The House You're Building

7  Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace, which was given me by the working of his power.  8  To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,  9  and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in [ b ]  God, who created all things,  10  so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11  This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord,  12  in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.  13  So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory. Ephesians 3:7-13 (ESV)   It’s ...

  Ephesians 2:1–10   [1] And you were dead in the trespasses and sins [2] in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—[3] among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. [4] But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, [5] even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—[6] and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, [7] so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. [8] For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, [9] not a result of works, so that no one may boast. [10]...

      Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 1:1-2   A few months back I got a letter from a dear friend.  She’s been through a lot in the past year and as part of her grieving process was reflecting on life.  She wrote to me a long letter, with pencil, written on notebook paper.  It was sent through the mail, delivered in an envelope with a stamp.  Though writing handwritten notes was a common practice when I was in middle school, it’s been ages since I’ve not only written but received such correspondence.  Because of that I appreciated her time and method of sharing even more.  Mo...

      Orient  John 21:1-25 The final chapter of John, the book concludes with an appearance of Jesus to Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, James and Joh, and two other unnamed disciples.  The men were fishing and Jesus calls them to shore for a meal.  In this chapter, a well-known dialog between Jesus and Peter occurs where Peter reaffirms his loyalty to Jesus which serves as a parallel to his trice denial.  The book then ends differently than the synoptic gospels, without the resurrection story but a brief conclusion by the disciple John.     Introduction I’m a fan of reality shows.  I think it all started in the early 2000’s with American Idol.  I love seeing non-celebrity reactions to extreme situations.  One I’ve watched for many years is the show Survivor.  A classic scene in most seasons finds the tribe members sitting around a fire eating fish as it is commonly one of the natural food ...

    Orient  John 4:1-42 Today’s reading is another encounter story.  This time, instead of interacting with a Jewish male who is a respected teacher and leader, Jesus witnesses to Nicodemus’s polar opposite-- a Samaritan woman, who is living in sin. Yet the conversation has the same focus; everyone needs eternal life.  This vignette shows Jesus wants all to be saved no matter their ethnicity, gender or place in society.  At the end of the encounter with the woman, Jesus gets a chance to teach his disciples about salvation through symbolism of the harvest and how satisfying it is to do God’s will.  Ending the section, the transformation and testimony of the women, like the harvest Jesus speaks of, multiples into more believing He is the Messiah.  Interestingly, this section is the only place in John where Jesus clearly reveals himself as the Messiah before His trial before Pilate.    Introduction How do you avoid ...