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The Big Picture


Reading from Paul's letter to the Ephesians is an exercise in understanding the Big Picture behind our life in Christ.  Beginning in chapter 1 Paul reminds us of all that God has done in bringing us to him.We have been chosen in Christ, loved from eternity, forgiven through grace, and are heirs of Christ's Kingdom, destined for eternity with Christ.Then in chapter 2 we are reminded of the love that lifted us up from a "dead" state - i.e., we were incapable of doing anything to lift ourselves out of our dead state.  And in doing this, we have been placed into the body of Christ, and along with believers from every tribe, tongue and nation, we are being reconciled to live out our life in Christ.  All of this should amaze us, and cause us to turn in praise and worship to God.In the last half, chapters 4-6, Paul gets to the core of the "what now?...now that we have been brought to this place of deliverance in Christ, what now?"Here's the nuts and bolts section...the blue collar part.  IF it's all true, what now?  Can we simply live as the world does...looking out for number 1, ourselves?  I hope not.Should we actually ask the question, "What now, Lord?"  I hope so.
Paul in chapter 4 put it like this:11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,16  from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
17 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. 19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. 20 But that is not the way you learned Christ!— 21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
Here is the Big Picture.  The life we have in Christ is:vs. 13 - 16  Lead us to grow, mature, to become more and more like Jesus....knowing truth, living in love, growing in maturity.vs  17-23  Knowing we are called to a greater purpose than the world around us.  YES, we know that the life of Christ's people is much different than the life of the world that is darkened in understanding and alienated from God, and living for a selfish narcissism.  We are called to "put off" self, and all that goes with it, and then "put on" Christ through his Spirit and live for something that is quite different - holy if you will...set apart for Christ's purpose.
This is the big picture I so longingly keep striving in Christ for.
Peace



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