totallylovedbygod65
Member
- Mar 12, 2024
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EPHESIANS 2
2 in which you once walked. You were following the ways of this world [influenced by this present age], in accordance with the prince of the power of the air (Satan), the spirit who is now at work in the disobedient [the unbelieving, who fight against the purposes of God]. 3 Among these [unbelievers] we all once lived in the passions of our flesh [our behavior governed by the sinful self], indulging the desires of [a]human nature [without the Holy Spirit] and [the impulses] of the [sinful] mind. We were, by nature, children [under the sentence] of [God’s] wrath, just like the rest [of mankind].
ALL VERSES FROM THE AMPLIFIED BIBLE
BUT YOU HAVE BEEN WASHED
We are always told to look to the future and that's so true, but we also have to remember the past.
When my dear and BELOVED brother Peter came over whilst we were in the UK in 2015, we went back to our home where he grew up and where I was born, we met the next door neighbour and she remembered him as the one, who was quite naughty, needless to say.
I do have people who are reading this, one in particular who does remember me, before I was a believer, a mixture of Dennis the menace and the joker (in fact it was no joke to those who met me, rather a nightmare).
As Christians, we need to remember, where we come from, we are now in the light, and that is wonderful, but what were we like.
In verse 2, we were following the world, we were running headlong after Satan and all the world had to offer, we were not interested in God or Jesus, we maybe kept up a veneer in Church attendance, like I did, I was ok to go to church for an hour, but for the rest of the week, I was a devil.
In reality, I fought against God, I was not for him, I was against him, he was irrelevant to me, something and someone, that was for sad and lonely people, who needed something to console themselves with.
I let my fleshly passions run wild, I remember that my father had a big jar where he put coins in, 5p and 1p (for my American friends, that's a nickel and a dime). He often wondered, why his jar wasn't getting any fuller, because this little thief, was helping himself to it, this is the reality of a sinful heart running wild and roughshod over any and every law and moral standard set down, it basically sets down it's own rules, it is only when the Holy Spirit convicts and controls a person, that these passions are crucified and that takes a lifetime.
I was under wrath, God's hand was upon me, and not in a good way. Now he holds me in his hand, back then, he wanted to throttle me, as many other people did.
So what does this mean to us as Christians, well knowing where we come from, gives us two things:
One is urgency, we see the world, as it is, without hope, people who are trapped in sin, just like we were. The world needs help, people all around us, are under the wrath of God, literally the righteous anger of God, many thousands today in your country and my country will die today.
There is really, no time to waste.
Second is compassion, we no longer, look on people, as those unbelievers, read what Paul says to the Corinthians in Chapter 6 of His first epistle:
9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit or have any share in the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; [d]neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate [by perversion], nor [e]those who participate in homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers [whose words are used as weapons to abuse, insult, humiliate, intimidate, or slander], nor swindlers will inherit or have any share in the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you [before you believed]. But you were washed [by the atoning sacrifice of Christ], you were sanctified [set apart for God, and made holy], you were justified [declared free of guilt] in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the [Holy] Spirit of our God [the source of the believer’s new life and changed behavior].
Such were some of you:
BUT YOU HAVE BEEN WASHED
That's why we should remember, we were like them, but we have been washed.
We are where we are only because oof the blood of Jesus washing us from all our guilt and sin.
Let us never forget that once:
Such were some of you
God bless you
KK
THE BOTTOM LINE
https://www.tblfaithnews.com/category/tbl-china
https://www.tblfaithnews.com/tbl-china-prayer-requests
https://www.tblfaithnews.com/category/relationships/page/53
https://www.tblfaithnews.com/category/health/page/69
2 in which you once walked. You were following the ways of this world [influenced by this present age], in accordance with the prince of the power of the air (Satan), the spirit who is now at work in the disobedient [the unbelieving, who fight against the purposes of God]. 3 Among these [unbelievers] we all once lived in the passions of our flesh [our behavior governed by the sinful self], indulging the desires of [a]human nature [without the Holy Spirit] and [the impulses] of the [sinful] mind. We were, by nature, children [under the sentence] of [God’s] wrath, just like the rest [of mankind].
ALL VERSES FROM THE AMPLIFIED BIBLE
BUT YOU HAVE BEEN WASHED
We are always told to look to the future and that's so true, but we also have to remember the past.
When my dear and BELOVED brother Peter came over whilst we were in the UK in 2015, we went back to our home where he grew up and where I was born, we met the next door neighbour and she remembered him as the one, who was quite naughty, needless to say.
I do have people who are reading this, one in particular who does remember me, before I was a believer, a mixture of Dennis the menace and the joker (in fact it was no joke to those who met me, rather a nightmare).
As Christians, we need to remember, where we come from, we are now in the light, and that is wonderful, but what were we like.
In verse 2, we were following the world, we were running headlong after Satan and all the world had to offer, we were not interested in God or Jesus, we maybe kept up a veneer in Church attendance, like I did, I was ok to go to church for an hour, but for the rest of the week, I was a devil.
In reality, I fought against God, I was not for him, I was against him, he was irrelevant to me, something and someone, that was for sad and lonely people, who needed something to console themselves with.
I let my fleshly passions run wild, I remember that my father had a big jar where he put coins in, 5p and 1p (for my American friends, that's a nickel and a dime). He often wondered, why his jar wasn't getting any fuller, because this little thief, was helping himself to it, this is the reality of a sinful heart running wild and roughshod over any and every law and moral standard set down, it basically sets down it's own rules, it is only when the Holy Spirit convicts and controls a person, that these passions are crucified and that takes a lifetime.
I was under wrath, God's hand was upon me, and not in a good way. Now he holds me in his hand, back then, he wanted to throttle me, as many other people did.
So what does this mean to us as Christians, well knowing where we come from, gives us two things:
One is urgency, we see the world, as it is, without hope, people who are trapped in sin, just like we were. The world needs help, people all around us, are under the wrath of God, literally the righteous anger of God, many thousands today in your country and my country will die today.
There is really, no time to waste.
Second is compassion, we no longer, look on people, as those unbelievers, read what Paul says to the Corinthians in Chapter 6 of His first epistle:
9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit or have any share in the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; [d]neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate [by perversion], nor [e]those who participate in homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers [whose words are used as weapons to abuse, insult, humiliate, intimidate, or slander], nor swindlers will inherit or have any share in the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you [before you believed]. But you were washed [by the atoning sacrifice of Christ], you were sanctified [set apart for God, and made holy], you were justified [declared free of guilt] in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the [Holy] Spirit of our God [the source of the believer’s new life and changed behavior].
Such were some of you:
BUT YOU HAVE BEEN WASHED
That's why we should remember, we were like them, but we have been washed.
We are where we are only because oof the blood of Jesus washing us from all our guilt and sin.
Let us never forget that once:
Such were some of you
God bless you
KK
THE BOTTOM LINE
https://www.tblfaithnews.com/category/tbl-china
https://www.tblfaithnews.com/tbl-china-prayer-requests
https://www.tblfaithnews.com/category/relationships/page/53
https://www.tblfaithnews.com/category/health/page/69