To understand Ephesians 2 you need to read the rest of the Bible. v 15  -  One new man - the Christian. Christ died on the cross to fulfill the Old Testament and bring in the New Testament. v 8 & 9 - learn these two verses.  You cannot save yourself;  Christ saves us.  We come through faith - faith in Christ. v 10 - if you get saved and nothing happens,  you're a liar.   It's not about what you get right; it's about what God molds you into by what you do through your life  journey. This passage speaks of what we were like before we came into the kingdom of God.   By faith in Christ Jesus we are saved.  We are citizens of God's kingdom now.  v 1-3 - Pauk used 4 ways to describe how we were before coming to Christ: - dead to Christ (spiritually dead); - followed the ways of the world; - followed the ruler of this world  (devil); - gratify the cravings of the flesh. Sometimes we go back to these things.   Life is a journey and we walk (or run) this journey.

Read Matthew chapters 5-8 We can only live God's way because He put it in our hearts to live His way.

Bible Ref: John 17:4; Luke 19:10; Romans 3:23-25 Hezekiah -  the gold and silver didn't save him.  He went to Isaiah to ask for God's help.  185000+ Assyrians killed by angel.  Why did God help?  Hezekiah and Isaiah were friends of God We are a friend of God Jeremiah 31 Jesus fulfilled the Law. Ceremonial law has been fulfilled 10 commandments still applicable today.  We need to read God's Word We are not catholic we are not protestant.   We are the people of God!  If I am a friend of God he will help me because I am a friend of Him. Last words of Jesus were 'It is finished.' (Gospel of John)  (paid in full) Not only did He die He is also the fulfillment of the Law. Read Scripture.   If your idea doesn't match with scripture then your idea should be chucked out. Paid in full- all the little bits, hard bits, things we don't remember.   Jesus paid all in full. God is not interested in the detail of your life,  He is interested in your life.  It'

Mark 16:15&16 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.   Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. When we are obedient to the gospel, when we believe and are saved we are called to be baptised. Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel,  because it is the power of God  that brings salvation to everyone who believes:  first to the Jew,  then to the Gentile. What does the Bible say? 1 Cor 15:1-4 Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand.  By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance[a]: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,  that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, Paul was remi

Scripture References:  John 5:39-44; Nehemiah 4 The Jews considered that eternal life was revealed to them in their Scriptures, and that they had it, because they had the word of God in their hands. Jesus urged them to search those Scriptures with more diligence and attention. “You search the Scriptures,” and you do well to do so. They did indeed search the Scriptures, but it was with a view to their own glory. It is possible for men to be very studious in the letter of the Scriptures, yet to be strangers to its power. You profess to receive and believe the Scripture, let that be the judge. It is spoken to us as advising or commanding all Christians to search the Scriptures. Not only read them, and hear them, but search them; with diligence in examining and studying them. We must search the Scriptures for heaven as our great end; eternal life For in them you think ye have eternal life. We must search the Scriptures for Christ, as the new and living Way, that leads to this end. T

Who is to Blame? The following statements seem unreal and yet this is what people have stated on insurance accident claims forms. ”I left for work this morning at 7am as usual when I collided straight into a bus. The bus was 5 minutes early.” (Clearly the bus’s fault!) ”I knew the dog was possessive about the car but I would not have asked her to drive it if I had thought there was any risk.” (How could he have known?) ”The accident happened because I had one eye on the truck in front, one eye on the pedestrian, and the other on the car behind.” (Clearly God’s fault – more eyes needed!) ”No one was to blame for the accident but it would never have happened if the other driver had been alert.” We live in a culture of blame instead of personal responsibility. The Bible is different in that it very much supports personal responsibility for the choices and decisions we make. Eleanor Roosevelt said, “One’s philosophy is not best expressed in words. It is expressed in the choices

1 Cor 11(GNB) and Matthew 5:21-26 The Corinthian church was operating in gifts but didn't get it. We should not only preach the gospel we believe but we should live it.  We need to be in subjection to Christ;  not in subjection to man.  The question is:  Who do I want to please? Come together and do not have divisions. The Lords supper is a time we focus on the price he paid. The Lords supper was to bring people together, not cause division.  We are not to look down on any other, I have no right.  It is not my business to judge them, that's Gods business, we are called to pray for them. Any form or thing that causes disunity amognst Gods people is very serious. The outward signs of the Lord's Supper are Christ's body and blood. (Bread and Wine) The benefits you have are from the death of Gods Son.  We are commanded to forgive one another, but we must also stop the behaviour that causes the arguments or division. The Holy Spirit never causes scripture to dete

Why is it important to be an overcomer? Either you set the pace or others will set your pace. We can love each other but we also have to like each other.  You can’t be married to someone and say you love them and not like them.  Once the romance wears off, and real, everyday life sets in, you make a choice daily to like and love the person you chose to be married to. Perfect love casts out fear.  Nehemiah had to step out and pick up God’s love.  This didn’t take away the circumstances or difficulties, but God’s love helped Nehemiah overcome the fear he had. How do we tell who is a born-again Christian?  See the Book of Acts.  Christians have love one for another. The lifestyle choices we choose determines how we live.  Whom we choose to serve will impact our lives - either fear or faith. If we sow envy, bitterness, strife, fear we will reap this.  If we sow mercy, patience, peace and love we will reap this.  What we sow, determines what we will reap in our lives. A lot

Scripture References:  Nehemiah Chapter 1; Ezra Chapter 10 Walls.  They are important.  Why?  Walls give protection and security. Nehemiah had inquired about how the Jewish people were faring in Jerusalem and was saddened to learn that although much had been done, the walls were not.  This meant that the people were exposed, enemies could easily strike and those living in Jerusalem had no protection. Nehemiah went before God in fasting, weeping and prayer.  He confessed the sins of his people, family and self.  He asked God for guidance and  assistance to move forward with a plan.  Nehemiah is compassionate in his care about others although he lived in a good place.  This brings to our attention that we too, should have concern for how our brothers and sisters in the Lord are living?  Do they have what they need? Although buildings are NOT the Church, they are a representation to the community of who we are.  How we care for the property we are entrusted with will be an example

Bible References:  Nehemiah Chapter 1, Book of Acts Nehemiah was a cup bearer to the King.  He was in a position of power.  But Nehemiah was concerned about his fellow Jews who had gone back to Jerusalem.  He found out that the walls had not been rebuilt and this left the inhabitants in a vulnerable position of no security.  They were exposed to be attacked and taken by the local peoples surrounding them. Ezra taught the people about their spiritual state and what God required of them.  Nehemiah was a practical man.  He first went to God so that he could then go to the King. He prayed a fervent prayer to God asking for his help.  He entrusted his concerns to God.  He set us an altar. The book of Nehemiah shows us practically how God cares for his people.  This book focuses on the “how to”, being practical in everyday life.  Nehemiah also teaches us about being humble and not promote our position. God gave Nehemiah as-surety that he was called to rebuilt the wall - he was call

The 4 th  National Day of Prayer and Fasting to be held Sunday 2 March 2014 The theme for the 4th National Day of Prayer and Fasting, to be held on Sunday 2 March 2014, will be REVIVAL.  This theme is explained in the short video at www.nationaldayofprayer.com.au  True revival begins as God’s people renew their love for Him.  This renewal of our first love as individuals touches the Church and facilitates the proclamation of the Gospel.  That is why each year there is a strong emphasis on prayer-based personal evangelism.  Jesus Christ is the answer.  When people hear the good news of God’s love in Jesus Christ from their friends, who are praying for them, their hearts are touched.  Many find new life in Christ as a result.  In 2014, there will also be a special focus on prayer for a revival of sexual purity.  One of our prayer goals is to turn back the tide of immorality that is sweeping our nation. The Good News is that REVIVAL in the Church leads to transformation in the n

Bible References:  Ezra 10:1-44; 1 Peter 2:9; Romans 7 Ezra confronted the people over their sin especially with their marriages to foreign women.  Why?  Because unlike Ruth, who had chosen “You God will be my God and Your people, my People”, these foreign women had brought their gods and culture into the homes of the Jewish people. They did not live in the ‘temple’, which we today are called to live in.  So Ezra had to confront the problem which took a lot of courage.  God didn’t want the people to just confess their sin, He wanted them to repent.  When someone confesses they say “I’ve done the wrong thing” however, unless a person repents, they will eventually repeat the sin.  Repentance is about turning away from what you are doing wrong and going God’s way. The men listed in Ezra Chapter 10 had to not only confess their sin of marriages of foreign women, but they had to divorce the women and send them and any children from that marriage away!  This seems a harsh decision, bu

Deuteronomy 11 New International Version (NIV) Love and Obey the Lord  11 Love the Lord your God and keep his requirements, his decrees, his laws and his commands always. 2 Remember today that your children were not the ones who saw and experienced the discipline of the Lord your God: his majesty, his mighty hand, his outstretched arm; 3 the signs he performed and the things he did in the heart of Egypt, both to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his whole country; 4 what he did to the Egyptian army, to its horses and chariots, how he overwhelmed them with the waters of the Red Sea[a] as they were pursuing you, and how the Lord brought lasting ruin on them. 5 It was not your children who saw what he did for you in the wilderness until you arrived at this place, 6 and what he did to Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab the Reubenite, when the earth opened its mouth right in the middle of all Israel and swallowed them up with their households, their tents and every living thing that belonged

Ruth: Humble Cheerfully took on what was in front of her Pleased by what she gained by her work A Gentile, yet part of Naomi (grafted in through marriage) Went about doing what God created her to do Naomi: Names means ‘pleasant’ Mara means ‘bitter’ These two names reflect Israel Naomi didn’t try and hide how she felt Honest about state of her life Boaz: Spoke well of people and spoke well to people People spoke well of Boaz Treated his workers well Helped people Each and every person has the potential to make a difference in the life of others, the nations, the world by answering the call of God on their lives. Example of making a difference:   Irene Gleeson 

Ruth took on the whole deal.  She made a full commitment, not a part commitment. Elimech means “God is King”.  It signifies when Elimech dies that ‘God has left the house’.  This typified what was happening in Israel. Naomi means delight, pleasant.  Mara means bitter.  Naomi represents the remnant in Israel. Ruth - gentile bride The main message/theme is redemption.  The kinsman-redeemer. You won’t understand Revelation Chapter 5 if you don’t understand Ruth. In Chapter 1 Naomi gives both Orpah and Ruth a choice:Orpah goes back to her people, her god but Ruth chooses to go with Naomi and chooses the God of Israel Ruth made the whole-hearted decision to follow God In this we see the grace of God, he never fails to fulfill his plans in the face of the progress of evil and shows his grace to his people. When providence made her poor she stoops to her lot.  She is at peace. Israel at this time is desolate in spiritual things even though the harvests are plenty Ruth works - sh

Romans 12 Contemporary English Version (CEV) Christ Brings New Life 12 Dear friends, God is good. So I beg you to offer your bodies to him as a living sacrifice, pure and pleasing. That’s the most sensible way to serve God. 2 Don’t be like the people of this world, but let God change the way you think. Then you will know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to him. 3 I realize how kind God has been to me, and so I tell each of you not to think you are better than you really are. Use good sense and measure yourself by the amount of faith that God has given you. 4 A body is made up of many parts, and each of them has its own use. 5 That’s how it is with us. There are many of us, but we each are part of the body of Christ, as well as part of one another. 6 God has also given each of us different gifts to use. If we can prophesy, we should do it according to the amount of faith we have. 7 If we can serve others, we should serve. If we can teach, we should teach. 8 If we c

Bible References:  Romans 8; Rev. 12:7-12; Rev. 14:13-16; Psalm 23 -o0o- Romans 8 (GNB) : There is no condemnation now for those who live in union with Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit, which brings us life in union with Christ Jesus, has set me free from the law of sin and death.  What the Law could not do, because human nature was weak, God did. He condemned sin in human nature by sending his own Son, who came with a nature like our sinful nature, to do away with sin. God did this so that the righteous demands of the Law might be fully satisfied in us who live according to the Spirit, and not according to human nature. Those who live as their human nature tells them to, have their minds controlled by what human nature wants. Those who live as the Spirit tells them to, have their minds controlled by what the Spirit wants. To be controlled by human nature results in death; to be controlled by the Spirit results in life and peace. And so people become enemies of God when