The relationship between the heavenly Lord Jesus Christ and His earthly body, the Church. Christ now reigns 'far above all principality and power and might and dominion and has put all things under His feet'. Exalted though He is, Jesus has not drifted off into the heavens and forgotten His peoples. Rather, so fully does He identify with the Church that the Lord Jesus is the head and His body, which He fills with His presence.

This you can tell from the strength of his power at work in Christ...He has put all things under his feet, and made him, as the ruler of everything, the head of the Church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills the whole creation. - Eph. 1:20-23, 3:16-21, 4:10 -

The marriage relationship between husband and wife is a beautiful analogy for expressing Christ's love, sacrifice and lordship over the Church. The enthroned Christ has reinvested Himself in the hearts of believers through faith so they can marvel at His love. Absolutely, nothing exists beyond His redeeming reach.

Since as Christ is head of the Church and saves the whole body, so is a husband the head of his wife: as the submits to Christ, so should wives to their husbands, in everything. Husbands should love their wives just as Christ loved the Church and sacrificed himself for her to make her holy.......A man never hates his own body, but he feeds it and look after it; and that is the way Christ treats the Church because it is his body - and we are its living parts. For this reason, a man must leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two become one body. This mystery has many implications; but I am saying it applies to Christ and the Church. - Eph. 5:23-32 -

Christ's bond with His Church is also portrayed in the oneness of believers. Those who were once 'far off' and separated from God, have been made near by the blood of Christ. In fact, believers are now raised with Christ and seated with Him in the heavenly places. - Eph. 2:4-6 - Since believers are with Him, they are accordingly to be like Jesus - endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of love and peace. Christ Himself is our love and peace, says apostle Paul, the Lord Jesus removes the walls and barriers that formerly divided Jews and Gentiles and draws them together in one Spirit to the Father.

Having spoken of these marvelous spiritual blessings, Paul then appeals to believers to have a walk worthy of the calling with which you were called. - I, the prisoner in the Lord, implore you therefore to lead a life worthy of your vocation. - Eph. 4:1 - This appeal is a helpful insight on Christian ethics. Rather than setting laws and regulations, apostle Paul says, in effect, Let your life be a credit to the One called you. The Christian is set free by Christ; yet he is responsible to Him. Christ has raised believers to the heavenly places with the assurance that the One in whom we hope is more powerful, real and eternal than the forces of chaos and destruction which threaten our world.

Finally, grow strong in the Lord, with the strength of his power. Put God's armour on so as to be able to resist the devil's tactics. For it is not against human enemies that we have to struggle, but against the Sovereignties and the Powers who originate the darkness in this world, the spiritual army of evil in the heavens. This is why you must rely on God's armour or you will not be able to put up any resistance when the worst happens or have enough resources to hold your ground.

So stand your ground, with truth buckled round your waist, and integrity for a breastplate, wearing for shoes on your feet the eagerness to spread the gospel of peace and always carrying the shield of faith so that you can use it to put out the burning arrows of the evil one. And then you must accept salvation from God to be your helmet and receive the word of God from the Spirit to use as a sword.
Pray all the time, asking for what you need, praying in the Spirit on every possible occasion. Never get tired of staying awake to pray for all the saints; and pray for me to be given an opportunity to open my mouth and speak without fear and give out the mystery of the gospel of which I am an ambassador in chains; pray that in proclaiming it I may speak as boldly as I ought to. - Eph. 6:10-20 -

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Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -