Reflecting God - "Christ Our Goal" The Global Church of the Nazarene of Lenexa, Kansas, United States for Saturday, 26 December 2015 – Embrace Holy Living - Ephesians 4:1-16

Reflecting God - "Christ Our Goal" The Global Church of the Nazarene of Lenexa, Kansas, United States for Saturday, 26 December 2015 – Embrace Holy Living - Ephesians 4:1-16RG AUDIO 122615

Ephesians 4:1 Therefore I, the prisoner united with the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called.

2 Always be humble, gentle and patient, bearing with one another in love, 3 and making every effort to preserve the unity the Spirit gives through the binding power of shalom. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as when you were called you were called to one hope. 5 And there is one Lord, one trust, one immersion, 6 and one God, the Father of all, who rules over all, works through all and is in all.

7 Each one of us, however, has been given grace to be measured by the Messiah’s bounty. 8 This is why it says,

“After he went up into the heights,

he led captivity captive

and he gave gifts to mankind.”[Ephesians 4:8 Psalm 68:19(18)]

9 Now this phrase, “he went up,” what can it mean if not that he first went down into the lower parts, that is, the earth? 10 The one who went down is himself the one who also went up, far above all of heaven, in order to fill all things. 11 Furthermore, he gave some people as emissaries, some as prophets, some as proclaimers of the Good News, and some as shepherds and teachers. 12 Their task is to equip God’s people for the work of service that builds the body of the Messiah, 13 until we all arrive at the unity implied by trusting and knowing the Son of God, at full manhood, at the standard of maturity set by the Messiah’s perfection.

14 We will then no longer be infants tossed about by the waves and blown along by every wind of teaching, at the mercy of people clever in devising ways to deceive. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in every respect grow up into him who is the head, the Messiah. 16 Under his control, the whole body is being fitted and held together by the support of every joint, with each part working to fulfill its function; this is how the body grows and builds itself up in love.

"Christ Our Goal" by Author: Jeremiah Bolich
I like to watch television, and I love to watch documentaries, but it is hard for me to watch documentaries about Jesus. Most of the time, Jesus is presented as a revolutionary historical figure who championed a certain agenda. Whether it is social justice, personal piety, or religious reform, Jesus is portrayed as a hero-type figure who died for His noble cause. Without fail, at the conclusion of each documentary, I’m left with the impression that they completely missed what Jesus came to accomplish.

Jesus did not come to fix our problems, change our social condition, reform our religion, adjust our personal piety, inspire us, motivate us, challenge us, or gather to himself a group that would champion His noble causes. Considering all the theological aspects of our estrangement from God and the sin that has for so long defined humanity, Jesus came to bring us back into intimate fellowship with himself.
Jesus is our goal. He is our aim and our end.

Hymn for Today: "In Christ Alone" by Getty, Julian; Keith, Townend; Stuart, Richard

1. In Christ alone my hope is found

He is my light, my strength, my song

This Cornerstone, this solid ground

Firm through the fiercest drought and storm

2. What heights of love, what depths of peace

When fears are stilled, when strivings cease

My Comforter, my All in All

Here in the love of Christ I stand

3. In Christ alone, who took on flesh

Fullness of God in helpless Babe

This gift of love and righteousness

Scorned by the ones He came to save

4. 'Til on that cross as Jesus died

The wrath of God was satisfied

For every sin on Him was laid

Here in the death of Christ I live

5. There in the ground His body lay

Light of the world by darkness slain

Then bursting forth in glorious Day

Up from the grave He rose again

6. And as He stands in victory

Sin's curse has lost its grip on me

For I am His and He is mine

Bought with the precious blood of Christ

7. No guilt in life, no fear in death

This is the power of Christ in me

From life's first cry to final breath

Jesus commands my destiny

8. No power of hell, no scheme of man

Can ever pluck me from His hand

Til He returns or calls me home

Here in the power of Christ I stand

Thought for Today:

"Under his control, the whole body is being fitted and held together by the support of every joint, with each part working to fulfill its function; this is how the body grows and builds itself up in love." Ephesians 4:16

Please pray:For people who desire to follow God even though they have family members who are differently abled.
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