Accept One Another

Ben Foust

Romans 15:1-13

Paul urges the Jews and Gentiles to accept one another due to their mutual reconciliation to Christ. In our modern day, this same passage should urge Christians to seek unity with one another.

Ephesians: A Manifesto for the Church

Te-Li Lau

Ephesians 1-6

Hear how Ephesians describes the essence, identity, and mission of the church within the larger framework of Christ's cosmic rule.

Becoming Peacemakers

Ken Sande

Ephesians 1-6

New Person, New Mission

Phil Franck

2 Corinthians 5:17-21

This passage highlights all the work God did to make us a new person in Christ. It was His gift to us, not of our own effort. He reconciled us to Him by making Jesus a sin offering in our stead so that we could have right standing with God. And not only does He make us a new person but he gives us a new purpose to share the message of reconciliation with a lost world. He makes us ambassadors so He can make His appeal through us. \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

God Our Savior

Jim Leffel

Titus 2:11-14

The human condition is a problem of lack of hope, of guilt, of alienation, and of purposelessness. But God is the solution to all of these problems. He gave Himself up for us so that He could redeem us, give us blessed hope, remove our guilt, purify us for His own and give us an eternal purpose.

The Ministry of Reconciliation, Part 1 & 2

Gary DeLashmutt

2 Corinthians 6:1-10

Having received reconciliation through Christ, God offers us the ministry of reconciliation. Not only are we to speak the message of reconciliation, but we are to live in a way that validates the message. We demonstrate the reality of our faith in Christ by our costly commitment, our genuine godliness, and our dependence upon God. This results in a paradoxical quality of life where some will thank us and some will vilify us. We will live difficult lives, but our quality of life is ensured by our relationship with God.

New Creatures

Mike Sullivan

2 Corinthians 5:14-21

Three features of being a new creature in Christ are one, that we have a new motivation for a new life, second, we have a new way to measure success, and third, we have a new role as "sent ones." Our new motivation is to no longer live for self but to life for Christ. We no longer measure success as the world does, but we see people with new eyes. We now have a new role as ambassadors of Christ, entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation.

The Summing Up of All Things in Christ

Dennis McCallum

Ephesians 3:1-18

Paul explains the mystery God kept hidden from the beginning that He had a plan to reconcile Jews and Gentiles into one body. He kept secret that the Suffering Servant and the Conquering King were one and the same person but separated by time. He revealed all this in Jesus. God kept these things secret so Satan would go along with His plan to crucify Jesus at the right time, not realizing it would result in his own defeat.

Revealing the Mystery

Scott Risley

Ephesians 3:1-11

God hid His plan of redemption until He revealed His Son,Jesus, to the world. He kept His plan hidden from all the spiritual forces so that Satan would be fooled into cooperating with His plan. Jesus dying on the cross was not a defeat but God's victory over sin. God's solution solved the problem of the penalty for sin, and any accusations against God's character. He is both loving and just. God can be trusted!