Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but only that which is good for building up, according to the need, that it may give grace to those who hear. ~Ephesians 4:29 Grace is Christ as our enjoyment and supply. Our word should convey such grace to others. The word that encourages others always ministers Christ as grace to the hearer. The apostle's exhortation in vv. 17-32 took grace and reality (vv. 21, 24, 29) as its basic elements. The apostle wanted us to live, as Jesus did, a life full of grace and reality (John 1:14, 17). Grace is God given to us for our enjoyment, and reality is God revealed to us as our reality. When we live and speak reality (vv. 21, 24), we express God as our reality, and others receive God as grace for their enjoyment (v. 29).
"For if we, being enemies, were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more we will be saved in His life, having been reconciled," ~Romans 5:10
Before being saved we were not just sinners but even enemies of God. First, God reconciles us through the death of His Son, but as Christians we often get stuck in the first half of this verse. The second half of the verse speaks of being saved in Christ’s life. Day by day we are being saved in His life.
"What shall I render to the LORD For all His benefits toward me? I shall lift up the cup of salvation/ And call upon the name of the LORD." - Psa 116:12-13
After appreciating all that the Lord had done for him, Trevor Walker did many things for the Lord in return. Eventually Trevor realized that instead of trying to do many things for the Lord, God wants us to just receive all that He is and has by calling upon His name.
The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham: ~Matthew 1:1 C.H. Spurgeon said there is spiritual gold to be found in every verse of the Bible. From Matt. 1:1 we see that Christ is the real Solomon who builds the church, and the real Isaac who was willing to be sacrificed on the cross.
"God is now my salvation; I will trust and not dread; For Jah Jehovah is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation." ~Isaiah 12:2
Whatever we do in the church meeting must be for the building up of the believers who are the church. To exhibit Christ and enjoy Him in the meetings for the building up of His Body must be our unique purpose and goal.
"You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that testify concerning Me. Yet you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life." ~John 5:39-40
To "search the Scriptures" may be separated from "come to Me" (v. 40). The Jewish religionists searched the Scriptures but were not willing to come to the Lord. These two should go together; because the Scriptures testify concerning the Lord, they should not be separated from the Lord. We may contact the Scriptures, yet not contact the Lord. Only the Lord can give life.
In 2009 Daniel Lee was deployed to Iraq as a new believer. While his base was under attack he prayed and gave himself to the Lord. Here, he testifies of the peace and fulfillment he experienced in following the Lord.
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that every one who believes into Him would not perish, but would have eternal life." ~John 3:16
Though John 3:16 is one of the most commonly known verses in the Bible, it is one of the most crucial. To believe IN the Lord is to acknowledge facts about Him, to believe INTO the Lord is to receive Him, be united with Him, and become one with Him. This brings believers into a life in which they can continually abide in Jesus Christ, a life that God desires Christians to live.
I am the living bread which came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he shall live forever; And the bread which I will give is My flesh, given for the life of the world. ~John 6:51 At this point the bread becomes the flesh. Bread is of the vegetable life and is only for feeding; flesh is of the animal life and is not only for feeding but also for redeeming. Before the fall of man, the Lord was the tree of life (Gen. 2:9), which is only for feeding man. After man fell into sin, the Lord became the Lamb (John 1:29), which is not only for feeding man but also for redeeming him (Exo. 12:4, 7-8). As the living Father has sent Me and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also shall live because of Me. ~John 6:57 To eat is to take food into us that it may be assimilated organically into our body. Hence, to eat the Lord Jesus is to receive Him into us that He may be assimilated by the regenerated new man in the way of life. Then we live by Him whom we have re
"But whenever their heart turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away." ~2 Corinthians 3:16
Small things throughout the day can cause our heart to be turned away from the Lord and hinder our fellowship with Him. The simple way to turn out heart back to the Lord is to confess our sin. The issue of confessing and turning our heart to the Lord is that we are transformed from glory to glory into the same image as Christ.
What then brothers? Whenever you come together, each one has... 1 Cor 14:26 What does a New Testament church meeting look like? In a Christian meeting each one should have something of Christ to share with others, and each one should have the opportunity to share. This is quite similar to a feast before God, and it is in this way that Christ indirectly and practically builds His church on the earth today (Matt. 16:18). EachOneHas.
Rock the Burg is a series of free concerts designed to reach our community with the love, grace, and heart of Christ. Join us on November 19th in St. Petersburg. Details at https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=206951416012970
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