In him, we were chosen to exist holy and blameless before him, in love. He predestined us for adoption as his own through Jesus Christ...*
You have most likely heard of the wise men who brought gifts to baby Jesus. And those who know Jesus know of the manner of love that God has bestowed on us who he calls children. And we say Jesus was a gift to man, from the Father, but did you know that there is a gift Jesus gives to the Father? Do you know what the gift of Jesus is?
so that we who have this hope in Him, exist the praise of his glory.*
The gifts we have received from Christ are from the riches of his glory and grace, the spiritual gifts of adoption, redemption, and forgiveness. You are a legacy, having received many gifts through a will, a new covenant Christ died to give us. And did you know you are a gift to the praise of his glory? you are his own, blessed from the riches of heaven. Christ came to bless us from the heavens but also we are a gift from earth to the heavens in Christ, a holy people of his own. It is an amazing concept, "this is what he purposed in Christ, to bring together all in Christ, the one in heaven and the one on earth, in Christ we have obtained an inheritance."* We have received precious gifts in Jesus and in Jesus we are a gift to the Father, to the praise of his glory.
Remember this, the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, the one who sows generously also reaps generously. Each one of the manner purposed in his heart, not reluctantly nor under constraint, for a cheerful giver God loves.*
Is Paul writing about money? or does this align with what he says "for the one sowing to the flesh reaps corruption, the one sowing to the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap Life."* If we were to take this verse about sowing out of context of the surrounding verses and chapters and other scriptures then we could interpret it as about money. I am convinced of the latter, it is not about money, but about the gift of Christ to the Father being of purity. A pure Church, a pure bride is the gift given to the Father, a people of his own, holy. It is why our reasonable service is about presenting the body a living sacrifice unto consecration. It is about purity, perfection, and much like the parable of the sower is in regards to increase of hundredfold, sixtyfold, and thirtyfold, it is about growth.
The one who furnishes seed to the sower and bread for eating furnishes and multiplies your seed and enlarges the harvest of your righteousness. In all enriched spiritually as far as all purity of mind upon producing through us thanksgiving to God.*
The riches of the kingdom of God Paul writes to the Ephesians are spiritual blessings, and so he speaks about such things here. Bread of heaven that endures unto eternal life, sowing into the Spiritual, even that of a renewed mind to be like that of Christ. As some suggest these passages say that Paul is speaking about money and that he has gone back on his promise but he has not. Paul writes that he boasts about not taking from the tithing, thus not "presenting an obstacle in anyone so that the ministry is not faulted."* If we read out of context it would seem he is coming to receive this gift of money from the Church in Corinth, something they had promised to him and now he was writing to make sure they are not going back on their promise. But knowing what he said to them in his first letter and later in his second letter we can in context have understanding that he is still boasting that he is not taking from the tithe and that the analogy is not at all about money but the gift of purity which is about maturity, growth.
For I am afraid that to the contrary, coming I will find you not as wished, and I be found by you not as you wished, perhaps there will be strife, jealousy, anger, selfish ambition, backbiting, gossip, conceit, disorder. I am afraid when I come my God again humbles me before you and I mourn for many, the ones earlier also not repenting to the extent of impurity, sexual immorality, lasciviousness in which they indulged.*
Impurity is what Paul had warned them of in the first letter, and he would now come to them for a third visit not to collect money from them, as it was not money that they had promised, and it was not the gift of money Paul had boasted to others about receiving from them, no, it was about the gift of purity, it was about their growth, and such was a gift not for Paul, but a gift of a pure people Paul had promised to Jesus. "I am jealous for you, jealous, jealousy of God, for I promised you in marriage to a single husband, to Christ, presenting a pure virgin."* It is why Christ came to be an offering but also to offer to God a pure people, "be imitators of God as dear children and live in love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself for us a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."*
so that sanctifying her, to render pure the one, washing of water in the word, so that he might present the Church to himself in splendor not having spot nor wrinkle nor any such thing, however so that existing holy.*
The Church is not a building, it is God's people, a holy people to be a pure offering, a gift to the Father in Christ. This is why our reasonable sacrifice is unto consecration and why the main purpose of the Church is to build up the people of God so that they become mature which reflects purity and the image of Christ. God's people are the praise of his glory, especially so when they look like the Son, Jesus. This is what Paul is writing about, this is the gift that he is so eagerly waiting and anxious to receive from them, hoping and praying they will give abundantly what they promised. "And it is what we offer prayer for, that your maturity.* Anything we ask for this puroose we become and what we sow to the Spirit we will reap. This is the gift of Jesus to the Father, a pure people. So let us reflect on the true spiritual gifts we have received in Christ and on how we are the gift of Jesus to the Father.
Do It Again
You have most likely heard of the wise men who brought gifts to baby Jesus. And those who know Jesus know of the manner of love that God has bestowed on us who he calls children. And we say Jesus was a gift to man, from the Father, but did you know that there is a gift Jesus gives to the Father? Do you know what the gift of Jesus is?
so that we who have this hope in Him, exist the praise of his glory.*
The gifts we have received from Christ are from the riches of his glory and grace, the spiritual gifts of adoption, redemption, and forgiveness. You are a legacy, having received many gifts through a will, a new covenant Christ died to give us. And did you know you are a gift to the praise of his glory? you are his own, blessed from the riches of heaven. Christ came to bless us from the heavens but also we are a gift from earth to the heavens in Christ, a holy people of his own. It is an amazing concept, "this is what he purposed in Christ, to bring together all in Christ, the one in heaven and the one on earth, in Christ we have obtained an inheritance."* We have received precious gifts in Jesus and in Jesus we are a gift to the Father, to the praise of his glory.
Remember this, the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, the one who sows generously also reaps generously. Each one of the manner purposed in his heart, not reluctantly nor under constraint, for a cheerful giver God loves.*
Is Paul writing about money? or does this align with what he says "for the one sowing to the flesh reaps corruption, the one sowing to the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap Life."* If we were to take this verse about sowing out of context of the surrounding verses and chapters and other scriptures then we could interpret it as about money. I am convinced of the latter, it is not about money, but about the gift of Christ to the Father being of purity. A pure Church, a pure bride is the gift given to the Father, a people of his own, holy. It is why our reasonable service is about presenting the body a living sacrifice unto consecration. It is about purity, perfection, and much like the parable of the sower is in regards to increase of hundredfold, sixtyfold, and thirtyfold, it is about growth.
The one who furnishes seed to the sower and bread for eating furnishes and multiplies your seed and enlarges the harvest of your righteousness. In all enriched spiritually as far as all purity of mind upon producing through us thanksgiving to God.*
The riches of the kingdom of God Paul writes to the Ephesians are spiritual blessings, and so he speaks about such things here. Bread of heaven that endures unto eternal life, sowing into the Spiritual, even that of a renewed mind to be like that of Christ. As some suggest these passages say that Paul is speaking about money and that he has gone back on his promise but he has not. Paul writes that he boasts about not taking from the tithing, thus not "presenting an obstacle in anyone so that the ministry is not faulted."* If we read out of context it would seem he is coming to receive this gift of money from the Church in Corinth, something they had promised to him and now he was writing to make sure they are not going back on their promise. But knowing what he said to them in his first letter and later in his second letter we can in context have understanding that he is still boasting that he is not taking from the tithe and that the analogy is not at all about money but the gift of purity which is about maturity, growth.
For I am afraid that to the contrary, coming I will find you not as wished, and I be found by you not as you wished, perhaps there will be strife, jealousy, anger, selfish ambition, backbiting, gossip, conceit, disorder. I am afraid when I come my God again humbles me before you and I mourn for many, the ones earlier also not repenting to the extent of impurity, sexual immorality, lasciviousness in which they indulged.*
Impurity is what Paul had warned them of in the first letter, and he would now come to them for a third visit not to collect money from them, as it was not money that they had promised, and it was not the gift of money Paul had boasted to others about receiving from them, no, it was about the gift of purity, it was about their growth, and such was a gift not for Paul, but a gift of a pure people Paul had promised to Jesus. "I am jealous for you, jealous, jealousy of God, for I promised you in marriage to a single husband, to Christ, presenting a pure virgin."* It is why Christ came to be an offering but also to offer to God a pure people, "be imitators of God as dear children and live in love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself for us a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."*
so that sanctifying her, to render pure the one, washing of water in the word, so that he might present the Church to himself in splendor not having spot nor wrinkle nor any such thing, however so that existing holy.*
The Church is not a building, it is God's people, a holy people to be a pure offering, a gift to the Father in Christ. This is why our reasonable sacrifice is unto consecration and why the main purpose of the Church is to build up the people of God so that they become mature which reflects purity and the image of Christ. God's people are the praise of his glory, especially so when they look like the Son, Jesus. This is what Paul is writing about, this is the gift that he is so eagerly waiting and anxious to receive from them, hoping and praying they will give abundantly what they promised. "And it is what we offer prayer for, that your maturity.* Anything we ask for this puroose we become and what we sow to the Spirit we will reap. This is the gift of Jesus to the Father, a pure people. So let us reflect on the true spiritual gifts we have received in Christ and on how we are the gift of Jesus to the Father.
Do It Again