Maryj

God is over all...It is God's plan that all will bow down and worship the Lord in unity...under the only one who is Lord of all...The end will come and all will be subject to Jesus Christ...Jesus will not vomr back as one who was slain but as King with authority to put all under him...

I have been redeemed the moment I accepted Jesus Christ...knowing what he did on the cross for me paid in full for me to be free from slavery...if it not of been for His redemption..I would be dead and in hell..without any hope of the future on this earth but more important...eternal seperation from God..

To be adopted is to be given full rights...before, I could not have rightstanding with God..but God in his compassion to us, sent jesus that we could once again have rightstanding...I guess one could say reconcilliation...where sin seperated us from God..through Jesus, we are once again grafted on to the vine...It is encouraging to know the compassion and mercy of God towards me...

We have been told not to forsake the fellowship...When we do..we are not encouraged and cannot encourage others...ministry is encouragement...this world thinks ministry is a concert...the blessings of the fellowship strenghtens the body...

Wishy washy christians...a compromised church...I see this all the time...christians who tell me it is not their gift to tell people the gospel..ministers that are afraid if they mention repentance it will cause loss of congregation...false teaching on the tube that swallows so many in the false teaching of prosperity..and then we read in the word how the Lord cleared the temple...I wonder why people call themselves christians when they deny the power thereof...poeple who go to church once and live the way they please and call themselves christians...it is as if the word "christian" is a cliche...but what about conversion?...insread of numbers that churches compete, where are the true conversions?...No wonder this world thinks christians are wishy washy...from what they see of people who call themselves "christians" is not christian...it is definately our lives that is the witness and true christians possess the power of God and display it in their lives and this is what the world rejects just as the world rejected Jesus...I believe thre is a great falling away and many are reverting to new age philosophy..morals without conversion in Christ...the feel good about yourself books that have replaced the Word of God for many do not want to obey the Word of God thinking God is a loving God and will overlook their selfish life...The churches that are endowed with the power of God are not the big congregations, but the congregations that have within it the converted who know the Word and move in the power of the Holy Spirit...the ones that preach repentance and bring into the church the unlovely that are the rejects of society...We have work to do..we were given a command and it has to be fulfilled...pray..and go in the name of Jesus...the power is in His name...

W

I cried when I read this..The church of Ephesis lost their first love...without the love of God..we cannot love one another...the lost cannot see the love in us...congregations are full of people that do not know eachother and oft times many leave and are quickly replaced by others who eventually leave for lack of love among the brethren who do not even know the people who left.......our mission is to love the Lord our God...and through it..we know how to love one another..encourage and disciple..the prayer in the upper room brought the Holy Spirit for they prayed in one accord...and it was repentance that came afterward...I pray your church will come together and pray in one accord...revival is when it starts in a heart and burns like wildfire to others...

I love this question...We are powerless when we do not pray with faith believing...there are many congregations and movements who do not preach the cross..much less mention repentance...but what they do mention is miracles for finaces..healing...etc...churches that are more like a large social organization...bowling lanes and all...this attracts people to these things...not the cross.....and it is wise to discern many of the faith movements... ...many are seeking a God that gives what is only of use to the flesh...but...the gate is narrow and to pray for opportunity to minister salvation and to disciple is what is so important...in it...salvation is real...not dependant on a quick fix...for the way of the Lord is not easy...but...we are in this world but for a little while...and it is faith believing we have obtained salvation and eternal life and by grace we can live each day with that hope and have faith in what the Lord has said in His word will come to pass..

I hunger for holiness and it is the bread of life that has to be eaten everyday and to hold fast to the word of God...for it is life..it becomes our existance...to be transformed by it...I was thinking on this all day today..how we live in this world with all it's trappings of false doctrine that traps those who do not know the will of God for their lives as they do not know His word and fall away and their lives are wrecked because they put their lives in their own hands...I kept thinking walk in the light...and that takes obeying and trusting no matter what falls in front of me...and holiness is being apart from this world even though we live in it...Today...an Amish town, which the Amish live in a place of seclusion, but still the evil of this world is there no matter where you go..This little town experienced it and it was so sad..but the Lord wants us to live in this world trusting Him that even in the face of evil, we can stand holy and blameless in our reaction towards it..

To be holy is to be renewed in the mind..to put off the old man and put on Christ..The only way I can be holy before the Lord is to obey His word and apply it daily to my life that my mind will be cleansed by the washing of the Word...to obey puts us in line with God's will and it is what changes us and brings us to maturity and holiness when we obey His word...I stand blameless because of the blood that brings me redemption, reconcilliation, cleansing, sanctification and because of the blood I can dwell everyday in the holiness of God...for He sees the blood that covers me...and that gives me confidence in the victory I have in the Lord...it is why I pray constantly to die to self and try to obey His word...it is what is really changing me..obedience...

Hello...My name is Maryjane..I am excited about this bible study...I love to read the word and it is important to apply it to my life...I grew up going to church everytime the door was poened...but all the time I went to church...I did not know the Lord...the reason I know this is that my life did not change...i did what I wanted to do when I wanted to do it...I lived a life of pure "self'...I accepted the Lord when I was 29...and ever since..there has been change in my life...I have found the Lord to be more than I ever thought possible...I cannot even begin to tell you all He has done that I do not deserve but yet..He bestows His love to me and it is the reason I worship and praise Him for I know what I once was...I minister much in music which is a blessing because I was the least talented in my family...although music is good...it is the word that goes before it that is more important...to make sure nothing comes before the word of God...when we are saved...we are given a main ministry and that is to go and tell...and that is my ministry...without knowing the word..there is no ministry...Thank you for letting me be a part of this study...I love to learn the word...

Chosen by the Father...chosen because a Soverign God loved us so much He gave His Son to once again bring us back into fellowship with Him through Jesus...I am in Christ because it is His blood that covers me..if I am clothed in anything..it is the blood of Jesus that was shed for me that I can have redemption...It has changed my life...I am not what I once was...an orpan..but now a child of God...Through His word...it changes what is so important..my heart and mind...and the heart motivates the mind...I am not saying I am perfect..far from it...but I have been given hope that in his word it says..."He who began a good work in you is faithful to complete it...

Paul wanted the Ephesians to be aware of their position in Christ...and to motivate them to draw upon upon their spiritual source in daily living...to draw upon it that they could do the will of God and not loose their salt..In Revelation, the church of Ephesians lost their first love...the zeal they once had at redemption that gave them cause to rely daily on the Lord...to put the Lord first...I believe in the church today...many have lost their first love as repentance is not mentioned...nor is it mentioned of all we possess in Christ...in which to strengthen the church...talk about losing the salt...many in the congregations have lost their salt and do not know it...and for Paul to remind the Ephesians of their position in Christ and to draw upon the one that gives us what we need to fulfill our purpose is what we need to hear today...In that..we do not need to worry over witnessing...praying...and especially worshipping and praising for it is out of Thankfulness of awarness of who we are in Christ...and the absolute of what Christ alone has done..What we need to do to fulfill this purpose is found in complete surrender to the will of God...only then can our salt never lose it's flavor and all ministry we partake that God has given will flourish and give glory only to the Lord..

It is preordained that all should come to know the Lord...We have been given free will...and through it..we make the choce..our choices can carry great consequences...but mercy is there and we can find it if we are willing to surrender to God's will..What scares me is myself..It is so comforting to know the Lord never forsakes me..Paul reminded the Ephesians of their hope and assurance and that is a great encouragement even now in these times...How can we not praise the Lord for what He continues to do day by day in our lives when we surrender our lives to His will knowing his plan is for good towards us... God gave us a free will..a will to choose..as his word says..choose ye this dat who you will serve...ther eis no argument in this for the Lord gives no argument but plea...that we trust Him in that He sent His Son, Jesus to pay the price for our redemption...to believe and trust His word as it is true as every promise He has given is proven true...Our true witness to others is our lives..to live a life worthy of His calling and the Lord calls each and everyone..it is the heart of man that accepts or rejects...

Excuse me..I did not realize I could post the rest of my reply as I did not know what the length of the reply should be... when I think about Epesians...I think of the equipping of the saints...How the Lord gives us all we need and it is in Him...to know his word above all and to put to use every word He has given as it is truly our sword and our shield..We have been saved to glorify God..and the main objective in my life is that...to give glory and honor to the Lord...and when I think of this...I think of how much the Lord loves me inspite of myself and how He brings changes to me for good that bring s my life to holiness...I know we have eternal life and I praise the Lord but I praise Him more for who is is and for His mercy that He should love me and give me such blessing in knowing Him and that He knows me...I can say without a doubt...I know the Lord and he knows me...and it gives me strength everyday to know that I can rest in Him through every situation...am free from this world's excuse for sin and it's cure for it as of people many people in therapy of some sort..more money is spent on trying to find themselfs..when the problem is self without the Lord...

We have been given redemption through the blood of Jesus...through redemption, inheritance..to once again be united with the Fathr through Jesus and Jesus alone...Our hope is in Jesus who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing...Grace motivates me...that through His grace..I can live each day knowing where I stand in Christ and that it is eternal...An absolute...Even through the trials...trust becomes stronger...for it increases faith..The non-believer has no hope for what they hope in is earthly pleasure that fades...this world teaches "self'..and "self' fails and gives no absolute...no promise of what is eternal..The non-believer does not know the love of the creator...and cannot know the blessings which only Christ can give...and worse..are cut off from the Father....