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In this verse, Paul gives a potted history of the life and work of the Lord Jesus Christ, covering the foundational doctrines upon which our eternal salvation rests. Jesus was the eternal Word of God Who laid aside His glory and took upon Himself mortal flesh. He identified with sinful man and become sin for us. He died on the Cross for our salvation and destroyed the evil work of the devil so that by faith in Him, we might be identified with His godliness, covered in His righteousness, and become a part of His mystical Body which is the Church. Christ was the perfect Man, and His legitimacy was endorsed or justified at His baptism, His transfiguration, His resurrection, and His ascension. He was vindicated as the beloved Son of God by both the Father and the Spirit. Angels ministered to His human needs, not only at His birth and resurrection but during His terrible agony in the garden of Gethsemane as He faced the looming Cross. The Mystery Of Godliness, where the resurrected life of Christ is manifested in the life of godly leaders and spiritual believers, will always stand secure on the glorious truths of the death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and glorification of Jesus Christ. Paul equates correct doctrine and godly behavior as two vital components in the life of all Christian leaders and spiritual believers. Godliness is not something that we conjure up ourselves. Godliness is the spiritual fruit of a life that is lived in willing submission to the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit. 1 Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.  Our United Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You that we are in Christ and that through His death and Resurrection, we have been made new creations and have received His life within. Thank You that the Word of God became incarnate and was manifest in the flesh in the person of Christ. Thank You for revealing the truth of the glorious gospel in the written Word of God, and thank You for bestowing on all Your children, the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: "Which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." We pray that we may show forth the love of Christ in all we say and do, to His praise and glory, AMEN.
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We rejoice to know that where two or three are gathered together in the name of the Lord Jesus, He Has Promised To Be There Among Us, we are all members of His Body, the Church. As believers, we are the corporate Body of Christ, and when two or more members of Christ's Body are united in prayer or praise, thanksgiving or worship, we are fulfilling Christ's high priestly prayer: That we may be one, even as He is one with the Father. Christ is the Head of the Body and when as few as two or three members are united together in Him, they are one with Christ Who is the Head of His growing Body. It is truly amazing that Jesus has promised to work in and through the prayer and praises of His people. What a comfort to know that He is with us as we unite in fellowship around a shared meal or simply join together as we break bread and pass the cup of blessing, in remembrance of Him. Christ's beautiful Spirit of unity in our faith leads us and guides us as we come together in His name for prayer and petitions, conversation and communion, for a simple meal or a meeting of fellowship and fun: Matthew 18:20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”  Our United Prayer:
Loving Father, how glorious to know that the Lord Jesus is our living Head. May He lead and guide all our intercessions and prayers, our conversations, and communion with others, both individually or corporately. As we gather together with other brothers and sisters to pray, and praise, and worship You, We thank You that Christ is the Head in our midst. May all we say and do be honoring to You. In Jesus' name we pray, AMEN. Members of the Church are God's beloved, blood-bought children, and although we are not under the Mosaic Law, nor required to sacrifice in the Temple or keep the feasts of the Lord, we are called to be obedient to His Word. We are to be workers who are approved unto God. We are to be those who live by faith and not by sight. We are to grow in grace, walk in newness of life, live in willing submission to the Holy Spirit, and love as Christ loved us, which can ONLY be carried out when we remain in fellowship with Him. We are not required to keep the feasts, offer sacrifices to God, or rebuild the Temple with wood from the mountains, to glorify the Lord. We are to glorify the Lord by living godly lives, and abiding in Christ, because we ourselves have become God's holy residence. We are living stones that are being built-up into a spiritual house. We Are The Body Of Christ, The Church, and we have become a holy priesthood and ministers of reconciliation, and we are to offer ourselves to God as a spiritual sacrifice, holy and acceptable to Him, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Haggai 1:8 Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build my house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,” says the LORD.  Our United Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for Haggai the prophet and the great truths in this little book. Thank You that we do not live under the Law, but in the dispensation of Grace, and we do not have to rebuild the Temple, offer animal sacrifices, or keep special feast days in order to worship You. What a blessing that the one thing You require from us, is faith alone in Christ alone. Thank You that His finished work on the Cross is sufficient. Lord, we offer ourselves as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to You. May the motives behind our thoughts, words, and deeds, be to glorify You and You alone. This we ask in Jesus’ name and for His greater glory, AMEN. Paul lays out a clear picture of the make-up and function of the Body of Christ in his epistle to the Ephesians. He discusses the unity of the saints and the importance of thinking of others as better than ourselves. We are to speak the truth in love and hold fast to the Word of God. The harmony to which we are all called, should be manifested through a variety of spiritual gifts that are bestowed on each of God's children who are grounded in Scripture. Gifts of leadership are given to pastors, teachers, prophets, and evangelists, so that the saints are built up in the faith until we all live in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God. Some members of the Body of Christ are equipped for evangelism or teaching. Others may be graced with the gift of giving or helping. ALL however, are part of the whole. All gifts and graces should be used to help us grow Together In The Unity Of The Body and to build one another up in the faith. All we do should be done to the glory of God. ALL members of the Body are equally beloved of the Lord and all are accepted by grace through faith in Christ's finished work at Calvary. Whether the service we do for the Lord is open and visible to others, or whether we work quietly behind the scenes, Christ is the Head of the Body and we are all members together. He is the One Who equips us for service and fits us together as He chooses, in order to fulfil His plans and purposes in His perfect way. Let us be thankful for our great salvation, and may we be willing to fulfil our own unique role in Christ's Body in the place where He has planted us. Let us look to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith. Ephesians 4:16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.  Our United Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You that we are part of Christ's Body and thank You that we are united together in Him. Thank You for the unity we have in Christ and for the diversity of people that have been saved by grace through faith in Christ. Thank You that we are all one in Him and are being fitted and held together, as we live and work according to Your plans and purposes. May we live, and work, and grow together in Him, and help to build each other up in the unity of the faith. This we ask in Jesus' name, AMEN. The Household Of God' refers to all who have been saved by grace through faith in Christ, and Paul qualified this by spelling out, in no uncertain terms, what he meant, "the household of God is the Church of the living God. Christians are the pillar and support of the truth." The household of God are the believers who make up the Body of Christ. We are like living stones that are being fitted together into the temple of the Lord. The household of God are the men and women who are positioned in Christ, by faith, and have become the pillar and foundation of the truth of God's glorious gospel of Christ. Some people erroneously teach that a denominational church is the foundation of truth and that the only way to be saved is to follow their rules and regulations, but this is unbiblical. Scripture teaches that Christ Himself is the Truth, and that He alone is the foundation upon which our faith is anchored. Indeed, the Word of the living God testifies to this unchangeable truth. As a spiritual body of believers, we are; both individually and collectively, spiritual pillars in a crumbling world of lost souls. We are not the source or foundation of truth, Christ is the Source of truth and He is the Foundation upon which our faith is founded. However, we are those that teach, support, and defend the truth of the glorious gospel of grace and we do it for love of the Lord Jesus and for the praise and glory of His holy name. 1 Timothy 3:15 if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.  Our United Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for the Word of God and the wonderful truths that are contained within its pages. Thank You that we have everything we need to live pure and holy lives and have been taught how to conduct ourselves in this fallen world system. We praise You that by faith in Christ, we are members of the household of God and part of the Body of Christ, which is identified as "the Church of the living God." Help us to stand firm in these evil days, and be strong and established pillars of truth that points lost sinners to Christ, Who is the source, the seal, and the consummation of our faith, and in Whose name we Pray, AMEN. In the time of Israel, the first temple was a physical building which was constructed out of great blocks of hewn stone. In this dispensation, Christians Are A Spiritual House and all believers are living stones that are being assembled together as a fitting dwelling-place for God, with the Lord Jesus Christ being the chief Cornerstone. Christ is our merciful and faithful High Priest. His death tore down the barrier between mankind and God so that all who believe on His name are born from above, adopted into God's family, are living stones, a spiritual house, and holy priesthood. Because of Christ's sacrifice, we can come fearlessly before the Father to intercede for others and offer up our spiritual sacrifice of prayer and praise. We should never take this sacred privilege lightly. It is a gift from God and a blessing to us. We have been endued with heavenly gifts and holy graces so we can offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God, in our service to Him and in our ministry to others. We should never forget that even our most consecrated praises, sanctified service, and holy prayers can only be accepted by God, THROUGH Christ. 1 Peter 2:5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.  Our United Prayer:
Loving Father, how we thank You that we have been accepted in Christ. What a blessing to be members of the holy priesthood and able to come boldly into Your presence to offer our sacrifices of praise to You and to humbly lay our petitions before Your throne of grace. Thank You, in Jesus' name, AMEN. Because we are in Christ and have become members of His Body, we have been lavished with all kinds of spiritual blessings, by grace through faith. The sacrificial death of Christ paid the penalty for our sins, but His glorious Resurrection broke the power of sin and death in our lives, we were made a new creation in Christ and given a new life in Him. By His grace we were given His presence, holy life, in the Person of the Holy Spirit. God demonstrated His immeasurable authority and unlimited power when He raised Christ from the dead, and seated Him at His own right hand in glory, far above all principalities and powers, not only in time but throughout eternity. God loved the world so much that He gave His Son to die, but Christ loved the Church so much that He gave Himself for her. God put all things in subjection under His feet and made Him head over all things For The Benefit Of The Church. Christ's headship, in His grace, is being exercised through you and me, by grace through faith we are members of His mystic Body. Ephesians 1:22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,  Our United Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You that the very power that raised Jesus from the dead, is available to all the members of His Body (The CHURCH). Thank You that by His death and Resurrection, Christ has won victory over sin and death for us and for all who trust in His name. Thank You that Christ triumphed over every principality and power and that His victory is not only future but can be accessed today, when we depend on Him and walk by faith. Help us all to live in humble obedience and dependence on Christ so that we may experience His grace and peace in every area of our lives today. In Jesus' name we Pray, AMEN. |
Prayer
We are a growing group of people praying daily for and with others. We were led to start an online ministry to deliver what is needed more now than ever, a place where you can go to easily to submit a prayer request or requests involving others to pray for your needs. The Power of Prayer. Matthew 18:20- For where two or more come together in my name, there I am among them. You are never alone in prayer. The Power Of Numbers Praying.
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