Made Alive with Christ
You were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. (1-3)
But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. (4-8)
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life. (8-10)
Oneness and Peace in Christ
So then, remember that at one time you Gentiles by birth, called ‘the uncircumcision’ by those who are called ‘the circumcision’—a physical circumcision made in the flesh by human hands— remember that you were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. (11-13)
For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, so that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. (14-16)
So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. (17-18)
A Temple for the Lord
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling-place for God. (19-22)
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I know that the Lord works in mysterious ways. I was raised Catholic but lost my faith YEARS ago. My brother younger was a Marine, and he found his faith in a church called Freedom Worship Center in Jacksonville, NC after his 1st tour in Iraq. Freedom Worship Center is VERY similar to ORB, and very different from the Catholic Church that we were raised in. To be honest when he told me about finding his faith and being a disciple I laughed at him and told him to "stop drinking the cool aid".
ReplyDeleteMy brother passed away in a car accident 3 years ago today. After he passed away I was completely lost and couldn't comprehend how a good and loving Lord & Savior could do something like this to a young man (22) who was a true disciple, a deacon in his church, and even a youth minister. I kept asking, isn't the Savior one who saves his disciples?
I have only been attending ORB for 3 months now. In the past 3 months I have learned so much about the Lord's love for us and I feel closer to him and feel surrounded by his love all the time. I only just started reading the Bible study verses yesterday.
I know that God has a plan for me, just as he did for my brother, and I know that I am just living the plan and that by reading the Bible and worshiping I am becoming closer to God.
I feel like I was the "uncircumcised" and I was the lost. However, by following my brother and by keeping my mind open and trying to learn more about and understand his faith, I have been able to see the light and to find peace in the Lord's plan.
I still miss him. But, I am now able to have faith that he is seated with Jesus Christ as a member in the household of God.
THANK YOU ANDY!! Your pick of Ephesians was truly God working through you.