God and Christ Jesus Are In Us ALL THE TIME!!!

Greetings!  This is one of the most beautiful and blessed truths that a believer possesses. Literally, God and Christ Jesus are within us every second of our lives and They NEVER, EVER leave us!  And the best part, They are always there to help, comfort and do ALL They can for our highest good! WOW!!!

Let’s look at a few Scriptures concerning this.

Jesus is within us: 2 Corinthians 13:5;Galatians 2:20; Colossians 1:27

God is within us: Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 3:16: Ephesians 2:22

The Holy Spirit is within us: 2 Timothy 1:14; 1Thessalonians 4:7

Now, it is true that They have Their “Headquarters”, so to speak, in the ‘3rd heaven’ where Paul visited….2 Corinthians 12:2. However, God and Jesus not only defy the concept of time as we humans know it (2 Peter 3:8) but space and distance as well: They are EVERYWHERE at one time….Acts 17:27,28.

The joyous and most valuable lesson we must come to realize is that we have to GET PASS the FALSE CONCEPT that God and Christ Jesus are “up there somewhere in heaven” while we are down here on earth, separated from Them. NOTHING can be further from the truth: They are ALWAYS as close to us as our breathing. And, we need to learn to look to Them as being EVEN CLOSER than that….and be going to Them continually, as well as ‘chatting’ with Them, aside from any formal prayer.

This is truly ‘Practicing The Presence Of God’!  (Please reference the Post on this subject.)

Until later,

Fred

The “Secret” Revealed To Paul

Greetings!

In Ephesians 3:2-3, Paul writes that a “secret”  was personally revealed to him by a “revelation”, and it involved a dispensation or administration concerning “the grace of God” towards the Gentile nations. He also called it the “secret of Christ” in verse 4 and referred to it as the “secret of the evangel” in Ephesians 6:19. This is also confirmed in Romans 16:25-26.

He goes on to say that this “secret” was NOT, and was NEVER made known in past generations….until it was divinely revealed to him (Colossians 1:26-27). Quite simply, the “secret” proclaimed that called believers from the Gentile nations (you and me) were to become “JOINT PARTAKERS” and “FELLOW HEIRS”  with the Israelites, and ON EQUAL FOOTING! In times past, a Gentile could only hope for proselyte status with the Jewish nation, and a far more subordinate role and much less inheritance.

Now, however, there was to be a “joint body” (Body of Christ) whereby the Gentile “nations” enjoyed FULL inheritance status with the Israelites (Ephesians 2:19, 3:5-6).

He continues that this “administration of the secret”, having  been “hid from the ages in God” (verse 9) was also a display of the “many kinds of wisdom of God” to the “principalities and authorities in the heavenly places”….and, was in accord with God’s “purpose of the ages (eons)” (verse 11).

Additionally, those believers from the nations (Gentiles) called under Paul’s “secret administration” did NOT have to observe ANY ELEMENTS of Jewish Law except (1) keep from things sacrificed to idols (2)keep from blood and from things strangled (3)keep from fornication. This can be found in Acts 15:4-20, especially in verses 18-20.

The Jewish believers (Peter, John, James, et al), on the other hand, had been instructed by Jesus Himself to keep ALL the elements of the Law “until all is accomplished”. (Matthew 5:17-18).

Galatians 2:7-9 reveals it was established on Paul’s second visit to Jerusalem that it was agree by all that he had been entrusted with the evangel to the ‘Uncircumcision’ (we Gentile believers) whereas Peter was entrusted with the evangel to the ‘Circumcision’ (the Jewish believers). Paul confirms this in 1 Timothy 2:7, Romans 11:13, 2 Timothy 1:11 and Romans 15:16.

So, even though “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16), the writings of Paul are specifically addressed to us as Gentile believers.

Later, in Christ,

Fred