Ephesians 4-6

Scripture

4:9-16,  (⁹In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? ¹⁰He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) ¹¹And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, ¹²to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, ¹³until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, ¹⁴so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. ¹⁵Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. (English Standard Version)

Observation:

You know how there are just some passages of Scripture that grab you. That really speak to you. This is one of those passages for me. In fact these are probably the most favorite verses of mine in the entire Bible. As Jesus was ascending into heaven the Holy Spirit was dispensing spiritual gifts. He’s been doing it ever since. Anyone who has crossed the line of faith has been given at least one spiritual gift. The gifts mention in this passage are commonly called equipping gifts. People who have been given these gifts by the Holy Spirit have been given the supernatural ability to equip others in the body of Christ for acts of service. These are not like the other gifts mentioned in the New Testament. They are given so that the other gifts may be matured and grown and well stewarded in the lives of others. And with awesome results. As these Christ-followers use their gifts, the whole body is built up and attains unity in the Father. What a fantastic way the God of the church plans things out so that everyone has a function and all the parts work together to make the body all God wants it to be.

Application:

There seems to be at least two application points here. If you have one of these gifts mentioned in this passage you/I have a serious charge to keep. Our equipping of others in the body contributes to unity and spiritual growth to the point that those in the church grow up in knowledge and love for God and one another. If you/I don’t practice these gifts, not only are we not living up to our God-given potential, but the church isn’t either. So we need to use these gifts.

Second, if you don’t have one of these gifts, seek out those that do, so that you can grow to be all God is calling you to be. You need others to help equip you to use your gifts in ways that will build-up the body of Christ and to reach it’s God-given potential. Encourage those with these gifts to be active in the body.

Prayer:

Father God. Thank you for distributing Your Holy Spirit’s gifts in such a way that Your church can be all You have created her to be. Help us with the gifts mentioned in today’s passage to use them for Your glory. Help those that don’t to seek out those that do have these gifts, so that they can be all they can be in Christ. Your are the great designer of the church. Thank You for calling us to have a part in that design. I pray all these things in Jesus name, Amen!

dmbaldwin

Ephesians 1-3

Scripture

. . . in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

¹⁴Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:13b, 14 KJV)

¹³But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. (2:13)

¹⁶That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

²⁰Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, (3:16, 20 — this last section, verses 16-21, compose an amazing prayer, and these verses are just a small part of that)

Observation

I’ve got the power!

God had a unique relationship with the nation of Israel whose history we traced through the Old Testament. And, here in Ephesians Paul works to unravel the mystery of God’s great love for Gentiles as well.

And, in case there remained some doubt that God loved and saved Gentiles as well, His Holy Spirit seals the deal.

Application

Seek evidence of the Spirit’s working and habitation in your life. Conviction, ripening fruit, and growth in doctrinal understanding all signal His quiet working, and His seal on our salvation

Pray Ephesians 3:16-20 for yourself or your loved ones. Insert “I” or a name for “you.”

Thank God for drawing us near. Initiating a relationship with us that will carry us into eternity.

Prayer

Dear Lord, I thank you for saving me and leaving a sign of that salvation at work in my life each day. Please continue to teach me, grow me, convict me, and mature me. Keep me grounded in and overflowing with Your love. And thank you for accomplishing more than I could even imagine to ask for. ~Amen

Erin (5intow)

Galatians 4-6

Scripture:

“But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you.” (Galatians 4:9-11 NIV)

Observation/Application:

These verses give such a perfect description of the difference between living under the law and living under grace. The veil has been torn…

• But now that you know God—or rather are known by God: the priest is no longer needed. We can actually KNOW God and even more mind-boggling, be KNOWN by Him. He can no longer say, “Depart from me I never knew you.” (Mt 7:23)
• How is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Don’t you just love those descriptive words?…”weak and miserable”! Who would want to turn back to that? Remember all those laws we read back at the beginning of this year? They were definitely miserable!
• Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? Another perfectly descriptive word…enslaved. The law was confining, burdensome, captive.  Who would wish for that?
• You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! The church was falling back into the  ritualistic traditions of the OT law. I wonder why. Familiarity? Lack of understanding of the new law of grace? Fear? Those same three things (comfort, ignorance, fear) are common triggers for complacency. There is safety in lack of action.
• I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you. Paul was discouraged. His passion, heart, life were put into these churches and these efforts now appear wasted. Yet his love for the church is still evident as he declares, “I fear for you.”

Prayer:

Thank You, God for breaking the law through the sacrifice of Your Son. Amen.

simply spoken

Galatians 1-3

Scripture

“We …know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.” (Gal. 2:15-16)(NIV)

“Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed.  So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.” (Gal. 3:23-25)(NIV)

Application

“The Magna Charta and Other Mysteries.”

If ever there were a blueprint for freedom in Christ, Galatians is it.  The book has been called the “Magna Charta of Christian liberties” and its core message is one of emancipation from the constraints of the law, written by one of the biggest (former) legalists who ever lived.  In this book, Paul reminds the churches in Galatia that he was “extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers” until he was set apart by God and called by grace to preach the message of salvation (Gal. 1:14-15). Paul, a former Pharisee who once tortured Christians for breaking with Jewish law, makes clear that Christ came to break down walls – not to erect them.  He writes that God gives us His Spirit and works miracles among us not because we observe the law, but because we believe what we have heard about its Author (Gal. 3:5).  It is here that the message of salvation takes on its greatest air of mystery and wonder: faith in Christ alone, not anyone’s set of laws (Gal. 2:16) opens the door to acceptance by God.

Observation

I feel a strong connection to the book of Galatians.  Perhaps because I spent my formative years in ecclesiastical and educational environments that put undue emphasis on the “legalities” of the Christian faith.  There were the tee-totalers and the caffeine-eschewers, the don’t dancers and the holy (not rock-n) rollers.  This heavy-handed law-keeping made for a lot of grace-less living.  Now, I am not advocating an amoral free-for-all.  After all, the Gospel is not something that “man made up” (Gal. 1:11), and there are consequences for sin.  But if righteousness can be gained through the law alone, then Christ died for nothing (Gal. 2:21)!  For what precious mystery is there in keeping fast to a dusty set of edicts?  When God transcends space and time to inhabit our plane and give His life for ours, asking only that we accept His sacrifice, there is wonder indeed.       

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I need to ask myself: am I trying to win the approval of men, or of God? (Gal. 1:10) Is my faithful law-keeping an effort to show you my commitment to your commandments, or an effort to keep up with my neighbors in the pew? I must remember that you do not judge by external appearance (Gal. 2:6); your interest is in the condition of our hearts – and our devotion to You.  Remind me often of the freedom I have in Christ your Son (Gal. 2:4), and make my life a testament to the wonderful, mysterious liberty of living as one of Your own.  Amen.

- Sarah

2 Corinthians 9-13

Scripture

“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5, NIV)

Observation

A few years ago, I was consumed with anxious thoughts. Fear controlled me. If my husband went out to run errands, I was sure he’d be in a car accident. If a character in a movie had an illness, I worried that I had it, too. Anxiety, paranoia, fear…my thoughts were out of control.

Thankfully, with God’s faithfulness and the power of His living and active Word, I am learning to do just as Paul prescribed: to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” With the help of His Spirit within me, I can train my brain to only listen to truth.

Application

During a recent bout of anxiety, my husband stopped me in the middle of my long list of worries. “Amy,” he said calmly, “where are you getting this in Scripture?” In other words, he was saying, “The things you’re worrying about aren’t in line with God’s truth. They are lies, directly from the enemy.”

My husband was right. My thoughts weren’t obeying the Christ who died so that I can walk in freedom–including freedom from the enemy’s lies. Training my mind to obey Christ requires daily–sometimes hourly!–diligence. I must be aware of what I’m telling myself, and I must consider whether or not that thought agrees with God’s Word. And when I discover that what I’m thinking is actually a lie from the devil, then I must–with God’s help–change my mind.

Prayer

God, be the Lord of my mind. When my thoughts are far from Yours, stop me. Give me discernment between Satan’s lies and Your truth, and give me the courage to make all of my thoughts obey You. I love You, God, and I want to have the mind of Christ. Amen.

amystorms