By Evangelist Linda J
July 2018
Praise the Lord my brothers and sisters, I read Ephesians 2 as instructed by our cell leader last night as we couldn’t physically meet as a group. I read it in The Passion Translation. What a beautiful rendering such graphic and majestic imagery. I fell off to sleep on the settee before I finished …. It is July 2018 in the UK and unusually hot and humid at night ….but let me return to pick out some nuggets for you which I have summarised in places – I will end with a prayer.
Ephesians 2
– its says ‘his fullness fills us even though we were dead corpse and full of sins’
Even when we were dead and doomed in our many sins, he united us into the very life of Christ and saved us by his wonderful grace!
Raised with Christ with glorious perfection and authority of the heavenly – now co-seated with him – I have seen this in a dream so i know it to be true.
Throughout the coming ages we will see the visible display of the infinite, limitless riches of his grace and kindness, which was showered upon us in Jesus
We have become his poetry, a re-created people that will fulfill the destiny he has given each of us, for we are joined to Jesus, the Anointed One. Even before we were born, God planned in advance, our destiny and the good works we would do to fulfill it! But it is nothing we did to give us salvation but the gracious gift from God that brought us to Christ!
Let me just copy and paste the rest section as i cannot abbreviate it, it is too beautiful .
“So don’t forget that you were not born as Jews and were uncircumcised (circumcision itself is just a work of man’s hands); you had none of the Jewish covenants and laws; you were foreigners to Israel’s incredible heritage; you were without the covenants and prophetic promises of the Messiah, the promised hope, and without God.
13 Yet look at you now! Everything is new! Although you were once distant and far away from God, now you have been brought delightfully close to him through the sacred blood of Jesus—you have actually been united to Christ!
14 Our reconciling “Peace” is Jesus! He has made Jew and non-Jew one in Christ. By dying as our sacrifice, he has broken down every wall of prejudice that separated us and has now made us equal through our union with Christ. 15 Ethnic hatred has been dissolved by the crucifixion of his precious body on the cross. The legal code that stood condemning every one of us has now been repealed by his command. His triune essence has made peace between us by starting over—forming one new race of humanity, Jews and non-Jews fused together!
16 Two have now become one, and we live restored to God and reconciled in the body of Christ. Through his crucifixion, hatred died. 17 For the Messiah has come to preach this sweet message of peace to you, the ones who were distant, and to those who are near.
So let me now turn it into a prayer before the day gets the better of me and with many distractions.
My Prayer
Father God, I thank you for your word. Your word continues to be a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Lord I know your word is forever settled in heaven. Thank you for you have made us one with you through Christ. Even though stiff necked and dead in our sins, ignorant of you, you went running after us and brought us back to where we belong – delightfully close to you – near to your heart. You softened us, breathed life into us. Though stinking and decaying, you reclaimed us as your own. You washed us, restored us. Your fullness fills us – you have reconciled us in and with, your peace.
You broke down every high thing every wall that could have separated us from you. Although we spurned you and denied you – once we turned, you did not give railing for railing, or spite for spite. You forgave us. You were not ashamed to own us , or to have us sitting next to you in heavenly places.
Through your sacrifice every hatred and curse has been abolished and you have better things and better plans for us.
Just look at us now !
Lord, you have made us one ! No hierarchy in race or gender. Ethnic hatred has been dissolved by the suffering on the cross. You have formed one new race, one new man, no one left out who doesn’t want to be. You have given us an incredible heritage, incredible power and incredible authority. Spiritual lively stones, building up your spiritual house.
Your promises to us remain Yes, and Amen and planned in advance of us arriving here on earth.
Lord you have gone to prepare a table for us, in the heavenly realm and whilst we wait, we have full access to the limitless, riches of your glory and grace.
Just watch us go!
How we love you. How we love your peace and what you stand for. You rule and reign in righteousness.
Eradicate in us all that stands for tumult and unhappiness, death and destruction. Help us to look after and love each other, even as you have loved us.
Illuminate in us more light and life, more wisdom, more faith to do of your good pleasure.
In you with have our song, our prose, our dance our every movement and our being.
Continue to crown us with your glory and grace.
Your daughter
Linda J