Ephesians 2:19-22

Ephesians 2:19-22 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

Ephesians 2:8-10 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

John 1:1-5 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him WAS LIFE; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

We are God's workmanship: in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. Do we believe this or are we still trying to make ourselves into a building where God can dwell by trying to be acceptable to God? We are not alone in the universe; God is in the wings: omnipresent, omniscient. You have been saved by his good pleasure, his grace, and He is at your side, waiting to help you. Faith is the active ingredient in seeing God in the universe, and in our lives. For a moment, think of faith as a can of yellow paint in our hands. We use this faith paint to outline God in time and space, and in us. As we know, God is a spirit: we cannot see him or touch him, but we have a feeling He is near. Therefore we use the paint: our faith. As we throw it out into space, it hits something and forms the outline of someone, AND THAT IS GOD. When this faith paint flows around his form, He comes into view, into focus. Faith exposes God to us, showing us He is near. Our rational minds, knowledge, wisdom, and scientific experiments do not expose God to men. Only faith reveals He has been with us from the beginning of time. By faith, we understand his love for his children, and we see his handiwork everywhere. With eyes of faith, we better appreciate his creation, and we realize the miracles He has performed in our lives. There are no interesting coincidences, only the power of God at work. We know without a shadow of a doubt that the darkness has seen a great light, and God is with us.

Faith unlocks the door to God, and faith in Jesus Christ unlocks the door to God's dwelling place: He in us and we in him. In the above passage, Paul says God has taken Gentiles and Jews (all people) and made us one; together we are a holy temple where God can dwell. What a wonderful thought! Paul goes on to say, And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. God also makes each of us a dwelling place (his workmanship), so the Holy Spirit can inhabit our innermost beings. Jesus said, I must go away that I can send the Holy Spirit to dwell in each believer. The Spirit teaches us of Jesus and brings us into fellowship with God the Father. Although all believers are part of the mighty body of Christ, fitly joined together by God himself for his glory, each person is an individual dwelling place for God. What a marvelous miracle of grace and love. Praise God for his salvation plan!

So, what about the can of yellow paint: our faith? BY FAITH, WE KNOW GOD AND HIS BLESSINGS. God is a figment of the imagination to the world. By faith Christians see and know God, but the unsaved do not. God gives us the privilege of seeing him through eyes of faith. Faith in Christ's sacrifice opens the door to God's dwelling place where we will never be alone again because we know without a doubt that God is near us and will never leave us. Even in death, as God's redeemed, we quickly and peacefully pass from this finite existence to his Spirit domain to abide in his presence forever. This is the great and glorious hope built upon the prophets and the apostles. They willingly faced death because They KNEW GOD WAS WITH THEM. As you partake of these breakfasts, I want you to know that God is near you: HIS LIFE is the only true and everlasting life. All other life is but a biological phenomenon: the heart beats, we breathe, and the heart stops, we die. Real life, eternal life, comes from God: In him WAS LIFE; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. John came to testify of that light to a dark and dying world. Each of you stands as a testimony of that light and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. May the Lord richly bless you today as you shine for him!

Ephesians 2:14-18

Ephesians 2:14-18 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

Galatians 3:26-29 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Christ's purpose was to create in himself one new man out of two. No longer would there be Jew or Gentile, which encompasses the whole world's population, but just Christians who derive their life from Christ himself. Through Jesus, God would destroy the barriers between people, for in him there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. All are clothed IN CHRIST JESUS THE MAN OF PEACE who has broken down all walls of separation. When the angels announced Jesus' birth they exclaimed, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” (Luke 2:10, 14) Paul says, Jesus came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. Jesus came to bring peace to all who would accept him as Savior. He not only brought peace between men, He brought peace between man and God because through HIM we all have access to the Father by the Holy Spirit who abides within.

If Christ has broken down the barriers between us, why are we yet engaged in disputations? Why is the church of the living God fragmented into many denominations? Why do we have quarrels and troubles between Christians? The answer is simple: SIN! Sin still grips the hearts of men as we slog along in these old fleshly bodies. We still entertain the question of the serpent in our souls: Did God really say? Many who know the way of the cross still are not willing to lay down their differences, their self-will, and commit to each other in love. Even among the best of us, our egos are front and center in our interactions; therefore, when we are rebuffed, we walk away hurt and angry rather than extending forgiveness. When we are displeased, we even harshly judge God's servants. The flesh is too strong in each of us, often too much alive, and we will struggle with these selfish attitudes and desires until we die and go to heaven to receive our resurrected bodies. However, even though we ARE NOT ONE in the flesh, we are ONE IN THE SPIRIT because of Christ's work. Praise God for that.

But God does not intend for us to serve contentiousness in the flesh either. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. (Romans 8:11-12) The Spirit wants to quicken us or to make us alive in the flesh. As we lay down our differences and join God's perfect will in the Spirit, we become his servants to men, not dictators who demand our own way. We should quickly agree with our adversary, not drag him to court. We should love our enemies, not try to harm or to destroy them. While these commands remain foreign to sinful man, the person dead in his sins and transgressions, believers have heard the "good news" that is IN CHRIST JESUS we have freedom and power, and we should walk in this knowledge.

Self-willed men will never accept Jesus Christ as their Savior; they will never accept God's peace offering. And they will hate and despise those who follow the way of the cross. Willful men enjoy their freedom to rule, to control, to defeat, even to kill others. They revel in the flesh and its wickedness, and they will never put it down willingly. But we who are Christians are not debtors to the flesh, but to God and his salvation plan, For he (Jesus) himself is our peace, who has made the two one. Since we have been lifted up into heavenly places in Christ Jesus, we will contend for the fruit of the Spirit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We will allow the Spirit to transform us and to restrain our flesh by making us more like Christ, for we are not indebted to the will of the flesh, but to the will of God. He who began a good work in us will complete it.

Ephesians 2:11-13

Ephesians 2:11-13 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (that done in the body by the hands of men) — remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.

Romans 2:27-29 A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man’s praise is not from men, but from God.

Colossians 2:13-14 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.

God has canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. We are not alive to God because of following circumcision and the law; we are alive to him through and in Jesus Christ. The Jews were a chosen people, selected by God to reveal his nature, his righteousness, to the world. God gave them the law for good purposes: to change their behavior and to make them a great nation among all others. But the law, including circumcision, could not change their hearts or bring them into lasting fellowship with God. They were bound to fail, and their failure confirmed the fact that true righteousness and wholehearted obedience come only in Jesus Christ; He alone pleased God with his holy life and sacrifice on the cross. As a propitiation for our sin, Christ fulfilled the law completely and bridged the gulf between God and man.

The Bible says, man's heart is exceedingly wicked and no man can know it. Even after receiving something as good as the law, man's self-willed, lawless nature prevents him from following its dictates and fulfilling its demands. He will break God's commands readily, knowingly. The Bible says if you break one law, you are guilty of all, for in God's eyes you are designated a lawbreaker. Jesus said, Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:48) God will not accept imperfection and lawlessness. In our imperfection and disobedience, we will not see God or please him. (Think of how many times you have broken the speeding laws) Yet the above scriptures declare we have been brought near through the blood of Christ. Christ paid for our waywardness and our sinful nature. The judgment we deserved was accepted by Jesus Christ on the cross. The blood of the Lamb of God cleanses our wicked hearts and sets us free to enter into God's very presence. Because of our position in Christ, we can enter boldly into the throne room of God, crying, ABBA FATHER.

We who are alive IN CHRIST have had our hearts circumcised at the cross. When we placed our faith in Jesus Christ's finished work and died with him at the cross, the Holy Spirit cut away the dead flesh of our hearts. Without the resurrection, the story of man would end with our death; however, through the shadow of death, we have been made new creatures by the same power that raised Christ from the grave. Now, God can biopsy our souls and know we have his holy DNA, his divine nature. We are part of him because we are newborn IN CHRIST. Once we were dead in sin, strangers to God; now we are part of God's family. We are now known as his children, for we have his righteousness. What a privilege to know Jesus Christ, to have him write his thoughts on our hearts and put them in our minds. A song of praise should arise to our Savior. We are no long outcasts from God's presence, judged as lawbreakers, unrighteous in our basic spiritual DNA; no, now we are called the children of God, the chosen, perfect in his sight. If that does not make you rejoice and praise God, then nothing will. Because Christ lives, we also live. Alive forevermore is our inheritance, our redemption story.

Ephesians 2:6-10

Ephesians 2:6-10 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

God raised us up for his glory because of his loving kindness, mercy, and grace. Sometimes, older Christians believe they are very good; they live with the idea that they used to be bad but now they are good. They are pretty sure they do not follow the ways of the world, and they definitely do not follow the ruler of the kingdom of the air. Regardless, I sometimes wonder if they have lost their first love, if they fail to realize that their salvation is Christ's work and not their own. Paul understood salvation was not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, not our own workmanship. If we lose sight of God's miraculous work, we might begin to take credit for the work of the cross. If we smugly think we have earned our position in Christ through our efforts, we might easily criticize others, especially newborn believers who lack knowledge of spiritual realities. We wonder why they are not more like us: good, mature, Christians who obey all of the Bible and set an example of holiness for others. To test this belief, to see just how righteous a mature Christian is, we should watch when someone accidentally shuts the car door on their hand or clumsily steps on their broken toe or cuts them off in heavy traffic. Then you will begin to gauge their righteousness, their position of holiness, from a more accurate perspective.

Once my very righteous grandfather got kicked into the gutter by a cow he was milking. His righteous mantle slipped a little when he got up covered with manure and addressed that cow. That cow could testify that Grandfather was not always the kind and righteous man everyone imagined. Facing that cow, Grandfather learned what we all must learn: his salvation was a gift from God--not an entitlement because of his good works. I like to remember that incident because my grandfather was a very good man who loved God. He was a strong Christian, the kind that makes you feel sinful and guilty in his presence. But he was ransomed from the same pit of sin that we all inhabit.

Without Christ, we are lost and without hope. Only the grace of God makes us saints, not our actions. No matter what your pastors or spiritual leaders say or how wise they appear, they are still sinners saved by grace. In their humanness they depend upon mercy and grace. Humans sin. Do not ever follow after a person; follow Christ and listen to the Spirit's still small voice. Christ alone is our righteous, and He gives his righteousness to us when we place our full faith and trust in him, allowing the Spirit to guide and to direct our lives.

We cannot boast in our abilities or accomplishments, but we can work for his kingdom, knowing it is Christ in us our hope of glory. God has birthed us into his kingdom so that we might show forth his glorious grace and do the works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. If we feel somehow we have earned salvation, our passion to serve God will lessen and we will slip into a self-righteous state of lethargy and complacency. But if we realize God has redeemed us and made us his own through grace, we will praise his name and want to serve and to please him with a passion for the lost and a heart that longs to worship him and to share the good news with others who do not know him. May the Holy Spirit fall anew and afresh on us today and send us into the harvest fields as God's workmanship, joint heirs with Christ our Lord.

Ephesians 2:1-5

Ephesians 2:1-5 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved.

Since we all sometimes make mistakes and obey our fleshly desires, are we still dead in our transgressions and sins? If not what is the evidence of us being alive to God? These questions and our lack of understanding God's grace confuse many believers. Many of us still try to save ourselves through living by the Law. One day we feel we are alive IN CHRIST, but the next day we feel nothing but defeat and despair. Most of us think it is our obligation to live obedient and holy lives to prove that we are alive in Christ and no longer dead in our sins. Our weaknesses allow questions to remain in our minds: When and how did we become alive? Are we alive if we continue to sin? If we continually evidence deeds of the flesh, does that not indicate we are still following the ruler of this world, the devil? James said, by your works will I know you. John said, the world will know us by our love for each other. What if we exhibit neither of these testaments to our salvation consistently in our lives? What if we fail to back up our confessions of faith with good works and the love of our brethren seems negligible at best. Then, are we indeed new creatures?

We are new creatures because of God's work and not ours. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved. Because of his grace and everlasting love for us, God births new creatures, newborns. It is his actions that lead to freedom from sin and eternal life, not our actions. We live and walk by faith, not by sight or confidence in our human strength or abilities. Faith is believing in and trusting in God's actions, not ours. Paul understood this amazing plan of salvation: even when we were dead in transgressions, God lifted us up into heavenly places in Christ and destined us for eternal life. Though we were without hope, He made us new creatures and brought us into his own family.

How dead were we? Completely dead and without any hope, separated from God and bound by the chains of sins. Even now as new beings in Christ, our earthly bodies will die someday, testifying to how dead we really are in the flesh. Otherwise, our current existence and all of its transactions will never see God. So what about sin in our lives? Should we not to be holy in our present bodies? Yes, we should flee from evil and seek good; we should allow the Holy Spirit to change us and to make us more like Jesus. But God makes our eternal spirits holy and acceptable to him, not our natural bodies and their deeds. Today, we live by the Spirit of God. But when sin manifests itself through human errors and failings in us because of our fleshly will, we should reckon the "old man" as dead and accept our new identity in Christ. As we repent of unrighteousness, turn to Jesus, and testify of his good works and not our own, we shine like stars in the universe and the things of Earth grow dim. In other words, people of faith constantly and emphatically exclaim that the old man and his actions no longer hold us captive or determine our destination. We have turned our eyes toward Jesus Christ and put our trust in his works, not our own. Blessed be the name of the Lord!

Ephesians 1:17-23 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

God manifested his great power by raising Jesus from the dead and seating him at his right hand. We also who were vicariously in the grave with Jesus are now seated in heavenly places IN CHRIST JESUS. This is the marvelous message of Ephesians. We have been predestined through God's eternal plan and Christ's finished work at the cross to be children of God. Paul prayed that the eyes of our hearts may be enlightened in order to know this great hope. He didn't pray that we might understand through the physical senses of our eyes, ears, or hands; he prayed that our hearts may know this resurrection power. Bound to this earth, human beings tend to evaluate what is real through what we can see, hear, or touch, but Paul prayed that we might know spiritual reality through the revelation of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. This is divinely revealed knowledge that comes only through prayer and faith in God as we walk in the knowledge that we are no longer bound to this earth as finite beings, but that we who are IN CHRIST are infinitely spiritual because God is infinite and all powerful.

Such an understanding is foolishness to the rational, secular man, for he experiences reality through the limitations of his natural senses. To the unredeemed, faith is not a powerful force but a mythical construct of those too weak to face the world as it is without God's presence or purposes. But God chose the foolish things of this world to confound the wise. He chose the weak and the poor who are strong in faith to receive his acceptance, his power, his eternal dwelling. Man desires to know, to understand the mysteries of the universe, but God says, to find enlightenment, you must believe that I am and that I am a giver of good things. Jesus said, let those who have ears, spiritual ears, hear the Word of the Lord. Jesus spoke the truth and validated his words by miracles that no one else from the beginning of time could perform. But the wicked closed their inner spiritual ears to the truth, and subsequently killed Christ. Yet their sinful deeds ushered in God's plan for humanity because the cross was necessary to ransom mankind from the bondage of sin and death. Through the cross children of God are created to live with him forever.

We IN CHRIST and HE in us. Understanding that God created us to live with him forever is our hope of glory, of eternal life. Each of us need this revelation in our hearts daily. If we wholeheartedly believe this truth, no sin, disappointment, failure, nor trouble will ever overwhelm us or take away our joy. Paul is telling us that we have the riches of his (Christ's) glorious inheritance NOW. We the children of God right now. Since God has manifested his great power by turning hopeless, sinful people into his sons and daughters, we are more than conquerors through Christ who gave himself for us. We have been reborn IN CHRIST, the creator of all things and the giver of life. We have been transformed from the finite to eternal beings with heaven as our destination. The Spirit has brought us from a limited existence of a few years on Earth to eternal life with God. Regardless of your circumstances today, REJOICE and be glad, for your pardon was signed with the precious blood of Jesus, and your name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life. You have a new name written down in glory that only God knows because He knows his children by name. He has not lost track of you; you are not forsaken in your personal abyss. As God's child, REJOICE IN THE LORD. AGAIN I SAY, REJOICE, FOR YOU ARE YOUR BELOVED'S AND HE IS YOURS!

Ephesians 1:15-17

Ephesians 1:15-17 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

1 Corinthians 3:18-23 Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a “fool” so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”; and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.” So then, no more boasting about men! All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future — all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.

Are wisdom and knowledge important in this life? Yes, we benefit from a basic understanding of biology and the mechanics of working things. Knowledge of time and space helps orient us in our earthly existence, but what we truly need is spiritual knowledge, a clear understanding of God and how to become his children. Such knowledge is foolishness to the wise of this world: The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:14) But to God, the wisdom of this world is foolishness. The thoughts of the wise are futile. A wise secular man may spend his whole life thinking only about the meaning of earthly things. After filling his mind with speculations, experiments, and postulations, he will die without hope for eternity. His lofty thoughts, his mighty wisdom, his deep understanding of how things work will not conquer death and the grave. Paul said, I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ. (Philippians 3:8 KJV) Jesus thanked God for hiding divine truth from the wise and the learned of this world. An understanding of God and the mystery of our existence comes only through faith in Jesus Christ.

Paul prayed the new converts in Ephesus would have the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so they might know Jesus better. This Spirit is the Holy Spirit, a teacher and guide who enlightens our minds about Christ and helps us on our daily walk with him. This God given enlightenment represents true knowledge, divine wisdom. Jesus told his followers the Spirit would be our comforter, our friend. He abides within us and talks to us, reminding us we are God's beloved children, and we are not lost in the vastness of the universe. The Holy Spirit reveals to us that we are significant to the creator of all things and that in him we find our being. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. (John 1:3,4) In the light of God's love expressed through his only Son, we clearly see who God is and truly comprehend the depths of his love for us.

When I read books, even Christian books, the information and knowledge shared often references other great people whose beliefs confirm or expand the thinking of the books' authors. Sometimes this explication is beneficial and helpful in clarifying ideas, but wisdom and knowledge built on other learned people's expertise means little to me. Validation by people is not very important in view of eternity. I want to know what the Spirit says about the topic. Does the book line up with the Bible, and what does it say about God and his holy love? I depend on the voice of the Lord to lead me through this life. Without him, I have nothing. The wisdom of man does not comfort me; only the Spirit of God comforts my soul and give my life meaning and purpose. All else, even the greatest insights of men, is but refuse to my soul. Every day, I long to hear his voice, to know his will. As Paul prayed, I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you (me) the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you (I) may know him better. This is the will of God in Christ concerning his dearly loved children. Let us walk in his wisdom and truth today.

Ephesians 1:11-14

Ephesians 1:11-14 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession — to the praise of his glory.

We are predestined to be God's children IN CHRIST. Otherwise, there is no other avenue to God except what God has prearranged. The way to God is predestined. And those God knows will choose him are predestined to be his sons and daughters. Some people believe that God chose some to be saved and others not to be saved. That is like saying God chose David to have a sinful affair with Bathsheba or a beloved pastor was chosen to be killed on the highway by a drunk driver. No, the Bible says whosoever will may come to the Lord. Disciples went from one city and region to the next, preaching the Good News. If everything were prearranged, they should have just continued as fishermen, allowing the predetermination of God to fulfill its course in their lifetime. No, the way to God was predestined, and it was through Christ, but God sent his people out to win the lost through the preaching of the gospel.

Paul indicates that he and others who believed were the first fruit of God's salvation plan. They received Christ first by the will of God; then they went out to secure the salvation of others through this same plan. You also were included IN CHRIST when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. You also were marked IN HIM with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a DEPOSIT GUARANTEEING our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession. This gospel of salvation was for God's glory. We who are IN CHRIST walk in this world to reveal his light and love for his glory. As salt and light in the world, we bring the message that Jesus lives and reigns as Lord of all. Our transformation IN CHRIST JESUS testifies to the world that God created people for eternal life, not for destruction. We who are IN CHRIST become God's adopted children, predestined to reveal him to the world as we live righteous lives through the blood of Jesus Christ. This is the message, the heart, of the New Testament.

Since Christ freed us from judgment through his finished work on the cross, we should live our lives unto him in joyful obedience to God's will. When we get married, we reject the mindset and the behaviors of a single person. We try to accommodate the needs of our spouse. Out of love, we focus on pleasing the other person in the relationship, preferring our partner above ourselves. As much as is within us, we attempt to be one with our beloved. If we do not seek this relationship, our marriage will soon fall apart, for a house divided will not stand. God has chosen us to be one IN CHRIST JESUS. If we do not resist our fleshly behaviors, if we hold onto our selfish wills, we will cause ourselves much trouble and eventually lose our joy in the Lord. However, if we wholeheartedly commit to Jesus, our lives will go from glory to glory, and others will desire the love relationship with him that we exhibit. Regardless of the circumstances in our lives, Jesus promised never to leave us nor forsake us. If we have an ear to hear, we will always hear the still small voice of the Holy Spirit, "My beloved, I have chosen you for my purposes. YOU ARE MINE FOREVER."

Ephesians 1:7-10

Ephesians 1:7-10 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment — to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.

1 Corinthians 1:20-25 Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.

God will eventually place all things, everything, under the authority of Christ. Every knee will bow to his will; all disobedience to his rule will be quelled. From the least to the greatest, everyone will know Jesus is Lord, truly fulfilling his prayer, Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. God will have his way, for He has made all things. All creatures will give glory and honor to him: You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being. (Revelation 4:10) No longer will man say in his heart as the serpent said in the Garden of Eden, Did God really say? No longer will man try to ascend to the throne of God, to usurp his authority as the creator of things. No longer will unrighteousness, man's insatiable will, prevail. Instead, the righteousness found IN CHRIST JESUS will exist for eternity, and all who are found IN HIM will rest with the knowledge they are in the image of God, under his authority, because of the work of Jesus Christ.

God's salvation plan confounds the mighty and the wise of this earth, for his plan is not activated by the wisdom or deeds of man. Faith alone opens the door to God's domain. God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Unadulterated faith confirms and activates his plan. Children often have an easier time than mature adults when entering the presence of God because they readily trust in his existence. By faith, a child will face danger, such as stepping off a three foot high bed, believing in a safe landing on the floor. By faith, they believe the environment will accommodate their needs and protect them. We who are in Christ need childlike faith, a belief that He will take care of us if we put our whole trust in him. If we truly believe Christ died for our sins and if we put our faith and trust in his works, we take on his nature and his righteousness. The Bible says, only faith pleases God: Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. (Hebrew 11:1,2) We who are In Christ, walk out our daily lives in faith. To the world, this is foolishness, but faith in God through Christ is our hope because Jesus is the power of God and the wisdom of God.

In 1 John, we read that Christ created all things and without him nothing was made; consequently, my friends, we hold onto Jesus Christ. IN CHRIST, we have been created for better things than just this world. As God's children, we should walk in the knowledge of our position in the family of God through Christ while bearing the "family likeness" of righteousness and holiness. As we walk in joy and obedience to God's will, we spread the good news to others. As the salt and light of the world, we do not have to wait until all things are put under God's authority to take on our divine nature and purpose. IN CHRIST, we are his; therefore, we should exhibit God's authority in our daily lives, revealing his likeness, his mercy and grace, to a lost and dying world.

Ephesians 1:3-6

Ephesians 1:3-6 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 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons 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.

Today's scriptures cry out, IT IS FINISHED. (John 19:30) Before the foundation of the world, from time immemorial, God's heart birthed a plan to adopt us into his family THROUGH AND IN Jesus Christ. We are now and have always been seen through the Father's divine purpose to add us to his family through Christ our Savior, the third person of the Godhead. Through him all things were made (even new creatures); without him nothing was made that has been made. (John 1:3) Jesus makes sons and daughters THROUGH HIS WORK, NOT OURS. When He said the work of salvation is finished, IT WAS FINISHED--complete and lacking nothing. In view of his total sacrifice, can we possibly believe that some other work outside of God's plan will please the Father? As a schoolmaster, the Law revealed our sins and the futility of our human efforts to please God. Man may intend to do good, but his efforts fail to bring perfection.

After Moses gave the Ten Commandments to the Israelites, he made them swear they would follow the Law. They said, we will do it, but they failed miserably. Eventually, God dealt harshly with them because of their continuous sinning. The Old Testament reveals clearly that man's efforts to please God fail because man in his humanness is a natural lawbreaker. Therefore, outside of Christ, sinful man remains under the wrath of God, for the ultimate consequence of breaking the law is death, separation from God. When we say, I must do something else to please God other than accepting his salvation plan, we function outside of the will of God. When we try to restore a covenant of law to please him, we literally say that it is not finished: Christ's work was not enough. The law always brings judgment, but faith IN CHRIST brings freedom and the righteousness that pleases God. Christ alone makes us as white as snow in God's eyes.

Are we less righteous if we slip or stray in our Christian walk or if our flesh briefly takes control of our domain? No, for Christ alone is our righteousness. In love he predestined (made, chose) us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will. We are selected for adoption as children of God through THE DOOR, Jesus Christ. When adopting a child from a foreign country, one must go through certain doors to complete the adoption. Only one door provides access to God's family: Jesus Christ our Lord. Good works and a gracious attitude are not THE DOOR. Your hope of eternal life through manmade religions is not THE DOOR. Positive thinking, meditation, and any other substitute for faith are not THE DOOR. ONLY IN AND THROUGH JESUS CHRIST WILL YOU ENTER INTO THE FAMILY OF GOD. Consequently, we who believe in Christ Jesus and his saving works are continually lifted up into heavenly places. We boldly sit at the right hand of God because Jesus sits there. We call the MAKER OF THE UNIVERSE, ABBA FATHER, for He is now our Father through the death and resurrection of Christ his Son.

Jesus who knew no sin became sin for us. As Adam, the first man, was finite, Christ, the second man, became finite for us, dying in our place. Jesus paid the price for sin in full, for nothing is worse than separation from God. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46) Death is the final court document demanding the payment of blood. Jesus wrote his name on that document by shedding his blood. But God did not let his Holy One face the corruption of death; He raised him up by the power of the Holy Spirit. That same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead will quicken your mortal body because Christ satisfied your death sentence. We who are IN CHRIST are resurrected with him into newness of life. Jesus said, you must be born again. IN HIM we are new creatures destined to live with God forever. Rather than resting in Christ and accepting his salvation plan, many continue to wallow in sin. Sometimes they are up, but they are often down, depending on their feelings and life experiences. God set us free from that life. IT IS FINISHED! He made us holy, complete, and perfect IN CHRIST JESUS. Therefore, fix your mind on that reality; set your hope and lifestyle on that irrefutable fact. The things of Earth will grow strangely dim, and you will abide in heavenly places through Christ the Lord of all.

Ephesians 1:1-2

Ephesians 1:1-2 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Acts 22:6-16 About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, "Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?" “Who are you, Lord?’ I asked." “I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting," he replied. My companions saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who was speaking to me. “What shall I do, Lord?" I asked. “Get up," the Lord said, "and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do." My companions led me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me. A man named Ananias came to see me. He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there. He stood beside me and said, "Brother Saul, receive your sight!" And at that very moment I was able to see him. Then he said: "The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name."

Are you fulfilling the will of God in your life? Do you ask God to direct your steps or are you just living life the best you can? These are questions Christians must ask themselves. Paul said he was an apostle, a founder of many churches, by the will of God. He knew God had chosen him for that purpose. What is God's purpose for you? I knew early in my life that God wanted me to be a teacher in the public arena and in the body of Christ. Sometimes I chafed under this calling. I wanted to be something more significant, more satisfying, but God called me to be a teacher, so I diligently fulfilled that role. Now, as an older person, I know this task will remain my assignment until I finish this life.

Paul's basic identity was apostle. Even today when we refer to Paul's writings, we refer to him as THE APOSTLE PAUL. His role describes his purpose on Earth. What is your role, your SPIRITUAL position in life? Are you known in the body of Christ as MARY THE PRAYER WARRIOR; JIM THE GREETER; HENRY THE LOVER OF MANKIND; JOYCE THE HELPER; BETTY THE COOK; TOM THE SERVER; JAY THE WORSHIP LEADER? Or are you known only a pew sitter, a church attender, or someone who critiques the service of others? What is your role in the body of Christ since you believed, since you were baptized and set apart? Believers are not redeemed and set apart for our own purposes to live selfish, meaningless lives. We are set apart for God's purposes, to reveal his love and his plans to mankind. We have been set apart to reveal God himself to a sick and dying world.

As Ananias told Paul, "And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name." My breakfast companions, we have all experienced the washing away of our sins, and many of us have followed Jesus in water baptism. Now what is next? We must take up the cross and follow him by giving our lives to him and living our lives for his glory in our workplaces, in our neighborhoods, and in the church. Whatever we do, secular or religious, we should do it for his glory. James said, show me your faith by your works. We could put it another way, show your love for Jesus by your actions, your choices, your values. Let the world know your good works; let them know you are a Christian by your love.