Y’all, you may face grave difficulties in this life. You WILL face grave difficulties in this life. When you do, it is my prayer that you will adorn yourself with the full armor of God. It is my prayer that you will keep your focus on God-with-you, so that you my find God’s peace in the midst of persecution instead of finding something else.
First and foremost, this message demands that we live as equals with others. In all we do, we should strive to end relational and structural inequalities. We should start with equality in the household and in the congregation and let that radiate outward.
What’s the point? Thanks to Jesus, whatever it is that you are lacking in your life, and particularly the stuff that we seem to be MORE lacking today than 2,000 years ago – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, THESE kinds of things – whatever it is that you’re lacking in THIS kingdom, it IS available in that other kingdom, the Kingdom of God. And thanks to Jesus, you can access that other kingdom and all the wonders it offers while you still live here on this planet, in THIS life. But, of course, there IS a catch. You’ve got to wholly commit to living in that other kingdom to access its wonders. Which kingdom will you choose?
August 6, 2017 Sermon “Ephesians: Christ is Our Peace” Scripture Reading – Ephesians 2:11-12 11 So then, remember that at one time you Gentiles by birth, called “the uncircumcision” by those who are called “the circumcision”—a physical circumcision made in the flesh by human hands— 12 remember that you were at that time without Christ, […]
I hope you’re starting to get a sense of God’s plan from this. It’s the best of the best, the best place you can possibly imagine, better than anything that could be promised to you by human beings. And all it takes for the Kingdom of God to start spreading rapidly, for the kingdom of God to start breaking into this world and growing exponentially, is for YOU to decide to live into it, for you to decide to do what Paul did and focus on God more than anything else.