof is in Bible Chronology by Ivan Panin. It basically proves the correct chronology through numeric patterns. Panin's book is one of the only chronologies out there that actually uses Bible dates that can be found by cross-referencing other Bible dates. The only other book I know of was from Martin Anstey, who wrote Romance of Bible Chronology back in 1913. Both authors' chronology comes only from Bible dates. There is also a way to verify those dates with Numerics, the numeric pattern.   So here's what I've found concerning Jesus' ministry: Year one of His ministry was in AD 27, year two in AD 28, year three AD 29, and the Cross, resurrection, ascension, and Pentecost all happened in AD 30. That is cross-referenced with numeric Bible chronology. I personally already believed what they're saying because of what the Lord told me, but I think there are things we can point out and see through the Gospels that will show us that the 3½-year ministry of Jesus is just like the one we're about to enter now, only with a new reformation leadership which the Bible calls the “Man-child.”  I want to start in Matthew and share a picture of what happens through the rest of the Gospels. Some people think Matthew 1 is the dullest part of the whole Gospel because it has all those “begat”s and “begat”s. I'm not going to recite all of those, but I would like to point out a few things. First, where it speaks of The book of the generation of Jesus Christ (Mat.1:1), according to Numerics, it says simply, “The generation of Jesus Christ,” or “The genealogy of Jesus Christ.” Either way, it's the same word. The interesting thing is that the word “generation” here is the Greek word genesis, so it can be read as “The genesis of Jesus Christ.” The Book of Genesis is about the creation of Adam and the natural creation and yet here we're starting another “Genesis” of what the Bible calls “the last Adam” (1 Corinthians 15:45), Jesus Christ. This is not a natural creation, but the spiritual creation of the “born-again” man, Jesus Christ being the Adam of this new race of people who are created to be sons of God.   People have perplexing questions about the genealogy in Matthew 1 and one of them is, “Why does it seem to be the genealogy of Joseph?” For instance, it says, and Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ (Mat.1:16). So we follow the genealogy from Abraham to Joseph here, and that Jesus was of virgin birth. Mary was with child of the Holy Spirit (Mat.1:18). In fact, Joseph really had nothing physically to do with bringing Jesus forth. Joseph was not the father of His flesh. Mary was the mother of His flesh, but the Bible tells us that it is the seed of the woman that was going to bring forth the Son who would crush the serpent's head (Genesis 3:15).   God used the DNA from Mary to create the body of Jesus, His fleshly part. He was the Son of God and Son of Man. The Son of God came in a body that He called the Son of Man. Of course, That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit (Joh.3:6). That means your natural creation has been born of your fleshly parents, but your spiritual creation came from God. It's like when God breathed into the first Adam the “breath” (or ruach, which is the Hebrew word for “spirit”), the “breath of life” (Genesis 2:7). That spiritual man in you came from God, but the carnal man was passed on by your parents.  So why mention Joseph in this passage? We just want to know of whom Jesus was born. I think that's a really interesting question and it goes right to the root of why this is the genesis of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Genesis also means “birth,” “beginning,” “origin” and so forth. Jesus is the beginning and He is the end (Revelation 1:8). He is the beginning of the new creation man and He is the end; all things would be summed up in Him (Ephesians 1:10). The point here is, Joseph did have something to do with raising Jesus; he had everything to do with the spiritual man and nothing to do with the carnal man.   Joseph was ordained of God to represent Him in raising Jesus in the image of God. You say, “That doesn't make sense. He's the Son of God.” But the Bible says, And Jesus advanced in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men (Luk.2:52). Joseph could contribute none of his physical self in bringing forth Jesus, but he contributed both words and actions into Jesus' life in order to train Him up and bring Him into the image of God that He was ordained to be. In Hebrews, it appears to be Jesus speaking when He says, a body didst thou prepare for me (Heb.10:5). The Son of God in Heaven came down to inhabit a body that was brought forth through Mary, but the lineage written is of Joseph.   It even says that in (Mat.1:16) And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. It didn't give Joseph any credit for the birth of Jesus; Jesus was of virgin birth. But Joseph had something to do with bringing forth this genesis, this new generation of man, because what he was sowing into the life of Jesus were words, actions, an example, and other such things. Even though Jesus was the only begotten Son of God, meaning “born” Son of God, and even though He was filled with the Holy Spirit while still in the womb, He still had to be raised up into the fullness of that image.  The seed that Joseph sowed in Jesus' life is the most important seed in bringing forth the spiritual man. In the carnal man, it is a physical seed that brings forth the physical life. But the spiritual man, which lives in all of us who have been born from above, is born by the seed of the Word of God that has been sown in us. We're told; It is the spirit that giveth life; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I have spoken unto you are spirit, and are life (Joh.6:63). So Jesus was doing the exact same thing that was done to Him: He was sowing in the disciples the Spirit and the life of God through the Word of God that He was speaking.   We are also told, That is, it is not the children of the flesh that are children of God; but the children of the promise are reckoned for a seed (Rom.9:8). The “children of the promise” is the promise that was spoken to them that put faith in their heart to receive the gift of God to be what they were not before. It's God working in us to will and to do of His good pleasure (Ephesians 1:5,11). Mary was not, as some people say, the “mother” of God. She was the mother of Jesus' flesh. What was sown in Jesus Christ was sent from God the Father; the Father sent His only begotten Son (John 3:16). It had nothing to do with, and was even in spite of, Mary. She even had to receive salvation and was also filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:14; 2:4). But she was required and necessary to be the mother of the flesh that Jesus would come to live and walk in as the Son of God. And yet, this whole genealogy in Matthew is all about bringing forth the spiritual man and not the carnal man, or it would have been Mary's genealogy written in Matthew.   It's not the physical that's so important. Any flesh out there can manifest bearing the fruit of the Son of God if the seed is sown in it. The Lord God is showing us by this example that the important thing is what is spoken into someone's life. This is how we pass on our seed in the Kingdom through the Word of God.  In the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:3-23), Jesus sowed the seed and the seed was the Word of God, and He brought forth in people's hearts the fruit 30-, 60- and 100- fold. Jesus was what He was, in spite of His human heritage. According to Romans 8, He had to overcome His human heritage. He was one that hath been in all points tempted like as [we are, yet] without sin (Heb.4:15). (Rom.1:3) Concerning his Son, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, (4) who was declared [to be] the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness … Therefore, That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit (Joh.3:6). That which came from Mary was the seed of David because she was in the lineage of David and God took her DNA to do that. But that which was born of God out of heaven was the Spirit of God, according to what Jesus said.  In the Scriptures, it's very plain that in the spiritual man, which is the Son of God (or the sons of God, as we are), our lineage is not according to genealogy at all. Jesus was the only begotten Son of God, in Whom we all live (Acts 17:28) and we manifest our sonship through Him. Scripture portrays Melchizedek as a theophany, very much in the same way Jesus is a Theophany or, in other words, “God in flesh.” Jesus is said to be a high priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek (Heb.6:20). Both Melchizedek and Jesus were without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like unto the Son of God (Heb.7:3). It says “without father, without mother” because we're talking about the Son of God. The son of man has an earthly father, earthly mother, earthly genealogy, but the Son of God does not have any such thing. The Son of God is eternal. He is the Word which came down out of heaven (John 1:14), which we eat like the Israelites ate the manna in the wilderness (Exodus 16:4).  When we read this Word, we absorb it into ourselves. We spiritually eat that Word of God, which is eternal, and that recreates in us the Son of God, which has no end. There's no genealogy to the Son of God in you. (Col.1:27) … Christ in you, the hope of glory. There's no beginning of days nor end of life because He is eternal. That Word is simply recreating in you the manifestation of God. This is what the Bible refers to where it says, For the earnest expectation of the creation waiteth for the revealing (“manifestation”) of the sons of God (Rom.8:19). So we see that there is no earthly, or physical genealogy to a son of God. This genealogy in Matthew is a genealogy of people concluding with Joseph, who had no physical connection, but was only sowing a seed in the life of Jesus to raise Him up from a child. And we're also being raised up in the same way.  Reading now in (Mat.1:17) So all the generations from Abraham unto David are fourteen generations; and from David unto the carrying away to Babylon fourteen generations; and from the carrying away to Babylon unto the Christ fourteen generations. It's very interesting that it's so neatly divided. I remember many years ago, as we read this in a Bible study in my home, somebody said, “I've counted these and there's not 14 generations there. There are 14, 14, and then 13.” So we all started counting and then we recounted it again and we said, “Hey, you're right! There's 14, 14 and then 13.” We had to be careful not to double-count the name twice between the paragraphs, where there is a paragraph break.  There's not 14 generations in the last paragraph, yet God says there were 14 generations! At the time, the answer came to me that this is not referring to Christ Himself, but that the “fourteen generations” were speaking about Jesus' offspring, meaning the body of Christ. Then it would be correct. That would make Christ the 41st generation and the people of God the 42nd generation; I still believe this explanation today. I received a word of knowledge at that time, and I believe that God was speaking to me, that in the phrase, “unto the Christ,” the word “Christ” is actually used of the saints. And, if we're “in Christ,” we are part of the 42nd generation, even though the fullness of that is coming forth in the days that we're in right now.  2 Corinthians is a good proof that the 42nd generation is speaking of Jesus' offspring. (2Co.1:21) Now he that establisheth us with you in (Greek: “into”) Christ, and anointed us, is God. Here we have the word “Christ,” which in Greek is Christos, and we have the verb “anointed,” which in Greek is the verb chrio and means the same thing. Those who are established “into Christ” are one body and “anointed,” which is the verb chrio. So when He says, “unto the Christ” in Matthew, it could very well be, this anointed body; that is the offspring of Jesus. Remember, Jesus was the progenitor of this body. He sowed the seed, which is the Word of God, that went into the hearts of men.  In the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13, the word “seed” is the Greek word sperma. The Sower sowed the sperma to bring forth fruit 30-, 60- and 100-fold. So “unto the Christ” could very well be the “anointed” because He is saying that we are those anointed. The word “anointed,” or chrio, is the very same word Jesus spoke when He read from Isaiah. (Luk.4:18) The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, Because He anointed me … So Jesus is the Chrio and His body is the Chrio. He left an individual body in order to come back in a corporate body so He could do to the whole world what He did in the Middle East. That was the whole point, a glorious work of God.   Notice that “He establisheth us into Christ.” We are the anointed because we are in Him. It's Christ in you and you in Christ, as He said in (Joh.17:21) … That they may all be one; even as thou, Father, [art] in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us … This is what everyone wants to call a “mystery,” but the more of Christ we get in us, the more we are the anointed. We need to be receiving what He received when He was anointed; we need to be receiving the power of the Holy Spirit. He manifestly became the Christ because He was anointed with the Holy Spirit.   And then we also see of Christ, this additional proof in (Eph.1:10) Unto a dispensation of the fulness of the times, to sum up all things (There is no numeric pattern to include the word “things” here.) in Christ the things in the heavens, and the things upon the earth; in him, [I say,] (11) in whom also we were made a heritage, having been foreordained according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his will. He wanted to sum up all people in Christ, in the anointed, in Christos, and we are that “all people.”   Galatians 3 tells us that there is just one generation after Jesus, the 42nd generation. (Gal.3:16) Now to Abraham were the promises spoken, and to his seed. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. There is only one seed of Christ. If we abide in Him, then we are now His corporate body on the earth and Paul tells us this a little further down. (Gal.3:28) There can be neither Jew nor Greek, there can be neither bond nor free, there can be no male and female; for ye all are one [man] in Christ Jesus. (29) And if ye are Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed (The “seed” is singular, just one.), heirs according to promise.   So, we become heirs according to the promise that enters our hearts. It works in us the faith to receive all the benefits of the Kingdom and to walk as Christ walked. This is an amazing thing that God is doing. The only way that we can be a part of this 42nd generation, is to receive the Word of God, which is the very seed that makes us a member of the body of Christ. That's why Joseph is listed there in Matthew 1 because Joseph could pass on to Jesus the wisdom that a child would not have.   (Luk.2:52) And Jesus advanced in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. It says, But ye are an elect race (Greek: genos, “chosen generation”) (1Pe.2:9). We are a chosen generation. There is just one generation from the time of Jesus on. We have all received the same seed, the Word of God, and allow it to bear fruit. We all come into the same body and we have been chosen to be a part of that body in the earth to do the works of God.  There is more interesting revelation found in (Psa.102:12) But thou, O Lord, wilt abide for ever; And thy memorial [name] unto all generations. So all of the generations of God's people become one generation, the 42nd generation. (13) Thou wilt arise, and have mercy upon Zion … God is going to bring His children out of bondage in Babylon back to Zion in these days. (Psa.102:13) Thou wilt arise, and have mercy upon Zion; For it is time to have pity upon her, Yea, the set time is come. The time is in our day when God is going to have pity on Zion, to raise her up again.   He will raise up Zion, whose land has been desolate because God's people were taken into Babylonish captivity. Now they're going to return by His grace to their Promised Land. (Psa.102:14) For thy servants take pleasure in her stones … “Her stones” are a symbol of separation from the world. Zion, the Tower of the Flock, separated the people from the world. It represents holiness; and being on the mountain of God; it represents overcoming the world and drawing close to His Presence, which is on top of the mountain.  (Psa.102:14) For thy servants take pleasure in her stones, And have pity upon her dust. (15) So the nations shall fear the name of the Lord, And all the kings of the earth thy glory. Before this is over, that's exactly what's going to happen: the nations will fear the name of the Lord because He is once again going to show His sovereignty and His judgments in the earth, just as He did in the time of Moses. Egypt was a type of the nations. (Psa.102:16) For the Lord hath built up Zion (who is the Bride, according to Revelation 21:2); He hath appeared in his glory. The Lord is coming in His people. It is a body made up of Himself, His Word and His life.   (Psa.102:17) He hath regarded the prayer of the destitute, And hath not despised their prayer. This indicates to me that in these days many are going to draw close to the Lord because of destitution and tribulation in the world and a wilderness experience.  (Psa.102:18) This shall be written for the generation to come … Notice that it is one generation, the 42nd generation, in whom Jesus lives (Col.1:27). (Psa.102:18) This shall be written for the generation to come; And a people which shall be created shall praise the Lord. That's the 42nd generation, one generation, the generation of the Lord. Remember what was said back in Matthew: it is “the generation of Jesus Christ.” That's what the whole genealogy was about, “the genesis (same word) of Jesus Christ.”  (Psa.102:19) For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary; From heaven did the Lord behold the earth; (20) To hear the sighing of the prisoner … This is referring to God's people being in bondage. He is coming once again to deliver His people out of bondage to the carnal man in Egypt. The Israelite, the spiritual man, was in bondage to the carnal man, the Egyptian. The Lord was coming down to set them free, which He is about to do again. All those are types and shadows of what is going to happen during the Tribulation period. Even the judgments that Moses poured out are the ones that the Man-child will pour out on Egypt, the world. (Psa.102:20) … To loose those that are appointed to death; (21) That men may declare the name of the Lord in Zion (Zion was the refuge of God's people.), And his praise in Jerusalem; (22) When the peoples are gathered together, and the kingdoms, to serve the Lord. Praise God!  The same thing is spoken of in (Isa.53:8) By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who among them (The words “among them” was not in the original manuscript.) considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due? (Isa.53:9) And they made his grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in his death; although he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Praise the Lord! This is the generation of the Lord, which is the generation or genealogy of Jesus Christ in Matthew 1.  We can see that genealogy in another Psalm, too. (Psa.22:30) A seed shall serve him; It shall be told of the Lord unto the [next] generation. However, the word “next” was not in the original. Also, the word used there for “told” can be translated as “counted,” so the verse may be read, “counted unto the Lord unto a generation.” Some of you may have a footnote that reads, “or, ‘counted unto the Lord for His generations.'” The word “generations” is singular. The translators are using their own reasoning there and I believe that what it correctly reads is, “It shall be counted unto the Lord for a generation.” This is the 42nd generation, the one referred to in Matthew, which is what the Lord came to do.   The Lord Jesus came for this generation of people from His day until ours. The real cream of the crop is coming in our day. He has saved the best wine for last (Joh.2:1-10). He refers to this generation in the next verse. (Psa.22:31) They shall come and shall declare his righteousness Unto a people that shall be born, that He hath done it. He has done it! It is finished! He has overcome the world (John 16:33). He has brought forth His children, as we just read in Isaiah 53. The Bible says, He shall see [his] seed (Isa.53:10) and again, the word “seed” is singular. Jesus gave His life in order to see this seed and said, Greater [works] than these shall he (that's you) do; because I go unto the Father (Joh.14:12).  We read This is the generation of them that seek after him (Psa.24:6). That's an awful lot of people, between the time of Jesus first raising up disciples and our day. So who is this “generation”? If you go back and read Psalm 24, you get an idea. (Psa.24:1) The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; The world, and they that dwell therein. (2) For he hath founded it upon the seas, And established it upon the floods. (3) Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? (That is Mt. Zion.) And who shall stand in his holy place? (4) He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; Who hath not lifted up his soul unto falsehood, And hath not sworn deceitfully.   (5) He shall receive a blessing from the Lord, And righteousness from the God of his salvation. (6) This is the generation of them that seek after him, That seek thy face, [even] Jacob. Oh, praise the Lord! This generation that God has spoken about so often, this chosen generation, is the 42nd generation of 14 + 14 + 14. And this 42nd generation is made up of the eternal, spiritual man. The carnal man is not the offspring of Jesus Christ; he is the offspring of Adam, the first Adam. The last Adam is the Father of the spiritual, born-again creation man, the sons of God.  This body each of us has is a temporary thing and all of its desires and lusts are temporary; they're all going to pass away. We have a new body and a born-again soul that's been born again from the Word of God and we have a new spirit. All this is the 42nd generation, which the whole Gospel is for and about. We're looking toward the crowning of this generation in the coming days. It's an awesome work that God is about to do!  Now let's continue on in Matthew because here's another spiritual passage that concerns what God is about to do: (Mat.1:18) Now the birth (The word “birth” is the same Greek word meaning the genesis or “generation.”) of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Notice that when we speak of abortion, we refer to the child as a fetus. It says, “she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.” It is not a fetus; it is a child. Abortion kills a child and this is a child of the Holy Spirit. Spiritually-speaking, Mary represents the people of God in whom the Holy Spirit has sown a seed that is bringing forth the fruit of Jesus Christ. It was said to Mary, And blessed [is] she that believed; for there shall be a fulfilment of the things which have been spoken to her from the Lord (Luk.1:45). What was spoken unto her from the Lord was that she was to bring forth the fruit of Jesus Christ.  And each one of us has also been called to be a Mary because Jesus said, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? (Mat.12:48). (50) For whosoever shall do the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother. Everyone who does the Will of the Father is a part of this corporate body of Mary, which is bringing forth the fruit of Jesus Christ. He sowed the seed into the womb of the hearts of men in the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13 and He brought forth the fruit of Christ 30-, 60- and 100-fold. So we see that this is also a prophecy of things to come. We are all called to bring forth the fruit of Jesus Christ. Everyone who does that is a part of the 42nd generation. The natural Jesus was the 41st generation and we are the 42nd generation. This is how God chose to bring forth His sons, in the only begotten Son of God, one Body.  (Mat.1:19) And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. (20) But when he thought on these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. By the way, the word “conceived” here is the word “begotten” in Greek, gennao, and is an offshoot of the word genesis, or “born.” Notice it says that it is “born in her.” It is a child born in her at the time of conception. The Chinese count a person's birth years from the time of conception, not the time of birth, and the Bible is saying the same thing here. “That which is born in her is of the Holy Spirit.” What the Spirit is bringing forth in us is the fruit of Jesus Christ. Glory be to God!  (Mat.1:21) And she shall bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name JESUS; for it is he that shall save his people from their sins. It's interesting that it says that He is going to save His people from their sins. If we were chosen from the foundation of the world, we're going to be a part of this 42nd generation, in that we have received the seed of the Kingdom, which is the Word of God, and brought forth the fruit. Not everybody who is loosely called a “Christian” can say that. He is only talking about those who are “in Mary.” (Mat.12:50) For whosoever shall do the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my … mother. The Lord is referring only to those who do His Will. The others, who are in rebellion and call themselves “Christians,” are not a part of this whole scenario.   It was the same in Jesus' day when He came unto his own, and they that were his own received him not (Joh.1:11). In fact, He said to some of them, Ye are of [your] father the devil (Mat.8:44). (39) They answered and said unto him, Our father is Abraham. (41) … We have one Father, [even] God. (42) Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me … And the Bible says if we loved Him, we would keep His commandments (John 14:15). Those who are “in Mary” do the Will of the Father because they have true faith and true faith brings forth true ability from God to walk in His Will. God gives us the gift of working in us to will and to do of His good pleasure (Ephesians 1:11) when we have this gift of faith and we exercise it. (Mat.1:21) … It is he that shall save his people from their sins. Hallelujah! (22) Now all this is come to pass, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, (23) Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, And they shall call his name Immanuel; which is, being interpreted, God with us. This is the whole plan of God, that He is “with us.”   Notice that He was born unto a virgin. Is it still true today? The only way that Jesus Christ can be born in us is if we don't receive the seed of man, but we receive the seed of God, which is the Word of God. You know, a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump (1Co.5:6). You don't have to add much to the Word of God to make it not be the Word of God anymore. You just need to add a little bit of man's theology and it's not the Word of God. Jesus said, Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees (Mat.16:6). Why? Because what they were sowing was the seed of their father, whom Jesus said was the devil. There's only one thing that will bring forth Jesus Christ in His people, which would make them a member of this body of the 42nd generation, and it's the Word of God.   I suggest to the multitudes of people listening, who are wasting a lot of time in religion and not bearing the fruit of Jesus Christ nor walking in His steps and manifesting His power and His fruit, that they stay home and read the Bible until you get it into you enough that you can recognize true and undefiled religion. It is the Word of God that we must humble ourselves to and that brings us into the 42nd generation and the body of she who is the virgin.   We are members of Mary's body who will bring forth the fruit of Jesus Christ, if we are virgins. The Bible says of the 144,000 group in Revelation 14:4 (which is 144), These are they that were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These [are] they that follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth. These were purchased from among men [to be] the firstfruits unto God and unto the Lamb (Rev.14:4). They are virgins because they refuse to receive the seed of men, which is “the leaven of the Pharisees.”   And Jesus said, beware of … the leaven of Herod (Mar.8:15) because a person can also receive the “leaven” of worldly governments, which is patriotism to worldly governments as a form of worship of worldly governments. We have a new one-world order and it's the body of Christ. We have one King over our one-world order and that's Christ Himself. He is the head. We are the body and we do not have our own will; He is our Will. He gives us His Will; in fact, that's how the Son sets us free. It's because He gives us a will that cannot be thwarted. Jesus' Will cannot be thwarted. You cannot be frustrated if you have His Will. Frustration comes when you have your will and God's Will in the same body, at war with one another. Freedom is having God work in us to will and to do of His good pleasure (Ephesians 1:11), so that we can walk after the Lamb of God whithersoever He goes and not be defiled with “women” (Revelation 14:4).  “Women” refers to religious sects, which are typed in the Scriptures as women. Virgins receive only the Word of God and will bring forth the pure fruit of Jesus Christ, just like this lineage that we looked at in Matthew. Jesus was the Son of David because He was of the lineage of David all the way down through Mary. The body He dwelt in was the Son of David, but the Son of God came through the Holy Spirit, Who is the only One Who can sow the nature and life of Jesus. A person who is inhabited by the Holy Spirit can also speak the Word of God, which brings forth the life of Christ in this body in which we dwell.  All of this genealogy was physical, but it also was a parable. Most parables were physical and Jesus spoke parables about planting corn, etc. They were physically true, but they had a spiritual revelation. A spiritual revelation is that the Gospels, the sharing of the Good News, was to bring forth the genealogy of Jesus Christ in His 42nd generation, and they would be born to a body spiritually called “Mary” because “He that doeth the Will of My Father is My mother.” Praise be to God!   In Matthew 1 and 2, five dreams gave direction, warning, protection, prophecy, and instruction. They were given to Mary, Joseph, the wise men, and to the fruit, Jesus. Today, the same thing is happening; many in this time are having dreams, visions and revelations, because we are at the same corresponding point in history. There is a period of time right here, which starts with the anointing of Jesus for His 3½-year ministry. What we're studying right now is the introduction to the beginning of the ministry of Jesus, which started when He was 30 years old.   We're leading up to the time of the anointing of the Man-child, Jesus, the One Who, according to Hosea 6:1-3, is coming as the latter rain on “the morning” of “the third day,” which is where we are right now, and He is coming in His people! He's coming in His first-fruits to begin the process of manifesting the sons of God in these latter days. It's an awesome revelation that the Lord has hidden in this literal revelation of the life of Christ. (Ecc.1:9) That which hath been is that which shall be; and that which hath been done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. The Gospels are giving us a revelation of the time just before the beginning of the 3½-year Tribulation. 

Scriptures: Romans 12:18, Matthew 5:9, The Quest for Peace Psalm 51, Real Peace James 3:17-18, Hebrews 12:14, Psalm 85:10, Matthew 10:34-38, Luke 12:51-53, John 14:27, Romans 5:1, On Being a Peacemaker Blessed are the poor in spirit, they that mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, Isaiah 57:21, Matthew 12:33-35, 2 Corinthians 5:18-21, Romans 12:18, An Honorable Son Matthew 5:9, Why is it an honor to be called sons of God? God says we are his jewels - Zechariah 9:16, He keeps our tears in His bottle - Psalm 56:8, He will wipe away every tear - Revelation 21:4, Our death is precious to Him - Psalm 116:15, He makes us fellow heirs - Romans 8:17, He makes us the excellence of the earth - Psalm 16:3, We are vessels of honor - 2 Timothy 2:21, We sit with Him on His throne - Revelation 3:21, He has a personal eternal love for you - Ephesians 1:5, God considers you a friend - John 15:15, God grants you the liberty of unlimited access to Him - Ephesians 3:12, God bears with your weakness and your sin - Hebrews 4:15, God accepts your imperfect service - 1 Corinthians 3:12-14, God provides for your every need - Philippians 4:19, God shields you from every danger - Psalm 3:3, God applies fatherly comfort when needed - 2 Corinthians 1:4, God reveals to you His eternal truth - John 16:13, God forgives you and keeps on forgiving your every sin - 1 John 1:9, God works everything for our good - Romans 8:28, God Keeps you from perishing forever - John 3:16, God gives you heaven - Matthew 5:3, Application Point: Be A Peacemaker!

October 24, 2024 Today's Reading: Catechism - Table of duties: To ChildrenDaily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 25:17-26:19; Matthew 17:1-13Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.“Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” (Ephesians 6:1-3)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. And you thought the Bible was just for old people. No, it's for young people, too, even children. That's because what God has done for the oldest, He has also done for the youngest. Earlier in Ephesians, St. Paul writes to the baptized, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him” (Ephesians 1:3-4). “In Him,” or “in the Lord” is what changes everything for you and me. And that is where God placed us when we were baptized. At the Font, God washed you “in the Lord,” declaring you “holy and blameless before Him.” In fact, at the Font, God “made us alive together with Christ” and “seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:5-6). Baptized children are in the heavens now, seated with God, in Christ, “holy and blameless before Him!” Baptized children, then, are not lacking in any spiritual blessing. That is why St. Paul calls even children now to acts of kindness and love, beginning at home with their nearest neighbors, Mom and Dad. This is what it means to live out your baptismal identity as God's child. There is no work for you to do to become “holy and blameless” before your Father in heaven. You are already that every day– so promises your Baptism into Christ. You can turn to your neighbor in love, beginning at home, not to become something you are not, but because of the something or someone God has already declared you to be “in the Lord.” His child.As your proud Father in heaven, God rejoices over you as you do your chores at home, study your homework, clean your rooms, play nice with each other, and obey your parents. “In the Lord” is the key. For God does not rejoice simply because of the work that is being done. He rejoices because of the ones who are doing the work: you. That is God's mercy, God's love for you, “in the Lord.”  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Our works cannot salvation gain; They merit only endless pain. Forgive us, Lord! To Christ we flee, Who pleads for us endlessly. Have mercy, Lord! (LSB 581:12)-Rev. Bradley Drew, pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Metairie, LA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.In Embracing Your Lutheran Identity, Author Gene Edward Veith Jr. will guide readers through that heritage, starting with the Early Church and moving through the Reformation to Lutheranism today. Readers will learn about key people in the history of Lutheranism, from two teenagers who were the first martyrs of the Reformation, through the Saxon immigrants who left everything behind so they could practice Lutheranism freely, to the Lutherans who have stood strong for the faith in our own day.

Part of the Discover Discipleship series. Sermon by Pastor Nathan Alley The post Chosen in Him – Ephesians 1:1-14 first appeared on Applewood Community Church.

Today Brother Dustin Clegg continues with Part 6 of CommUNITY: Open Doors and Messy Tables, and walking through Ephesians 4:1-16, he shares three observations from the text:1) Community provides proof that Jesus is who He says He is and we are who we say we are in Him (Ephesians 4:1-11 and John 3:13-16).2) Community is necessary for maturity (Ephesians 4:12-13).3) Community is necessary for protection and exposure.The Holy Spirit has raised up leaders and established each group, therefore....Ask yourself why you wouldn't want to be in a group;Support every single group and fight in prayer for the; andBe in the group you NEED to be in.

God never condemns, mocks, criticizes, or puts you down when you share your heart with Him (Ephesians 4:29). He is always ready to listen and willing to help. The Father knows your frame and understands your weaknesses. He encourages you by speaking into your various situations with love (Psalm 103:12-14). Read Here: https://lifeovercoffee.com/day-4-no-more-condemnation/ Will you help us to continue providing free content for everyone? You can become a supporting member here https://lifeovercoffee.com/join/, or you can make a one-time or recurring donation here https://lifeovercoffee.com/donate/.

Pastor Chris Waldvogel  ~  Ascension Day (Observed)   First Reading:  Acts 1:1-11 Epistle:  Ephesians 1:15-23 Gospel:  Luke 24:44-53 The post May 12, 2024 ~ “The Fullness of Him” ~ Ephesians 1:15-23 appeared first on Beautiful Savior Fargo.

Title: Our Secret to Success Text: Acts 5:12-16 FCF: We often struggle to depend on the Lord to produce success in His church. Prop: Because God alone supports and expands His church, we must continue to depend on the Lord for the success of His church. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 5. Last week we saw how God had empowered and graced His church to be a unique group that cared for one another to the point that the wealthy were crossing social barriers to sell their property to provide the needs of those who were poor. However, we also saw that the church was not perfect. Some members of the community had joined with divided hearts and attempted to lie to God in order to gain honor among the budding New Covenant community. In a particularly fear inducing narrative we saw how the Lord sees the thoughts and intents of the hearts of men. We saw how the Lord hates sin. Today's passage concludes the narrative and summarizes the state of the church after this miracle of death occurred. Today we will see some of the same things we've been seeing as Luke continues to testify to Theophilus about Gods ongoing work in His church. I am in Acts 5. I'll begin reading in verse 12. I am reading from the LSB today but you can follow along in the pew bible starting on page 1234 or in whatever version you prefer. I have thought about this for some time. I don't want to do it because other people do it. But I want to do it for the right reasons. This morning I woke up with this thought on my mind. And when you are in the business of preaching the Word to God's people, when you wake up with a thought on your mind on a Sunday morning – you should probably pay attention to it. You can tune out every single thing in this sermon if you so desire. But this part, where we read the Word of God together, is the one part that you cannot afford to miss. So out of reverence to the Word of God and as a way to focus on hearts on what it says, I'd ask you to stand with me for the reading of the Word this morning. Transition: [Slide 2] If you were to walk into any one of our homes, you would no doubt find several devices, appliances, and tools functioning without any gas or human generated energy. Microwaves, ovens, dishwashers, refrigerators, heaters, fans, lights, freezers, phones, TVs, video game systems, tablets, computers… all of them functioning without a spinning wheel for us to run in or a bike to ride to power them. And although they all have power demands and various applications in everyday life – we know that ultimately, they are all powered by a single line running from the nearest Electric pole to our homes. My friends the household of faith has many applications that our Lord has commissioned us to perform. These various commands and expectations require various degrees of exertion and effort on our part. But through it all and behind it all, we must recognize that there is but one source to the empowering and success of our efforts. Of course, it is by the power of our God. Today we will see that the Lord does all in ensuring the success of His church. I.) God actively supports His church with all they need to thrive, so we must continue depend on the Lord for the success of His church. (12-13) a. [Slide 3] 12 – Now at the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were happening among the people, i. Again, we see that the signs and wonders are being performed by the apostles. 1. There are certain groups of Christians today who contend that every single believer ought to be engaged in performing sign gifts. 2. When I say sign gifts I mean the gifts of tongues, healings, miracles, raising the dead, and casting out demons. 3. They are called sign gifts specifically because they were used as signs to authenticate the message of the preacher. 4. However, here again we see that only the apostles are performing these signs and wonders. It is not the greater church which no doubt numbers in the 5-10,000 range at this point. 5. We'll keep an eye on this throughout the book of Acts. So far, we have seen no miraculous signs performed by anyone except the apostles. ii. After that short rabbit trail, coming back to the text – we see the apostles continuing to be given power to authenticate God's message among the Jews in Jerusalem. b. [Slide 4] And they were all with one accord in Solomon's Portico. i. Who is “they” in this passage? ii. Before we address that, what does it mean that they were all with one accord in Solomon's Portico? iii. “With one accord” is the same word used in chapter 1:14 when it is said that the 120-member church that existed after Christ's ascension was “all together.” When we noticed this back in chapter 1, we defined this word as being of one mind. They were of single purpose. They were of single impulse. They were united as one. iv. In other words, this speaks less about the fact that they gathered as a group in Solomon's Portico and more to the fact that they were united as one in Solomon's Portico. v. Back to the question of the pronoun “they.” vi. We are going to be asking this question a lot in this text. Luke seems to play jump rope with the subjects of his sentences. vii. Going back to verse 11 we can see that there are several options for who the subjects could be. 1. In verse 11 we see the whole church experienced fear at the punishment of Ananias and Sapphira. 2. We also see fear come over all who heard these things… which would necessarily be those who are not in the church but who heard of it. 3. In verse 12 we see the apostles whose hands do the signs and wonders. 4. We also see the people whom the signs and wonders were performed among. viii. So, let's analyze our options here. Who is they? Who is united in Solmon's Portico? 1. It could be the people, meaning the general unbelieving population of Jerusalem. But this seems unlikely since they were united and of one mind. The Jews have never been united and of one mind. See the Old Testament for proof. Even under the reign of David there were uprisings of various factions. 2. It could be those who were not believers but heard about Ananias and Sapphira's death and were overcome with fear. But again, we have the same problem as the unbelieving general population. Maybe they were of one mind in fear? This seems unlikely. 3. It could be the apostles. But if so, it seems unnecessary to suggest that the apostles were of one mind in Solomon's porch. Wouldn't we assume the apostles were of one mind? 4. Most likely then, this refers to the whole church. Even though they experienced great fear over the incident with Ananias and Sapphira, they remained united as one in Solmon's Portico. Especially under the teaching and signs and wonders of the apostles. This has support from earlier passages in Acts where the church seems to have met often in Solmon's Portico. ix. But what were they united together to do and why specifically in Solomon's Portico? 1. Generally speaking, the church met in homes for their worship and instruction. 2. We saw this in the summary statement in Acts 2 where they fellowshipped together and shared the Lord's Supper together from house to house. 3. But when they met in Solmon's Portico the purpose was always the same. The preaching of the gospel to unbelievers. The church gathered there to listen to, support, and amen the preaching of the gospel of Christ. 4. They were unified there to show the power of the gospel not just in sign gifted miracles but also in the numbers of those who had been saved and added to the church. c. [Slide 5] 13 – But none of the rest dared to associate with them; i. Again, we will pause our investigation of who Luke is talking about and focus on what is said about them first. ii. “dared” means to show boldness or courage enough to try something. It is to be daring. iii. “associate” means to join with, to link up to, to unite with, or to establish a relationship with. iv. Now to the question of the nouns in this sentence. Who are “the rest” and who is “them.” v. For “the rest” let's look at our options. 1. It could be the apostles but this seems very unlikely. We are left with far more questions than answers. Why are the apostles lacking courage to unite with another group? Even if we don't know what group that is… it seems that this is not the best answer. 2. Some suggest that this is a portion of the church who had great fear after Ananias and Sapphira to the extent that they could not associate or partner with the apostles. However, this seems to contradict the idea that the church was gathered of one mind in Solomon's Portico. Either they were united or they weren't. And can someone really be part of the church and have people afraid to establish a relationship with the apostles? 3. It could be the people meaning the entire unbelieving population of Jerusalem, but again this is unlikely because in the next verse we are going to be told the exact opposite of this. 4. Again, by deduction we can conclude that this is referring to those who were not believers but heard about Ananias and Sapphira's death and were overcome with fear. vi. As for the “them” it seems best to see this as either the apostles or the whole church or both. vii. In the context, it seems to me that the best option is the apostles. But as I suggested, failure to associate with or join with the apostles is inherently a failure to join the church. viii. Therefore, we see that one effect that Ananias and Sapphira's miracle of death had on the people of Jerusalem was to actively prevent people from joining the church for the wrong reasons. Perhaps they saw it as a progressive movement within Judaism or a “fad cult”. ix. But with the death of Ananias and Sapphira, people were less inclined to join up with bad motives and without true faith. Why? Because their lives were at stake from a God who could see their thoughts and intentions. x. So, we see again God's active hand of pruning to keep His church, especially in its infancy, pure and comprised of actual and genuine followers of Christ. There were no fakers. The last two were just killed and their story is actively preventing others from joining. d. [Slide 6] However, the people were holding them in high esteem. i. You know the drill, we'll save who “the people” and “them” are until the end. ii. But to hold in high esteem is to glorify, magnify, to greatly honor or enlarge someone's character or reputation. iii. So, what are our options for ‘the people” 1. The apostles and the church seem unlikely subjects. People is much too broad a term to be boxed into these more specific groups. 2. The fakers scared off by Ananias and Sapphira's example is also too specific of a group for this term. Plus, we've already been told that they didn't dare associate with the apostles. It would be odd to not associate with them but also highly respect and honor the apostles or the church as a whole. 3. Therefore, this is most likely referring to the general populace of unbelieving Jews in Jerusalem. iv. Again the “them” here refers either to the apostles or the whole church or both. It makes slightly more sense for it to refer to the apostles given the statements coming in verse 15. v. So, we see that although there were those who were considering joining the church nominally but have not dared to because of the risk – in general – the unbelieving world around the church greatly honored them and the apostles specifically. vi. This echoes the summary statements in Acts 2 where the church grew in favor with all the people. e. [Slide 7] Summary of the Point: God actively empowers, unifies, purifies, and exalts His church among the nations. He did this in the early church and He is doing so now. God is still empowering His people to do mighty works and great deeds in His name. God has unified His church. Although fractured into different denominations the gospel is still quite purely held by many denominations. God is purifying His church through persecution and through church discipline. And God is still exalting His church among the nations. Even secular commentators today recognize the importance of the church and a biblical worldview. In short, God has not changed His commitment to His church. He is still faithful. Transition: [Slide 8(blank)] So, we have seen that God supports those who are already part of His church. He is faithful to give them all they need to continue as His people while they are pilgrims in this dry and weary land. But is God involved in the growth and expansion of His church? Is He responsible for gathering more unto Himself or is that purely a human endeavor? II.) God actively increases and spreads His church far and wide, so we must continue depend on the Lord for the success of His church. (14-16) a. [Slide 9] 14 – And more than ever believers in the Lord were added to their number, multitudes of men and women, i. That favor and esteem given to the apostles and the church as a whole translates into God using this to draw many more to Himself. ii. One could argue, it wasn't necessarily God who was drawing men to His Kingdom but rather the witness of God's people to the message of the gospel. iii. But remember how the message of the gospel was authenticated? Signs and wonders. iv. And remember – is it ever to men's credit that another child is born into God's family? v. As Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3, you must be born again. How much say did you have in your own birth? Jesus again likens a person coming into the kingdom to the wind. You may see its effect but you don't know where it came from or where it is going. vi. And John earlier in chapter 1 tells us that those who believe were given the right to be children of God and that all God's children are born not by a certain ancestry, or by the decisions of humans, or the quality of the husband's seed, but of God. vii. And so, when we read that people were joining the number of the church – we can see the human agents working… but must confess that their efforts are ultimately unnecessary. They are merely the means God has chosen to call His own to Himself. viii. As was the outcome in Acts 2:47 so it remains here in Acts 5:14. God was adding to their numbers daily. ix. God continues to grow His church. He is protecting, providing, empowering and expanding His church. x. In spite of and even as a result of God's wrath kindled against those filled with the lie of Satan – His church grows faster than ever. b. [Slide 10] 15 – To such an extent that they even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, so that when Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on any one of them. i. The opening words to this verse may lead us to believe that this is a result or outcome of many people coming to Christ and joining the church. ii. However, the fact that people brought their sick so that Peter's shadow would fall on them, seems an unlikely result of the church growing numerically. iii. Instead, this could be the result or outcome of one of two things in the text. 1. It could be an outcome or result of the apostles growing in honor and favor among the people of Jerusalem. They became respected even to the level of respect that was given to Jesus. He was treated this way if you remember from the gospels. Remember the woman who concluded if she could but touch the hem of his robe then she would be healed? This is not much different than believing Peter's shadow could heal them. 2. It could also be a result of the apostles doing signs and wonders among the people. Indeed, in some way, everything that follows the statement in verse 12 about the apostles doing many signs and wonders among the people could be viewed as a result of that activity. iv. Regardless of whether this is the outcome of the apostles growing in favor with the people or the apostles doing many signs and wonders – we get the picture. The impact of the church, even after Ananias and Sapphira, is exploding. v. Of course, we must realize that there was nothing special about Peter's shadow. We should not interpret this as some kind of holy or religious relic that empowered healing. Such enters the realm of superstition and unnecessary mysticism. vi. Instead, we ought to see Luke's words in verse 12. That through the apostles' hands were many signs and wonders being done. They were merely conduits for the power of God to be displayed to authenticate the message of the gospel. vii. There is one final result of the apostles' activity and the churches high esteem among the people… c. [Slide 11] 16 – Also, the multitude from the cities in the vicinity of Jerusalem were coming together, bringing people who were sick or afflicted with unclean spirits. i. This is VERY important. ii. Up to this point, the church has been exclusively located in Jerusalem. iii. Particularly on the temple mount. iv. But now… the church is reaching beyond the city of Jerusalem. v. It is brought forward as a critique of Luke that there were no cities close to Jerusalem. But this word for cities can include any urbanized area where there is a concentration of people. This could include a small town or even a village. vi. People from neighboring villages are bringing their sick and even those afflicted with unclean spirits to be healed. vii. The city walls could not contain the power and the message of Jesus Christ risen from the dead. viii. And this feeds into next week's text. For what was the primary goal of the Sanhedrin releasing the apostles with a warning? Remember back in chapter 4? They desired that the teaching in the name of Jesus would spread no further among the people. ix. That hasn't worked out so well, has it? x. And just in case there was any doubt about what happens to those who bring their sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits… d. [Slide 12] And they were all being healed. i. Yeah. They were being healed. ii. All of them. Yes, sometimes “all” doesn't mean “all.” Sometimes “all” means “many” or a “large number.” iii. That could be the case here. But it seems best contextually to conclude that every single person brought to the apostles… was healed. iv. How amazing! How miraculous! How Wonderful! v. But such wonder will draw the ire and the jealousy of those whose esteem and favor… is diminishing among the people. vi. More on that next week. e. [Slide 13] Summary of the Point: In addition to God's empowering, uniting, purifying, and exalting of His church, He also grows and spreads His church. And this is only the beginning. The rest of Acts and all of church History enlarges this thought. God is at work to spread the gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth. Just like Jesus predicted in Acts 1. Even today the gospel goes forth to new lands, tribes, tongues and nations. Even today the church spreads and more of God's people are gathered unto Himself. God is growing and spreading His church far and wide. He is gathering His people unto Himself. Conclusion: So CBC, what have we learned and how then shall we live? How can we boil down all of this into one doctrinal takeaway? Doctrinal Takeaway: [Slide 14] The triune God is the faithful supporter and expander of His church. He is calling men to Himself. He is empowering, uniting, purifying, and exalting His church among the nations. He is the only reason the church succeeds. He is the only reason that the gates of hell will not prevail against His church. This does not eliminate our responsibly to make disciples. This does not eliminate our responsibility to bear witness to the truth of Christ crucified for sinners. Instead, this emboldens our witness and encourages our ministries. We know that we go with God. He provides to us all we need, to do as He has commanded us! This should not encourage passivity but rather diligent labor with high expectations for Spiritual fruit. We must expect great things from the Lord when we obey Him in these things. For He is at work in us to do this mighty work. This doctrinal takeaway expands itself into several applications. 1.) [Slide 15] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” The church is absolutely dependent on God to supply all that is necessary for it to succeed. a. In this text we see that the apostles did mighty signs and wonders by the power of God. b. He answered their prayer to enable them to perform these message authenticating signs among the people of Jerusalem. c. We see God uniting His people in the same mind. That they gather together as a body to bear witness to the truth of the gospel message. d. We see God purifying His church by keeping those with divided hearts and corrupt motives from infiltrating the church. He does this by miracles of death producing fear that He can see the hearts of men. e. We see God raising His church as the light shown before men. That men would see their good works and glorify God the Father. We see the reputation of the church excel among the general population. For the most part, the average person in Jerusalem saw the apostles as agents of God and the believers as a devout sect of Judaism. f. Finally, we see God growing his church numerically and geographically. People from villages outside of Jerusalem are now pouring in and hearing the gospel and having their sicknesses healed. g. Behind it all – as the church's one foundation – we see the Lord doing all this through them. h. And looking at all we've seen and all we will see in the book of Acts, there is not one who believed they were doing this by their own wisdom, their own cunning, or their own power. All God's people relied on Him. i. This has been a common thread for the last several sermons – so I don't want to tread the same ground we have already. But suffice it to say that Jesus' words are true. Without the vine we are nothing. j. So, the church is nothing without God's provision. k. For us – we naturally wish to assume that there is a symbiotic relationship between us and God. That God needs us to do the work. That God needs earthly agents. l. But as our psalm this morning said – God does not delegate because He needs to. He does because that is who He is. He desires us to join Him. m. God doesn't employ us in His work because He needs us, or because it would fail without us. He does so as a gift to us to grow closer in our dependence on Him. To deepen our faith. n. My friends – we must see that when God goes with us, none can stand against us. But when we go alone… we will fail. 2.) [Slide 16] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We should not fear or avoid things that chase people away from the church. a. Not everyone who confesses Christ with their lips are true and genuine believers. b. Throughout the entire New Testament there are several examples of fake believers who everyone thought was a true and genuine believer, until they walked away. Until they abandoned the truth. Or until they deliberately chose to continue in sin. c. Jesus, before His church was established, described a process whereby we can, at least from a human perspective, protect ourselves from people who are fake Christians or at least people who are not acting like Christians. This is the essence of church discipline. (Matthew 18:15-20) d. Church discipline has several results. No matter which step you stop at the results are the same. The only thing that changes is the scope. The results are, restoration, purity, and fear. All who are involved in the process, whether it be one who was sinning and his restorer, or the entire church as they excommunicate the one sinning, in all of this all who are involved experience restoration, purity, and fear. e. In this text we see that man's inability to hide from God's piercing gaze is fear inducing enough to keep men and women from joining the church under false pretenses or with wrong motives. f. In our day and age, we do not wish to do anything that may dissuade outsiders from coming into our church and feeling welcome. g. When this is applied to ungodly or sinful ways we make outsiders feel unwelcome – this is a noble and godly goal. We ought not make the outsider feel unwelcome because we are rude, unkind, judgmental, or prejudiced. h. But when we overreach this goal and cease from doing godly and biblical things just because it may chase people away – we have given into fear. i. We fear that if they walk out because we spoke on the wickedness of sin, the depravity of man, the wretched state of even our smallest children. We fear that if they walk out because we spoke about these things then they may never come back. j. But we cannot win them to the truth if we never speak it my friends. k. If knowing they are sinners unable to save themselves chases them away from our church, if knowing that our church will not tolerate any member living in unrepentant sin causes them to avoid us, if calling something sin which the world calls good, or relabels as illness or bravery makes them walk away from us… l. Hear me now… m. Good. n. False converts are a cancerous blight on the soul of the church. And if we win them with a gospel that is stripped of the bad news of sin and the depravity of man, If we filter out the expectation for Christians to be holy people pursuing a life lived in growing devotion to Christ, then my friends we have not won them to the gospel. We have won them to something less. o. Therefore, we must obey our God to deliver the whole counsel of God – even the parts that may chase people away. We must obey our God even the practices that might cause outsiders to avoid us. We cannot compromise what God has commanded to make it easier for people to join us. Because if we do this they are not actually joining us – we are joining them. 3.) [Slide 17] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We should design our church to go to the people and meet them where they are. a. We can pendulum swing too far in an effort to keep our previous application if we allow ourselves. b. In an effort to make sure that we remain true to the teachings of Christ and do not compromise to make it more comfortable for the outsider to be among us, we may inadvertently insulate ourselves from the world to the extent that we never connect with any outsiders. c. I think we naturally desire to be surrounded by people who share our worldview and values. In doing this the church has become a hub for us to invite people to, hoping that they will join us and become a part of our faith. d. But that is not what we see here in Acts. The early church is not inviting people to come and worship with them. e. What are they doing? f. The apostles are going to the people – healing and performing signs and wonders and preaching the gospel. And the church is right there with them speaking to and with outsiders. g. The leadership is supernaturally meeting physical needs to authenticate their message and the church are living testimonies of the power of that message. h. What can we learn from this? i. What is our vision of outreach here at this church? Can I suggest to you that our vision of outreach parrots the way the early church did it? j. Just as the apostles depended on supernatural signs and wonders to confirm their message, the conversion of someone to Christ is a supernatural event that we cannot engineer. We can preach the gospel but we cannot make someone believe. God must open their eyes to receive the truth of the gospel. So, we must begin any evangelistic endeavor with dependence on God to replace hearts of stone with hearts of flesh. Only He can do this work. We must seek Him as the power behind any presentation of the gospel. k. But we must also go. l. The church went to the place people gathered. They went to the epicenter of Jewish life. They went to where people were open to hearing about new ideas. m. Where is this in our culture? It is hard to say. Not too many people are open to hearing new ideas today and it seems the larger the group the more likely that your voice will be drowned out. n. So perhaps the greatest Solmon's Portico of our day is having one on one interactions with unbelievers with whom you have either built a relationship with or are open to hearing what you believe. o. The church in Acts boldly bore witness to who Christ was and what He had freed them from. They bore witness to the miraculous saving of their souls. p. Do you want to know our outreach philosophy here at CBC? Here it is, and it is very simple. It is all of us… going… and preaching the gospel. That's it. q. We must do as the early church did. Our friends, neighbors, co-workers, family – all must hear about the work Christ has done in us. r. But friends, inviting them to church is not the answer. Church is very much for insiders. We are here to worship a God they can't seek, through faith in the Son whom they have not received, in the power of the Spirit they don't have. s. Outsiders are welcome here… but they won't feel comfortable here. t. But they may feel comfortable chatting in your truck, or over coffee, or at a birthday party. They may wonder why you are just going to give your van to another member of your church because they need it. They may marvel at your refusal to mock the president even though you don't agree with his policies. They may even be a bit perturbed by your never complaining about your wife. u. And through this you can bear witness to the gospel's power to take you from a sinner who loved his sin to a sinner saved by grace. v. Your life and the message of Christ crucified is POWERFUL indeed my friends. It is a supernatural miracle. It is a sign to them. w. It is not enough to invite people here… we must go to them my friends. We must pray for and share the gospel with them. 4.) [Slide 18] De-Exhortation: “What actions should we stop doing” or “What behaviors do we naturally practice that this passage tells us to stop doing?” We should not design our church to attract people to it. a. The perfect one-two punch here is the foolishness of designing our church to attract people. b. My friends, if the Elders wanted to, we could have hundreds of people join this church by next year. It isn't actually that hard. c. We could have the top 10 songs in the country playing in the hallways before church. We could serve full breakfasts every Sunday morning. We could have concert caliber musicians up here putting on a show. We could dim all the lights so the stage draws your attention. We could preach fluffy, short, messages about how God wants you to have a great life. We could have hundreds of programs designed for every single special interest you could thing of. We could take moderate positions on all the hot button issues so we don't offend anyone. We could speak exclusively of God's love. We could insist upon having emotional reactions to every single service where we manipulate people to feel something. d. And you know what? We'd be filled to the brim. e. How do I know that? Because there are churches all around us who do this! And they are full! f. And if that didn't work for some reason… we could also offer free boos, strippers, and a cash prize give away every week. g. Oh we'd draw crowd my friends… h. But what we'd gain in numbers we'd lose in purity. i. An impure church is a powerless church – void of the gospel – and one whom God's hand of judgment is set to destroy. j. Do you pity the right people who will stand before God's throne? Save your pity for the progressives who call evil good and applaud wickedness. Save your pity for those steeped in paganism. Save your pity for those who live debauched lifestyles. Spend all your pity on those who stand behind a pulpit every week and are not faithfully teaching GOD'S WORD! The wrath of GOD will be greatest to them my friends. Those who play games with HIS WORD and abuse HIS name. Those who as Jesus said, hold the keys to the kingdom and neither enter in themselves nor allow any to enter in. These are the ones you should pity. Woe to these men and women! For their judgment will be… severe. k. I have heard it said that church is a hospital for the sick. But my friends… this is not true. l. No, my friends, the church is a medical school that trains those who have become general practitioners to go out into the world and deliver those new borns whom God is birthing into His kingdom and then training them to be spiritually healthy as they themselves continue to learn to be spiritually healthy. m. The church's primary goal is to worship God and to know Christ to the extent that we are mature in Him (Ephesians 4:11-16) n. We are not meant to as the hymn says “bring them in!” Instead… my friends… “We've a story to tell to the nations” and we must “send the light, the blessed gospel light, from shore to shore.” o. We must go to them. Because if we are doing church right – they shouldn't feel too comfortable being among us. 5.) [Slide 19 (end)] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” In the midst of our activity to reach the lost and disciple the saved… God is the one who faithfully supports and expands His church. a. These are heavy burdens. Many of you were cringing as I was describing you speaking to a friend, co-worker, neighbor, or family member about Christ. b. You no doubt felt fear and doubt creep in – and thought “I can't do that.” c. Perhaps the thoughts of unity and being one mind are daunting. Perhaps the idea of being God's church in a world like ours elicits great fear in you. d. Maybe you are thinking… I can't do this. e. No, you can't. Not on your own. f. But my friends – God is calling His people to Himself. And He has afforded you the opportunity to join Him in that calling. g. God goes with His church. To support them in their growth and unity. And to empower them to expand and grow numerically. h. Our Savior said – I am with you always, even to the end of the age. i. What great comfort it is that this work neither depends on us, nor do we go alone.

Let this be another reminder, that when you accept Jesus as your Lord and personal Savior, you are now the Body of Christ. Your place is to LIVE in HIM (Ephesians 2:6-8), that's our victory. Move in His anointing and gifts that He has given you (Ephesians 4:7-8 MSG). Wake up, it's time. #Order --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/EmpowerMeWithEri/support

Good morning, Five Minute Families! Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.Proverbs 16:5 Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished.How often do we as parents cite these verses and the others like these to our kids or ourselves?Nope, this five-minute family devotional is not about pride, vanity, and arrogance. It is about the misinterpretation of those verses by some folks who are too hard on themselves and thus don't live the abundant life that God intends for His people, despite our living in a sinful and fallen world. What are the greatest commandments?Matthew 22:37-40 answers this question: “He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”If all the law and the prophets depend on these two commands, we better get them right. And, that second command contains two words we often forget, especially in light of those pride, haughtiness, be humble verses… “As yourself”Often, upon the first formal reading the “as yourself” is included. Yet, as it gets repeated during a lesson or discussion, we often stop with just “love your neighbor.” We make pallet signs, put it on billboards, tell others when they wrong us “hey, aren't you supposed to love your neighbor” … Love your neighbor.As yourself.Reality is… you ARE supposed to love yourself. If we properly follow the first great commandment: “love the lord with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind,” then you cannot despise his creation… you.I have walked through much of my life despising myself… I talk too much, I don't know how to end a conversation, I procrastinate, I am impatient, I could go on, but I won't.While I don't have such self-doubt and other self-criticism issues like Kim, I have had times of being disheartened. Let's talk about how God sees us…. God says that when he created humans, it was VERY GOOD INDEED (Genesis 1:31). God says, we are each uniquely and WONDEFULLY made (Psalm 139:14). God says I am a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). God says I am alive in Him (Ephesians 2:4–5). God says I am a saint (Romans 1:7).If you struggle with seeing yourself as God sees you, or someone in your family struggles with that, the world has lots of self-help ideas out there. Here is one such list:• Do away with the self-criticism.• Take care of your body.• Counter your fear.• Forgive yourself.• Surround yourself with positive people.• Indulge in activities that spark joy.• Stand up for yourself.Notice that each of those seven items have elements of God's truth but when you read them in full, they have been twisted just enough to remove God from the center. In fact, YOU and you alone have to muster enough motivation and discipline WITHIN yourself to achieve self-love from a worldly view.But, God! When we love God with all our hearts, souls, and minds, He makes it possible for us to love ourselves as He loves us.Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. That includes self-talk.1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.Isaiah 41:10 Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.Philippians 3:13-14 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one...

God's people are called to sing and make melody in our hearts in our walk with Him -Ephesians 5- 5-19 and Colossians 3- 16-. This psalm continues the series of psalms -93-100- which emphasizes God's sovereign rule in the affairs of nations. It correlates creation with redemption and the promise of His coming.

To Reveal His Son In MeBy Tammy Lacock “To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood.” (Galatians 1:16 KJV)This week, Warren Litzman focuses on the very intimate relationship between Jesus and Paul so we can understand this same intimacy in our own relationship with Christ. In Galatians 1:16, Paul tells us Christ revealed to him something that hasn't been revealed to anyone before. Christ raised up only Paul to deliver to us a new gospel, the only gospel for us today. Warren singles out Paul's words “in me” to explain this new gospel. These words “in me,” which Paul uses over and over in his epistles, tell us literally and not figuratively that Christ now lives in us. We are no longer to see Christ outside of us, as Jesus of Nazareth, but we are to see Him now as the resurrected Christ living in us. This is what a Christian is: one in whom Christ lives. The Son that was in the body of Jesus of Nazareth is the same Son that now lives in us as believers. His new body is the body of believers. We are the Body of Christ. “For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.” (1 Corinthians 12:12 KJV)“So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.” (Romans 12:5)Paul was given this revelation and tells us that only by revelation of the Holy Spirit can we also begin to understand our new life in Christ. The Holy Spirit—given to us by God on the Day of Pentecost—is our Comforter and Teacher of our new life. As human beings, it's extremely difficult for us to accept a new life. The Holy Spirit helps us understand who we are now in Christ, that we don't have a changed life, but have exchanged the old for a brand-new life. He helps us understand that we weren't created to live this life on our own. Now that we are complete in Christ, we can begin to live who God created us to be, and that is to bring Him glory. In Galatians 2:20, Paul tells us we were crucified with Christ on the cross. In order to understand our new life in Him, we must also understand our death with Him. Just as we are no longer to know Christ in the flesh, we are no longer to know our old lives. As we relationship with Christ in our daily lives and fall in love with Him more and more—knowing He is no longer outside of us but the very life we now live—we can die to our old lives and let Him come out of us just the way God intended from the beginning (Ephesians 1:4). This is Paul's gospel: by Christ's death, burial, and resurrection, we are now married to Him, one flesh with Him—He in us and we in Him (Ephesians 5:31-32; John 4:13).

The Wisdom of Grace By Tammy Lacock “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23)In the final episode of Out of Law into Grace, Warren Litzman emphasizes the Apostle Paul's precise distinction between soul and spirit as a fundamental step into the fullness of God's grace. In fact, everything Paul writes about is based on the wisdom of God's grace, by revelation from Christ Himself, that the human being is made up of three parts: body, soul, and spirit. In the Old Testament, soul and spirit were used interchangeably. However, Apostle Paul tells us now in the New Testament that soul and spirit must be rightly divided (Hebrews 4:12), and we do this by rightly dividing the Word of God. Warren gives us a few areas in Paul's epistles that help us rightly divide the scriptures and move out of law by a clear understanding of the wisdom of God's grace. He starts off by explaining body, soul, and spirit through 2 Corinthians 1:10, “Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in who we trust that he will yet deliver us.” Here Paul tells us about our deliverance in three parts: spirit, soul, and body. We are already delivered (saved) in our spirits by Christ's death and resurrection. We now stand perfect before God because Christ is joined to us by His Spirit, making us one spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17) with Him. God sees only Christ in us now. The person of Christ joined to us in spirit is our salvation. He then tells us we are being delivered in our souls, where our minds, wills, emotions, and intellects reside. We are always being delivered in our souls; it is ongoing as we learn Christ and the Holy Spirit turns our hearts toward Christ, away from self. “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13). Our love affair with Christ takes place in our souls — getting to know and love the Christ who now lives in us. Lastly, Paul says our bodies will be delivered upon Christ's return, when we will get new, heavenly bodies. Coming into grace, we need to understand that our minds and bodies will never be perfected while we are on earth, but through these parts we can allow Christ in us — living in our spirits — to come through. We must rightly divide our understanding of soul and spirit if we are to ever understand our salvation. His second point is that when we move out of law into grace, our understanding of the Cross becomes clear. There are two foundational truths we need understand about the Cross. The Lamb was slain before the foundation of the world (1 Peter 1:19-20) and, because of His death, God could now birth His own children through and in Him (Ephesians 1:4). Nobody is placed in Christ until the finished work on the Cross. Our old sin-natures could not be uprooted and replaced with Christ's nature until His death.This is our spirit salvation. This is why in His last words on the cross, Christ said, “It is finished.” God's plan is finished by Christ's death and resurrection and God placing His Son in us. Christ is our new life, making us now bona fide children of God. Warren's third point emphasizes our need to understand Hebrews 4:12 or we will never step fully into pure grace: “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”Here Paul tells us again that we must rightly divide our souls and spirits; on earth, our souls will never match our spirits. Our spirit is Christ, a person, and our souls are what we do, think, and feel, where we make decisions. God will never take our decision-making ability away

November 05, 2022 Daily Devotion: "The Fullness of Him" Ephesians 1:23 New International Version 23 which is his body the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. First things first: The Lord needs nothing. Let that sink in. He's all-powerful, already knows everything, and suffers zero lack. God is not merely some “higher being”—He is the ground of being itself, subject to no laws or demands. He is the beginning and the end, the source of life and sustainer of existence. The Lord needs nothing: Not our good behavior, generous tithes or service, our talents or affection. He certainly doesn't require our insights and information about what an awful time we're having. And yet, He welcomes the fullness of our laments and woes to the very last drop. The Scriptures reveal the heart of God as one who seeks the lost, welcomes the lonely, and heals the sick. He comforts the afflicted, gathers the outcasts, and provides for the destitute. He's a patient, loving Father who races to meet the prodigal. He is the victor over death, setting the captives free. To say God is interested in what troubles you is to say that His heart is to be with you—a fact made clear by His incarnation, crucifixion, and the conquering of hell, as proven by His resurrection. Knowing there's nothing we can say or do to deter His love—that there's no length He's unwilling to go to in order to be with us—should encourage us to run to Him the way a young child runs to his mother concerning every delight or terror, no matter how mundane. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/gerzon-etino/message

These words... speak them and believe them. Hebrews 4:10 MSG "God means what He says. What He says goes." Fearfully and Wonderfully Made- Psalms 119:14- "I will praise you because I have been fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wondrous, and I know this full well." Chosen for Him- Ephesians 1:4-5- "just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will," "Delight in My eyes"- Isaiah 62:3-5 "You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate, but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her," He died for you- John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His One and only Son to save us, whoever believes in Him will live forever." Redeemed- Isaiah 43:1- "But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine." Child of God- John 1:12- "But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God," Holy Spirit lives in you- Romans 6:16-27 "Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God." His smile is on you- Numbers 6:24-26 "May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you His favor and give you his peace." Beloved- Colossians 3:12- "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience," --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/jorja-gust/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jorja-gust/support

Life Is in The SeedBy Tammy Lacock “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.” (Galatians 3:16, KJV) “Being born again, not of the corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.” (1 Peter 1:23, KJV) “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” (1 John 3:9, KJV) In this new study of “Christ, the Seed,” Warren Litzman explains the importance of believers knowing what actually happened to them when they believed and what it means to be born again. When we believe in Christ as our Savior, by His death, burial, and resurrection, our Heavenly Father, in an act of love, literally (not figuratively) places in us Christ, God's seed. The old sin, Satan nature, the corruptible seed, is replaced by the incorruptible seed of Christ. Jesus shares this truth with Nicodemus, a Pharisee and ruler of the Jews, when he says, “Ye must be born again. (John 3:3, 7). We become an entirely new creation, partakers of the divine nature, Christ, the seed, birthed in us (1 Peter 2:4). The seed has to do with who we are now. When we understand just what took place when we believed in Christ, we can get a better understanding of who we are and ultimately a better understanding of Christ, who is our new life. Before the foundation of the world, we were chosen in Him (Ephesians 1:4). We were in God's plan before he created anything. He knew that the only way we could live a new and eternal life was by the giving of His Son's life. He loved us so much and wanted us to return to Him that He took a part of Himself, called Him His Son, and died so that we too would die to this life. And in dying to this life, awaken and arise again with Him to an entirely new life in Him. Out with the old life and in with our new life in Christ. By God's grace, our slates are wiped clean and we our brand-new creations. The problem is that because we had been living with that corruptible seed of Satan for so long, allowing him to rule and reign in our souls, our minds (our thinking) have become a battlefield between letting go of our old selves and allowing the seed of Christ, our new life, to bear fruit. We bear fruit as we grow in our understanding of Him and who we are now in Him. We grow as we allow the Holy Spirit to help us understand that we are total and complete in Christ. We are no longer subject to the law, what we must do or not do to be sanctified. We begin to realize that the battle is not between Satan and God, as we know God always wins, but a battle in our thinking. We must know now that we are saved and going to heaven, our Father's heavenly home. However, Warren explains, through Paul's epistles, that it's of utmost importance to know who we are now. When God birthed His Son in us, we had power beyond description. His seed gave us new life! Yet we didn't know it. He likens it to a natural birth, where the seed of a father is placed in a woman and yet she's unaware that any change took place in that act of love, and only aware of her outward feelings and emotions. It's not until sometimes eight weeks or more later when she knows she has a new life, the seed planted in her. It's the same with the seed of Christ. Once we know and understand what took place when we believed, we can really start to grow up in Him. Our new life is in the seed of Christ! We can finally begin the love affair He desires with us. In 1 John 5:12 (KJV), John tells us, “He that hath the Son hath life; and he who hath not the Son of God hath not life.” By the help of the Holy Spirit in our minds, we can now understand our new birthing. We can now understand that our new life comes only by the seed of Christ placed in us, and which can never be taken away. In order to grow in our knowledge of Christ and therefore, alleviate the battle in our minds,

Today, Wednesday November 24 “Praying in the Holy Spirit” Jude 1:20-21 “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” Jude is exhorting his readers to stand and not to be stumbling over the lies and deceitfulness of the apostates, the false teachers. He gives several things to think about and to do if we are to continue to be faithful to our “faith”. We are to remember the Word that was given to us from the Lord! We are also to be growing and building up our lives on that Word, the Holy Spirit. It is also very important that we pray! The power for building the Christian life comes from prayer: "praying in the Holy Spirit" (Jude 20). The Word of God and prayer go together in spiritual growth. If all we do is read and study the Bible, we will have a great deal of light, but not much power. However, if we concentrate on prayer and ignore the Bible, we may be guilty of zeal without knowledge. We read the Word to grow in faith (Romans 10:17), then we use that faith to ask God for what we need and what His Word tells us we may have. The Word of God and prayer certainly go together (Acts 6:4). Evangelist Billy Sunday used to give his converts three rules for success in the Christian life. Each day they were to read the Bible and let God talk to them. They were to pray; in other words, they were to talk to God. And they were to witness and talk to others about God. It would be difficult to improve on those rules. What does it mean to "pray in the Holy Spirit"? First, did you notice the contrast with the false teachers in Jude 1:19? The Holy Spirit was not evident in their lives or prayers. "…having not the Spirit". It means to pray according to the leading of the Spirit. It has well been said, "Prayer is not getting man's will done in heaven—it is getting God's will done on earth." This agrees with 1 John 5:14-15: “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” As Christians, we may pray in solitude (Matthew 6:6), but we never pray alone; the Spirit of God joins with us as we pray because He knows the mind of God and can direct us. “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” (Romans 8:26-27) The Holy Spirit can give us wisdom and knowledge from the Word: “Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him” (Ephesians 1:15-17). The Holy Spirit can also help us approach the Father through the access we have in Jesus Christ: “For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father” (Ephesians 2:18). We worship God "in the Spirit" (Philippians 3:3), and the Spirit initiates true prayer and also motivates us to pray, for He is "the Spirit of grace and of supplications" (Zechariah 12:10). When the believer is yielded to the Spirit, then the Spirit will assist him in his prayer life, and God will answer prayer. Today, is your time in prayer what it should be? God Bless!

Greetings in Christ! Once again, we are coming to that special day of the year that we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Christmas, I have often said that Christmas is every day when the Lord wakes me up in the present when he blesses my eyes to open my feet to hit the ground, my first words are Lord, I thank you for another day let thy will be done not mine. I wanted to share a verse that we would not often associate with Christmas, but I believe it is relevant, especially in light of all we have faced over the past months and a couple of years John 10:10 (NKJV) 10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly. The Global Pandemic has impacted so many lives in a variety of ways. Last year at this time, there was so much division about the various opinions of how things should or should not be. It was hard to imagine things could be more divided at the time, but it seems the enemy is doing all he can to “divide and conquer.” This even includes the separation within families the vaccinated and the non-vaccinated, not wanting to sit down and worship together, the enemy is on the prowl. The verse I just shared gives such a powerful thought that Jesus came not just so that we could have life, but that it would be abundant life! Please bear with me as I speak of abundant life. We receive this abundant life the moment we accept Him as our Savior. This word “abundant” in Greek is perisson, meaning “exceedingly, very highly, beyond measure, more, superfluous, a quantity so abundant as to be considerably more than what one would expect or anticipate.” In short, Jesus promises us a life far better than we could ever imagine, a concept reminiscent of 1 Corinthians 2:9: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.” The apostle Paul tells us that God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, and He does it by His power, a power that is at work within us if we belong to Him (Ephesians 3:20). Before you and I begin to have visions of lavish homes, expensive cars, worldwide cruises, and more money than we know what to do with, we need to pause and think about what Jesus teaches regarding this abundant life.  The Bible tells us that wealth, prestige, position, and power in this world are not God's priorities for us (1 Corinthians 1:26-29). In terms of economic, academic, and social status, most Christians do not come from the privileged classes. Clearly, then, abundant life does not consist of an abundance of material things. If that were the case, Jesus would have been the wealthiest of men. But just the opposite is true (Matthew 8:20). Abundant life is eternal life, a life that begins the moment we come to Christ and receive Him as Savior and goes on throughout all eternity.  The biblical definition of life — specifically eternal life — is provided by Jesus Himself: “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17:3). This definition makes no mention of length of days, health, prosperity, family, or occupation. In fact, the only thing it does mention is knowledge of God, which is the key to a truly abundant life. What is abundant life? First, abundance is spiritual abundance, not material. In fact, God is not overly concerned with the physical circumstances of our lives. He assures us that we need not worry about what we will eat or wear (Matthew 6:25-32; Philippians 4:19).  Physical blessings may or may not be part of a God-centered life; neither our wealth nor our poverty is a sure indication of our standing with God. Solomon had all the material blessings available to a man yet found it all to be meaningless (Ecclesiastes 5:10-15). Paul, on the other hand, was content in whatever physical circumstances he found himself (Philippians 4:11-12). Second, eternal life, the life we as Christian should be genuinely concerned with, is not determined by duration but by a relationship with God.  This is why, once we are converted and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, we are said to have eternal life already (1 John 5:11-13), though not, of course, in its fullness. Length of life on earth is not synonymous with abundant life. Finally, a Christian's life revolves around “growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).  This teaches us that the abundant life is a continual process of learning, practicing, and maturing, as well as failing, recovering, adjusting, enduring, and overcoming, because, in our present state, “we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror” (1 Corinthians 13:12). One day we will see God face to face, and we will know Him completely as we will be known completely (1 Corinthians 13:12). We will no longer struggle with sin and doubt. This will be the ultimately fulfilled abundant life. Although we are naturally desirous of material things, as Christians our perspective on life must be revolutionized (Romans 12:2). Just as we become new creations when we come to Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), so must our understanding of “abundance” be transformed. True abundant life consists of an abundance of love, joy, peace, and the rest of the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), not an abundance of “stuff.” It consists of life that is eternal, and, therefore, our interest is in the eternal, not the temporal. Paul admonishes us, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:2-3 Perhaps we can become just a bit too focused on the things the enemy is doing and forget that the very purpose of the Lord's coming was to be a life-giver! Not only in the physical sense of living a full life but eternal life so that when we take our final breath on earth, we take our first breath in eternal bliss. The message of Christmas is breath and life to all who believe! It is up to us to share this good news with the world, yet if we are so preoccupied with our own problems, it just will not get done! To be completely honest If you or I am looking to the media to share the “good news,” we will find great disappointment as that will not happen for the most part! At the end of a half-hour or hour of news, I have noticed that they might share a two-minute good news story. Then again, maybe not! Jesus came to bring life to a lost and dying world, yet it is up to us as believers to share the message! Proverbs 18:21a (NKJV) 21a – Death and life are in the power of the tongue. During this Christmas Season and on into the New Year, I would like to encourage you to let your words be healing words! I pray your words would be life-giving! I pray you and your loved ones have a wonderful Christmas as you remember and appreciate the Christ of Christmas! Blessing in Christ from Willie at wake up castle rock-wake up Americs

Deuteronomy 31:6 ESV Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. Question: "How can I heal from the hurt of a broken relationship?"   Answer: The world is full of people with broken hearts, broken spirits, and broken relationships. The pain of a broken relationship includes an authentic sense of personal loss, not unlike bereavement. Sometimes the hurt is so great it prevents people from functioning correctly and, in extreme cases, can result in mental breakdown or even a desire to commit suicide. The world puts forward various ways to assuage the pain: taking antidepressants, writing an angry letter and tearing it up, going on a shopping spree, getting a makeover, etc. Some advocate the power of positive thinking. The most common “cure” is time. While the intensity of heartbreak may wane over time, only a child of God can experience complete recovery because only the Christian has access to the power of the Spirit of God, the One who “heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3).   Jesus understands the pain of rejection. “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him” (John 1:11). Jesus was betrayed by one of His closest associates (John 6:71; cf. Psalm 41:9). As we deal with the pain of a broken relationship, we must take our burdens to the Lord (1 Peter 5:7). He weeps with those who weep (John 11:35; Romans 12:15), and He is able to “empathize with our weaknesses” (Hebrews 4:15).   A broken relationship can be the source of many negative emotions. Christians understand the futility of allowing their emotions to guide them. Jesus Christ has blessed us with every spiritual blessing and has made us accepted in Him (Ephesians 1:3, 6). This acceptance transcends all feelings of rejection we may have because it is not based on “hope so” but on “know so.” We know that God has accepted us because God's Word tells us so, and as we appropriate this truth by faith, it changes our hearts and lives.   Everyone experiences the hurt of a broken relationship at one time or another. We are bound to be hurt and disappointed, for we live in a fallen world. What we choose to do with that hurt and disappointment can make us stronger in our walk with the Lord. God promises to walk through the disappointments in life with us (Hebrews 13:5), and He wants us to know His provision for us is sure. His grace and comfort are ours as we rest in Him.   Every born-again child of God has blessings in Christ, but we must choose to utilize them. Living in constant gloom and dejection over a broken relationship is like having a million dollars in the bank and living like a pauper because we never make a withdrawal. It is also true that we cannot use what we do not know. Therefore, every believer should seek to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord” (2 Peter 3:18) and to be “transformed by the renewing of [his] mind” (Romans 12:2). We must face life armed with a real understanding of what it means to walk by faith.   As believers we are not defined by past failures, disappointment, or the rejection of others. We are defined by our relationship with God. We are His children, born again to newness of life, endowed with every spiritual blessing, and accepted in Christ Jesus. We have the faith that overcomes the world (1 John 5:4).   God has prepared for each of us unique opportunities to walk through the “all things” of this life. We can either walk in our own strength and what the apostle Paul calls our “flesh,” or we can walk in the power of the Holy Spirit. It is our choice. God has provided us with armor, but it is up to us to wear it (Ephesians 6:11–18).   We may suffer disappointment in this life, but we are children of the King, and the rejection we experience is a momentary pain compared to eternal glory. We can allow it to keep us down, or we can claim the heritage of a child of God and move forward in His grace. Like Paul, we can be “forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead” (Philippians 3:13).   Forgiveness of others is important to the healing process. Holding on to bitterness or nursing a grudge only poisons our own spirit. Yes, we may have been truly wronged, and, yes, the pain is real, but there is freedom in forgiveness. Forgiveness is a gift we can give because it was given to us by the Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 4:32).   What a comfort to know the God who said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). God is always near to comfort the believer. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles” (2 Corinthians 1:3–4). God, who cannot lie, has promised to go through our trials with us: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze” (Isaiah 43:2).   “Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken” (Psalm 55:22). In reality, feelings come from thoughts, so, to change how we feel, we should change how we think. And this is what God wants us to do. In Philippians 2:5, Christians are told, “Have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.” In Philippians 4:8, Christians are told to think on things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, and praiseworthy. Colossians 3:2 says to “set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” As we do this, our feelings of rejection diminish.   Overcoming the hurt of a broken relationship requires taking one day at a time, praying for God's guidance, and reading and meditating on God's Word. The healing can never come from our own efforts; it comes only from the Lord. It helps to take our eyes off ourselves and focus on God instead. He can make us whole. He can take our brokenness and make us into what He wants us to be. A broken relationship is painful, but the Lord is gracious. He can give our lives meaning, purpose, and joy. Jesus said, “Whoever comes to me I will never drive away” (John 6:37). Our Lord's relationship with His children is one that will never be broken.  

THE SACRAMENTS AND WORSHIP OUTLINE • Heaven meeting earth ◦ In the beginning ▪ Image of God ▪ Temple cosmology ▪ Eden – the garden/mountain of God, where heaven meets earth (Genesis 2, Ezekiel 28:13-16) ◦ Old Covenant ▪ Tabernacle and temple modeled after Eden (Exodus 28, 1 Kings 7) ▪ Priests representing the people to God, and God to the people (Exodus 28) ◦ New Covenant ▪ Pentecost (Acts 2) ▪ “God has raised us up with Him…” (Ephesians 2:4-7) ▪ Heavenly temple (Hebrews 9) ▪ “You have now come” (Hebrews 12) ▪ Revelation and the New Jerusalem ▪ “The communion of saints” ◦ Does it feel like we come to worship with the expectation of heaven meeting earth? Do we sell short the concept of the “Communion of Saints” (ἁγίων κοινωνίαν)? • “Holy Ones” ◦ Qedosh'im/Hagioi ◦ Exodus 15:11, Psalm 89:5, 89:7, Romans 15:25, 1 Corinthians 1:2, 1 Corinthians 14:33, Ephesians 1:1, Ephesians 2:19, Revelation 5:8, Revelation 20:9 ◦ What does this mean? • “Sons of God” ◦ Bene Elohim/Huioi tou theou ◦ Job 38:7, Job 1:6, Job 2:1, Luke 20:36, Romans 8:14, Romans 8:19, Galatians 3:26, ◦ “You will judge angels” ◦ “Sons of God, equal to the angels” • “The Assembly” ◦ Edah/Ekklesia ◦ Leviticus 8:3, Psalm 82:1, Psalm 89:5, Acts 2:47, Hebrews 12:23; Revelation 2:1 • The Incarnation ◦ The Word became flesh (John 1) ◦ God incarnate in us “the Body of Christ” – 1 Corinthians 12:27, Ephesians 4:12, 1 Corinthians 10:16-22 (ἁγίαν καθολικὴν ἐκκλησίαν from the Apostle's Creed) ◦ Early heretics denied that Christ came in the flesh (1 Timothy 3:16, 1 John 4:2, 2 John 1:7 • Why is the Eucharist just symbolic, then, and not incarnational? ◦ The Body: 1 Corinthians 10:16, 1 Corinthians 12:27 ◦ Partaking of the Lord's Supper in an unworthy manner: 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 These were basically ubiquitous, in our collective experience of Communion, growing up. • Focus on remembering Jesus's death • Focus on "getting right with God" to avoid partaking in an unworthy manner These were very common • Focus on private relationship with God • Focus on the sacrifice's accomplishment, and forgiveness It looks like 25% or fewer of us had any of these as part of our Communion experience. • Focus on healing divisions, where possible • Focus on meeting with God corporately for a meal together • Focus on parting of the communion elements “in private” • Focus on being knit together as the Body of Christ, connected to Christ, our Head • Focus on proclaiming Jesus's death • Focus on individually meeting with God for a meal together • Focus on “discerning the body” when partaking What I'm curious about - which of the items that were rare do you see specifically called out in 1 Corinthians 11:17-34? Do you feel like the practice of Communion that you grew up with was incomplete in some way, after reading this passage? I have some thoughts that hit me a few days ago on this, reading through the passage, and will post on these later today. I want to see what surfaces for all of this. DESCRIPTION Passover Jesus instituted the Eucharist on Passover. Passover was instituted by God through Moses on the night the final of the 10 plagues hit Egypt, death of every firstborn son. Each Israelite household was to take a lamb on the 10th day of Nisan, care for it for 4 days and then on the 14th, slaughter and eat it. This is meal was to be performed every year, in remembrance of God's Exodus of the Israelite's from out of Egypt. Moses describes it like this: "Now the length of time the Israelite's lived in Egypt was 430 years. At the end of the 430 years, on the very day, all the regiments of the Lord went out of the land of Egypt. It was a night of vigil for the Lord to bring them out from the land of Egypt, and so on this night all Israel is to keep the vigil to the Lord for generations to come. The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the ordinance of the Passover. No foreigner may share in eating it. But everyone's servant who is bought for money, after you have circumcised him, may eat it. A foreigner and a hired worker must not eat it. It must be eaten in one house; you must not bring any of the meat outside the house, and you must not break a bone of it. The whole community of Israel must observe it. “When a foreigner lives with you and wants to observe the Passover to the Lord, all his males must be circumcised, and then he may approach and observe it, and he will be like one who is born in the land – but no uncircumcised person may eat of it. The same law will apply to the person who is native-born and to the foreigner who lives among you.” So all the Israelite's did exactly as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron. And on this very day the Lord brought the Israelite's out of the land of Egypt by their regiments." Exodus 12:40‭-‬51 NET New Testament *Judas' Betrayal Matthew 26:26‭-‬30 NET While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after giving thanks he broke it, gave it to his disciples, and said, “Take, eat, this is my body.” And after taking the cup and giving thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood, the blood of the covenant, that is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, from now on I will not drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.” After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 1 Corinthians 11:23-32 NET For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night in which he was betrayed took bread, and after he had given thanks he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, he also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, every time you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For every time you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. For this reason, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. A person should examine himself first, and in this way let him eat the bread and drink of the cup. For the one who eats and drinks without careful regard for the body eats and drinks judgment against himself. That is why many of you are weak and sick, and quite a few are dead. But if we examined ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned with the world. *Is John 6:53-58 about the Lord's Supper? 1 Corinthians 10:14‭-‬22 NET So then, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. I am speaking to thoughtful people. Consider what I say. Is not the cup of blessing that we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread that we break a sharing in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all share the one bread. Look at the people of Israel. Are not those who eat the sacrifices partners in the altar? Am I saying that idols or food sacrificed to them amount to anything? No, I mean that what the pagans sacrifice is to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be partners with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot take part in the table of the Lord and the table of demons. Or are we trying to provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we really stronger than he is? DIDACHE Chapter 9. The Thanksgiving (Eucharist) Now concerning the Thanksgiving (Eucharist), thus give thanks. First, concerning the cup: We thank you, our Father, for the holy vine of David Your servant, which You made known to us through Jesus Your Servant; to You be the glory for ever. And concerning the broken bread: We thank You, our Father, for the life and knowledge which You made known to us through Jesus Your Servant; to You be the glory for ever. Even as this broken bread was scattered over the hills, and was gathered together and became one, so let Your Church be gathered together from the ends of the earth into Your kingdom; for Yours is the glory and the power through Jesus Christ for ever. But let no one eat or drink of your Thanksgiving (Eucharist), but they who have been baptized into the name of the Lord; for concerning this also the Lord has said, Give not that which is holy to the dogs. [Matthew 7:6] Chapter 10. Prayer After Communion But after you are filled, thus give thanks: We thank You, holy Father, for Your holy name which You caused to tabernacle in our hearts, and for the knowledge and faith and immortality, which You made known to us through Jesus Your Servant; to You be the glory for ever. You, Master almighty, created all things for Your name's sake; You gave food and drink to men for enjoyment, that they might give thanks to You; but to us You freely gave spiritual food and drink and life eternal through Your Servant. Before all things we thank You that You are mighty; to You be the glory for ever. Remember, Lord, Your Church, to deliver it from all evil and to make it perfect in Your love, and gather it from the four winds, sanctified for Your kingdom which You have prepared for it; for Yours is the power and the glory for ever. Let grace come, and let this world pass away. Hosanna to the God (Son) of David! If any one is holy, let him come; if any one is not so, let him repent. Maran atha. Amen. But permit the prophets to make Thanksgiving as much as they desire. Definitions An ordinance is a religious ritual whose intent is to demonstrate an adherent's faith. Examples include baptism and the Lord's Supper, as practiced in Evangelical churches adhering to the doctrine of the believers' Church, such as Anabaptist's, all Baptist churches, Churches of Christ groups, and Pentecostal churches. -Google Calvin Calvin's definition of Sacrament - "An external sign, by which the Lord's seals on our consciences his promises of good-will toward us, in order to sustain the weakness of our faith, and we in our turn testify our piety towards him, both before himself, and before angels as well as men. We may also define more briefly by calling it a testimony of the divine favor toward us, confirmed by an external sign, with a corresponding attestation of our faith towards Him." According to Calvin, Augustine defines sacrament as a visible sign of a sacred thing, or a visible form of an invisible grace. Connection between Greek μυστήριον and Latin sacramentum. "And it is well known, that what the Latins call sacramenta the Greeks call mustéria (mysteries)." "Hence it is that the term was applied to those signs which gave an august representation of things spiritual and sublime. This is also observed by Augustine, 'it were tedious to discourse of the variety of signs; those which relate to divine things are called sacraments' (August Ep. 5. ad Marcell)." (READ ALL FROM BOOK P. 492 IF TIME PERMITS) From the definition which we have given, we perceive that there never is a sacrament without an antecedent promise, the sacrament being added as a kind o appendix, with the view of confirming and sealing the promise, and giving a better attestation, or rather, in a manner, confirming it… PRACTICAL STEPS 1a. Participate and become 1b. Partake of the Body so that we become the Body (we are what we eat) 2. Focus on God at the meal 3. Focus on the Body in Communion 4. Get right with God before partaking (Confess sins, make peace with others, etc.) 5. Eat in a worthy matter

Dr. Pastor Brian Bennett   We are One:  “Purpose Revealed” [Ephesians 3:1-13]     Be who God has called, revealed, and purposed you to be       God reveals His ________________ for our lives and supplies the ________________as we walk with Him [Ephesians 3:1-6; Acts 9:1-7]       Our purpose is to ____________what God has _____________ to us [Ephesians 3:7-8; Philippians 1:6]       We extend God's _______________________ to the ends of the earth [Ephesians 3:9-13; 2 Corinthians 10:13-18]   In His power and with His grace (favor)     Next Step Questions: Will you walk with Jesus into the plans and purposes He has for you (even without all the details)? Will you commit to growing with God so you can make known what He is making known to you? Will you walk by faith in His grace (favor and blessing) and share Him with those in your pathway?

Our relationship to God should reach a point where we move past simply fearing-His chastisement, to fearing His sorrow when we grieve Him. Consider the difference. On one hand, I fear the consequences of chastisement that the Lord might send my way if I sin willingly. On the other hand, I am now coming to realize that my growing fear is-how my sin will grieve Him -Ephesians 4-30-. Yes, He may choose to send chastisement my way in response to any unchecked sin in my life, but that would be fully deserved, wouldn't it- My increasing overriding goal though, is to simply not deliberately sin so that I do not cause Him grief. I fear-doing that- I'm sure you see the difference.

Read the full transcript below: “Therefore I also… do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him…” – Ephesians 1:15a, 16-17 When […]

Unity in the Chinese Church The Chinese church, like all churches around the world, has struggled with unity for many years. Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 1 provide encouragement and hope for any church in its fight against conflict and disunity. Several years ago, I met a young lady who had been saved in a traditional Chinese church. After encountering Charismatic practices in my ministry, she opened herself to speaking in tongues, signs and wonders. In need of personal healing, she participated in some special meetings associated with supernatural healing. Her church tried to persuade her not to participate in these activities, saying that she was church shopping. They told her she should only attend gatherings at their church instead of running around. However, this lady has a different opinion. She has noticed that praying in tongues has benefitted her spiritually. I agree. I've watched her fear diminish and her faith grow stronger. She believes that if pastors omit these vital teachings from God's word, believers will become spiritually malnourished over time. In addition, she noticed that her evangelical church struggles with legalism. The church asks believers to recite the Bible and teaches them to condemn themselves for not confessing and repenting enough. Over the years, this Christian lady has beat herself up and condemned herself many times. Now, she realizes she has freedom in Christ. She sighs, “All these years, I have unnecessarily condemned myself so many times.” I was saved in the Local Church Movement (LCM) and have attended its gatherings for many years. When I met this lady, I was still in the LCM and had no contact with the Pentecostal Movement. At that time, some members and I tried to persuade her to join our church, but she refused. One of the reasons she gave was that she could not accept Brother Watchman Nee. Most Chinese churches outside of the LCM generally support Brother Watchman Nee and oppose Brother Witness Lee. The church that the lady was in was influenced by Pastor Stephen Tong, who is also against Watchman Nee. I read some of Pastor Stephen Tong's criticisms of Watchman Nee online. He discusses theological disagreements and differing theological views. This lady mentioned a book to me - My Uncle Watchman Nee by Pastor Stephen C.T. Chan, Watchman Nee's nephew. She recommended this book because the book points out some of Watchman Nee's shortcomings, remind us that Watchman Nee is not perfect. The LCM speaks highly of Watchman Nee, overlooking his shortcomings. Many outsiders criticize the LCM for idolizing Watchman Nee and putting him on pedestal. At that time, I chose not to read the book. I have read a lot of Watchman Nee's books and found them to be very helpful. Personally, I don't think the LCM idolizes Watchman Nee. They are simply valuing and appreciating the spiritual riches he has to offer. However, it is true that people in the LCM generally do not criticize Watchman Nee or mention his shortcomings. When teaching spiritual truths, they find it difficult to break through the teaching of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee; they don't dare criticize these great men. Recently, I skimmed the first dozen pages of the book, My Uncle Watchman Nee, on the Internet. In the book, Pastor Stephen C.T. Chan affirms his uncle Watchman Nee's spiritual achievements, but disagrees with Watchman Nee's belief about local churches. Watchman Nee has a strong belief that each city should have only one church, so that everyone in that city can be unified in the same local body. Pastor Stephen believes that this overly strict local church belief leads to a closed denomination that does not come into contact with other Christian groups. When I was in the LCM, I learned that it attaches great importance to the concept of having only one church in each locality. In 2015, God led me to the Pentecostal Movement. I was determined to learn from the Pentecostal Movement, but I dealt with a lot of struggles. In the end, I obeyed God's leading. I overcame emotional attachments and the principles accepted in the LCM (including one church for each locality), and gradually left the LCM. Many elders and friends in the LCM disagreed with my choice. But most of them were loving and understanding and didn't condemn me. After that, the Lord appeared to me in a prophetic dream. There were two rivers behind Him. The Lord told me that these two rivers would converge, but He did not tell me specifically which two rivers they were. As I pondered this question, I began to see that it represents the convergence of spiritual life and spiritual gifts. The LCM values spiritual growth, but do not learn about spiritual gifts. Charismatic churches focus more heavily on gifts, but they need to maintain a balance of seeking spiritual growth as well. Spiritual maturity and spiritual gifts cannot be separated, and they can both be maintained simultaneously. For example, Paul not only advocates for spiritual growth, but also for spiritual gifts. God gave me a burden for the Chinese churches to become unified. A prophet prophesied that God would use me to bring together groups that would never otherwise come together. God has also given me prophetic dreams many times, telling me that the LCM will accept spiritual gifts and will be filled with the Holy Spirit in the future. These prophecies and prophetic dreams have not yet been fulfilled, but they have directed my prayers. Today, Chinese churches are not unified. Pastor Stephen Tong is strongly against Charismatic churches in addition to the LCM. He has been a big influence among Chinese Christians, leading many believers to form a negative attitude towards the LCM and the Charismatics. Although both the LCM and the Charismatics are worthy of criticism, I think Pastor Stephen Tong's criticism is too harsh and negative, preventing many believers from learning and understanding the richness of the LCM and the Charismatics. My personal experience in these two groups shows that they each have a lot of richness worth learning about by the evangelical churches, especially Christians and church groups influenced by Pastor Stephen Tong. The gospel was brought to China by Western missionaries. The missionaries came from various denominations in the West. The denominations' thinking patterns also came from the West. When Western missionaries came to China to preach, they brought denominational division into China. As a result, a lot of conflicts formed among Chinese Christians. Watchman Nee hoped to find a way to solve the denominations' problems. In the end, he proposed that "one church for one locality" is a biblical principle, hoping that this method would solve the problem of division between denominations and churches. After 100 years, the LCM has still not achieved this ideal. Moreover, many other Chinese and non-Chinese church groups still do not accept the LCM and its principle of one church for one locality. The LCM also does not accept the truths practiced by some other groups, such as the truths and practices of Charismatic churches. The main cause of division is the disunity of truth. This disunity has two aspects. The first aspect is that some groups teach truths that other groups do not accept. For example, the truth about speaking in tongues, taught by the Charismatic movement, is not accepted by the LCM and other evangelical groups. The LCM teaches many truths and practices related to spiritual growth, but other groups condemn them as heretics and refuse to accept the light they received from the Lord. Another aspect is that we know about truths, but we still don't understand them well. We need more light from God so that we can understand the truth better. Once we reach a clear understanding of truth, we can shine that light to others as well. All the churches have room for growth in their understanding of truth. I personally think that one of the reasons why the LCM's “one church for one locality” principle has not been accepted by the Universal Church is that it is just a method. Though many criticize the methodology behind this principle, I don't believe the problem lies with the method. Unity does not spring from a particular method, but from our knowledge of the truth and our maturity in Christ. If churches are still living in the flesh, they will lack unity—no matter how biblical their methodology may be. Unity is the result of reaching a certain degree of maturity. Aside from maturity, no method or human movement can bring oneness in the church. Historically, the LCM has had many interactions with the Pentecostal Movement. But due to the Pentecostal Movement's immaturity at that time, and the mistakes and false prophecies of some Pentecostal leaders, Witness Lee (one of the leaders of the LCM) rejected spiritual gifts. He himself studied speaking in tongues for two years, but gave it up because Watchman Nee objected. After Witness Lee came to the United States, he visited the Charismatic Church. He had reservations about Charismatic prophecies such as, "Thus says the Lord.” He noticed that many prophecies made in the name of God do not come true, including predictions about the California earthquake. This reinforced his prejudice against the Pentecostal Movement. However, he did not deny that the Pentecostal movement is from God. The main reason why he did not accept the Pentecostal movement is that he found that many people who pursue spiritual gifts were unwilling to pursue deeper spiritual growth. Therefore, he regarded the pursuit of spiritual gifts as a hindrance to believers' pursuit of spiritual life and growth. The Church in Los Angeles was the first LCM church in the United States. The church was formed from a group of evangelical Christians and a Charismatic group who was willing to accept the principle of one church for one locality. However, there was no agreement on the topic of speaking in tongues. In the end, the two groups separated. Brother Witness Lee seemed to adopt a neutral attitude towards this. He encouraged everyone to tolerate each other, but he did not achieve the beautiful ideal of encouraging everyone to gather in unity.   Is speaking in tongues a truth in the Bible? Paul said, “Do not forbid speaking in tongues.” (ESV, 1 Corinthians 14:39). Nonetheless, the LCM and other evangelical groups never speak in tongues, which means that speaking in tongues is actually forbidden. This violates the teaching of the Bible. I'm not saying that everyone should speak in tongues, but Paul said, “When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.” (ESV, 1 Corinthians 14:26). Please take note that Paul said that each person has their own gift: one may have a tongue, one may have a song, or a lesson, or a teaching. He did not say that everyone should speak in tongues. Rather, it's a gift given only to some. But in many evangelical churches, tongues are forbidden, despite the Bible's teaching. In practice, many evangelical churches have violated the teachings of the Bible. Through studying in the Pentecostal Movement, receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit and my experience of speaking in tongues, I have learned that speaking in tongues is definitely not as insignificant as many people thought. Speaking in tongues is a very important truth, and is very important for the spiritual growth of Christians. Because this gift is so important, Satan hates this truth and tries his best to stigmatize it. When I wrote my doctoral thesis, " Pursuing Holiness and Gifts of the Holy Spirt: Combining Local Church Movement and Charismatic Practices to Prophesy," I mentioned that if speaking in tongues is the least important gift, why is it that this insignificant gift causes the greatest division? I was saved in the LCM, but I never received teaching about the truth of speaking in tongues. After 13 years, God used my wife's ten-year infertility to force me to seek help from the Pentecostal Movement. God personally led me to experience the baptism of the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues. I have read a lot of books on this subject and have listened to many people's teachings regarding this. I finally realized the importance of speaking in tongues and I started to practice it every day. I have recorded more than 30 episodes in Chinese to tell about my experience and insights. This can't be explained in just a few words. Those who are interested in learning more can listen to my recordings. If you humbly pray for God's help, He will enlighten you. It is said that there are 600 million believers in the Pentecostal Movement. I don't know whether this number is accurate or not. Many of them have experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues. You can't simply dismiss all these experiences by saying they are all deceived by evil spirits. It is possible that people in the evangelical church and LCM simply do not know these truths. We need to be humble and not be dismissive of others' beliefs and experiences. We need to acknowledge that we may not know everything. No matter how much the LCM insists on “one church for each locality,” people will not attend gatherings with them because they are ignorant of the truth of speaking in tongues. At least 600 million Charismatic Christians will not give up the truth they know about speaking in tongues because of the so-called “one church for one locality” principle. This example shows that true unity does not lie in our desires and methods, but in our lack of understanding of truth. Although all people in the Charismatic Movement know the truth about speaking in tongues, not all of them live in unity. True oneness in the church requires spiritual growth, not just outward agreement. Disagreements and different understandings of the truth are the first obstacles to oneness. This is the picture Paul paints in 1 Corinthians 1. Paul opens his letter with words of greeting and encouragement. Then he jumps into a discussion of unity. In verses 10-17, Paul states that he has heard from Chloe's household about disputes and divisions in the Corinthian church. Some Corinthian believers say, “I follow Paul”; others say, “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” (ESV, 1 Corinthians 1:12).   Throughout the ages, people have tried to achieve oneness through various wise teachings. Ultimately, they have been unsuccessful. But Paul states that wisdom is not enough to bring true salvation, healing, and unity. He explains, “For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." (1 Corinthians 1:17-18 ESV)  In these two verses, Paul compared "words of wisdom" and "word of the cross". Paul goes on, “For it is written, ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.'” (1 Corinthians 1:19, ESV) God wants to destroy man's wisdom. When man's wisdom finally reaches its limit, God will begin to release His wisdom to help us. The verse that especially inspired me is 1 Corinthians 1:21: “For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.” (ESV) The church has attempted many times to achieve oneness through various types of wisdom, but it has not succeeded. The reason is because man's wisdom cannot achieve oneness. But one day, God will release His wisdom. God's wisdom may seem foolish, but it is powerful enough to save believers. I was particularly inspired by the word "faith", which is the basic principle of the Bible. Our salvation is not accomplished through human effort, but by our "faith" in God. What is true of our salvation is also true of our victory and oneness. The main problem of the church is not its sin or worldliness, but its lack of faith. We need faith to please God and experience the truth of God's word. The same is true of unity. The degree of our faith determines the degree to which we can experience the truth of God's promise of oneness. When our faith increases, our knowledge, understanding and experience of the truth will also increase. When our faith increases, our maturity in Christ will also increase. As our maturity grows, we will reach unity in Him (Ephesians 4:13). When you are sick, an internal disease or infection manifests in many outward symptoms. If you just treat the external manifestations without finding the root cause of the disease, it will be difficult to cure the disease. Similarly, the division and disunity of Christians are just an outward manifestation of the church's internal illness. The root cause is a lack of faith and spiritual growth. Therefore, when you just heal the symptoms without addressing the root problem, and when you seek oneness for the sake of oneness, you will never achieve true unity. First Corinthians 1:22-25 says, “For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” (ESV) Christ is the power and wisdom of God. The foolishness of God is much greater than man's wisdom. Paul goes on to mention that God chose many foolish people to shame the wise (vs. 26-29). Here Paul compares those foolish people who trust God with the so-called "wise" who do not trust God. We must give up some of our wisdom, which may be the Bible teachings we think we know, or the Bible truths we think we see. In the parable of the blind men and the elephant, each man was accessing a different part of the huge reality of the elephant. One church may understand one aspect of the spiritual life, just like the blind man who was touching the ear of the elephant. Another denomination may see another aspect of God, like the blind man who felt the legs of the elephant. None of us has the whole picture. We are bound to make mistakes when we try to describe the whole elephant without having the whole picture. This is man's wisdom. "And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.'” (ESV, 1 Corinthians 1:30-31). Here, Paul is referring to Jeremiah 9:23-24. “Thus says the Lord: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.'” (ESV)  We need to know more about God before we can boast in the Lord. And Christ is the wisdom that God gives us. We must try our best to know Christ. As we do, the church will grow in maturity and achieve oneness. We must be willing to unlearn what we know and be humble enough to learn what others know. We must not insist on own ways of doing things since we don't have the whole picture. If we are humble enough to learn from others, we take the first step towards true unity.  

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Scripture: 2 TimothyScripture to Remember: 2 Timothy 1.1-2Every person needs a Paul; Every person needs a Timothy1- Share or post online one truth that sparked life in your soul as we worshipped and then studied 2 Timothy 1.1-2. There is so much that is good in this passage. So much that is remarkable. What is ONE thing that struck you?2- Paul. Every word matters in Scripture. ‘Paul’ is the one word gospel testimony of God’s rescue, new life, transformation and Paul's life-altering pursuit of the desire to know more of Christ. It’s beautiful to know and to express your one-word life-altering testimony of who Jesus is and what He has done. This is the wonder of the gospel. Watch this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7mURm-8cOI After watching, take some time and write your own story of rescue and redemption. Try to make this no more than a 90 second story of Christ alive in you. Write of: * God’s Design (Colossians 1.16; Genesis 1.31a) * Brokenness (Romans 3.23; Romans 6.23; Isaiah 53.6) * Jesus Restoration (John 3.16; John 10.10; Revelation 21.5; 2 Corinthians 5.17- 19; Ephesians 2.8-10) * Your Confession (Romans 10.9-10; I John 1.9) * New Life in Him (Ephesians 1.3-14; Galatians 2.20; Galatians 6.14)These are beautiful scriptures and life changing joy to think about and write out. It’s worthy. Jesus changes lives and fills us with purpose. Writing your story of life-change is life-giving for you and could be soul-transforming for someone in your path in days ahead. Prepare. Worship. Share. 3- Your Salutation…… a greeting of ‘hello’. Paul’s salutation was a bit more than we offer today. Pastor Mark had fun with this idea of bringing the salutation to life in a culture that barely says ‘hello’ in our texts, emails, DM’s and letters. Paul said ‘hello’ in this way: Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, for the sake of the promise of life in Christ Jesus: To Timothy, my dearly loved son. Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. - 2 Timothy 1.1-2Just for a little joy, write your own ’salutation’, based on who you are in Christ. For additional fun, shoot this to a few friends and to Pastor Mark at 904-616-0412. He would love to read of your salutations!

Welcome to our Sunday morning worship service. Today, Pastor Gary continues the study of Paul's letter to the Ephesians with a sermon on Ephesians 3:14-21, titled "How Christ Can Be At Home In Your Heart." Have you ever had a dysfunctional living situation? Doesn't it always come down to a communication problem? When we are saved Jesus comes to dwell in our hearts. Today we are going to learn the key Paul taught the Ephesian church to make Jesus at home in their hearts, and how we today can make Him at home in our hearts. "And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts, living within you as you trust in Him" (Ephesians 3:17a TLB). Be sure to download the sermon notes so you can follow along with Pastor Gary. Click "Download PDF" and they will open in a new window where you may print or save them.

Welcome to our Sunday morning worship service. Today, Pastor Gary continues the study of Paul's letter to the Ephesians with a sermon on Ephesians 3:14-21, titled "How Christ Can Be At Home In Your Heart." Have you ever had a dysfunctional living situation? Doesn't it always come down to a communication problem? When we are saved Jesus comes to dwell in our hearts. Today we are going to learn the key Paul taught the Ephesian church to make Jesus at home in their hearts, and how we today can make Him at home in our hearts. "And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts, living within you as you trust in Him" (Ephesians 3:17a TLB). Be sure to download the sermon notes so you can follow along with Pastor Gary. Click "Download PDF" and they will open in a new window where you may print or save them.

Welcome to our Sunday morning worship service. Today, Pastor Gary continues the study of Paul's letter to the Ephesians with a sermon on Ephesians 3:14-21, titled "How Christ Can Be At Home In Your Heart." Have you ever had a dysfunctional living situation? Doesn't it always come down to a communication problem? When we are saved Jesus comes to dwell in our hearts. Today we are going to learn the key Paul taught the Ephesian church to make Jesus at home in their hearts, and how we today can make Him at home in our hearts. "And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts, living within you as you trust in Him" (Ephesians 3:17a TLB). Be sure to download the sermon notes so you can follow along with Pastor Gary. Click "Download PDF" and they will open in a new window where you may print or save them.

Who am I? Brent Phillips – Encounter Houston How many of us are living in a constant state of spiritual amnesia? We go to church on Sunday and the next day we have already forgotten who we are. As long as we continue to forget who we are we will constantly be robbed of the things that we are suppose to have. If you don’t know who you are, you open yourself up to the danger of allowing other people to tell you who are. If you don’t know what you’re supposed to be doing you are in danger of allowing others to tell you what is that you’re suppose to be doing, and chances are it wont be the direction that you are to be going. John 16:7-11 "Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged." The Holy Spirit’s job in us is to do what Jesus did with his disciples while on earth. The Holy Spirit lives inside of us to tell us who we are, and what it is that we are supposed to be doing. You should never come away reading the word of God feeling condemned. If you are having a moment of condemnation then you can guarantee that is it is the voice of the enemy. Romans 8:1 "So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus." It is he enemy who is wanting to condemn us. There is no condemnation for those in Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit’s job is to remind us that there is no condemnation once we are in Christ. Galatians 5:1 and 7 "So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law. 7 You were running the race so well. Who has held you back from following the truth?" Christ has set us free, but it is possible for us to get tangled up in the law by trying to do everything right by ourselves. Listen to The Holy Spirit as he calls out the righteousness we have through Jesus Christ. Stop allowing the enemies voice to count you out; Keep on running the race because it is in our weaknesses that Christ is made strong. I am faithful (Ephesians 1:1) I am God’s child (John 1:12) I have been justified (Romans 5:1) I am Christ’s friend (John 15:15) I belong to God (1 Corinthians 6:20) I am a member of Christ’s Body (1 Corinthians 12:27) I am assured all things work together for good (Romans 8:28) I have been established, anointed and sealed by God (2 Corinthians 1:21-22) I am confident that God will perfect the work He has begun in me (Philippians 1:6) I am a citizen of heaven (Philippians 3:20) I am hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3) I have not been given a spirit of fear, but of power, love and self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:7) I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me (1 John 5:18) I am blessed in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3) I am chosen before the creation of the world (Ephesians 1:4, 11) I am holy and blameless (Ephesians 1:4) I am adopted as his child (Ephesians 1:5) I am given God’s glorious grace lavishly and without restriction (Ephesians 1:5,8) I am in Him (Ephesians 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:30) I have redemption (Ephesians 1:8) I am forgiven (Ephesians 1:8; Colossians 1:14) I have purpose (Ephesians 1:9 & 3:11) I have hope (Ephesians 1:12) I am included (Ephesians 1:13) I am sealed with the promised Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13) I am a saint (Ephesians 1:18) I am salt and light of the earth (Matfthew 5:13-14) I have been chosen and God desires me to bear fruit (John 15:1,5) I am a personal witness of Jesus Christ (Acts 1:8) I am God’s coworker (2 Corinthians 6:1) I am a minister of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:17-20) I am alive with Christ (Ephesians 2:5) I am raised up with Christ (Ephesians 2:6; Colossians 2:12) I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 2:6) I have been shown the incomparable riches of God’s grace (Ephesians 2:7) God has expressed His kindness to me (Ephesians 2:7) I am God’s workmanship (Ephesians 2:10) I have been brought near to God through Christ’s blood (Ephesians 2:13) I have peace (Ephesians 2:14) I have access to the Father (Ephesians 2:18) I am a member of God’s household (Ephesians 2:19) I am secure (Ephesians 2:20) I am a holy temple (Ephesians 2:21; 1 Corinthians 6:19) I am a dwelling for the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:22) I share in the promise of Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:6) God’s power works through me (Ephesians 3:7) I can approach God with freedom and confidence (Ephesians 3:12) I know there is a purpose for my sufferings (Ephesians 3:13) I can grasp how wide, long, high and deep Christ’s love is (Ephesians 3:18) I am completed by God (Ephesians 3:19) I can bring glory to God (Ephesians 3:21) I have been called (Ephesians 4:1; 2 Timothy 1:9) I can be humble, gentle, patient and lovingly tolerant of others (Ephesians 4:2) I can mature spiritually (Ephesians 4:15) I can be certain of God’s truths and the lifestyle which He has called me to (Ephesians 4:17) I can have a new attitude and a new lifestyle (Ephesians 4:21-32) I can be kind and compassionate to others (Ephesians 4:32) I can forgive others (Ephesians 4:32) I am a light to others, and can exhibit goodness, righteousness and truth (Ephesians 5:8-9) I can understand what God’s will is (Ephesians 5:17) I can give thanks for everything (Ephesians 5:20) I don’t have to always have my own agenda (Ephesians 5:21) I can honor God through marriage (Ephesians 5:22-33) I can parent my children with composure (Ephesians 6:4) I can be strong (Ephesians 6:10) I have God’s power (Ephesians 6:10) I can stand firm in the day of evil (Ephesians 6:13) I am dead to sin (Romans 1:12) I am not alone (Hebrews 13:5) I am growing (Colossians 2:7) I am His disciple (John 13:15) I am prayed for by Jesus Christ (John 17:20-23) I am united with other believers (John 17:20-23) I am not in want (Philippians 4:19) I possess the mind of Christ (I Corinthians 2:16) I am promised eternal life (John 6:47) I am promised a full life (John 10:10) I am victorious (I John 5:4) My heart and mind is protected with God’s peace (Philippians 4:7) I am chosen and dearly loved (Colossians 3:12) I am blameless (I Corinthians 1:8) I am set free (Romans 8:2; John 8:32) I am crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20) I am a light in the world (Matthew 5:14) I am more than a conqueror (Romans 8:37) I am the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21) I am safe (I John 5:18) I am part of God’s kingdom (Revelation 1:6) I am healed from sin (I Peter 2:24) I am no longer condemned (Romans 8:1, 2) I am not helpless (Philippians 4:13) I am overcoming (I John 4:4) I am persevering (Philippians 3:14) I am protected (John 10:28) I am born again (I Peter 1:23) I am a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) I am delivered (Colossians 1:13) I am redeemed from the curse of the Law (Galatians 3:13) I am qualified to share in His inheritance (Colossians 1:12) I am victorious (1 Corinthians 15:57) The video to this Podcast @ http://www.neverjustexist.org/who-am-i-brent-phillips/

To know Him | Ephesians 1:15-23