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EPHESIANS: Living Worthy of Salvation

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EPHESIANS: Living Worthy of Salvation CELEBRATING JANUARY 2018 30 Yeaɾs Put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:24 EPHESIANS: Living Worthy of Salvation A devotional from TODAY WITH DR. PAUL NYQUIST President of Moody Global Ministries One New Body Did you know that the cross, having put to death the 25 percent of the enmity” (2:15–16). bones in your body are located in your The purpose for this new created body of feet? Your little finger Christ is peace. The church is not merely contributes more than an assortment of separate individuals 50 percent of your trying to get along. Instead, God has hand’s strength. Like your fingerprint, made a new creation altogether, “one your tongue has its own unique print. new man,” a living, breathing organism And the brain contains 86 billion nerve designed to work in harmony. cells joined by 100 trillion connections— numbering more than all of the stars in This new creation not only reconciles the Milky Way. us to God but also to one another. It puts to death any division and Learning about the intricate and careful hostility, replacing this ragtag group design of our physical bodies should of nonconforming individuals with one impress upon us the wonder and artistry new person, created in and through the of our Creator. As Scripture tells us, we death and resurrection of Jesus Christ! are “fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, and my soul Each of us is called to play an important knows it very well” (Ps. 139:14). role within the body of Christ. As Paul reminds us, “From whom the whole body, Scripture speaks of another body, the being fitted and held together by what body of Christ. Just as God formed Adam every joint supplies, according to the from the dust of the earth and filled him proper working of each individual part, with the breath of life, the body of Christ causes the growth of the body for the is also God’s creation, formed in Him and building up of itself in love” (Eph. 4:16). through Him, intricately weaving our lives with that of other believers. Together we are God’s creation, designed to accomplish His work and In Ephesians, Paul explains the purpose growing together for His glory. No behind this new creation: so God “might longer are we stubborn individuals, but make the two into one new man, thus in God’s glorious grace, we are joined establishing peace, and might reconcile together in order to serve Him and bless them both in one body to God through each other. n 800¡ 356¢6639 THEOLOGY MATTERS by Dr. John Koessler The Headship of Christ hen we speak of someone dissolved. God’s dwelling will be with being the “head,” we are humanity and His will done on earth W usually referring to power or as it is in heaven (Rev. 21:3). Then the authority. The head of a company is state of the church on earth will be the the CEO; the head of a school is the same as that of the church in heaven. principal. In the book of Ephesians, All its inconsistencies will be eliminated. Paul uses the language of headship God’s creation will also be renewed and to describe something about Christ’s the world’s fallen condition repaired authority, but the headship of Christ (Rom. 8:19–21; Rev. 22:3). also emphasizes connection and relationship. According to Ephesians This is not merely a theology of wishful 1:10, God’s purpose is to unite all things thinking: we can have confidence in this in heaven and on earth under Christ. future work because we have already begun to experience the reality of these Today these realms are separated. promises by being included in Christ. Christ is ruler over both, but in the We have been raised with Christ and present age the earth—and the are seated with Him in heavenly places church—still suffer from the collateral (Eph. 2:6). damage of sin (Rom. 8:22). The state of the church on earth differs from the Because we have a share in Christ’s church in heaven. Both are forgiven resurrection, we can experience its and share the same position in Christ, power now through the ministry of the but the church on earth continues to Holy Spirit, God’s down payment on our struggle against the forces of a sinful redemption. He is called a “seal” and a world. Though the earth is the Lord’s “deposit” (Eph. 1:13–14). The indwelling (Ps. 24:1), those on earth often resist presence of the Holy Spirit is evidence God’s will. Heaven is the realm where that we belong to God. We have been God’s will is always done (Matt. 6:10). united with Christ who is our head (Eph. 4:15; 5:23). n As a result of this separation, our experience in the church this side FOR FURTHER STUDY of heaven is often mixed. But God’s To learn more, read God’s Ultimate purpose for the church is guaranteed. Purpose: An Exposition of Ephesians In God’s perfect timing, the separation 1:1–23 by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones between earth and heaven will be (Baker). TODAYINTHEWORD.COM FROM THE EDITORS by Jamie Janosz Trusting God in the Midst of the Hurricane As I hang up my new calendar on our our best to schedule our days, to plan kitchen wall, I’m reminded that no matter out the months and year ahead. And what plans I think will fill the coming then the storm roars in and disrupts days and months, this new year will hold everything. surprises. Not all of them will be good or desirable—as many of us can attest from As a believer, I know that the safest this past year. place to be is in the center of God’s plan. I was definitely not calm during those In 2017, as relatively new residents in wee hours of the night as the hurricane Florida, my husband and I weathered winds howled around our concrete block our second year of hurricanes. We did home, rattling the shutters and sending our best to prepare for the enormous branches hurtling down the street. But storm predicted to come our way: as we prayed and listened to the radio, boarding up our windows, buying with the lights flickering when the power bottled water, and making sure our cars went off for the final time, I was reminded were filled with gas. But as Hurricane that God—and not this house—was my Irma steadily approached, my orderly life refuge. He alone is my constant. started to feel like it was about to spin out of control. No matter what I am facing, whether a weather forecast, a medical diagnosis, Our plans to attend Parents’ Weekend or news from my family and friends, God at our daughter’s college were has promised to be my safe place: “You cancelled. We struggled to decide about are my hiding place; you will protect evacuation. No one knew exactly where me from trouble and surround me with the hurricane would land in the United songs of deliverance. I will instruct you States. Would it swing to the east coast and teach you in the way you should go; of Florida, where we live? Would it head I will counsel you with my loving eye on west? In the end, it turned toward the you” (Ps. 32:7–8). center, with Florida residents scrambling from one supposedly safe location to Our house survived the storm. But the the next. hurricane reminded us to trust more in God than in our plans. As we start the Not every storm in life is as dramatic as new year, let’s resolve to make sure that Hurricane Irma (or Harvey or Maria), but we’re in the center of God’s loving eye, all of us can relate to having our plans the only secure place we can trust. n upset by unpredictable events. We try 800 3566639 VOLUME 31 • ISSUE 1 MANAGING EDITOR Heather Mott SENIOR EDITOR Elena Mafter CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Ephesians: Living Worthy of Salvation Jamie Janosz John Koessler WRITER On Monday, August 21, 2017 something happened Brad Baurain ART DIRECTOR that made many Americans look up in awe, Lynn Gabalec forgetting for a while their everyday worries GRAPHIC DESIGNERS and scheduled agendas. That day they had the Larry Bohlin, Rachel Hutcheson MARKETING & PRODUCTION opportunity to experience a total solar eclipse. Paul B. Currie People gathered in groups and looked up at the MOODY GLOBAL MINISTRIES sun. They shared special glasses, and they also PRESIDENT shared a sense of wonder and community spirit. J. Paul Nyquist PROVOST Junias Venugopal As a community of believers, we share the same EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT sense of wonder when we gaze upon our Savior, Steven Mogck and we don’t need anything like special glasses to SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT Greg R. Thornton look at Him. This month in Today in the Word, we’ll CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER look at the mystery of Christ’s salvation in the book Ken Heulitt of Ephesians. We’ll study what Paul has to say about CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER Samuel Choy God’s purpose for our lives and how He wants His VICE PRESIDENTS people to live in the light of His calling. We’ll also Tim Arens Larry Davidhizar explore the great theme of this letter—God’s eternal Jim Elliott vision for His church, the body of Christ.
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