Man You Were Dead!

Can you imagine the readers of the Apostle Paul's letter, being read when it first arrived in Ephesus?  I can imagine the cocked heads or looks of relief .  He wrote they were once spiritually dead.  How could that be? Some of them might have been Doctors keeping people alive or even Jewish; Children of God!

By the time the reader completed  reading to the group, there might have been tears of joy.  Some men may have shouted "Amen" or Praise the Lord!"  They had once again heard the gospel from the quill of Paul.   They might have been experiencing persecution, false teaching, even temptation to return to religion. When they heard the phrase "Having done all, to stand..." they may have broke out in singing about "Victory IN JESUS."

Paul wrote: " And you He made alive, who were dead in sins..." and later... "even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit in the heavenly places.. In Christ"

Remember when he wrote this?  "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any should boast."
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Don't forget when ol' Lazarus died.  Jesus said to Martha; "I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live. and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.  Do you believe this."

Well do you believe?   We would hopefully answer like some of those at the Columbine school shooting did: "Yes I believe."  How then shall I live?  We hear later about some of those at Columbine had died to this world long before that day.  How's that?

"Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord". -Romans chapter 6:11.

Response time;

Would you pray or begin to talk to God this very minute.

You can't get there from Here.

Where are we headed? What's the "destination?"  What's our plan? What adjustments will we have to make? If we want to receive, or be in education, business or sport, what classes or creativity will we have to acquire now, to get there?  If you and I have a mission we will have to consider the smaller tasks to arrive at completion.  

1. Pray.
2. develop a core group.
3. set a time table and plan
4. inform public.
5. Pray.

Starting a business would have related plans, as in; permits, payroll and performers and prayer.

Desiring numerical and Spiritual growth in your church would require; group prayer, Bible studies and community engagement. Wanting more money in the bank at the end of the year, would require a weekly or monthly deposit. When we made our New Year resolutions we decided to remember and commit to intentionally, performing  minute tasks to achieve the grander objective.

When distracted from approaching the goal, remember to stay at the ready with wisdom and discernment, in time to make the proper adjustments.   PLAN YOUR WORK AND WORK YOUR PLAN! Have a great year and let's go through it together.

Proverbs 3:5,6.

Between two Worlds

 Ambassadors represent their country in an official way.  It is a great system of relationship, accountability and dialogue.  An ambassador;  can be that nation  "in the flesh" instead of only, an Email or fax and phone call away.  The office also displays a desire of co-habitation and peace.

We have read on the internet or television evening news, that an Ambassador has been asked to leave a country, because of the behavior of his country, family or personal life and comments.

We would be proud and look forward to be appointed, chosen or voted to become an Ambassador.  The danger of being an Ambassador comes into play, such as Benghazi, or Afghanistan.

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Followers of Christ have heard Jesus call, as the disciples in the New Testament, as He says: "Follow Me."  We do, and drop our nets to follow, trusting His work on the cross, as our only hope to spend eternity with God. Receiving forgiveness and covering of sin and receiving the Spirit of God becoming Born again spiritually!

As believers and followers of Christ immediately we are citizens of  "Another country."  We are very much in this world but not of it.  We are viewed that way as well, by this world because our conversation,  lifestyle, home is new and different.

Christ from His Authority,  has commissioned us to go into these communities as His Ambassadors and actually building His "Kingdom."  He appoints us to be great representatives and letting people see your good deeds so that He might receive the glory. This is not the seeking of world domination as a world religion, but guiding to a personal relationship with God, in Christ!

Paul writes to the Philippians Church and us; "Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among who you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life..."

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In 2 Corinthians:  "Therefore from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet we know him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things are passed away; behold, all things have become new.  Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not  imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.  Now then we are Ambassadors  for Christ, as though God were pleading through us; we implore you on Christ's behalf, to be reconciled with God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

NEW LIFE!!

Seasons are changing, Easter has come and gone bringing New Life.  During the long, cold and snowy winter, we still had hope remembering that this flower, was over here, that rose bush over there.  Though it was miserable and barely any life outside, we had hope.

With the strum on an invisible harp, even this morning the Sun woke up and the daffodils miraculously appeared!  Talk about a peaceful feeling.  We all enjoy something new; new clothes, car, house, babies.

Paul wrote many times in the Bible about old things passing away all things made new.  He said to renew your mind! This is a great time to start a new relationship with God, maybe renewing our commitment to the relationship.

Jesus said:  "Marvel not, that you must be born again." Later He said: "I came that you might have LIFE."

Again Paul wrote to Christians:  "Therefore we do not lose heart.  Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day." This is not just repair or rehab this is new life!!

Those that are followers and believers in Christ can say "Amen."

(pic is from 2014)

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