Ephesians 1:11-14
"… And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed…"
Key point: We are called to be agents of reconciliation to a world that is dying to sin! We are to proclaim that people's lives matter. The world is a mess because most people do not know that God accepts us by His sacrifice for our sins! Because of His work, we are deeply loved and complete in Him, and we do not need to have acceptance by any other person or means to be fulfilled (Rom. 5:1; Col. 1:21-22; 2:13-15; Heb.13: 15-16; James 1:4; 1 John 4:9-11)!
Your church matters! Your call matters! We are chosen in and by the Creator of the Universe, Jesus Christ. We are appointed and destined to a life of real purpose and vivacity. We have meaning and significance, because God deeply loves us and has a plan for us--a life that matters and a life with importance! Therefore, we should be grateful, have a love for God; we can trust and praise Him. This is what we preach and teach, to help people overcome and transfer to a mindset of confidence and passion for our Lord and what He has called us to do.
What we exemplify and teach is that we trust Christ and live for Him wholeheartedly! How do we do this? We can trust Him because He works out everything in our lives for His glory. We have an inheritance that is beyond epic! When we trust Him, we can better follow Him. His blessings to us is not what He gives materially however abundant that may be; rather, what He has given us is eternal! Jesus gives us His true Truth, His saving faith. His very life given is a ransom for ours. Therefore, our hope is in Him. As a result, people can see His work reflected by what He is doing in you. Let God use you to be a blessing in the lives around us.
We are given a salvation and a call to lead His Church, we have a special personal and communal relationship with Him. It is also in the form of a duty, not to receive salvation, but rather for us to respond to what Christ has freely and lovingly given us (Deut. 4:37; John 3:16; 6:37, 44, 65; 15:1-16; Acts 4:28; Rom. 3:21-26; 8:29-33; 9:10-24; 11:4-5; 1 Cor. 1:1:2, 30; 2:7; Eph. 1:4-5, 11; Phil. 1:6; 2 Thess. 2:13; 2 Tim. 1:8-9; Tit. 3:4; 1 Pet. 1:1-2; 2:9).
What we exemplify and teach is life and the church is not about us! It is about God's glory. To keep us centered as we lead remember that God is God, and we are not. He is never changing; yet, He condescends to meet us with a deliverance that is undeserved on our part and something He is not obligated to give to us. We preach that (Gal. 3:6-9; Heb. 6:17; 11:9).
What we exemplify and teach is that our call is to respond out of our love! Which comes from the grace Christ provided because of our sin! Our response is to yield to Him out of our new life and obey Him, not because of insistence or feeling, but out of gratitude and fact. Our character must reflect this new nature and the leading of the Holy Spirit, both publicly and privately. We are to walk in the Spirit and walk away from our sinful desires. Our obligation is implicit dependence on Christ as Lord, our struggle is in the releasing of our will, plans, and ideas, and our surrender to His Lordship and love (Mark 7:18-23).
We can do this. God is our strength, our vision, our life's blood, regardless of our understanding or what has transpired. Consider that our faith and church must be of great value for our Lord to go through all this He did not have to. He loves us! Our faith is pleasing to Him when active. Because we are accepted, our faith is not to be as spectators to our lives; our faith in Christ must be engaged with our best means for God's glory in all things in our lives, school, work, family, ministry, and relating to others. Our personal faith and actions and church function must all glorify our Lord!
© 2016 R.J. Krejcir, Ph.D., Francis A. Schaeffer Institute of Church Leadership Development www.churchleadership.org/
