Category Archives: Itty Bitty Bible Study

Itty Bitty Bible Study – Philippians 1:12-18

My thoughts for the Itty Bitty Bible Study group on Facebook. (join if you’d like to get these in fb!)

Philippians 1:12-18
12 I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ.
14 And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

15 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.

First:

Phil 1:12 I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ.

So often, when things go badly from our point of view, we wonder what we did wrong, what others did wrong, or why God did not protect, provide, or prevent whatever happened.

Paul wrote Romans 8:28

28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

This goes all the way back to the story of Joseph – being thrown into the well by his brothers…and his final statement to them:

Genesis 50:19-20
19 But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place? 20″As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.

This goes back to Ruth and Naomi…if Naomi, Elimelech and their sons had not gone to Moab, and the men had not all died, Ruth would not have met Boaz and been the grandmother of David, and in the ancestral line of Christ.

Ruth 4:13-17
Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse. 17 And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

For more of my thoughts on this part of Ruth’s story – Itty Bitty Bible Study – Ruth 4

The verse states : those that Love God and are Called according to his purpose
Paul loved God – shown early on by his zealous nature to eradicate the Christians, and his willingness to humble himself, admit he was wrong, and zealously follow Christ!
Paul was called – again – hearing the voice of God saying “Paul, Paul, why do you persecute me?”, and then, as a blind man, being led to Christ so that he could truly see.

Our lives, when we give them over to the Lord, are knit together to bring about HIS good will and purposes in our lives. Throughout the Bible, it is obvious that God is not as concerned about being the holy Santa Claus and giving us the material things to look like the wealthy kings, but more that he is interested in giving us lessons so that our character is challenged, and we are given spiritual things so that we can be filled with the Holy Spirit, and walk as an Ambassador of Christ! A representation of Christ to the world.

What was Paul called unto?
1 Cor 1:1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ…
2 Cor 1:1; Colossians 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God….
Galatians 1:1 Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead)
Philippians 1:1 Paul…the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus….
1 Timothy 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope;
Titus 1:1 Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness

An apostle.

But this is talking about the effect his bonds have upon others…and, this is the statement that talks about Paul’s specific calling:

Philippians 1:17
The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel.

Saul’s calling was pretty dramatic.
Acts 9 talks about the zealot – and his blinding – and his healing – and his calling!
Ananais was not convinced to go see this man that killed the Christ followers! But here is where God states Paul’s calling:

verse 15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.

Paul’s bonds for Christ hve drawn attention. I’d imagine, it wasn’t just the bonds, because many had been put in bondage. It’s the REASON for which he was put in bondage…something worth being put into bondage for!

Christ’s death exploded the faith. His resurrection completed the plan – but being willing to die for His faith set in motion the cost to be a follower. Here are just a few of the ways that Jesus tells us to count the cost…

We can understand why Paul said, in Philippians 3:7-9 that he counts all things as loss, except for Jesus Christ.

Philippians 1:18
But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice,

Jesus said something similar. in Luke 9:49-50(ESV)

49 John answered, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.”50 But Jesus said to him, “Do not stop him, for the one who is not against you is for you.”

To me, this is saying that God is able to make sure that HIS word is able to accomplish that to which HE has sent it.

Isaiah 55:10-11English Standard Version (ESV)
10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

It’s the basis for Philippians 1:6

For I am confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will continue to perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

and reflects, from the Psalmist:

Psalm 138:8 NASB
The Lord will accomplish what concerns me;
Your lovingkindness, O Lord, is everlasting;
Do not forsake the works of Your hands.

There are various ways to share the gospel.
Here are a few:

Some great pointers on being clear, when sharing the gospel.

The key is TO SHARE THE GOSPEL!

Mark 16:15-16English Standard Version (ESV)
15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

There’s a parable about the seed…we all know it.Matthew 13
We’re to cast the seed – maybe we do some watering – maybe some day, we get to harvest…but we are all called to cast the seed!
Paul explains to us that some plant, some water, and some harvest – but, the point is…we all spread the seed. 1 Cor 3:6

Remember, we may be the only Jesus that someone ever meets!
Let’s BE LIKE JESUS!

 

Jim & Christi 2017

 

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

I want to thank

for the ability to search the Bible online.

Some artwork is from me – ChristArtist. It is copyrighted – by me. Please do not share it without my permission. The same goes for my written work.
Some artwork is from ChristArt – not me! I have purchased a membership, and the art is copyrighted by them.
Some artwork is from FreeClipArt Library. copyrights belong to them.

I’d love to stay in touch with you – we are working on email subscriptions…sign up! 
Soon, we will have a gallery for the art I have created by the hand of God.

There are many organizations that support children and families. Here are ones that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.

Itty Bitty Bible Study – Philippians 1:3-11

My thoughts for the Itty Bitty Bible Study group on Facebook. (join if you’d like to get these in fb!)

Philippians 1:3-11
3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,
4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy,
5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.
6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
7 It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.
8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.
9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment,
10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,
11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

THANKFULNESS FOR BROTHERS AND SISTERS

Paul was in jail.
Paul was suffering.
Paul was currently, a missionary to Rome and those in the jail.
Paul needed the assistance of those outside the jail in order to survive.
Later, he talks about the support, and the lack of it, in this little book.
When he was moving around, he was a tent maker.
1 Thess 2: 7-10 (I got this reference, and some interesting commentary on Paul’s self support from Dave Black Online. A very interesting commentary on this concept.)
What does all of this have to do with thankfulness for brothers and sisters?
Not only were they part of the fruit of his ministry, and often Paul speaks very lovingly about his spiritual children, they had been part of his support team.

Is there anyone that has impacted MY life for the gospel?

  1. the young girl, Tina, that took me to her church when I was in grade school, which led me to asking Christ into my life.
  2. All of the women that worked VBS at the methodist church that my grandmother attended.
  3. Even the sunday school teachers at the Episcopal church I attended were part of my foundation.
  4. The hymn writers that spoke of theological beauty
  5. A priest that knew Jesus, and led me to follow the path of His voice
  6. An ex nun(convent closed) that taught me about devotion time
  7. An evangelist, Jerry, that preached a youth revival at a Methodist church in Pensecola Florida
  8. Keith Green’s ministry – and music
  9. The leadership at the One Way House in Springfield, Ohio. And here is where I can start writing a lot of names!
  10. My husband – who first started out as my Bible Study partner.
  11. My small groups through the years
  12. my Bible study authors through the years
  13. Ministers that preached the gospel, and laid even deeper levels of foundations
  14. a group of women that participated in a specific home school program – that continue to pray for each other.
  15. men and women through my life that have touched my heart, and continue to be prayer partners in my times of needs – and I likewise to them.
  16. Some folks I got to know in a nerdy athletic group that understand depression, and struggles, and honor my faith.
  17. My school mates that remember me from way back when
  18. some of my family, that love me.
  19. My current small group in our home.
  20. a group of facebook people that will raise their voices in prayer when I am struggling

I am thankful for so many of those that have gone before me in the Christian walk – and now are enjoying their eternal reward.
But what about NOW?
I have those that encourage me to write and paint for the Lord.
I am not the missionary I had thought I would be.
So, how does thanking someone for supporting me in my ministry apply to me?

  1. everyone has a ministry!
  2. everyone needs encouragement against the lies of the enemy
  3. everyone can be a light on a hill, a beam in the darkness, a shelter in the storm

I have been blessed by many people in this regard!
As for missionary? I support several missions consistently, and others as the Lord leads.
It is beautiful to get a card in the mail saying thankyou. And, I know they are praying for me, even as I am praying for them.

A PARTNERSHIP IN THE GOSPEL!

1 Corinthians 12 talks about the body of Christ.

1 Cor 12:12 & 27
12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.

27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

While I have not been SENT out to other parts of the world – yet – there are those that are pleased to allow me to partner with them in the gospel!
While I am here at home, I have the obligation to preach the gospel, and make disciples right here.
And those that come along side me, to pray with me, to encourage me, to possibly by my paintings, or my writings – they will be partnering with me in the gospel.
For those, I am grateful – and I make mention to my Father of them in prayer!

One of my favorite Bible verses:

Philippians 1:6
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Spring background with brokeh effect background

Paul says
I
AM
SURE
OF
THIS!

Several versions translate it CONFIDENT!

Here’s a few additional verses to confirm this promise:

Psalm 138:8
The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.
1 Corinthians 1:8
He will sustain you to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 8:28
We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.

And another favorite:

Jeremiah 29:11-13
11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 1
3 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

God begins the work in us, and as long as we have a heart towards Him, He will complete that work – to the day that we face Jesus Christ! Isn’t that amazing? I’ve written about how salvation is a gift…not of ourselves – a gift from God. It is a gift from the moment we are drawn to Him, until the moment we see Him face to face!

Recently, I returned to my hometown for my highschool reunion. It heavily impacted me in gratitude, and conviction and in purpose for the future. I made a confession for cleansing about my past, and I was reminded of my first love. And, I have to be confident that HE that began this work in me WILL complete it, if I am yielded to HIS word, hand and Spirit.

PAUL’S PRAYER FOR HIS PARTNERS

Philippians 1:9-11
9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment,
10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,
11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

I want to break this down.

LOVE
it is the AGAPE love –
affection, good will, love, benevolence, brotherly love

Wikipedea gives a very good explanation of the Christian historical application of this word – Agape. In Christianity, it is considered the Love of God, or love that is loved like God loves.

Love abound – more and more
Holman Christian Bible – love will keep on growing.
NLT – love will overflow more and more

Amplified: 9 And this I pray, that your love may abound more and more [displaying itself in greater depth] in real knowledge and in practical insight,

I like overflowing…that fits with light and salt to the world.
Of course, our teaching on what love is comes from 1 Corinthians 13
1 John 4 teaches how we should grow in Love…because God is love!
And, to love is a commandment – THE commandment given by Jesus!

Mark 12:30-31
30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

with or in all Knowledge and Discernment – what does this mean?

Strongs defines these words as:
Knowledge: the knowledge of things ethical and divine
Discernment _ perception, not only by the senses but by the intellect;
cognition, discernment – of moral discernment in ethical matters
King James translates discernment as judgement.

This hearkens in my mind back to the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

Proverbs 9:10
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

Proverbds 1:7
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

To grow in the GodLike Love, overflowing, but not ‘willy-nilly’ – but with knowledge, understanding, and discernment.
Our loving actions are to be governed by our wisdom – gained by spending time getting to know the One we LOVE and are loved by.
God’s love is unending – but it does have a time limit…we can choose to say no, and die without God.
God’s love is unconditional – but we are to live to show our love in return. “If you love me, keep my commands”
We are not to love without boundaries – boundaries based in the wisdom of God.

Phil 1:10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,
this is WHY we are to love with discernment….
approve what is excellent!
1 Thes 5:21
but test everything; hold fast what is good.
Romans 2:18
1 John 4:1

And to be pure and blameless for the day of Christ!

Amos 5:14-15
14 Seek good and not evil, that you may live; And thus may the LORD God of hosts be with you, Just as you have said!
15 Hate evil, love good, And establish justice in the gate!

Micah 6:8
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

I’m not saying that our salvation rests on our works…or our ‘goodness’
Obviously, the Old Testament verses need to be taken in light of the New Testament grace and righteousness in Christ.

But, we are called to change!

Romans 12:1-2
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

And Paul states that we are to be presented blameless – by Christ

1 Cor 1:4-8
4 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, 5 that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— 6 even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you— 7 so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In fact, the rest of this passage says that very thing:
Phil 1:11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

What are the fruit of righteousness?

Isaiah 32:17
And the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever.

James 3:17-18
But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceable, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere.
18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap the fruit of righteousness.

Of course, Galatians 5 tells us the Fruit of the Spirit.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

In a webpage Knowing Jesus – there is a compilation of 58 Bible verses about the fruit of righteousness.

Ephesians 5 gives us a ‘simple’ instruction for walking in love. I’m just going to share the first two verses:

1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.
2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

In case we forget/forgot – God has provided a definition of love for us in His word:
1 Cor 13

For comfort, in case all of this talk about choosing and choices is convicting:

  • 1 Cor 1:8
    He will sustain you to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
  • Phil 2:13
    for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
  • Heb 13:20-21
    20 Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep,
    21 equip you with every good thing to do His will. And may He accomplish in us what is pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
  • 2 Tim 3:16-17
    16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
    17 so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work.

The Bottom Line!

Ephesians 2:4-10
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,
5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

And I end this with my favorite verse in this section:

Philippians 1:6
6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Combined with another favorite:

Romans 8:38-39
38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

And here is my prayer for those that read this:

Phil 4:7
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Here’s a few extras!
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/161988917825079202/
http://totallytots.blogspot.com/2011/06/in-my-heart-philippians-16.html

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

I want to thank

for the ability to search the Bible online.

Some artwork is from me – ChristArtist. It is copyrighted – by me. Please do not share it without my permission.
The same goes for my written work.
Some artwork is from ChristArt – not me! I have purchased a membership, and the art is copyrighted by them.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
Or choose to LIKE me on facebook, or other social media!
I’d love to stay in touch with you – we are working on email subscriptions…sign up! 
Soon, we will have a gallery for the art I have created by the hand of God.

There are many organizations that support children and families. Here is one that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.

Itty Bitty Bible Study – Philippians 1:1-2

it’s been a long time since I’ve been posting these…and I have no excuse.
here we go again!

My thoughts for the Itty Bitty Bible Study group on Facebook. (join if you’d like to get these in fb!)

Phillipians 1

1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,
To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers[b] and deacons:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Servants – websters – one that serves others a public servant; especially : one that performs duties about the person or home of a master or personal employer

of Christ Jesus – the point of servant is that it has a master…and they declare who their master is, Whom they serve, right up front!

to:

All – websters – used to refer to the whole quantity or extent of a particular or thing.
ALL – not one left out!

All the saints….
Saints – websters – one of God’s chosen and usually Christian people

if the definition of saints is not clear enough, Paul and Timothy clarify it by saying that the ALL saints are those that are IN CHRIST JESUS!

The difference between we Christians and everyone else is NOT that we have no sin.
1 John takes care of clearing up that!
it’s that our sins are hid IN CHRIST, and that we continue to dwell IN CHRIST to live!

Colossians 3:1-3
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God
2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

Or – it should be….

Romans 6:5-11
5For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
6We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.
7For one who has died has been set free from sin.
8Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.
9We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.
10For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.
11So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Paul described the live of a Christian this way:

Acts 17:28a
for “‘In him we live and move and have our being’;

The benefits of being IN CHRIST are priceless:

Philipians 4:7
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

This is peace that the world does not have, cannot understand, but desires intensely.

Then, the prayer –
grace be unto you, and peace…..from where?
FROM GOD OUR FATHER, AND FROM THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.
here, Paul is really laying it on thick to make sure that we know…WE KNOW without any shadow of doubt…that he is talking about the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – the FATHER, as well as the multiple titles of Jesus…LORD – JESUS – CHRIST –
Lord and master
Jesus – God with us
Christ – messiah.

As Jesus left – he sent us a few gifts…
the Comforter and

John 14:27
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

My whole life has been filled with struggling against fear, and doubt.
Yes, even after all of the years of walking with the Lord.
Yes, even after all of the times he has proven over and over and over that HE is faithful.

Jesus knew that anxiety and doubt would be the greatest detriment to our faith.
that’s why he told us to cast all of our cares upon HIM!

The New Living Translation says it this way:

1 Peter 5:7
Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

New International Version says it:

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

The common denominator is HE CARES FOR YOU – AND ME!

I believe that it is the Holy Spirit Who imparts the peace upon us…but, first, we must let go of the anxiety, worry, care…so there is room for peace.

So, in an odd way, I see the whole trinity in this prayer of Paul and Timothy – and the power of the God Head, to bring us into and to keep us IN Christ Jesus – and the life that he desires for us.

 
The Lord has had me on several journeys, with much soul seeking, and heart tweaking. (NOT TWERKING!)

I hope you will join me on a journey through Phillipians.

I don’t know that this will be a week long…two weeks – or maybe up to a month.’
I do know that God has something wonderful to speak to us – if we are willing to listen!
Please join me!

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

I want to thank

for the ability to search the Bible online.

Some artwork is from me – ChristArtist. It is copyrighted – by me. Please do not share it without my permission.
The same goes for my written work.
Some artwork is from ChristArt – not me! I have purchased a membership, and the art is copyrighted by them.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
Or choose to LIKE me on facebook, or other social media!
I’d love to stay in touch with you – we are working on email subscriptions…sign up! 
Soon, we will have a gallery for the art I have created by the hand of God.

There are many organizations that support children and families. Here is one that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.

Itty Bitty Bible Study – Ephesians 1:15-23

My thoughts for the Itty Bitty Bible Study group on Facebook. (join if you’d like to get these in fb!)

In the IBBS Ephesians Introduction, I shared my thoughts on Ephesians 1:1-2.
And here are the others up to this point:
IBBS Ephesians 1:3-6
IBBS Ephesians 1:7-14

note from previous post: In my research, I have found some that say that verses 3-14 are all one long sentence.
It is commonly known that the verses, the chapters, and maybe even some gramatical markings were not necessarily in the original texts. The KJV has it split up with colons and semi-colons.
ESV has added periods.

Ephesians 1

Ephesians 1:15 – 23

15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints,
16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers,
17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,
18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might
20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,
21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church,
23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

For THIS reason…WHAT reason?

  • Because of everything he wrote about in verses 3-14!
  • Because Paul wants these followers to succeed in their walk with Christ.
  • Because Paul wants them to KNOW all that they have and are IN CHRIST!
  • And – Because he heard of their FAITH in the Lord Jesus Christ,
    and their LOVE towards all the saints!

What does that compel him to do?
GIVE THANKS!
and then, PRAY!

And what does he pray?

18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened,

And to that – I go into worship!!!

https://youtu.be/TSgb3hNggtM

here are two new ones to me:

What are the things Paul is praying for on our behalf?

  • 18b that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you,
  • what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
  • 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe,
    according to the working of his great might
  • 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead
  • and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,
  • 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion,
  • and above every name that is named,
  • not only in this age but also in the one to come.
  • 22 And he put all things under his feet
  • and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body,
  • the fullness of him who fills all in all.

That’s a lot!

I’ve spent a few weeks thinking about this, while my computer has been out of order, my web site has been migrated, and the internet has been having indigestion.

Paul is praying that we would KNOW….all of these things.
I think this is a prayer that we can pray for ourselves, and for others.

I think this is a powerful prayer.

Thanks for your patience!

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

I want to thank

for the ability to search the Bible online.

Some artwork is from me – ChristArtist. It is copyrighted – by me. Please do not share it without my permission.
The same goes for my written work.
Some artwork is from ChristArt – not me! I have purchased a membership, and the art is copyrighted by them.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
Or choose to LIKE me on facebook, or other social media!
I’d love to stay in touch with you – we are working on email subscriptions…sign up! 
Soon, we will have a gallery for the art I have created by the hand of God.

There are many organizations that support children and families. Here is one that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.

Itty Bitty Bible Study – Ephesians 1:7-14

My thoughts for the Itty Bitty Bible Study group on Facebook. (join if you’d like to get these in fb!)

In the IBBS Ephesians Introduction, I shared my thoughts on Ephesians 1:1-2.

IBBS Ephesians 1:3-6

note from previous post: In my research, I have found some that say that verses 3-14 are all one long sentence.
It is commonly known that the verses, the chapters, and maybe even some gramatical markings were not necessarily in the original texts. The KJV has it split up with colons and semi-colons.
ESV has added periods.

Ephesians 1

Moving along in this very long sentence!

Ephesians 1:7-14

7 In him we have redemption through his blood,
the forgiveness of our trespasses,
according to the riches of his grace,
8 which he lavished upon us,
in all wisdom and insight
9 making known to us the mystery of his will,
according to his purpose,
which he set forth in Christ
10 as a plan for the fullness of time,
to unite all things in him,
things in heaven and things on earth.

11 In him we have obtained an inheritance,
having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,
12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.
13 In him you also,
when you heard the word of truth,
the gospel of your salvation,
and believed in him,
were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it,
to the praise of his glory.

IN HIM
Everything is IN HIM! – Remember!

  • vs 3 – blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing
  • vs 4 – he chose us in him
  • vs 5 – adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ(or, IN Jesus Christ)
  • vs 6 – to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

And Paul continues – IN HIM!

7 In him we have redemption through his blood,
the forgiveness of our trespasses,
according to the riches of his grace,
8 which he lavished upon us,
in all wisdom and insight

 

EPHESIANS 1:7 AMP
7 In Him we have redemption [that is, our deliverance and salvation] through His blood, [which paid the penalty for our sin and resulted in] the forgiveness and complete pardon of our sin, in accordance with the riches of His grace

Remission through His blood

The forgiveness of sins

Grace

  • Colossians 1:13-14 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins
  • Ephesians 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved,through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.

Additional verses

Ephesians 1:8‭-‬10 KJV

8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will,
according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ,
both which are in heaven,
and which are on earth; even in him:

Breaking this down:

8 (grace?)which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and understanding [with practical insight]

This seems to first refer to the grace in verse 7
Then…

…in all wisdom. And understanding…
He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure,
which He purposed in Christ,
with regard to the fulfillment of the times [that is, the end of history, the climax of the ages]–
to bring all things together in Christ,
[both] things in the heavens and things on the earth.
EPHESIANS 1:9‭-‬10 AMP

  • Mystery of his will – He shares His secrets with us, like He shared His plans with Abraham!
  • According to his good pleasure – It is HIS PLEASURE to share with us!
  • Which he purposed in Christ – All things are IN CHRIST – and HE is intentional about His plans for us!
  • Regard to the fulfillment of the times – The End times…just like He shared with Abrahamm about Sodom and Gomorrah
  • To bring all things together in Christ – God’s purpose was always about reconciliation
  • In the heavens and on earth. – To be reunited with Him – to walk with Him, not in the garden like Adam and Eve, but in HIS home!

We have been given insight into the end of the story!
The story HE began at creation!

The study of end times is called eschatology. There are plenty of studies on eschatology…
I’ll link a few I like, here.

Back to the verses:

EPHESIANS 1:11‭-‬14 AMP
11 In Him also we have received an inheritance [a destiny–we were claimed by God as His own],
having been predestined (chosen, appointed beforehand)
according to the purpose of Him who works everything in agreement with the counsel and design of His will,
12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ [who first put our confidence in Him as our Lord and Savior] would exist to the praise of His glory.
13 In Him, you also, when you heard the word of truth, the good news of your salvation, and [as a result] believed in Him, were stamped with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit [the One promised by Christ] as owned and protected [by God].
14 The Spirit is the guarantee [the first installment, the pledge, a foretaste] of our inheritance until the redemption of God’s own [purchased] possession [His believers], to the praise of His glory.

An inheritance – only heirs get an inheritance –
Predestined – chosen, planned for, known from before the foundations of the world…
vs 11 – According to his purpose who works everything in agreement with the counsel and design of His will – This points to Romans 8:28!

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,[a] for those who are called according to his purpose.

and just for good measure –

Romans 8:29-30
29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

This ties in with Jeremiah 29:11

11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare[a] and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

 

This reminds me of what I was thinking in IBBS Ephesians 1:3-6

But this whole plan was constructed and conceived because HE loves, because HE loves us, from before the foundations of the world.

My word of the day meditation on February 15th 2017 talks about my choices and HIS plans!
Jeremiah 1:5 talks about being known before we were conceived
Jeremiah 29:11-13 talks about the plans HE has for us.
Psalm 139 talks about being fearfully and wonderfully made

Here is the foundation piece, we love because he first loved us. In addition we are because he first loved us. We will be because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19
Our past, our present, and our future are all enmeshed in His love for us.
There is nothing about God that isn’t done because of his love.
Because of His great love, we are not destroyed!Lamentations 3:22
When we look at First Corinthians 13 describing What Love Is, it really is a description of God.
Love is patient, love is kind, love is not envious, does not rejoice in wrongdoing.
We can go through the names of God and see His love in every name even those that are considered harsh or cruel.

we were chosen for his purpose

For we are God’s handiwork,
created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10

Back to the verses – why? Why did God do all of this?

Ephesians 1:12 NIV

12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.

Referring to those that first believed…

13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation.

And it’s true for those of us that believed since then!


Ephesians 1:13 NIV
When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,

We’ve been marked..sealed…set aside for our protection – Revelation 7:3. similar to the blood on the doorposts at the time of the Exodus.(Exodus 12:23). Ezekiel talked about those that grieve over sin being marked in their forehead! (Ezekiel 9:4).
We are marked – as GOD’S OWN!!!

Ephesians 1:14AMP
(Holy Spirit)who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.The Spirit is the guarantee [the first installment, the pledge, a foretaste] of our inheritance until the redemption of God’s own [purchased] possession [His believers], to the praise of His glory.

When someone creates a will, the proof of the promise of the will is that document. In our case, the proof of our salvation is being filled with the Holy Spirit.
Until the end of the story, when we see redemption face to face.
Hebrews 11:1

We can’t see our salvation…but the Holy Spirit, in us, confirms it.

That leads me back toEphesians 2:8-9

We are Saved by grace through faith and that not of your own…it’s the gift of God

This all seems to go around and around…like a song that is building and building…

  • redemption
  • forgiveness
  • grace
  • wisdom
  • chosen
  • plan
  • inheritance
  • reconciliation

Move some of these around, and it’s the plan of salvation – focusing upon the glories of His love for us, and that we are created for HIS praise and glory.

Here’s how I drew it out:

 
I hope you enjoyed this…and here is a song that really put something in perspective:

There is a phrase – you didn’t want heaven without us, so you brought heaven down.
Because of HIS great love towards us…we have salvation.
Everything is because of HIS GREAT LOVE – and HE loves US!

Amen!

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

I want to thank

for the ability to search the Bible online.

Some artwork is from me – ChristArtist. It is copyrighted – by me. Please do not share it without my permission.
The same goes for my written work.
Some artwork is from ChristArt – not me! I have purchased a membership, and the art is copyrighted by them.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
Or choose to LIKE me on facebook, or other social media!
I’d love to stay in touch with you – we are working on email subscriptions…sign up! 
Soon, we will have a gallery for the art I have created by the hand of God.

There are many organizations that support children and families. Here is one that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.

Itty Bitty Bible Study – Ephesians 1:3-6

My thoughts for the Itty Bitty Bible Study group on Facebook. (join if you’d like to get these in fb!)

In the IBBS Ephesians Introduction, I shared my thoughts on Ephesians 1:1-2.

In my research, I have found some that say that verses 3-14 are all one long sentence.
It is commonly known that the verses, the chapters, and maybe even some gramatical markings were not necessarily in the original texts. The KJV has it split up with colons and semi-colons.
ESV has added periods.
I’m not sure if God is concerned how we break it down, as long as we choose to read his word, to apply our hearts to wisdom! I think Psalm 90:12 applies here!

Ephesians 1:
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,
4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy and blameless before him.
In love
5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ,
according to the purpose of his will,
6 to the praise of his glorious grace,
with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

I really do not want to deal with the predestination and election theology. That is WAAAAAY above my pay grade.
There are many teachers out there pro and con predestination and election – and one can simply do a google to find whichever point of view feels right. I even hate saying it like that. But, this issue can become a very volatile and divisive issue, and I do not believe that is the point Paul is trying to promote here.

I want to focus on how God the Father positioned us to be sons!(and daughters)

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Christ, God has given us every spiritual blessing in heaven.
4 In Christ, he chose us before the world was made. He chose us in love to be his holy people—people who could stand before him without any fault.
5 And before the world was made, God decided to make us his own children through Jesus Christ. This was what God wanted, and it pleased him to do it.
6 And this brings praise to God because of his wonderful grace. God gave that grace to us freely. He gave us that grace in Christ, the one he loves.

Praise be to God the father of our Lord Jesus Christ

That’s a good start for a confession of faith.

In Christ.

That is our profession of salvation. That is our position.
It is from that position, that we should be everything else in our walk, in our lives.
We are seated in the heavenlies with him.(Ephesians 2:6)
We are joint heirs with him.(Romans 8:17)
In this verse we find out that we are blessed in him.

Every spiritual blessing in heaven.

There is a song that I love called I Can Only Imagine.
There is nothing we can compare to being blessed with every spiritual blessing in heaven!
It will be exceedingly abundantly above all we can ask or think! (Ephesians 3:20)
Right now we can only see through a glass Darkly.(1 Corinthians 13:12)

In Christ, he chose us before the world was made.
He chose us in love to be his holy people—people who could stand before him without any fault.

In Christ is the first blessing. Because it’s by faith by grace through faith and that not of ourselves that we are saved. Which we will see in Ephesians 2:8-9.

Here is the tricky part, He chose us before the world was made.
This gets into the predestination and election.
The thing is, do I believe the Bible means what the Bible says?
Yes I do.
I believe God the Father chose each one of us

  • before He created the world,
  • before Adam and Eve fell,
  • before he sent his son,
  • before my mother and father met,
  • before I was conceived,
  • before I was born,
  • God chose me!

The tricky question, which will come up in this book, is, if God chose people from before creation does that mean He chose those to go to hell?
When we stand before God on the judgement day, we will not be judged on whether God chose us or not, we will be judged on whether we chose God or not.
I’ve been doing a Bible study group at church about God being sovereign. In that group the teacher is talking about God’s perfect will and his permissive will.

Pastor Jimmy Knott, from First Baptist Orlando is doing a study on God’s Will.
He’s talked about God’s Determined or Decreed Will and God’s Desired or Permissive will.

here’s some of my notes:

Many years ago in a Thompson Chain reference Bible, there was illustration that shows the two sides of God’s will. It is from the Bible analysis of Romans.

God’s ways are above my ability to comprehend.
The main thing for me is to know the God has had a plan for me from before the foundation of the world!

He chose us in love …

Why did he choose me? Because he loved me.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever whosoever whosoever.

God chose us in love. This brings us back to Genesis 1.
Why did God create? Love.
God chose us before the foundations of the world because of love. Therefore he had to create a world for us in which we could live.
God created the heavens and the Earth and everything that dwells therein, because he loves.
Even simpler, God is love.

He chose us in love to be his holy people—people who could stand before him without any fault.

Chose us to be His holy people.
Holy does not mean perfect, holy means set apart on to him.
Second part of this says “people who could stand before him without any fault.”
That is why Jesus came. In 1st John 1 we are told the followers of Christ do not sin but that if we say we have no sin we lie and that if and when we sin we have an advocate with the Father which is Jesus Christ and that we can pray and ask forgiveness and he will washes clean of our sins. 1 John 2
We stand before God the Father without any faults because God the son, Jesus Christ, took our sins on the cross, and paid the price, so that we are seen as if we had never sinned.
Justified equals just as if I’d never sinned.

5 And before the world was made, God decided to make us his own children through Jesus Christ. This was what God wanted, and it pleased him to do it.

Why did God do this?
Because he wanted to, and it pleased him to do so.

God decided to make us his own children.
That is the whole purpose for creation, for God to have children.

  • God wasn’t surprised that Eve listened to the serpent, that Adam listened to Eve, and they both sinned.
  • God wasn’t surprised that Cain killed Abel.
  • God wasn’t surprised that Moses killed an Egyptian.
  • God wasn’t surprised that Ruth left with Naomi and met up with Boaz and had a child.
  • God wasn’t surprised that it was the Seventh Son of Jesse that chose to worship God and therefore was chosen for the king of Israel.
  • God wasn’t surprised when Herod sent out the soldiers to kill babies around the time Christ was born.
  • God wasn’t surprised when the people of Jesus’s day kept trying to kill him before his time.
  • God wasn’t surprised when Judas betrayed Christ with a kiss.
  • God wasn’t surprised when Jesus hung on the cross to pay the price
  • God wasn’t surprised that Jesus rose from the dead because that was God’s plan from before creation!

The reason that God created from the beginning was so that you and I could become His children through Jesus Christ’s death, burial and Resurrection.
The plan was that the Father would draw us to Him!John 6:44
Just in case we weren’t able to handle it(which he knew we would not be) God gave us the gift of faith so that we could believe in the grace of the cross. Ephesians 2:8-9
He gave us the gift of repentance so that we could turn away from our Wicked Ways and humble ourselves and seek his face. 2 Tim 2:25
Everything that we have comes from God’s hand.

6 And this brings praise to God because of his wonderful grace. God gave that grace to us freely. He gave us that grace in Christ, the one he loves.

This is preparing us for ephesians 2:8-9.
And it gives us our appropriate response for the grace that God has given us that we should praise God from whom all blessings flow!

  • He gave us the grace in Christ, the one he loves.
  • He gave us the grace to Believe In Christ, and
  • He gave us the grace to become children of God, through Christ, whom he loves.

But this whole plan was constructed and conceived because HE loves, because HE loves us, from before the foundations of the world.

My word of the day meditation on February 15th 2017 talks about my choices and HIS plans!
Jeremiah 1:5 talks about being known before we were conceived
Jeremiah 29:11-13 talks about the plans HE has for us.
Psalm 139 talks about being fearfully and wonderfully made

Here is the foundation piece, we love because he first loved us. In addition we are because he first loved us. We will be because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19
Our past, our present, and our future are all enmeshed in His love for us.
There is nothing about God that isn’t done because of his love.
Because of His great love, we are not destroyed!Lamentations 3:22
When we look at First Corinthians 13 describing What Love Is, it really is a description of God.
Love is patient, love is kind, love is not envious, does not rejoice in wrongdoing.
We can go through the names of God and see His love in every name even those that are considered harsh or cruel.

In the King James Version – Ephesians 1:6 says:

To the praise of the glory of HIS grace, where in HE hath made us acceptable in the Beloved.

Acceptable in the Beloved.
Why would I want to be anywhere else?

That’s my thoughts for today….I hope this blessed you!

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

I want to thank

for the ability to search the Bible online.

Some artwork is from me – ChristArtist. It is copyrighted – by me. Please do not share it without my permission.
The same goes for my written work.
Some artwork is from ChristArt – not me! I have purchased a membership, and the art is copyrighted by them.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
Or choose to LIKE me on facebook, or other social media!
I’d love to stay in touch with you – we are working on email subscriptions…sign up! 
Soon, we will have a gallery for the art I have created by the hand of God.

There are many organizations that support children and families. Here is one that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.

Itty Bitty Bible Study – Ephesians – Introduction

My thoughts for the Itty Bitty Bible Study group on Facebook. (join if you’d like to get these in fb!)

In my studying for these readings, I have found a very useful on line tool for study. While I miss sitting with my Strongs concordance, and my Bakers Bible Atlas, and my other various Bible study reference materials – being able to link to them in my blogs is priceless!
Thank you to Bible Study Tools for making these available!

Bible Commentaries

Matthew Henry’s commentary on Ephesians

Scofield Reference Notes on Ephesians.

I like this quote from Scofield:

THEME: The doctrine of the Epistle confirms this view. It contains the highest church truth, but has nothing about church order. The church here is the true church, “His body,” not the local church, as in Philippians, Corinthians, etc. Essentially, three lines of truth make up this Epistle:
the believer’s exalted position through grace;
the truth concerning the body of Christ;
and a walk in accordance with that position.

Acts 19 talks of Paul’s visit to Ephesus.

Ephesians 1 (KJV)
1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:
2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Amplified
1 Paul,
an apostle (special messenger, personally chosen representative) of Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed),
by the will of God [that is, by His purpose and choice],
To the saints (God’s people)
who are at Ephesus
and are faithful
and loyal
and steadfast in Christ Jesus:
2 Grace to you
and peace [inner calm and spiritual well-being] from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Here is more from Scofield:

DATE: Ephesians was written from Rome in A.D. 64. It is the first in order of the Prison Epistles. Acts 20:1-27:44 . (See Scofield “Acts 28:30”) and was sent by Tychicus, concurrently with Colossians and Philemon. It is probable that the two greater letters had their occasion in the return of Onesimus to Philemon. Ephesians is the most impersonal of Paul’s letters. Indeed the words, “to the Ephesians,” are not in the best manuscripts. Colossians 4:16 mentions an epistle to the Laodiceans. It has been conjectured that the letter known to us as Ephesians is really the Laodicean letter. Probably it was sent to Ephesus and Laodicea without being addressed to any church. The letter would then be “to the saints and the faithful in Christ Jesus” anywhere.

I have often had difficulty wondering if the letters written to those people were actually applicable to me.

2 Timothy 3:16-17
16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Romans 15:4
4 For everything that was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope.

I sort of understand the cannonization of the Bible books…
If my reader struggles with this – Focus on the Family discusses how we got the Bible.
The Gospel Project explains it well.
Answers in Genesis goes a bit further and talks about how we got the Bible in English.

I share all of this, because in my life, I have had difficulty accepting that God chose me.
There is much in my history that indicates that in my family, I was not chosen for good things.
So, when Paul begins the epistle to the Ephesians – I often have to go through this exercise to remind myself that God made sure that the Bible was preserved so that I would hear it read every Sunday from the Episcopal pulpit, that I would hear the Bible every summer in the Methodist VBS, that I would respect the Bible when, in 1969, I attended a Pentecostal church and it was explained that each person needs to make a personal choice to ask Jesus in.
Because of that Bible, an evangelist from a Methodist church thousands of miles from my home would tell me to start reading the gospels. It was in a Baptist church I attended because of a boyfriend that I learned that I should KNOW my bible(Bible sword drills). It was in a faith church that I learned theology.
It is the Word of God that is hidden in my heart so that I will not sin against God.
It is the Word of God that saves me – as in – Jesus is the Word of God.

I like Scofield stating that this may have just been written to all the Christians…and of course, there is that verse that comes from Peter:

Acts 2:38-39
38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
39 This promise belongs to you and to your children and to all who are far off, to all whom the Lord our God will call to Himself.”

Grace to YOU,
and PEACE
from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ!

Grace to ME!
and PEACE!

So, for tomorrow – we will read Ephesians 1 – and see how far we get!

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

I want to thank

for the ability to search the Bible online.

Some artwork is from me – ChristArtist. It is copyrighted – by me. Please do not share it without my permission.
The same goes for my written work.
Some artwork is from ChristArt – not me! I have purchased a membership, and the art is copyrighted by them.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
Or choose to LIKE me on facebook, or other social media!
I’d love to stay in touch with you – we are working on email subscriptions…sign up! 
Soon, we will have a gallery for the art I have created by the hand of God.

There are many organizations that support children and families. Here is one that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.

Itty Bitty Bible Study – Joel 3

My thoughts for the Itty Bitty Bible Study group on Facebook. (join if you’d like to get these in fb!)

Wikipedia on Joel

Matthew Henry on Joel 3

The great and horrible day of the Lord!
Joel 3

3:1 “For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land, 3 and have cast lots for my people, and have traded a boy for a prostitute, and have sold a girl for wine and have drunk it.

Joel 1 & 2 were so depressing…and convicting…because of MY sins, MY land is suffering. (2 Chronicles 7:14)

14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

And, Joel’s prophecy tells us how to humble ourselves!
In IBBS Joel 1, I compared these passages.
Today – the heart cry of the Christians in America is that God heal our land – and God has already told us how to move things to that end.

Eschatology.
Wikipedia is not my theology storehouse, but it gives a good overview of the endtimes points of view.

For me, the book of Revelation is just as important to my faith as the book of Genesis.
God has a plan from the beginning.

Joel3:4 “What are you to me, O Tyre and Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia? Are you paying me back for something? If you are paying me back, I will return your payment on your own head swiftly and speedily. 5 For you have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried my rich treasures into your temples. 6 You have sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks in order to remove them far from their own border. 7 Behold, I will stir them up from the place to which you have sold them, and I will return your payment on your own head. 8 I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, to a nation far away, for the Lord has spoken.”

God is not the wishy washy God of the tickling ears.
God will rise up…when it’s least expected.

Joel 3:9 Proclaim this among the nations:
Consecrate for war;
stir up the mighty men.
Let all the men of war draw near;
let them come up.
10 Beat your plowshares into swords,
and your pruning hooks into spears;
let the weak say, “I am a warrior.”
11 Hasten and come,
all you surrounding nations,
and gather yourselves there.
Bring down your warriors, O Lord.
12 Let the nations stir themselves up
and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat;
for there I will sit to judge
all the surrounding nations.
13 Put in the sickle,
for the harvest is ripe.
Go in, tread,
for the winepress is full.
The vats overflow,
for their evil is great.

Several times, God talks about the fullness of sin:
Genesis 6 Noah and the flood
Genesis 11 – the Tower of Babel
Micah
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Daniel
Revelation – The great and horrible day of the Lord

When the Lord returns – he will bring with him, his saints…1 Thessalonians 4:13 -5:11
Again – Wikipedia presents the various doctrines on Christ’s second coming.
CBN presents why Christians believe the return of Christ is near.

We have a job to do – we need to be prepared…AND we need to be trained!

For me – this next echoes that the harvest is white…prior to the Lord’s return.

John 4:35-36
35 Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. 36 Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together.

THE DAY OF DECISION!!!!

Joel 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes,
in the valley of decision!
For the day of the Lord is near
in the valley of decision.

Choose ye this day whom ye shall serve! Joshua 24:15

Even in the midst of destruction for sin – GOD holds his hand out!

Romans 5:6-8
6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Here – when Joel’s prophecy is describing the destruction – God still gives a valley of decision!

Joel 3:15 The sun and the moon are darkened,
and the stars withdraw their shining.
16 The Lord roars from Zion,
and utters his voice from Jerusalem,
and the heavens and the earth quake.

This is just a taste of what is to be found in John’s Revelation – chapters 5 – 19, among some other passages about the end times.

Joel 3:16 But the Lord is a refuge to his people,
a stronghold to the people of Israel.
The Glorious Future of Judah
17 “So you shall know that I am the Lord your God,
who dwells in Zion, my holy mountain.
And Jerusalem shall be holy,
and strangers shall never again pass through it.
18 “And in that day
the mountains shall drip sweet wine,
and the hills shall flow with milk,
and all the streambeds of Judah
shall flow with water;
and a fountain shall come forth from the house of the Lord
and water the Valley of Shittim.

Once God condemns and removes all sin – He will pour out his blessing upon those that are called according to HIS name, and have humbled themselves and turned from their wicket ways. GOD WILL HEAR THEM, AND HEAL THE LAND!

Joel3:19 “Egypt shall become a desolation
and Edom a desolate wilderness,
for the violence done to the people of Judah,
because they have shed innocent blood in their land.
20 But Judah shall be inhabited forever,
and Jerusalem to all generations.
21 I will avenge their blood,
blood I have not avenged,
for the Lord dwells in Zion.”

I looked at Galatians 6 in IBBS.

Galatians 6:7-10
7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

We can be sure that our sin will find us out! Numbers 32:23

But, praise God –

1 John 1:7-10
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

1 John 2:1-2
My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

Genesis to Revelation is an unfolding story of how God created us, we sinned, He made a way, we receive, we sin, he forgives, and we become part of his army, and spend eternity with him.
Joel, to me, is a small microcosm of that story.
ISSB Joel 1
ISSB Joel 2

Thank you for joining me.

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

I want to thank

for the ability to search the Bible online.

Some artwork is from me – ChristArtist. It is copyrighted – by me. Please do not share it without my permission.
The same goes for my written work.
Some artwork is from ChristArt – not me! I have purchased a membership, and the art is copyrighted by them.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
Or choose to LIKE me on facebook, or other social media!
I’d love to stay in touch with you – we are working on email subscriptions…sign up! 
Soon, we will have a gallery for the art I have created by the hand of God.

There are many organizations that support children and families. Here is one that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.

Itty Bitty Bible Study – Joel 2

Joel 2

My thoughts for the Itty Bitty Bible Study group on Facebook. (join if you’d like to get these in fb!)

Wikipedia on Joel

Matthew Henry on Joel 2

Joel 2

1 Blow a trumpet in Zion;
sound an alarm on my holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
for the day of the Lord is coming; it is near,
2 a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and thick darkness!
Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains
a great and powerful people;
their like has never been before,
nor will be again after them
through the years of all generations.
3 Fire devours before them,
and behind them a flame burns.
The land is like the garden of Eden before them,
but behind them a desolate wilderness,
and nothing escapes them.
4 Their appearance is like the appearance of horses,
and like war horses they run.
5 As with the rumbling of chariots,
they leap on the tops of the mountains,
like the crackling of a flame of fire
devouring the stubble,
like a powerful army
drawn up for battle.
6 Before them peoples are in anguish;
all faces grow pale.
7 Like warriors they charge;
like soldiers they scale the wall.
They march each on his way;
they do not swerve from their paths.
8 They do not jostle one another;
each marches in his path;
they burst through the weapons
and are not halted.
9 They leap upon the city,
they run upon the walls,
they climb up into the houses,
they enter through the windows like a thief.
10 The earth quakes before them;
the heavens tremble.
The sun and the moon are darkened,
and the stars withdraw their shining.
11 The Lord utters his voice
before his army,
for his camp is exceedingly great;
he who executes his word is powerful.
For the day of the Lord is great and very awesome;
who can endure it?

Oh My goodness…this sounds so much like the news in the USA for the last two weeks!
I almost don’t want to go look at the sky!
Judgement!
Deuteronomy 28 gives us clear instructions that our sins can bring judgement(consequences) upon our land – our country!

Return to the Lord title by ESV

2 Chronicles 7:14

If my people
which are called by my name,
shall humble themselves
and pray
and seek my face,
and turn from their wicked ways;
then will i hear from heaven,
and will forgive their sin,
and will heal their land.

Joel 2
12 “Yet even now,” declares the Lord,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
13 and rend your hearts and not your garments.”
Return to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;
and he relents over disaster.
14 Who knows whether he will not turn and relent,
and leave a blessing behind him,
a grain offering and a drink offering
for the Lord your God?
15 Blow the trumpet in Zion;
consecrate a fast;
call a solemn assembly;
16 gather the people.
Consecrate the congregation;
assemble the elders;
gather the children,
even nursing infants.
Let the bridegroom leave his room,
and the bride her chamber.
17 Between the vestibule and the altar
let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep
and say, “Spare your people, O Lord,
and make not your heritage a reproach,
a byword among the nations.
Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’”

God wants us to turn back to him…he allows us to reap what we have sown, but he still wants us to turn to him so that he can bless us. Just like a parent, with a child that needs to be discplined.

The Lord Had Pity title by ESV

18 Then the Lord became jealous for his land
and had pity on his people.
19 The Lord answered and said to his people,
“Behold, I am sending to you
grain, wine, and oil,
and you will be satisfied;
and I will no more make you
a reproach among the nations.
20 “I will remove the northerner far from you,
and drive him into a parched and desolate land,
his vanguard[b] into the eastern sea,
and his rear guard[c] into the western sea;
the stench and foul smell of him will rise,
for he has done great things.
21 “Fear not, O land;
be glad and rejoice,
for the Lord has done great things!
22 Fear not, you beasts of the field,
for the pastures of the wilderness are green;
the tree bears its fruit;
the fig tree and vine give their full yield.
23 “Be glad, O children of Zion,
and rejoice in the Lord your God,
for he has given the early rain for your vindication;
he has poured down for you abundant rain,
the early and the latter rain, as before.
24 “The threshing floors shall be full of grain;
the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.
25 I will restore[d] to you the years
that the swarming locust has eaten,
the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter,
my great army, which I sent among you.
26 “You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,
and praise the name of the Lord your God,
who has dealt wondrously with you.
And my people shall never again be put to shame.
27 You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel,
and that I am the Lord your God and there is none else.
And my people shall never again be put to shame.
The Lord Will Pour Out His Spirit
28 [e] “And it shall come to pass afterward,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your old men shall dream dreams,
and your young men shall see visions.
29 Even on the male and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit.
30 “And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 32 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.

In this time of our country’s distress – we as followers of Christ need to call upon God…but first, rather than pointing the finger outside – we are held to a higher standard.
Have we done what we’ve been tasked to do?
have we prayed for our country?
have we prayed for our leaders?
have we separated ourselves from the evils of the world, being in the world but not of it, so that our lights shine in the darkness?
have we been salt to this rotting world?

These are my challenges from Joel 2!

Thanks for joining me.

~~~~~

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

I want to thank

for the ability to search the Bible online.

Some artwork is from me – ChristArtist. It is copyrighted – by me. Please do not share it without my permission.
The same goes for my written work.
Some artwork is from ChristArt – not me! I have purchased a membership, and the art is copyrighted by them.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
Or choose to LIKE me on facebook, or other social media!
I’d love to stay in touch with you – we are working on email subscriptions…sign up! 
Soon, we will have a gallery for the art I have created by the hand of God.

There are many organizations that support children and families. Here is one that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.

Itty Bitty Bible Study – Joel 1

Joel 1

My thoughts for the Itty Bitty Bible Study group on Facebook. (join if you’d like to get these in fb!)

Wikipedia – the Book of Joel
Matthew Henry Commentary on Joel 1

Joel
1:1The word of the Lord that came to Joel, the son of Pethuel:
2 Hear this, you elders;
give ear, all inhabitants of the land!
Has such a thing happened in your days,
or in the days of your fathers?
3 Tell your children of it,
and let your children tell their children,
and their children to another generation.
4 What the cutting locust left,
the swarming locust has eaten.
What the swarming locust left,
the hopping locust has eaten,
and what the hopping locust left,
the destroying locust has eaten.
5 Awake, you drunkards, and weep,
and wail, all you drinkers of wine,
because of the sweet wine,
for it is cut off from your mouth.
6 For a nation has come up against my land,
powerful and beyond number;
its teeth are lions’ teeth,
and it has the fangs of a lioness.
7 It has laid waste my vine
and splintered my fig tree;
it has stripped off their bark and thrown it down;
their branches are made white.

The judgement of the Lord – serious, intense, destructive!
Or is this just the destruction of choosing sin?
Not necessarily CAUSED by God, but allowed – as a cause and effect?
Deuteronomy 28 contrasts and compares those that are walking in obedience, and those that are not. This sounds very similar to the warning to those that are not.
Trials come – temptations come – but we are given a choice. Always a choice.
Out of His great Love, God has warned us what would happen if we don’t follow.
I’m not talking about walking according to the Law – I wrote a lot about that in IBBS Galatians 3:10-20 and IBBS Galatians 3:21-29.
Many of the things that God warned His people about were to protect them.
This looks like a really bad, bad set of consequences.
And, then, The Word of the Lord comes to JOEL to tell the people to REPENT!
AWAKE ye drunkards.
WEEP AND WAIL
These words mean exactly what we’d think they mean…

8 Lament like a virgin wearing sackcloth
for the bridegroom of her youth.
9 The grain offering and the drink offering are cut off
from the house of the Lord.
The priests mourn,
the ministers of the Lord.
10 The fields are destroyed,
the ground mourns,
because the grain is destroyed,
the wine dries up,
the oil languishes.

LAMENT
MOURN
These two mean exactly what we’d think they mean…

11 Be ashamed, O tillers of the soil;
wail, O vinedressers,
for the wheat and the barley,
because the harvest of the field has perished.
12 The vine dries up;
the fig tree languishes.
Pomegranate, palm, and apple,
all the trees of the field are dried up,
and gladness dries up
from the children of man.

BE ASHAMED –
This one also reads – be dried up, confounded, withered, wither away.
The grief is so unbearable, that the life within just dries up.

Here, we are given insight into how we should repent, when we realize we have messed up!

13 Put on sackcloth and lament, O priests;
wail, O ministers of the altar.
Go in, pass the night in sackcloth,
O ministers of my God!
Because grain offering and drink offering
are withheld from the house of your God.
14 Consecrate a fast;
call a solemn assembly.
Gather the elders
and all the inhabitants of the land
to the house of the Lord your God,
and cry out to the Lord.
15 Alas for the day!
For the day of the Lord is near,
and as destruction from the Almighty it comes.
16 Is not the food cut off
before our eyes,
joy and gladness
from the house of our God?
17 The seed shrivels under the clods;
the storehouses are desolate;
the granaries are torn down
because the grain has dried up.
18 How the beasts groan!
The herds of cattle are perplexed
because there is no pasture for them;
even the flocks of sheep suffer.

I know that right here I am tempted to talk about how we have a advocate with he Father who is Jesus Christ the son.
1 John 1 & 2 are very very comforting…and yet, sometimes, they may be too comforting, and I don’t actually grieve the condition of my heart, I don’t actually grieve my sinful actions. Maybe, in this current age of grace, i miss the danger and destructive nature of sin. Lord, please, give me eyes to see and ears to hear!

19 To you, O Lord, I call.
For fire has devoured
the pastures of the wilderness,
and flame has burned
all the trees of the field.
20 Even the beasts of the field pant for you
because the water brooks are dried up,
and fire has devoured
the pastures of the wilderness.

My sin – my sin choices – do not only affect me.
Adam and Eve’s sinful choice affected the WHOLE WORLD – all of creation.
I need to see sin for what sin is – and I’m not talking about mistakes.
I’m talking about the sin that John is talking about in 1 John.
The continual sinning in the same way over and over.
I also think this is about sinning, with a high hand – not the sinning that occurs when one is trying to grow, or break bad habits.

Romans talks a lot about sin, and turning from it.
Repentance: Miriam Webster:

intransitive verb
1
: to turn from sin and dedicate oneself to the amendment of one’s life
2
a : to feel regret or contrition
b : to change one’s mind
transitive verb
1
: to cause to feel regret or contrition
2
: to feel sorrow, regret, or contrition for

Do I truly feel regret and sorrow for the things that I know the Lord wants me to work on?
I have physical issues because of things that I know God has asked me not to do – and I do them anyway.
He has shown me nutrition I need, and foods that cause me problems.
It’s not the Jewish dietary laws – it’s His granting me understanding about how my body, in this fallen world, reacts and responds to things.

That is so sad.
I only have to obey what he has shown me, and I can reap the benefits of that blessing.

Thank you Lord that I have an advocate in Jesus Christ!

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

I want to thank

for the ability to search the Bible online.

Some artwork is from me – ChristArtist. It is copyrighted – by me. Please do not share it without my permission.
The same goes for my written work.
Some artwork is from ChristArt – not me! I have purchased a membership, and the art is copyrighted by them.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
Or choose to LIKE me on facebook, or other social media!
I’d love to stay in touch with you – we are working on email subscriptions…sign up! 
Soon, we will have a gallery for the art I have created by the hand of God.

There are many organizations that support children and families. Here is one that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.