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!