Post by Shepherd on Mar 3, 2009 11:07:33 GMT -6
EPH-4-III
GIFTS UNTO MEN
EPHESIANS 4:7-8...BUT UNTO EVERY ONE OF US IS GIVEN GRACE ACCORDING TO THE MEASURE OF THE GIFT OF CHRIST. WHEREFORE HE SAID, WHEN HE ASCENDED UP ON HIGH, HE LED CAPTIVITY CAPTIVE, AND GAVE GIFTS UNTO MEN.
Did you know that each Christian is given some specific ability with which he should serve God by helping other Christians.
We are continuing to learn something of what Paul has to say about Christian living. Paul points out the blessedness of being a Christian. He reminds us that we have everything in One–one Lord, one faith, and one baptism, one God And Father of all.
In Christ Jesus we are one body in that we are in Him. In coming to the Lord, it is true we come through one door, and so are abiding in Him, yet each one is himself before God. To be sure, we are members of His one Body, yet the members of the Body are different. Just as we have hands, feet, ears, eyes, even so though the members are of one body, they are yet different.
This truth was carefully analyzed and explained by another passage in Paul’s writing in I Corinthians 12:12-21.
Different as they are in their individual traits, Christians are builded together as a habitation of God, and are endowed with special abilities to serve each other even as they serve the Lord.
Each person receives some gift from Christ. He has some assignment give to him. Some inward capacity, some enablement to serve the Lord, is give to each individual Christian. No Christian in himself would be able to carry out the assignment that Christ would give him. He will need grace to enable him to obey the guidance of the Spirit.
WHEREFORE HE SAITH, WHEN HE ASCENDED UP ON HIGH, HE LED CAPTIVITY CAPTIVE, AND GAVE GIFTS UNTO MEN.
In this passage from the Old Testament Paul points out by way of explanation that the giving of these gifts took place through the resurrection of Jesus Christ and His ascension to the right hand of God. It is important to remember that Jesus of Nazareth when He was raised from the dead and ascended into heaven, was then glorified.
Peter said, GOD HATH MADE THAT SAME JESUS, BOTH LORD AND CHRIST. ACTS 2:36.
God was incarnate in the babe of Bethlehem, living then in the man Jesus of Nazareth. There He lived in human form, taught and worked miracles. He was taken by men and was crucified. He was buried, and on the third day He was raised from the dead. The risen Jesus of Nazareth was the taken up into heaven and there God made Him both lord and Christ? This same Jesus has been put in charge. He is the One who directs . He is the overall controller.
Paul recalls that His ascension to power happened at the time of His being taken up into heaven, following His descent into death. WHEREFORE HE SAITH, WHEN HE ASCENDED UP ON HIGH, HE LED CAPTIVITY CAPTIVE, AND GAVE GIFTS UNTO MEN. Paul presents the record of the work of Christ as being one continuous action. He came into this world, humbled Himself, became obedient unto death, was raised from the dead and then was put in charge of all things.
Joseph was sold as a slave. As a slave he was slandered, put into prison and forgotten. God raise Joseph up from prison and made him the prime minister, made him the top servant of the Pharoah over the whole of the kingdom.
This clearly pictures what happened to the Lord Jesus Christ. He came into the world. Yielding himself into being made in fashion like a man, took upon Him the form of a servant , and became obedient unto death, event the death of the cross, where He was in shame and disgrace before all people and was treated like a criminal. Then God raised Him from dead and put Him over everything, giving Him a name that is above every name. It is the will of Almighty God that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow and every tongue confess that He is Christ, to the glory of God the Father.
Now as the risen Lord, Christ Jesus is continuing His work. The first verse in the Book of Acts begins with THE FORMER TREATISE HAVE I MADE, O THEOPHILUS, OF ALL THAT JESUS BEGAN BOTH TO DO AND TEACH.
The word BEGAN enables us to know He is continuing DOING AND TEACHING. Christians need to realize that Christ Jesus is continuing to work through His Body. They are the members of His body, and Christ Jesus is continuing to do the work of God through His Body. Paul felt that in his own afflictions he was filling up in his own body the sufferings of Christ. Christians are given gifts. They are given spiritual gifts, which one of them is the Holy Ghost, to divinely enablements for services.
There are natural gifts that people have—appearance , temperament, mind, voice. These can be employed in serving the Lord, but they are not he gifts of the Spirit. There are special gifts in the Spirit–gifts to witness, capacities to testify, ability to teach, pray, interpret, preach, which require grace to become effectual. The Christian in his home may be called upon to show the ways of Christ in humility, patience, faithfulness, and meekness. For this he needs grace. The Christian can serve other people, help them to come to know about Jesus Christ. In order to be able to exercise those gifts, Christ Jesus gives him grace. May the Lord help us to be faithful to our assignment and to depend on Him for the grace to do what we ought to do each day
EPHESIANS 4:7-8...BUT UNTO EVERY ONE OF US IS GIVEN GRACE ACCORDING TO THE MEASURE OF THE GIFT OF CHRIST. WHEREFORE HE SAID, WHEN HE ASCENDED UP ON HIGH, HE LED CAPTIVITY CAPTIVE, AND GAVE GIFTS UNTO MEN.
Did you know that each Christian is given some specific ability with which he should serve God by helping other Christians.
We are continuing to learn something of what Paul has to say about Christian living. Paul points out the blessedness of being a Christian. He reminds us that we have everything in One–one Lord, one faith, and one baptism, one God And Father of all.
In Christ Jesus we are one body in that we are in Him. In coming to the Lord, it is true we come through one door, and so are abiding in Him, yet each one is himself before God. To be sure, we are members of His one Body, yet the members of the Body are different. Just as we have hands, feet, ears, eyes, even so though the members are of one body, they are yet different.
This truth was carefully analyzed and explained by another passage in Paul’s writing in I Corinthians 12:12-21.
Different as they are in their individual traits, Christians are builded together as a habitation of God, and are endowed with special abilities to serve each other even as they serve the Lord.
Each person receives some gift from Christ. He has some assignment give to him. Some inward capacity, some enablement to serve the Lord, is give to each individual Christian. No Christian in himself would be able to carry out the assignment that Christ would give him. He will need grace to enable him to obey the guidance of the Spirit.
WHEREFORE HE SAITH, WHEN HE ASCENDED UP ON HIGH, HE LED CAPTIVITY CAPTIVE, AND GAVE GIFTS UNTO MEN.
In this passage from the Old Testament Paul points out by way of explanation that the giving of these gifts took place through the resurrection of Jesus Christ and His ascension to the right hand of God. It is important to remember that Jesus of Nazareth when He was raised from the dead and ascended into heaven, was then glorified.
Peter said, GOD HATH MADE THAT SAME JESUS, BOTH LORD AND CHRIST. ACTS 2:36.
God was incarnate in the babe of Bethlehem, living then in the man Jesus of Nazareth. There He lived in human form, taught and worked miracles. He was taken by men and was crucified. He was buried, and on the third day He was raised from the dead. The risen Jesus of Nazareth was the taken up into heaven and there God made Him both lord and Christ? This same Jesus has been put in charge. He is the One who directs . He is the overall controller.
Paul recalls that His ascension to power happened at the time of His being taken up into heaven, following His descent into death. WHEREFORE HE SAITH, WHEN HE ASCENDED UP ON HIGH, HE LED CAPTIVITY CAPTIVE, AND GAVE GIFTS UNTO MEN. Paul presents the record of the work of Christ as being one continuous action. He came into this world, humbled Himself, became obedient unto death, was raised from the dead and then was put in charge of all things.
Joseph was sold as a slave. As a slave he was slandered, put into prison and forgotten. God raise Joseph up from prison and made him the prime minister, made him the top servant of the Pharoah over the whole of the kingdom.
This clearly pictures what happened to the Lord Jesus Christ. He came into the world. Yielding himself into being made in fashion like a man, took upon Him the form of a servant , and became obedient unto death, event the death of the cross, where He was in shame and disgrace before all people and was treated like a criminal. Then God raised Him from dead and put Him over everything, giving Him a name that is above every name. It is the will of Almighty God that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow and every tongue confess that He is Christ, to the glory of God the Father.
Now as the risen Lord, Christ Jesus is continuing His work. The first verse in the Book of Acts begins with THE FORMER TREATISE HAVE I MADE, O THEOPHILUS, OF ALL THAT JESUS BEGAN BOTH TO DO AND TEACH.
The word BEGAN enables us to know He is continuing DOING AND TEACHING. Christians need to realize that Christ Jesus is continuing to work through His Body. They are the members of His body, and Christ Jesus is continuing to do the work of God through His Body. Paul felt that in his own afflictions he was filling up in his own body the sufferings of Christ. Christians are given gifts. They are given spiritual gifts, which one of them is the Holy Ghost, to divinely enablements for services.
There are natural gifts that people have—appearance , temperament, mind, voice. These can be employed in serving the Lord, but they are not he gifts of the Spirit. There are special gifts in the Spirit–gifts to witness, capacities to testify, ability to teach, pray, interpret, preach, which require grace to become effectual. The Christian in his home may be called upon to show the ways of Christ in humility, patience, faithfulness, and meekness. For this he needs grace. The Christian can serve other people, help them to come to know about Jesus Christ. In order to be able to exercise those gifts, Christ Jesus gives him grace. May the Lord help us to be faithful to our assignment and to depend on Him for the grace to do what we ought to do each day
