Paul sits in prison and has told the church of all the amazing things which God has done to bring us all together. Now he switches gears and tells us how we can make an effort to maintain the unity in the Spirit.
Insiders - Go to the Ephesian
Insiders - The Temple God Builds
Insiders - No Racing In A Museum
Teach us to Pray - Hannah's Prayer
Teach us to Pray - Deliver Us From Evil
Teach us to Pray - Lead us not into Tempation
What does this mean? God tempts no one. We pray in this petition that God would guard and keep us so that the devil, the world, and our sinful nature may not deceive us or mislead us into false belief, despair, and other great shame and vice. Although we are attacked by these things, we pray that we may finally overcome them and win the victory.
Teach us to Pray - Forgive us our sins.
What does this mean? We pray in this petition that our Father in heaven would not look at our sins, or deny our prayer because of them. We are neither worthy of the things for which we pray, nor have we deserved them, but we ask that He would give them all to us by grace, for we daily sin much and surely deserve nothing but punishment. So we too will sincerely forgive and gladly do good to those who sin against us.
Teach us to Pray - Our Daily Bread
What does this mean? Daily bread includes everything that has to do with the support and needs of the body, such as food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, home, land, animals, money, goods, a devout husband or wife, devout children, devout workers, devout and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace, health, self-control, good reputation, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like.
Giving To Jesus Thankfully From The Heart
MOST BELIEVERS have questions about life. Sometimes there are answers, sometimes there aren’t. When life doesn’t seem to make sense, when we are tempted to rationalize our circumstances or explain our situation according to reason or Christian principles, the lesson from Job reminds us how far God is beyond our understanding. Our life in relationship with Him is more about trust than understanding. Trust is God’s gift that reminds us of our humanity and God’s incredible power, power that loves us and makes us His own.
Teach us to Pray - Thy Will Be Done on Earth as it is in Heaven
What does this mean? How is God’s will done? God’s will is done when He breaks and hinders every evil plan and purpose of the devil, the world, and our sinful nature, which do not want us to hallow God’s name or let His kingdom come; and when He strengthens and keeps us firm in His Word and faith until we die.
Teach us to Pray - Thy Kingdom Come
The kingdom of God certainly comes by itself without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may come to us also. How does God’s kingdom come? God’s kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and lead godly lives here in time and there in eternity.
Teach us to Pray - Hallowed Be Your Name
Teach us to Pray - Our Father Who art in Heaven
I Am The Vine
Many times in life it can seem like we are uprooted, that we are disconnected and just adrift like a tumbleweed in an old western. Jesus knows His disciples and His followers are going to feel this way. To all of those who feel disconnected, Jesus says that He is the vine, and He has sent the advocate to connect us all.
I Am The Way, Truth, and the Life
I Am The Resurrection and Life
Jesus’ good friend Lazarus gets sick and dies. When Jesus finally gets to his town, Martha comes running out to Jesus with tears in her eyes and says, ‘’IF ONLY you had been here, he would not have died.’’ We often live with the cloud of ‘If Only’ over us, which causes us to slow and not see the light breaking forth.