SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 1/12/2019
9:50 AM
My Worship Time Focus: Closing
Summary
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Eph. 2:19-22
Message of the verses: “19 So then you are
no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints,
and are of God’s household, 20 having
been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself
being the corner stone, 21 in
whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple
in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are
being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.”
I
want to begin with an explanation of where we were and where we will be going
as we look to finish the 2nd chapter of the book of Ephesians. It was on January 4th that we
began the main section entitled “Unity in Christ” and that main section looked
at verses 13-18. There were many
sub-sections under that main section. In
today’s SD we begin the last main section in the second chapter of Ephesians
entitled “Closing Summary” and it too has many sub-sections under this main
section. It is my desire to look first
at this main section and then look at the first sub-section entitled “United in
God’s Kingdom which comes from the first part of verse 19.
MacArthur
writes “Paul closes his discussion of the marvelous unity of the Body of Christ
by giving three metaphors to illustrate it.
In the picture of ‘fellow citizens’ he shows how Jew and Gentile have
become part of the same kingdom. In the
picture of ‘God’s household’ he shows how all believers are one spiritual
family in Christ. In the picture of ‘a
holy temple in the Lord’ he shows that all believers are together a habitation
for God.” Now that we have the
introduction to this last section in Eph. Chapter two we will now look at that
first sub-section.
“United
in God’s Kingdom” (Eph. 2:19a) “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens,
but you are fellow citizens with the saints.”
We
have discussed what the terms “far away” and “close” in earlier SD’s and stated
that the ones far away were Gentiles and the ones close were the Jews. It makes no difference which category one
falls into the main things is that once these people from each group become
believers in Jesus Christ then they are one in Christ. It makes no difference if they were former ‘strangers’
and were outcasts or whether they were ‘aliens’ and guests, all believers in
Jesus Christ become fellow citizens of God’s kingdom with the saints, that is
those who are the believers from every age and who have trusted in God. There are no strangers and no aliens, or
second-class citizens, for as Paul wrote in Phil. 3:20 “Our citizenship is in
heaven.” The only citizens in heaven are
God’s saints!
Spiritual meaning for my life today: Sometimes I think about what a miracle from
God that He called me into being in His Kingdom. I know for a fact that it was nothing that I
have done, but only what God has done for me.
God chose me in eternity past, and then Jesus came and died for me on
the cross, and then the Holy Spirit gave an effectual call to me that I could
not say no to and so at that moment which will be forty-five years ago in a
week I became a born-again believer in Jesus Christ. My life is completely different since that
day. PTL.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Continue to learn
what Romans 12:3 has in it, and to continue to not rely on emotions, but on
truth.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “Peter” (Luke 18:28).
Today’s Bible question: “Eutychus, the one that fell from a window
while Paul was preaching was from what city?”
Answer in our next SD.
1/12/2019 10:24 AM
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