SCOPE

This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 3:6

A few guys from FBC Cove left yesterday as a part of a short term mission team going to a pretty remote area of Costa Rica (please remember them in prayer). The mission team will serve a group of people who—even though their life experience is very different from ours—could become part of the body of Christ, sharing with us in His promise.

When Paul wrote this letter to the Ephesian church, I can’t imagine that he envisioned the scope of his statement: that through the gospel, you and I would join with the Ephesian believers as God’s heirs, part of the body of Christ, recipients of Jesus’ extraordinary work of grace.

And this invitation is open to all!—including the folks God has placed in our lives.

Lord, I know You have made me a missionary to the people around me who don’t believe in You. Help me to serve You well.

Sharing in Christ,
Jim

Before and After

Ephesians 2:1-13 tells the story of who we were before we knew Christ and who we are now in Him.

Who We Were:

Dead in our transgressions and sins (v.1)
Subject to the cravings, desires and thoughts of our sinful nature (v.3)
Objects of wrath (v.3)
Separate from Christ (v.12)
Excluded from citizenship in Israel (v.12)
Foreigners to the covenants of promise (v.12)
Without Hope (v.12)
Without God (v.12)
Far Away (v.13)

An amazing transaction has taken place, and we are not subject to this way of living anymore.

Who We Are Now:

Alive with Christ (v.5)

Saved from sin (v.5)

Seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (v.6)

God's Workmanship (v.10)

Brought near to God (v.13)

This is grace - the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God.

How sweet the sound.

Father I am in awe of your love. I enjoy a free life because of what Christ has done. I joyfully submit my life to you.

In Christ,

Matt

Praying in Love

"I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers." Ephesians 1:16

Paul's love for those he served in Christ was reflected in his continual prayers for them. What do our prayers say about the depth of our affection for those with whom we serve and worship the Lord. A mark of a unified and powerful fellowship of believers would surely be faithful intercessory prayer for one another. And this prayer would be chiefly concerned with the spiritual health and progress for those whom we pray. Note as you read Paul's prayer in Ephesians 1:17-19 and his prayers in his other letters that they are dominated by concern for the spiritual rather than physical needs. For whom are we praying? What are we praying for them?

Father, give me a heart of love and concern for my fellow believers that inspires me to pray faithfully for their spiritual progress in Christ.

I'm praying for you.
Pastor Mark

Reaping the Harvest

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9

God has designed the universe to work on the principle of sowing and reaping: You reap what you sow. This is true in the spiritual realm as well as in the physical realm (6:7-8). If we are sowing spiritual seed in God's service we can expect to reap a harvest for His glory. But we must sow the seed to reap the harvest. And we must not grow weary of sowing and working the field before the harvest arrives. God is faithful and the harvest will come. Keep sowing in faith.

Father, you know how impatient and weary I sometimes become as I await the harvest so I ask You to strengthen my faith that I might sow with expectancy and endurance to Your glory.

I'm praying for you.
Pastor Mark

Falling from Grace

"You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace." Galatians 5:4

In some circles falling from grace means to lose your salvation. But that is not the meaning of this phrase as it is used in Scripture. The Galatians had been justified (saved, made right with God) through faith in Christ but under the Judaizer's influence they were turning ritual and law-keeping as the means of staying right with God. The apostle states that to do this is to be alienated from Christ and to fall from the way of grace.

Law keeping turns the focus on self and human effort whereas faith turns the focus upon Christ and His grace. Once saved we cannot lose our salvation but we can fall away from relying on grace and so be alienated from Christ the grace-giver. Legalism (5:1) is a sin to be avoided every bit as much as indulgence of the sinful nature (5:13). Only through holding fast to grace can we avoid both extremes and walk in the true freedom of Christ.

Father, may I never depart from trusting in the grace by which You saved me to relying on my own feeble efforts at righteousness. Keep me free in Your grace.

I'm praying for you.
Pastor Mark

Growing by Grace

"Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?" Galatians 3:3

Dr. Jack MacGorman's commented on this verse in New Testament Greek class saying, "We Baptists are thoroughly evangelical at the point of salvation and thoroughly legalistic at the point of discipleship." In other words we believe salvation is by grace alone but spiritual growth is through human effort.

We must realize that we not only begin with the Spirit in salvation but that we must also continue with the Spirit if we are to attain our goal of Christian maturity. We cannot save ourselves and we cannot mature ourselves. It's all God's work. It's all grace from first to last. We should be committed to practice spiritual disciplines that the Holy Spirit can use to grow us. But we must guard against becoming devoted to the disciplines rather than Jesus and dependent on the disciplines rather than on the Spirit.

Father, I thank You for saving me by grace and I thank you for growing by the gracious work of Your Spirit in my life. Guard me from legalistic devotion to disciplines and guide me to a healthy practice of spiritual disciplines in dependence of the Holy Spirit.

I'm praying for you.
Pastor Mark

A New "ME"

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and game himself for me.
Galatians 2:20

In this verse Paul gives us a great reminder that it is no longer I who live. When we accepted Christ into our life, our old self was wiped away and we became a new creation in Christ. We were given a gift, the Holy Spirit, which came to dwell inside of us. This verse should serve as a constant reminder to us that we are ambassadors for Christ. Whether we are a stay at home mom, a soldier deployed overseas, a teacher, a construction worker, no matter what our occupation we should remember that we have been given a gift that we need to share with the world. My personal challenge is that I would be willing to tell one person this week about the incredible gift that God has given to me. Would you join me in this challenge? Don't be afraid, walk by faith and dependence upon God to give you the words and the courage to tell your story.

Father, help me to not be ashamed of the incredible relationship that I have with you. Please, give me the courage to step out on faith this week and share with one person this amazing gift that You have given to me.

Stepping out on Faith
Chris

Christ Pleasers

"Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please me? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ." Galatians 1:10

This reminds me of Jesus words, "No man can serve two masters..." (Matthew 6:24). We must choose our master and our master is ultimately the one whom we seek to please. As a servant of Christ our consuming aim must be to please Him and win His approval.

Our ultimate goal is to hear Him say, "Well done, my good and faithful servant..." Yet there is an ever present temptation to please people and gain their approval. Sometimes we can please Christ and please men but when that which pleases Christ does not please men whose approval will we seek?

Man's approval is appealing because it is immediate but we must remember that it is only temporary. Christ's approval may not be felt so immediately but it is eternal.

Father, help me to live to day as a true servant of Jesus seeking His pleasure and approval alone.

I'm praying for you.
Pastor Mark

Benediction

"May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." 2 Corinthians 13:14

This benediction presents the work of the Trinity in salvation. The Father ("God") in "love" redeems us and draws us to Himself. The "Lord Jesus Christ" in "grace" carried our sins to the cross and gives to us the riches of God (see 2 Co. 8:9). The "Holy Spirit" indwells us and enables glorious "fellowship" with God. God in all of His being is committed to our salvation and fellowship with Him. "What, then shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31).

Blessed Trinity, I rejoice in your love, grace, and fellowship. Thank you for your amazing commitment to me. Enrich my experience of You that I may love and glorify You in return.

I'm praying for you.
Pastor Mark

Grace is Enough

"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." 2 Corinthians 12:9

We would have God remove our weaknesses so that we might be strong. God leaves us weak so that we can experience His strength. Weakness reminds us that we are humans with clay feet who need daily the grace of God. If in our weakness we live humbly dependent on God then we will know true strength. Weakness with God's grace is far better than human strength.

Father, May I learn to boast about my weakness "so that Christ's power may rest on me." I'd rather have Jesus strong in me than to stand in my own strength.

I'm praying for you.
Pastor Mark

Spiritual Weapons

"The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds." 2 Corinthians 10:4

Spiritual battles require spiritual weapons. Where our enemy, the devil, is at work fleshly reasoning and struggling will not prevail. When the disciples failed to cast out an evil spirit, Jesus said, "This kind can come out only by prayer" (Mark 9:29). We cannot win our battles or take others captive for Christ by human reason and strength. We must employ spiritual weapons such as prayer, Scripture, and faith to win the battle.

Father, open my eyes to recognize the spiritual battle that daily rages around me. Teach me to rely not on the flesh but Spirit-empowered weapons to wage and win the fight.

I'm praying for you.
Pastor Mark

Proving our Confession

"Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else." 2 Corinthians 9:13

The genuineness of our confession of Christ is proved out in our obedience to Him and in our growing likeness to Him. In the context of this verse the obedience is in the form of generosity toward others. Generously giving out of the blessings that God has given me demonstrates the authenticity of my confession and shows that I am becoming more like Jesus.

Father, may my confession of Christ be manifest more and more in obedience and generosity so that Christ is clearly seen in my life.

I'm praying for you.
Pastor Mark

Extreme Generosity

"...they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will."
2 Corinthians 8:5

The explanation for the extreme, sacrificial generosity of the Macedonian (northern Greece) Christians (see 8:1-2) was that first and foremost they had given themselves to God.

Once we have given ourselves to God then sacrifice and generosity toward Him naturally follows. If we have not fully given ourselves to God then sacrifice and generosity toward Him and His work will be reluctantly given if at all. But if we have understood and experienced His sacrifice and generosity toward us in Christ (8:9) we cannot help but respond in the same way toward Him.

If we have a problem with giving our goods for God then we need to evaluate whether we have given our life to God.

Father, I give myself to You today and lay before You all that I have for Your service.

I'm praying for you.
Pastor Mark

Serious Holiness

"Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God." 2 Corinthians 7:1

The promises of God's presence among us (6:16) and His intimate relationship with us (6:18) should serve to motivate us to seek complete holiness of life. For only through holiness will we realize the fulfillment of these promises in our daily experience. God is holy and He will only manifest His glorious presence where holiness is pursued.

It is complete holiness of body and spirit (outward and inward) that is required. We cannot seek merely the outward appearance of holiness. We must seek holiness in the most hidden places of our life if we are to experience God in our life and work. We must also remember that holiness is God's work through the cross of Christ and the indwelling of His Spirit in our life. If we seek it, He will provide it (and He alone can).

Father, forgive me for being content with just enough holiness to get by. Fill me with such a longing for Your presence that nothing less than the pursuit of complete holiness will do.

I'm praying for you.
Pastor Mark

Favor

I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation. 2 Corinthians 6:2b

We've lost the perspective of those who lived in Jesus' time. What must it have been like to discover that, after the better part of 2,000 years, God had fulfilled His promise to Abraham. The Messiah had finally come!

This is why Paul could state emphatically, "now is the day of salvation" and rejoice to have the privilege of living in that day. The coming of Christ was something to be excited about!

For us, now is still the time of God's favor, and salvation is still open to all who will follow Christ. We don't realize how blessed we are to live in this time because we can't remember when salvation was not available. (And remember, there is a time when the day of salvation will come to an end)!

Father, thank You, thank You, thank You for saving me. Thank you for allowing me to experience Your favor.

Rejoicing with you,
Jim

One Day

Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:6-7

One day we will no longer live by faith. One day we will see God. But for right now, our home is the physical body that we describe as "myself," and we are unable to actually see God. No, for now we live by faith.

Though God is always present (unseen, but real), we are "away" from Him and long to be "clothed with our heavenly dwelling." This is not "away" from the Lord as when fellowship with Him is broken because of sin. This "away" is just the fact that we are not yet in heaven with Him.

To be sure, some day we will be away from this body (as it now is) and at home with God!

Father, thank You for giving us reason to rejoice!

Looking forward to the Day,
Jim

Spiritual Nearsightedness

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:17

What great perspective! If only I would live life with the understanding that today’s problems were insignificant when compared to eternity. For most of us eternity is associated with a future and never-ending time. But there is more to eternity to than that. Eternity is a present reality that brings with it the promise of heaven and fellowship with God.

We live as spiritual beings in a physical world. Life is full of turmoil and trouble, but it is also temporary. And the glory of heaven will make our present struggles seem trivial. Living according to these truths depends upon our faith. As the writer of Hebrews puts it, “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we can not see.” (Heb. 11:1)

Father, I confess that the concerns of this world have caused me to become nearsighted spiritually. Grow my faith. Give me confidence in what I hope for so that I can live with an eternal perspective.

Praying for You,

Matt

Celebrating Freedom

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

– 2 Corinthians 3:17

I thought it would be appropriate to discuss this verse on the heels of July 4th. In America we enjoy tremendous freedoms. But what is true freedom? Or maybe the better question is where can true freedom be found? The answer is the Spirit of God. Because regardless of what nation we reside in or who is in a position of power none of us can experience freedom apart from God. In our flesh we are slaves to sin and powerless to defeat our oppressor, Satan. No military might can over power him. But in Christ we have victory over sin and death, and nothing can rob us of these freedoms, ever. We are children of God and Christ has secured our inheritance.

Lord, help me to no longer live as a slave to sin, and remember that through your Spirit I can enjoy a free and abundant life.

Praying for You,
Matt

Godly Confrontation

For I wrote to you out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you. -2 Corinthians 2:4

Paul had a deep affection for the Corinthian church. He loved them so much that he was unwilling to overlook their sinful, selfish ways. He lovingly confronted them about their immoral members and practices; calling them to exercise church discipline and pursue holiness. Even though confronting the church placed serious strain upon their relationship and even caused some to attack Paul’s credibility, Paul knew that it was what would be best for them. His actions showed that he was more concerned with their well-being that he was about being liked.

Like Paul we must be willing to confront those that we love. This boils down to the second greatest commandment, love your neighbor as yourself. If we aren’t willing to confront the ones we love about the sin in their lives it shows that we don’t truly love them.

What’s more compelling; your desire to be well-liked or your love for others?

Lord, help me to love others more than I love myself. Give me the courage to confront my brothers/sisters in Christ who aren’t following your ways. When I do confront them, help me to avoid the judgmental attitudes and passive-aggressive behavior that would hurt them, but fill me with compassion, love and grace so that they may be restored.

God of Comfort

3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

Paul begins his second letter to the church in Corinth reminding them that God is a God of comfort. So, what is it that Paul is referring to here? The English definition of comfort means to give strength and the Greek word means to come alongside and help. Does God promise to get us out of the storms or troubles in life? No, but he does promise to comfort and give us strength if we will turn to Him in the middle of a storm. I really enjoy listening to songs and another song that comes to mind is “Praise you in this storm” by Casting Crowns. Here are a few lyrics from this song:
I lift my eyes unto the hillsWhere does my help come from?My help comes from the LordThe Maker of Heaven and Earth
And I'll praise You in this stormAnd I will lift my handsFor You are who You areNo matter where I amAnd every tear I've criedYou hold in Your handYou never left my sideAnd though my heart is tornI will praise You in this storm

Paul reassures us that God is a God of comfort. No matter what storm or troubles we may be going through, God will see us through it if we will lift our heads high and turn to Him.

Father, help me to weather the storms in my life. To many times I have tried to manage on my own and I need your strength and your help. Thank you that you never abandon me and you carry me through these tough storms.

Your Servant
Chris