Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘Ephesians 05’

What’s His is Mine!

Posted in Calling, In Christ, tagged , , , on October 26, 2010| Leave a Comment »

For this is what the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’ – Acts 13:47

Paul took a scripture from Isaiah 49:6 which clearly referred to the work of Christ, and He  proclaimed it was God’s calling to him, personally!

Can we do that? Yes!

Paul knew that those joined to Christ by faith are part of Christ in actuality.1

What belongs to us also now belongs Christ – our sins, griefs, shortcomings.2  Jesus embraced them and took them to his cross.  Likewise, what belongs to Christ is now ours3 – his payment for our sins, his resurrection, his fellowship with the Father, his anointing with the Holy Spirit, his seat on the throne.  This even includes his call to ministry.  Christ now lives his life through us (though not exclusively through any one of us); not just for our benefit but for those he came to save.4

– fritz
1 – 1st Corinthians 6:17, Ephesians 5:30
2 – 2nd Corinthians 5:21
3 – Romans 8:32, 1st Corinthians 3:22
4 – 1st John 4:17

Read Full Post »

Bible – a book about one man

Posted in Bible, Christ's Body, Church, Explanations, Faith, Forgiveness, In Christ, Jesus, Righteousness, tagged , , , on July 13, 2010| Leave a Comment »

And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, [Jesus] expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. – Luke 24:27

Two travelers on the way to a town called Emmaus, seven (7) miles from Jerusalem, picked up a stranger. Though unrecognized until the last, he took them through the Bible from a new perspective — Christ in every Book, Letter, and Psalm. “Did not our hearts burn within us!”, they said!1

The Bible really is a book about just one man — All the apostles saw it that way. Here is just one (1) example:

Paul, quoting a very familiar passage about Adam and Eve but with a new twist:

“For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh … I speak concerning Christ and the church.” – Ephesians 5:30-32

Neither we nor Jesus are any longer just ourselves, but eternally linked in covenant like a husband and wife! Him taking my sinfulness, me taking his righteousness,2 becoming one new man,3 the last Adam4 (male and female 5). We, together, approach God with nothing owing and all debts paid, God’s grace working is us (Christ and me) in all circumstances to bring about our good and God’s glory.6

Wow, what a book, what a savior, what a God, what a privilege!

— fritz@langgang.com
1 – Luke 24:32
2 – 2nd Corinthians 5:21
3 – One new man (not referring to Jew and Gentile but us and Christ) – Ephesians 2:14-15
4 – Last Adam – 1st Corinthians 15:45
5 – Adam, male and female – Genesis 1:27
6 – See Post from July 11, 2010 – “Where is God’s Blessing”

Read Full Post »

>Spiritual Teenagers!

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged on May 21, 2010| Leave a Comment »

>

“Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” – Ephesians 5:13b-16 (KJV)

Having teenagers I learned a couple of their characteristics – difficulty getting out of bed and feeling invincible are a couple that come to mind. Teens sometimes have an attitude of unconcern for what we, adults, know is important and warn them about. Most grow out of it and survive but, tragically, some don’t.

We can’t afford being spiritual teenagers, with a similar disregard. Almost weekly another evangelical pastor, politician, or believer makes the headlines with failure, or just quietly falls away – like baby sea turtles getting picked off as they dash to the sea. They can’t all have been fake believers; at some point we must adopt the perspective that at least some of them had a vibrant faith but somehow stumbled into trouble.

No one is immune, make a special effort to hang around God’s people and stay vibrant. Avoid potentially compromising situations. Ask Jesus to give a fresh look at him through the Bible, actually opening it up and reading (it doesn’t matter where, it’s all good).

-fritz

Read Full Post »

Older Posts »