Memorize: Calling of the church
Key Verses: 3, 13-14, 18-19
If God has any blessings for us, they are all to be found in Christ. They are not to be found in Buddhism, or Islam, or atheism. It alarms me when people who claim to be Jesus-followers look other places for spiritual blessings, or spiritual content of any kind. How can fresh water come from a dirty well? Because of laziness, or our need for quick fixes and instant cures, we fail to realize that Jesus has what we need. If there is anything to be gained from a spiritual pursuit, and there is, the gain is found in Jesus. It is not quick or easy, but it is real.
Verses 3-14 are all one sentence in the original Greek language. It might have been a song or an early Christian poem, or perhaps a memory device to help them remember the Gospel message. The structure gets hidden in English, but the words “in him” seem to dominate and define the content. Everything of importance is “in Him.”
I want to encourage you to slow down and make a list of the spiritual blessings that are promised in this chapter. Write them down. You will find some huge concepts, like redemption, that you might need to look up (Here). We were purchased from the slave market of sin for a purpose. And that purpose is that we would be conformed to Jesus image, we would be like Him, that we would live lives that bring glory to God. We are here on this planet to resonate God’s love and glory. It is as if the Creator of the Universe wants to play His song through us. Just as all creation shows His glory and divinity, so He wants us to reflect that as well.
To prove that God has worked in our lives, we experience the presence of the Holy Spirit working in our lives day by day, moment by moment. And since we have the Holy Spirit now, this stands as proof that God’s promises will take place. Our sins have been forgiven and we no longer belong to sin.
Notice the three things for which Paul prays: hope, riches and power. Note carefully what kind of hope, riches and power. Don’t take these words by themselves, but with all the fullness that Paul endows them. For instance, Paul prays that we would know the hope to which he has called us. This is something solid, tangible, real, more real than concrete. This hope is eternity itself, a restored renewed relationship with God. This is not wishful thinking, but something we can know and experience.
The Arnold Journey 