God’s Plans—Where? How?

Posted on March 14, 2014 by KD Manes under God's Call

Last week we looked at Ephesians 2:1-10 to find the who, what, and why of God’s plan/purpose in giving believers spiritual gifts: Who and what we used to be without Christ, who and what we are in Christ, and why does God do an extreme makeover in us?

This second post will focus on where and how God does His extreme makeover as a background to spiritual gifts.

Where does God do His extreme makeover?

God does His extreme makeover in His people—the church

Ephesians 2:18-22 (NIV): For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone. In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit.

God does His extreme makeover in the heart

Ephesians 3:14-19: For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom His whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. How does God do extreme makeovers?

Jesus’ victory over sin, death, and Satan is witnessed through spiritual gifts in His church

Ephesians 4:7-13: But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: “When He ascended on high, He led captives in His train and gave gifts to men. (What does “He ascended” mean except that He also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) It was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

According to Ephesians 2:18-22, what is the church?

Have you ever been helped by someone using their spiritual gift?

*Next week: Principles for understanding spiritual gifts.

Plans – What does the Bible say?

Posted on February 28, 2014 by KD Manes under God's Call

He [God] does have surprising, secret purposes. I open a Bible, and His plans, startling, lie there barefaced. It’s hard to believe it, when I read it, and I have to come back to it many times, feel long across those words, make sure they are real. His love letter forever silences any doubts: His secret purpose framed from the very beginning [is] to bring us to our full glory” (1 Corinthians 2:7 NEB).”
― Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are

f96657d9087eeb784d83297772cb6a9a How are your New Year’s resolutions going? My exercise/diet resolve has wavered a few times since January 1. But I’m getting back on that horse! Past times I’ve reasoned: If I ditch my plan then I can’t fail! (Yes, this is an area God is patiently working with me on.)

Plans . . . . Are you a planner? God is. Just as He has purposed to save and sanctify us, He also has specific plans in which He wants to use us—individually and corporately—in His kingdom service. His plans require us to die to ourselves, but when we follow Him, we experience the highest calling, greatest joy, and purposeful living possible.

I’m planning a plan series for my next few posts. Yes I know, it sounds nerdy, but God’s Word is worth exploring this topic amongst others. The following is my rough outline:

God’s plan involving spiritual gifts
Aligning our plans with God’s purposes
Monitoring and adjusting our plans
What about when our plans fail?

Have you made any plans lately? How are your plans going? Do you have a specific area you’d like to explore on this broad topic? I’m willing to dive in if you are!

Have a wonderful week!

God’s Works

Posted on February 21, 2014 by KD Manes under God's Call

God didn’t put a small amount of thought and effort into creating the universe and creating us.

Brian Clegg from The Observer wrote (Saturday 26, January 2013): “Many of the most exciting discoveries in all fields of science are being played out in the human body.”

Interesting discoveries about the body (Brien Clegg)

An adult is made up of around 7,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (7 octillion) atoms.
Just like a chicken, your life started off with an egg. Not a chunky thing in a shell, but an egg nonetheless. However, there is a significant difference between a human egg and a chicken egg that has a surprising effect on your age. Human eggs are tiny. They are, after all, just a single cell and are typically around 0.2mm across – about the size of a printed full stop. Your egg was formed in your mother – but the surprising thing is that it was formed when she was an embryo. The formation of your egg, and the half of your DNA that came from your mother, could be considered as the very first moment of your existence. And it happened before your mother was born. Say your mother was 30 when she had you, then on your 18th birthday you were arguably over 48 years old.
We are used to thinking of genes as being the controlling factor that determines what each of us is like physically, but genes are only a tiny part of our DNA. The other 97% was thought to be junk until recently, but we now realise that epigenetics – the processes that go on outside the genes – also have a major influence on our development. Some parts act to control “switches” that turn genes on and off, or program the production of other key compounds. For a long time it was a puzzle how around 20,000 genes (far fewer than some breeds of rice) were enough to specify exactly what we were like. The realization now is that the other 97% of our DNA is equally important.

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Next time you feel unimportant, remember the One who fashioned you: “You created my inmost being: you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:13-16

Do you have as much respect for yourself as your Maker does for you? God has a special purpose and plan for your life.

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Growing in Faith

Posted on January 31, 2014 by KD Manes under God's Call

We find God to be the One on whom we can depend to bring us to our destined goal, and One who already in Christ gives us rest for our souls.”

God doesn’t call us to a neurotic dependency on Christ, but rather a simple childlike trust. Rather than automated fulfillment of rules and rituals, He desires that we develop a fulfilling relationship with Him, rooted and ignited in faith (Romans 1:17).

Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” – Hebrews 11:1

These two qualities—sure and certain—have a secure beginning and ending point.

Beginning Point of Faith

Receiving Christ as Lord is the seed that contains life with Christ. Our faith and salvation are not drummed up by self-determination. They are gifts from God (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Mary, Mary Quite Contrary . . .

(Napa Valley Vineyard by Jim G., Flickr)

How does your faith grow?

Faith blossoms through the following:

Believe in Christ’s Perfect Character: Jesus doesn’t just save us the moment of our salvation, but continues saving us . . . freeing us from captivity to sin, ourselves, and Satan’s deception. “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority,” Colossians 2:6-9.

Meet Together: “Do not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching,” (Hebrews 10:25). We all struggle and falter at times. An infant doesn’t start out running . . . . Neither do we spiritually. When one falls down, let’s help each other up.

Abide in Christ: John 15:1-10 depicts a vineyard with Jesus as the true vine, God the Father as the gardener, and us as the branches. Jesus said, “If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (vs. 5). We remain in Christ by submitting to him through prayer and obedience. Our faithfulness to the will of God in this life will be examined in the next life (Daniel 7:10; Revelation 20:12).

Hear God’s Word: “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ,” (Romans 10:17).

End Point of Faith

Lastly, believing in God’s promises anchors our hope in Him, resulting in life and peace.

Which promises of God have helped you lately?

Faith Factor

Posted on January 24, 2014 by KD Manes under God's Call

Faith: (noun) Strong belief or trust in someone or something.” – Merriam Webster Dictionary

We exercise this kind of faith daily. When we sit on a chair, we trust it will hold us without collapsing. When we pour a cup of coffee, we trust our mug will not leak. When we fill our vehicle’s gas tank, we trust our car will drive.

But our faith is only as good as the object we place it in. Eventually chairs break, mugs crack, and vehicles break down.

God’s Take on Faith

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” – Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)

This is the kind of faith God commended the ancients for (Hebrews 11).

How Important is Faith to God?

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A Strong Case for Faith in Jesus Christ

The New Testament book of Hebrews presents a strong case for placing our faith in Christ.

Christ is Superior: Jesus—greater than any angel, religion, priest, or leader—is the ultimate authority and complete revelation of God. He alone forgives sins: past, present, and future. Through His death on the cross, He has secured our forgiveness and salvation.

Jesus is High Priest: In the Old Testament, the high priest represented the Jews before God. But now—under the New Covenant—Jesus connects us to God. Jesus not only guarantees our access to God the Father, but He also intercedes for us so we can come boldly before the Father with our needs and seek forgiveness.

Jesus Sacrifice: Because Jesus lived a sinless life, He is the perfect substitute to die for our sin.

God not only wants us to be reassured of salvation, but also wants to grow our faith. This process takes time, daily commitment, and service. When we mature in our faith, we will be able to face trials with endurance and be unshaken by concerns or temptations. (Disclaimer: I’m in process.) 🙂

Peace with God and real meaning for life are found when trusting Christ. When we completely trust Him, He will completely transform us (Philippians 1:6). Our faith and obedience please God.