God Gives Tools for Our Protection

November 27, 2022 Background Scripture: Acts 1 9; Ephesians 6:10 - 24; Revelation 2:1 7 Lesson Passage: Ephesians 6:10 -18 Paul addressed many spiritual principles in this letter to the saints who were in Ephesus. I dare say, much of this would not be understood by saints today without Paul's revelation of it. There is much to be understood by a diligent and prayerful study of this letter. With so many great things to know and understand about God's purpose in salvation, there is no wonder that there is a constant attack against the saints by the forces of evil. This is spiritual warfare, and we are caught in the middle of it. This fight cannot be waged using tools, or techniques, of this world. On our own, we are woefully prepared for such a fight. Spiritual warfare requires spiritual weapons. Like any weapon, we need to get to know them and the proper and safe use of them. Spiritual weapons are intended for spiritual warfare. Put another way, spiritual weapons are not intended to be used against people. We are not fighting flesh and blood but principalities. We are fighting against wicked spirits in the heavenlies. Just as weapons that are designed for harvesting big game are not intended for self-defense or offense against a human being. We should get to know spiritual weapons and their proper use. Jesus called the devil the father of lies. We fight against that by speaking the truth in love. We should always stand on the truth even if it hurts us. Until recently, many of us had not experienced the devastation that is done by lies perpetrated from high political positions. Some individuals lost their lives, others had their lives threatened, and there was widespread property damage as a result of lies that were told and repeated often from the highest political offices in the land. Lying is powerful and it can do a great deal of damage. Christians fight against lies with the truth. After the damage is done, lies will eventually be exposed. The truth will always be the truth. We must walk in the righteousness of Christ that God has imparted to us. Self-righteousness is of little value to us. Christians stand on the gospel. It is the gospel message that beckons us to salvation in Christ Jesus. The same message is available to all. There is no other foundation to stand on. We must ever put our faith in God. Even when we don't understand His ways, we must trust God's plan. We must embrace God's instructions and submit ourselves to His will for us. There is much in life that can discourage us. Our faith in God gives us something to hold on to during difficult times, Our firm commitment and confidence in God allow us to handle demonic attacks. Our salvation reminds us that we belong to God. We were bought with a price and are no longer our own. We should not be confused about that. The word of God is everything for us. Jesus said we don't live just because we can find food for our bodies. The word of God gives life. By God's word we live, and by God's word we die. When Satan attacked Jesus during his testing after baptism, Jesus used the word of God to respond. It was a weapon Jesus used against the temptations of the devil. Jesus repeated what the word of God declared. Finally, our prayer life is our communication with God. An open line of communication is of the utmost importance in all manners of warfare. It is even more important in spiritual warfare. We are at war with an enemy we can't see and know very little about. God knows all about the devil and his demonic schemes. God will not allow us to face more than we can bear. We must always pray—and listen for God's instructions. God gives us spiritual tools to protect us in this sin-infected world. Robert C. Hudson November 5, 2022

We are God's Handiwork

November 20, 2022 Background Scripture: Acts 19; Ephesians 2; Revelation 2:1 - 7 Lesson Passage: Ephesians 2:1 - 10 We are God's handiwork. Of course, that title comes from Ephesians 2:10: "For we are His workmanship". If ever a value could be ascribed to the worth of a Christian, this statement is the appraisal of such a value. Paul's statement recorded in his letter to the saints at Ephesus reminds me of the slogan: "I know I'm special because God doesn't make junk!" The ten verses of the Lesson Passage cover our previous spiritual condition, our present spiritual status, and our future eternal spiritual position. All saints have these three situations in common. Every person born into the world of man and woman is born spiritually dead because of sin. We who are saints today did not begin as such. We lived according to our senses and passion—and in many cases, we were controlled by them. That is the way of the world, and we were citizens of the world by birth. At that time, we did not know that the world was being manipulated and controlled by demonic spirits who are led by the prince of the power of the air, Satan. Our existence in the world was all we knew and understood. We lived according to the natural order and therefore we readily concluded that what we did and desired to do was natural. We did not know that the natural order as we experienced it was spiritually depraved. That was the only life we had lived and the only life we understood. Life made sense to us. That entire system of existence was and is condemned by God to eternal destruction. But when we heard and accepted the gospel of Jesus Christ, God made us spiritually alive. We were saved by the grace of God from eternal damnation. We didn't know we were lost. We just understood life as we knew it. That spiritual awakening allows us to appreciate our present spiritual status. We are now aware of the spiritual struggle within us. We see our flesh warring against the Spirit of Christ who lives in us. Every Christian is spiritually bipolar. We live with two "natures" to use that word loosely, We have the natural person who is of this world, and we have the mind of Christ being continuously renewed in us. I don't know why God allows us to exist in such a state, but it pleases Him to work with us in this manner. It is the Spirit of Christ who makes us aware that God is doing a work in us. So, our testimony is: I'm not who I should be, but I thank God I'm not who I used to be! The saints know that God is still working on, and in, us. Every living Christian is under spiritual construction. Christ is the foundation that has already been placed in us. God builds on that foundation as we die to ourselves and are made more alive to Christ. God's revealed objective is not to have us live wonderful lives in a sinful world. Our idea of wonderful is still twisted right now. God's revealed objective is to prepare us for the ages to come. The saints will be the living portrait of God's grace. We are God's handiwork that He has created in Christ Jesus. Throughout eternity, the saints will reflect the unfathomable depths of the grace of God. Given our previous spiritual condition, there was nothing we could have done to receive such an honor. There is nothing we can do now so that we would be deserving of such an honor. We cannot brag about anything worthwhile that we might do of our own ability. No such thing exists. Anything worthwhile that is in us today was put there by God. We have nothing to boast about. We are products of grace. We are being transformed into what Adam was created to be. We will become the unblemished image and likeness of God. God will ensure this because we are His handiwork. Robert C. Hudson November 5, 2022

Christ is Wisdom

November 13, 2022 Background Scripture: Acts 19; Ephesians 1 - 23; Revelation 2:1 - 7 Lesson Passage: Ephesians 1:15 - 23 Our Lesson Passage is best understood when the last two verses are considered first. The church is the body of Christ in the world today. This is not speaking of the collection of all local churches in general, but more specifically the universal church which consists of every saved believer in Jesus Christ. It is important to make that distinction. Local church officials receive members based on their personal statements of faith. Therefore, a local church can have unsaved members as part of its membership. On the other hand, God knows who He has saved and added to the universal church. As the body of Christ in the world today, the universal church continues the ministry Jesus began when He was here in bodily form. What is required to continue Jesus' ministry in the world today? Everything that Jesus had when he ministered in the world. Jesus even declared to his disciples that they would do greater works than he did because he was going to the Father. Now, let that sink in! If the church today is going to do greater works than Jesus did, it will require more than a good offering and a Prayer Meeting. Paul's prayer for the Christians in Ephesus was that God would give them everything needed to do greater works than Jesus. Paul's prayer for them was motivated by the testimony he heard concerning their faith in the Lord Jesus. Paul was excited because he knew that they had the faith needed to receive the gifts from God to carry on the work of Christ. So, he prayed that they would be given the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so they could know Jesus better. If they were going to be successful doing the work of Christ, they needed to know Christ better. By knowing Christ, they would be given the revelation to do what would please God. Everything Jesus did pleased the Father because he knew the Father. Through redemption, God will eventually restore the saints to the perfect image and likeness of Himself. After all sin has been banished forever, God will again see His glorious reflection in mankind. Christians are the fruit of God's plan. Jesus is the image of the invisible God. Christians will reflect that same image throughout eternity. This is what we have been called to. We are not called to enjoy a temporary life in a sin-sick and fallen world. God makes His full power available for the saints who wholeheartedly seek to do His will in this world. That power was witnessed by those who were captivated by the miracles Jesus worked. Raising Lazarus from the dead after he spent four days buried in a cave was a demonstration of resurrection power. Resurrection power reverses the physical decay of the human body that would commence by the fourth day after death. During his minist1Y, Jesus raised several people from the dead, Only Lazarus was raised after a considerable amount of time had passed after his death. Even then, Lazarus was not raised to eternal life. He eventually died again. However, God demonstrated that power in raising Jesus from the dead to live throughout eternity. God placed Jesus above everything and every being physical and spiritual. The universal church is now the body of Christ in the world and Jesus is our head. Everything the body of Christ needs the head supplies. The body's first need is to have the wisdom of God to know these things and live by them. We need the revelation of who we are and to know the purpose for our calling by God. Robert C. Hudson October 31, 2022