Helen

Authorities (government, work, parental etc) are there by God's order and appointment. To rebel against them is to rebel against God. Rebelliousness is as witchcraft. Except where they place themselves above God, we are to support authorities and the peace they bring. To do otherwise is to bring in division, dissension and anarchy, which everyone recognises as ungodly behavior. Since God put the authorities in place, we honour Him by submitting cheerfully to them.

God's power works in us! There is much more power there than we can ever imagine! Power has to be turned on before it can operate - at least that is so with the electricity in my house. In order for the power that is established in us (like the wiring in my house) we have to plug into the wiring, ie attach ourselves securely into the Spirit of God. This took Jesus 40 wilderness fasting days. It took Joshua 40 years of devoted full time service to Moses. It took a complete turn around after near drowning for Jonah. It took huge repentance with Peter, even after exercising a healing and deliverance ministry under Jesus. For John it took pressing right through the pain of being boiled in oil, before Patmos, to receive the Revelation. It takes huge integrity, all of one's passion, focussed time, love, endurance, determination that the Lord be glorified in every part of one's life. It takes overcoming by the power of His might. It is overcoming that wins the crown (Rev 2&3) Faith without works is dead, and this is the outworking of our faith. When we are walking in the good works that God has prepared for us to walk in, (healing, salvation, deliverance etc) everyone will come running to find out, as they did with Jesus.

The church is his body, ie part of Him. As a man and woman in marriage become one flesh, so we are betrothed to Him to become one with Him. As the head orders everything for (the benefit of) the body, so Jesus orders everything for the benefit of the church. We share with Him, living bread, Life, heartbeat, mindset, power, authority, inheritance, motivation (love), even to some extent glory (except that we will throw our crowns at His feet because He it is who did all the hard work and, alone, accomplished this position for us!) The church should be operating as one with Jesus, in the fullness of His person and power etc. Again it depends on us, the church, overcoming our carnal nature and entering fully into all that God has prepared for us, even now.

We are inheritors with Him! We are reborn children like Jesus who is the "firstborn (of the resurrection power of God) of many". He shares (gives to us in His Name) the same authority that He wielded over all things when He was "in the flesh". Although we still sin, we have the power to overcome (see promises to overcomers in Rev 2 & 3) and to become like Jesus Christ the annointed one in very many respects. It's like "as Jesus is to God, so are we to Jesus". If He loved us and gave us His only Son, will He not also with Him give us all things? We lack nothing (Psalm 23?1). It rather depends on our determination to overcome, I think!

He demonstrates clearly that God & Jesus realm is way superior to the realm of spirits - far above them. He is likening the Greek spirits in a way to satan's evil angels and declaring the huge degree of God's superiority to any spirit. Jesus is at the level of God, way above these so called heavenly beings, at the right hand of God (place of earned honour, I think). The power of Greek gods, demons etc is insignificant compared to the creating power of God to whom they are all subject. These beings occupy a much lower realm than that of God and Jesus. Not only that but God specifically put all things in subjection to Jesus. Their opposition to Him simply means that Jesus controls them with only His feet, (as David subjugated Goliath under his feet before removing his head!) signifying His utter disdain for them. "Under His feet" = "LOSER"

! Peter 2:12 speaks of honorable conduct. Unfortunately I find that a very rare commodity among Christians, who seem willing to cheat customers (eg women over car repairs) and the taxation department with the best of them! Many Christians are faithful until it requires them to give up "control and manipulation", or be thoughtful towards their wives or husbands! However I find that the general public know exactly when behaviour is not Christian and are not slow to say so! This week a dear elderly neighbour of mine saw major problems with the girl her son was seeing. This girl spoke about Jesus a great deal, but could not bring herself to greet her boyfriend's mother, and in other ways was very rude/abusive/manipulative to her. What she had to say about this girl being a Christian doesn't bear repetition! There's one man in our church quite happy to cheat his next door neighbour who is handicapped, but is quite sure that I should constantly forgive him even though he continues in this practice. (Well it may not be for me to judge - condemn - him, but it certainly is for me to discern when my brother is getting a raw deal. I still refuse to shake hands with this man as this seems to implicate me in his behaviour by tacit approval. I will restore the handshake when he begins to take care of his handicapped neighbour!) People at large don't necessarily expect honour in general, but they certainly do of self-proclaimed Christians, and are very blunt about their opinions where it is lacking! Also I heard that at one time in China it was highly recommended to do business with Christian missionaries as they always did exactly as they promised. This was a very strange phenomena in China. It glorified God!

Paul is referring to the "eyes of their understanding". Our spiritual understanding is returned to us as we are born again (Adam lost it, Christ repurchased us from death into Life!). We can now discern eg the hope of our calling, the riches of our inheritance, with these spiritual eyes. What an awakening! Their eyes of understanding had been disfunctional since Adam submitted to satan - his understanding (of spiritual things deadened. His power is operative in the believer. It is the same mighty power that raised Jesus from the dead - operative in us. It awakens us from Adam's acquired death (of any spiritual sensitivities) into Jesus' Life! Imagine life without hearing, sight, touch, taste and smell! They are our physical senses. We'd not be living to the max without them - to put it mildly! Jesus' Life brings alive our spiritual sensitivities, gifts of the spirit,(apostles, prophets, teachers,evangelists,pastors) our own spiritual language with amazing power beyond even our comprehension,LOVE (as described in 1 Cor 13), forgiveness, graciousness, ability to discern the spirits, the whole armour of God with which to fight victoriously with the evil one, effective prayer, wisdom, corporate knowledge of where God is at, and very much else besides! These things are not at all known or understood in the normal world, nor can they be by one who is not "born again". The world is limited to carnal and some intellectual function which is powerless to deal with human nature. How mightily we are blessed! How amazing it is that Benny Hinn had Kenneth Copeland on his program getting wildly excited over this very thing this morning and yesterday ( in Australia)! In other ways these thoughts have been bearing in on me lately. I believe this is what God wants His people to understand very clearly at this particular time. Thank you Pastor Ralph, for being there to foster this in the Spirit with this study! I believe God wants the power of His people to increase dramatically in its effectiveness at "such a time as this". We are all so blessed to be part of it!

We are sojourners and pilgrims, ie out of our homeland - which is Heaven. Therefore don't get comfortable in the world. Don't participate in its ungodly, animal-like activities which despoil our soul (mind, emotions, and power to determine). This reminder helps us remember WHO we are, and therefore where our loyalties lie. As a team football player would not normally turn around and kick goals for the other side, neither should we!

We are here representing our Father. As such we are on royal commission (and must meet the obligations of that) remembering above all WHOM we represent. Though our feet walk the earth, our hearts and heads are in Heaven with our God, and like Him, we are holy (see Phil 4:8) thinking and behaving like Him. Motivated entirely by love, we proclaim His praises (by this shall all men know that you are My disciples, if you love one another). People long for love and will be attracted out of darkness (lovelessness) into His marvellous light. For this work we are chosen. How wonderful is that?!.

I think all the disciplines God applies to us benefit us greatly. Praise "in spirit and in truth" delilghts God, yet I believe we are the one who really benefit. We are designed to be creatures of praise and we certainly fuction most joyfully and prosperously by so doing continuously. In times of trouble and persecution we are to offer praise - Why? - the joy of the Lord is our strength! How? Continuously, with music, dancing, in sickness and in health, in thanksgiving and in hope, (great expectation) speaking to one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, studying scripture, and in utter trust as a child of God, remembering that obedience is the real sacrifice He wants from us!

A priest always offered up sacrifices. Christians as priests live a sacrificial life (living sacrifice), preferring one another, (we cannot love God whom we cannot see if we cannot love people whom we can see!). We are looking for every opportunity to bless someone, for wisdom to win hearts to Jesus, for truth to light the path. The Christian/priest thinks about others before himself, ministers carefully to his/her family, (1 Tim 3:12), offers a daily sacrifice of praise and worship to the Most High God, waiting upon Him. This mindset tells me that my life is about (i) Jesus, (ii) people, (iii) my own needs. (" J-o-y, j-o-y, this is what it means, Jesus first, yourself last, and others in between" to quote the children's song) I must spend daily time with Jesus so as to be on track with Him. I must seek opportunities to minister love and truth to people - that was Jesus priority - I do that on a phone & face-to-face ministry, with people living near me (in housing commission homes mostly) and to people in the groups I mix with (outside my church). Everything achieved in these ways glorifies my Lord and blesses me tremendously.

Hallo everybody, from Australia down under! It is very exciting to read about you all and to think we will all share together in this study. We are just finishing a study on Ephesians at church, so I'm very excited to do this one while it's still fresh, as I'm sure there will be many different revelations coming from another perspective. How blessed we are to be able to study this way - thanks Pastor Ralph! Your plan for this study sounds fantastic. I'm involved in music to some extent, telephone ministry, theophostic healing ministry, and evangelism in my district which produces the most amazing people! How wonderful is our Father in His outrageous love for each one of them.

I have on many occasions been made to feel worthless to certain people who were important in my life. However I could never really accept that valuation of me. I think I have to thank my Baptist Sunday School (we left the district when I was ten) for giving me enough faith to last until, at the age of eighteen, I met and surrendered, with almost blinding (as in when the sun shines so brightly it blinds you) hope and joy, to Jesus. The Blood of Jesus was a totally inestimable value to place on me. At a prayer meeting once, Jesus said to me, "You are worth everything I suffered for you". God's love for me has no horizon. "If He gave us His only Son, will He not also with him freely give us all things?" My balance sheet and financial assets are neutral things and do not impress God. The only things I can take to heaven with me are other people. People are worth the Blood of Jesus and greatly to be prized. We should always invest heavily in people. This is the mind of Christ.

I believe that our culture, though generally pagan these days, has a Christian background. Therefore many concepts from Scripture are still strongly present, even if in a corrupted form. For example we love the concept of freedom, forgetting that it originally meant freedom (deliverance?) from bondage, sin, guilt, and contained the resonsibility to do good for others. Do not judge one another is another concept the pagan society has corrupted, and would therefore have people "coming out" with things that, in the past, were considered sin. This new concept of "not judging" enables peope to flaunt all sorts of sin and sternly reprimand (judge) those who object to it! They feel vindicated in their sin and superior because they do not "judge" it. However, they feel that our different behaviours as Christians are judgemental. so they can accuse us, even though we have said nothing, because, at a deeper level, they know better - are convicted. Final judgement will be the most appallingly sad time for God, because his love abounds to everyone, but His holiness is completely inviolate. The Truth is only the Truth if we preach the whole picture. Everyone is aware of God (Romans 1:20....without excuse) and aware to some extent of our own short-comings. GOD IS ( I AM). We fall short. Rectifying that situation is the central theme of the Good News, which offers us a way out of this dilemma - namely Jesus. Without the concept of final judgement there is no basis for the Good News. It's a one legged chair and won't achieve anything, won't redeem anyone, can't explain the crucifixion or the Blood, and doesn't call for sacrifice. It's a faceless, powerless farce with no power to save, heal, deal with miracles, raise faith, develop wisdom, no concept of accountability. In fact there is no reason for Jesus to have come at all! There is no reason to call God Holy, no reason for morality or anything better than brute animal behaviour (shades of Hitler, Nero...) It's what I call bad news to the max!

I meditate a great deal on this word "holiness". I get terribly excited about it and thank God constantly for His holiness, which seems to me to be the whole essence of everything. To say it is the Almighty Energy for everything good, wonderful, beautiful, noble, excellent, joyful, gentle, adorable, heroic, pure and unblemished, creative, futuristic, is to undermine its worth terribly, because our imaginations cannot yet awaken to its whole meaning. "When we've been there ten thousand years" we might just begin to understand. What an adventure, finding out!. Isn't it amazing? God chose me for holiness before the foundation of the world, and He will do it! 1Corinthians 13:1-3 puts it in a nutshell. If we do not love, we are nothing but a hateful caccophany, a frightfully noisy jangle. We always obey, imitate, excitedly anticipate, follow, communicate with those we love. For a child it's mother or father, for a teenager it's a pop star or mentor, for an adult it's football, business, materialism, pokies, what other people think. Obedience/serving is part of loving. Love doesn't exist without it. My little ***** (right sense of the word!) loves her puppies, cares for them, serves them, meets their needs, answers their cries, protects them. It is wonderful to watch her. There is no holiness without love, and no love without obedience/service. My biggest struggle with holiness is getting my mind around the word, let alone imitating it. But I love that word. Maybe that is a start!

We have privileges that the angels would love to have! We hope for the grace of becoming sons/daughters of God, receiving an inheritance with Him. This is an established fact, not a hope with remnants of doubt running through it. Our future is sealed in Christ! One day, one way or another we will meet Him (whether here or there). We will be rewarded for what we have done well for Him. It's like working towards graduation day. We are excited about that day and work hard for it. Like Jesus going forward to crucifixion, we see the reward and the joy beyond and press toward that. It will be wonderful to meet our Jesus. We prepare for Him as for a most honoured guest. We want things right for Him! He asks, "Will I find faith on the earth when I come?" We answer, "Yes, Oh Yes Lord Jesus!' He is our Bridegroom. Brides prepare all their young lives for their wedding with incredible concentration, anticipation, excitement, absorption and singlemindedness. So let it be with us! Biblical hope has no element of doubt or maybe. It is a certainty. We CAN put all our eggs in one basket because Jesus is total reality all the way. If He says He will come, then absolutely nothing can stand in His way. "Whoopee! Yeehaaaa! etc." Self control because we want Him to be delighted with us when He comes. Hopefulness because this event was written before the foundation of the earth! I don't want to fritter any more of my life in blasee dullness. The joy is in the cerainty of His coming, of our inheritance of His rule. That's where I want to live.

Inexpressible and glorious Christian joy comes of knowledge of salvation. This includes forgiveness, citizenship of Heaven, knowing that one is "kept" (= guarded and protected), having awakened to a new life, and to a new perspective like that of Jesus. There is much emotion involved, but it's origin and base is not in the emotions, but in the newly born/awakened spirit. This joy: cannot be generated by unregenerate man, is unrelated to life's circumstances, is in the area of spirit which is still dead in the carnal man who will certainly be operating in the pursuit of happiness. The pursuit of happiness (gratification) is animal function (think about it). The inexpressible glorious joy of the Christian is born of the Spirit. The genuine article remains constant in times of apparent success or in times of destitution . We are at all times joyful that our God reigns over all! No-one can take it from us! In times of happiness we praise and thank our God. In times of destitution we go straight to our God for help, strength, patience, direction, - whatever we need, and still give thanks, with great joy and relief, that we can do this!

I was going through difficult times when I first received Jesus, and I often think I'd rather anything than not to know Him. He uses every difficult circumstance to develop our faith and understanding of our Great God. How else would we learn? Lately He has been using a time of illness to draw me closer to Him. He has shown me the orign of my problem, and I am very secure in the knowledge that He will bring me out of it. Through my difficulties he has given me a powerful ministry to people in similar difficulties. It's so exciting to see people free of their problem! He has increased my faith in giant strides, and now is taking me on another wonderful journey in faith. I am absolutely certain that the unimaginable is totally possible with God! Tested faith develops our maturity and ability to minister to others. Their joy brings great glory to God.

Those of us who have grasped at (vigorously received)the living hope (v3) have entered the quickening, the new birth. God has begotten us again. (Just imagine! Jesus Himself was begotten, not made!) Father births us in the spirit, and then powerfully protects (guards, keeps, watches over, sets His angels round about) us. cf Romans 8:38, 39 Neither death, nor life, nor principalities (demonic) nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Our part is to rejoice, give thanks, praise adoration and worship, and walk in this new life, and introduce others! That is our faith (in the sense of keeping faith with God, for He certainly keeps faith with us! )

The sprinkling of the Blood provides the opportunity for us to enter into the great love relationship with Jesus, Father and Holy Spirit. Relationship is a two-way thing built of mutual love. Scripture says that if we love Him we will obey Him (with delight for all the benefits this brings us!). Without this we have no relationship and have failed to grasp the opportunity! Any deepening relationship involves both parties agreeing, co-operating, working together. A major part of this relationship development is that we, who have been forgiven, extend that forgiveness to any person who offends us. We are to see the offender as Jesus sees us, and practice the spiritual law that states that "love overcomes a multitude of sins". For these reasons it is evident that you cannot have one without the other. Obedient faith is a product of our love for Jesus. But we love Him because He first loved us - and showed us the meaning of the word! So it all comes from Him. That is GRACE

Such a Christian is more worried about affairs of his world than those of Faith, and talks more about worldly things. Maybe he seeks still to please men rather than God. He is lost in his own problems or ideas. "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" seems to be the desciptive text. As you get to know people you can discern this. Jesus says we need to "build treasure in Heaven where moth and rust do not corrupt and thieves do not break in and steal." I'm still training myself to please God and not people. It comes right by spending much time with God in prayer, meditation and study of the Word. This way Father can correct our mindset. We also need to have confidence in God above all else, self-discipline to spend the time with God to develop the relationship and to obey scripture, as it is written (not using it to prove our own agenda!)and the instruction of the Holy Spirit. determination to go through whatever it takes And most importantly, it is all done for love of Jesus - within the "first love" context. "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness (which originates in His Love), and all these things will be added unto you.

I'd have to say that it would make other things pale in comparison to this amazing event. Half the world was turned upside down when the twin towers were "planed", just one of millions of man's atrocities to man. This is insignificant compared to (i) the birth of Messiah as a human baby (which was noted by some shepherds, magi, and Herod by the death of all Bethlehem babies, prophetess Anna and an old man, Simeon), His life, death and resurrection, and (ii) His second coming in clouds of glory to rule the earth with a rod of iron! I would have to, and indeed must, devote my life to preparing for that day - winning and discipling souls, prayer, and practising His Presence.

We can all point to times when we have been in these horrid categories, in thought if not in deed! Therefore everyone of us must wash robes in Jesus righteousness (blood) without which we can have no part of Him. In the washing we are sanctified (made holy). and justified (given the garments of righteousness which we can by no means make for ourselves, our righteousnesses being filthy rags compared to the good works He has prepared for us to walk in. Rev 21:7 promises this heritage to "he who conquers". Our hearts must be in the right place, deeply seeking relationship with God, with obedience. This is the only way God can see that we value the relationship - we put everything into it, as indeed God already has done. This is the only way to have communion with Him. This is how the relationship becomes mutual, how we can become friends of God.

Jesus sees us as living parts of a living body which we call church and He calls His Bride, alias the Heavenly Jerusalem. Every living part is vital to Him. Every part He has made very beautiful and complete, holy and suitable for His habitation, or for marriage and co-habitation with Him. It comes from Heaven, so every part has been cleansed in the River of Life and glorified (as He had to be glorified and cleansed when He left earth to return to the Father's presence). This holy city is His delight, His Life's work, His joy and fufilment.

The water of Life from the throne of God flows into the 12 fruits of the Tree of Life. We on earth can begin to participate in that (Isaiah 55:1) by drinking of the Holy Spirit, eating of theWord of God (bread of Life) and so being constantly changed into the likeness of Christ. this seems to be the "mystery" that was revealed in Christ in the New Testament, pre-empted by God's covenant with David in the Old Testament. The whole process is wonderfully described in Isaiah 55, with the consequence that we "go out with joy" and are "led forth in peace". The gift is free to us because Jesus paid the full price - His Blood - which no other man could pay. Let him who hears say "Come". We have the commission to extend that invitation throughout all the earth. This is our life's business.