Saturday, September 27, 2014

Walking in Love, Even in the Face of Persecution.

1 Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children. 2 And walk in love, as the Messiah also loved us and gave Himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God. 3 But sexual immorality and any impurity or greed should not even be heard of among you, as is proper for saints. 4 And coarse and foolish talking or crude joking are not suitable, but rather giving thanks. 5 For know and recognize this: no sexually immoral or impure or greedy person, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of the Messiah and of God.

6 Let no one deceive you with empty arguments, for because of these things God's wrath is coming on the disobedient. 7 Therefore, do not become their partners. 8 For you were once darkness, but now [you are] light in the Lord. Walk as children of light- 9 for the fruit of the light [results] in all goodness, righteousness, and truth- 10 discerning what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Don't participate in the fruitless works of darkness, but instead, expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to mention what is done by them in secret. 13 Everything exposed by the light is made clear, 14 for what makes everything clear is light. Therefore it is said: Get up, sleeper, and rise up from the dead, and the Messiah will shine on you.

15 Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk-not as unwise people but as wise- 16 making the most of the time, because the days are evil. 17So don't be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. 18 And don't get drunk with wine, which [leads to] reckless actions, but be filled with the Spirit: 19 speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music to the Lord in your heart, 20 giving thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another in the fear of Christ. ~ Ephesians 5:1-12 (Holman Christian Standard)

The book of Ephesians was written by Paul while he was in prison about 60-62 A.D. Paul is writing to encourage the believers in Ephesus while they were under persecution to walk as fruitful followers of Christ, to continue to serve in unity and in love.

This letter from Paul is still relevant some 1952+- years later. We are still called to be imitators of Christ because we are beloved children of a loving Father. We must live in love the same as Jesus lived His life in love to the point of giving Himself for our sin, not His but our sin. We know the law, sexual immorality and any impurity and greed of any kind ought not to be anywhere near us, this is how we should be as saints of God. The same goes for foul language, indecent joking, hate speech for anyone even our enemies are not just for Christ followers, rather we need to be tendering our thanksgiving for all that the Lord gives us. Remembering and knowing that no sexually immoral or impure or greedy person, no one who is an idolater has any part in the kingdom of Christ Jesus our Lord and of our Father Yahweh-Tsidkenu (The Lord Our Righteousness).

As then so it is today that we cannot allow anyone to deceive us with pointless hypothesis it is because of these things that God’s penalty is coming on these rebelliousness. Consequently do not become caught up in their madness, we were once lost in their darkness but because of Christ diligently pursuing us we are now God’s city on a hill, a light into the darkness. We know that the fruit of the light Christ shines through us is the goodness, righteousness, and truth that is Christ discerning what is pleasing to the Father. We are not to take party to Satan and his lies to this world; we are to shine light upon it, to reveal all that they do in secret. Verse 14, “Get up, sleeper, and rise up from the dead, and the Messiah will shine on you.” These words are so powerful and meaningful to a world living in dark. We must be the light to shine on the darkness.

We are chosen to be the light, to walk among a lost people as wise, making to most of the time we have here to overcome the evil. We cannot expect a people caught up in the distortion of truth to listen and see the light in us if we are living as they are, getting drunk, being reckless. The Good News is that we have authority from Christ to raise above all the darkness and be the living light, walking together in love and sharing that love with a lost world. It is not based on our abilities and our salvation is not based on our outcomes. Our sins and defects have been discharged, freeing us of any debt, not to once again go back into the darkness and become one of them again, but free to live a life of Christ, free to be a lighthouse to a sea of dark and blinding stormy seas. Free to call upon Yahweh-Rapha, the Lord Who Heals, to not only strengthen us but to give us the ability to be His people, walking together in love in a world lost, a world in turmoil, a world living in hatred. We my brothers and sisters are the sheep that Yahweh-Rohi, Lord Our Shepherd has chosen to be the ones to seek and find the one lost sheep.
Are we walking in love, seeking His counsel and giving thanks to the Creator? Amen. <><

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