Parts of Speaking Publishing

 Ephesians 2:4-7 - But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus I memorized this in the Authorized Version in 1974. It could be the gospel in a nutshell, although perhaps some doctrines are explicitly mentioned.   St. Paul makes this statement in a written document to a community of Christians in Ephesus while he is in jail in Rome in the late 50s A.D. We have easy access to it today; how many documents from then are read by massive of people today? We could read historical accounts and government edicts, plays and poems of the Roman Empire at that time, but very few of us actually do.  Despite its familiarity, we still...

I hope this essay about Doug Wilson (of Moscow, Idaho, fame) is accessible; I got the link from Facebook, so it should be.  The term "American evangelicalism" has become challenging to me. It seems to be so immersed in politics and revisionist history. Why anyone would feel the need to portray antebellum slavery as anything but brutal, anti-Christian, and anti-American, I cannot fathom. Christian Nationalism seems to be a  re-interpretation" of everything Jesus, Paul, Peter, and John wrote.  I used to depend on identity labels for myself; I avoid them now. This does not make me virtuous, just more comfortable with how I might be perceived by others, which can be regarded as cowardice as well as a form of intellectual honesty.

 In this passage the word "together" is repeated twice. He made us alive together, raised us up together, and made us sit together. Christ's victories are ours because we give our faith allegiance to Him.  I wonder, though, if the together is not also a statement about the Church as a whole. We won't sit with Him individually. The whole Church will be given these places of authority, honor, and esteem with Him.  My Bible notes say "These positional privileges will in the future be experientially realized and enjoyed." That is a Baptist note! I don't think it is that simple. Does it have to be in the future only? 

[But God] . . .  even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),  6  and raised  us  up together, and made  us  sit together in the heavenly  places  in Christ Jesus,  7  that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in  His  kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.  I am not feeling well this morning and focusing enough to write coherently is a struggle. I will offer a few disparate comments.  Note "grace" is bolded. Grace is the motivation of the giver and the gift; the cause and the result; the past, present, and future; the engine and the action. ". . . in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in HIs kindness toward us in Christ Jesus." As if grace weren't surprising and exceedingly rich now, more is to come.  Why do we struggle so much to accept grace and live as if this salvation is a t...

 After a brutal reminder of their pre-Christ lives, Paul uses two powerful words to get back on track: But God. Do a concordance search and find where those two words are used in other places. My favorite is Genesis 50:20: But as for you, you meant evil against me;  but   God  meant it for good, in order to bring it about as  it is  this day, to save many people alive. Or  Psalm 73:26  My flesh and my heart fail;  But   God   is  the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Acts 10:28 Then he said to them, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation.  But   God  has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean. Granted, in some cases God intervenes and turns the narrative in a way that ends in judgment, but usually "but God" introduces hope, grace, deliverance, and new understanding. As here: But God, who is rich in mercy,    because...

 I had never heard of Laetare Sunday, explained here:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laetare_Sunday  and extolled below.  Rejoice in the middle of the repentance of Lent.  Our pastor this morning explained how the Christian has self-esteem because we are brutally honest about who we are--sinners but in Christ. A cause for rejoicing. Laetare! Jonathan Pennington Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad” (Matt. 5:11–12). “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds” (James 1:2). “But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed” (1 Pet. 4:13). The command to practice joy in the midst of loss, grief, and hardship often feels impossible to do and heartless to hear. Yet it is found repeatedly throughout the Bible, including in these quotes from Jesus and two ...