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Seeing Yourself the Way God Sees You

You were dead in trespasses and sins, but God made us alive together with Christ.    (Ephesians 2:1-5)

The way you see things can be called your worldview. It’s the way you look at things, your belief system that causes you to see things a certain way, your perspective on everything, the grid by which you judge everything to determine if it is right or wrong. Everybody has a worldview. It’s the way you look at everything. Liberals tend to be liberal about everything and conservatives seem to be conservative about everything. Your worldview explains to you why things happen the way they do.
But there’s only one worldview that is correct and that is God’s. The way He sees things are the way they truly are. He is the truth and any other viewpoint is error. What we need to do is see things from God’s viewpoint. How does the all-knowing, ever-present and all-wise God look at everything? We find that in the Bible. The way God sees things is wisdom indeed.
The Bible shows us how God sees mankind in general and you in particular. God knows you better than you know yourself. We can be deceived. We can even deceive ourselves and the devil is always around to see that you don’t see things God’s way, or you don’t see yourself the way God sees you. He doesn’t want you to see yourself the way God sees you if you are lost and he doesn’t want you to see yourself the way God sees you if you are saved.
Ephesians chapter two tells us how God sees you without Christ and how He sees you in Christ. I want to point out the contrast between the two.
I. How God Sees Every Lost Person ,  v.1-3,11-12
And this means every lost person: moral, ethical and “good” lost person and every depraved murderer, thief, liar, no matter how despicable he or she may be. Paul was the moralist of men who lived according to the law of God “blameless.” He had a zeal for God according to God’s law. But Paul includes himself in this list of dark and depraved characteristics listed here. He says, “Among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of the flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, just as others.” (v.2)
There are differences of decay in the human race, but we are all dead in trespasses and sins. Some are worse than others, but we are all under the power of this sinful world, the prince of the power of the air, and our sinful flesh. The only difference between one sinner and another is the degree of decay, moral decay.
The lost person is dead to God but there are some things he is very much alive to. He is alive to “the course of this world.” He is alive to “the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works…” That is, the devil. He listens to his lies. He is alive to the “desires of the flesh.” They are responsive to the world, the flesh and the devil, even if they are unaware of it.
But we are all dead to God. We are not sick, we are dead. We are devilish, deceived, disobedient, depraved, defiled and doomed. That is how God sees us. It’s not that a lost person never does any good. Jesus said, “You, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children.” Parents take care of their children, but it is their own righteousness. They do it for themselves. We were made to live for God’s glory but they don’t care about God’s glory or God’s will... to read more click on the following link... http://www.gracehouseclinton.com/2021/02/seeing-yourself-the-way-god-sees-you

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Learning Warfare from David
For we do not wrestle against flesh and2blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places.  (Ephesians 6:12)

Then David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of this giant; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”  (1Samuel 17:32)

Here’s the problem people have. God has given us everything He has. We are joint-heirs of Christ. I mean, right now! There is nothing God has that has not already been given to us. But it is deposited in our spirit-man. And our spirit-man is in enemy territory, what the Bible calls heavenly places. The heavenly realm of the invisible world includes our spirit, our soul and our body. Satan is that invisible enemy that fights against us to keep our inheritance away from us. He does not want us to use our riches in Christ to live this life.
We must fight those spiritual forces of wickedness to get the blessings into our material world. Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Death and life are in the power of your words. What you speak can curse or it can bless (3:9). I will save for another chapter what speaking blessings and life is, but for now just know you must speak to your enemies.
Jesus said to do this in Mark:11:22-24, “Have faith in God. For assuredly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.”... to read more click on the following link: http://www.gracehouseclinton.com/2021/02/david-teaches-how-to-do-battle

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The Blessings and the Battles

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies places in Christ.”  (Ephesians 1:3)

“We wrestle against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places.” (Eph.6:12)

We marvel at the richest men in the world like Bill Gates, Bezos and others who have hundreds of billions of dollars. What must their lifestyle be like? What good could they do for mankind? What control they could have over politics. But these guys are Ozark Hills compared to the Rocky Mountains when it comes to the real richest people in the world. These are the ones Paul calls plutocrats in 1 Corinthians 1:5. A plutocrat is a wealthy person with power. We have found out in the financial and political world that these media moguls are not only rich but they are more powerful than anyone else in the world. Wealth means power.  Or as my dad used to say, “Money rules the world.”

But there is another wealth that comes with power and it is spiritual wealth. That’s what Ephesians is all about.         The Christian is enriched with “every spiritual blessing.” This wealth has already been given to every Christian. God “has blessed us with every spiritual blessing.” It’s in the bank and its waiting for our withdrawal. This wealth does not come automatically; we must access it. That’s where the battle starts. There are spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenlies who do everything they can to keep you from living in God’s blessings.

The blessings are from God; the battles are from Satan. We don’t enjoy the blessings without a battle. What are these blessings? They are found in the promises of God and they consist of everything Christ has paid for on the cross. Find a promise from God in the Bible and it’s yours. “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.” (2Cor.1:20) 

The spirit world controls the physical world. The heavens rule. Hebrews 11:3 says, “the things which are seen were made of things which are invisible.” Visible things were made from invisible things. Sure, that could mean atoms, but now they can be seen, so that’s not the whole truth. Everything in the natural world is controlled by the spirit world. God and angels, Satan and demons, and humans are spirit-beings.

Paul speaks of some of these blessings in the first chapter. Things like being chosen for the purpose of making us holy. Think of it – chosen by God to be without blame before Him in love. We have the blessing of adoption, which means we are heirs of God to everything God has, and He has a lot. He has made us accepted. The only other time this word is used in the New Testament is when Gabriel said to the virgin Mary, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you.” (Luke 1:28) The word accepted means highly favored in Ephesians 1:6. Every believer in Christ is highly favored like Mary. We also have forgiveness of all our sins. What a rich blessing that is! Jesus has already paid for all your sins. These are but a few. There is the promise of healing and deliverance. Everything Jesus did on the earth is available to us. He has not changed... to read more click on the following link... http://www.gracehouseclinton.com/2021/01/the-blessings-and-the-battles

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Bone of His Bone, Flesh of His Flesh Genesis 2 & Ephesians 5
We come to the second chapter on the duties Paul expounds after establishing the doctrine of the church. Behavior comes out of our belief. Initially as newborn babies we are carried by the Father; but as we mature we are called upon by God to take personal responsibility for our behavior. We must work out our own salvation with fear and trembling.
It is helpful to realize there is a certain law in the world that keeps us from soaring like the eagle. This law keeps us from living the way we should as Spirit-filled believers. It is the law of gravity. I’m not talking physical science here; I’m talking sociology. That law is in the world. It is in the natural man among whom we live daily. These natural lost people keep us from obeying God by the continual pull they place on us. Their influence is pervading. As the eagle must break the law of gravity to soar, so must we break the law of the gravity of this lost world and all its practices to fulfill our responsibilities and live like we should. This world is no friend of God, neither is it our friend.
This chapter is full of responsibilities and reasons for those responsibilities. Paul switches back and forth between what we should do and why we should do it (and in some instances tells us how we should do it).
I. What All Christians Should Do, v.1-3
A. What to do?  Two simple words – imitate God. The NKJV says, “Be followers of God.” It is the Greek word for mimic. Mimic God. Do what He does.
And if we were to do that, what exactly would we do? What identifies us as followers and mimics of God? Verse two tells us, “Walk in love.”  Chapter four explained more fully what some of that means: speak what builds people up, not what tears them down, impart grace, do not be bitter, be kind to one another, tenderhearted and forgiving. Love is patient and kind, does not envy, is not proud or rude, is not selfish, is not easily offended or provoked, and endures all things. We were made and saved to bear the image of God.
B. Why Do It?  The why of things should be explained to maturing children. Paul tells the main reason to imitate God. It’s because we are His children. We should bear the family resemblance, have the same characteristics as our Father. We move from being what our Father says to doing like our Father. This is our purpose in creation and salvation – to be like God (Genesis 1:26; Romans 8:29). Secondly, we are to do it because Christ gave us the example of love by giving Himself for us. He died for us, offered Himself as a sacrifice to God for our forgiveness, healing and total salvation. We are to do for our brothers and sisters in Christ the same thing Christ has done for us. This sacrifice is like a sweet-smelling aroma to God... to read more click the following link...
http://www.gracehouseclinton.com/2021/01/bone-of-his-bone-flesh-of-his-flesh-genesis-2-ephesians-5

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Why We Need the Church
We get nothing from God unless we really want it. Desire is a strong word when Jesus said, “You will ask what you desire and it shall be done for you.” (John 15:7) Jesus does not throw His pearls before swine and He does not leave the precious pearls lying on the beaches of this world. Like gold, anything valuable must be dug out with great labor and expense. “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God,” the psalmist said in 42:1. God said, “You shall seek Me and find Me when you shall search for Me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13)  I fear many just go through religious motions, doing things out of habit and tradition more than desiring the things of God with all their hearts. We must not do that. Jesus deserves our whole heart. We must never profane the holy things of God. Christ purchased them by His death.
People were made by God to bear His image and likeness, and to rule the earth. The first couple blew it and by sin marred the image of God. But Jesus came to restore that image in those who will believe. He has predestined us to be conformed to the image of Christ. So being like God in character and actions is our God-given purpose in creation and salvation. After we are justified by faith, God begins a process of sanctification to make us like Jesus. This will continue until we die or Jesus comes and our bodies are transformed to be like His glorious body. At that time, we will bear the image of God because we will be like Jesus who was and is the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15)... to read more click the following link:  http://www.gracehouseclinton.com/2021/01/why-we-need-the-church

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The Church is Jesus Christ

“Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”

I am fully aware of the fact that most people do not believe what is stated in this title; some will never believe it no matter how much they see it in the Bible.  That’s because they don’t want to believe it, and that’s just because it will make the church a priority they don’t want in their lives. Even though Jesus gave it that priority for Himself: He loved the church and gave up His life for her. 
Just make sure you fully believe what the Bible says, because this is important and it will affect your whole life. If I can show you this truth in the Bible, would you believe that the church is Jesus? If I could show you where Jesus said the church and Jesus are the same, would you believe it then?  (John 8:45-47)
Here’s a line of thought that most people have accepted without even considering if it is true or not; it goes virtually unchallenged in our day. It has to do with priorities. You have probably been recommended a list of priorities something like the following and accepted it; after all it is comfortable and easy.  

1. Jesus Christ

2. My Family

3. My Job

4. The Church,  and then whatever you want after this. 

Here’s the error of this list. Jesus never intended for you to separate #1 and #4. In God’s mind and word there is no distinction between Christ and His church. It’s not that any of us died on the cross for the sins of the world. Only Jesus did that. But the Holy Spirit put us in Him and what happened to Him happened to us: we were circumcised with Him, baptized with Him, crucified with Him, raised with Him, and now sit in heavenly places with Him. We are one in the sense we were in Him when He died and rose again. We are in Him and He is in us. We are one.
This changes everything. And that’s what so many people tend to not like. Well, what did Jesus say that would make me believe the church is Jesus?  In Matthew 25:31-40 we have Jesus describing the judgment... to read more click the following link...
http://www.gracehouseclinton.com/2021/01/the-church-is-jesus-christ

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What is the Church

Jesus said, “I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18)

If God’s eternal purpose is the church, we should know what the church is. It comes from a Greek word that means “called out ones.”  It’s the idea of calling citizens or civic officials out of their homes for a meeting, a gathering of some significance. Not everyone in the community was called out, just the qualified ones. They would be called out and conduct important business; they were representatives of the community and society in which they lived. In ancient Israelite days the elders were called out to meet at the gates of the city.
The church is the ones God calls out from among the people of the world to assemble for His business, which is to observe the ordinances, worship, preach the word, make disciples and exercise the gifts of the Spirit for the building up of the body of Christ, the church.
Ecclesia is the Greek word used by the Holy Spirit in the Bible to translate the word Jesus used that comes to us as the English word church. We see this Greek word transliterated in the names of some Spanish churches. Out of the blue Jesus first mentioned this word church. Nobody had ever used the word church as it relates to the people of God. They were the children of Abraham and they were the Israelites. There were tribes within Israel (Judah, Benjamin, etc.), but there was never a church. The church began with Jesus. The church began in the mind of Christ and He first spoke about it here in Matthew 16:18.
Three things about the church we need to know.
According to the Biblical hermeneutical ‘law of first mention’ we learn some important things from Jesus’ statement. First, the church belongs to Jesus. He calls it, “My church.” It is His church. These called out ones are His followers, His family, who belong to Him. In John 10 He called them, “My sheep.” He is the owner-shepherd of these sheep who laid down His life for them. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” (v.11)  He does that because He is their owner, not a “hireling who does not own the sheep but flees when he sees the wolf coming.” (v.12) Jesus says in John 10:14, “I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep and am known by My own.” He made the raw materials in the old creation and He made them over in His new creation: “If anyone is in Christ he is a new creation.” (2Corinthians5:17). They are the ones born again of the flesh and of the Spirit (Jn.3:3-7). Every member of the church belongs to Jesus.... to read more click on the following link...
http://www.gracehouseclinton.com/2021/01/what-is-the-church

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Repentance and the Eternal Purpose of God
“Unless you repent, you will perish.”  (Luke 13:5)

Jesus said, “Repent or perish.” He left no other option. If you don’t repent you will perish. It’s that simple. Without repentance your life will be lost. You will perish. If you don’t repent you can forget about fulfilling your purpose under God. Your life will be wasted. It will serve no purpose, nothing of eternal significance. Put your hand in a sink of water. Splash around with that hand. Make all the stir you want. Then pull it out. The hole that remains in that sink of water will be the impact your life will make for eternity. The hole made by your hand will perish. So will you, without repentance.

Every preacher in the Bible preached that we must repent. All the Old Testament prophets preached repentance. John the Baptist did (Matthew 3:1-2). Jesus preached it at the beginning of His ministry (Mark 1:15) and the last thing He instructed His disciples to do before He went back to heaven was to preach repentance to the nations (Luke 24:45-48). The first full-gospel evangelical sermon to the Jews in Acts chapter two has Peter preaching repentance (v.38). Paul, preaching to the Gentiles in Acts 17, said, “God now commands everyone everywhere to repent…” Then he tells us why: “because He has appointed a day in which He will judge the world.” (v.30-31)  All this makes all of us responsible to repent before God.

Repentance is the flip side of the coin of belief. You can’t believe without repenting. Repentance has believing within its very nature. They are married by God and God will not allow divorce. They are each a side of God’s coin of salvation.

So, repentance is a part of John 3:16.  Perish doesn’t just mean go to hell. It means to have a life that doesn’t count for anything before God. Without repentance even our good works will perish with us. Whatever you do in this life will be gone, and gone forever, if you do not serve the purpose of God for which you were created. Everlasting life is not just about length or quantity of time; it has to do with quality of life and time. Eternal life contains quality as well as quantity. It is the quality that produces the quantity... to read more click on the following link:
http://www.gracehouseclinton.com/2021/01/repentance-and-the-eternal-purpose-of-god

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God’s Purpose – My Life

This is the second in a series of vital messages concerning God’s purpose and your purpose in life. In this series we will be looking at and learning the most important lesson in life. People are always asking, “What is God’s will for my life?” That will be answered for you in this chapter and in this book. God’s will for your life is His purpose for creating and saving you. If you are not saved, then turn to Jesus and ask Him for mercy and a new life. His death on the cross was to pay for our sins and His resurrection was to give us His life, abundant and eternal. Trust Him and He will save you.
God’s last and greatest mystery is actually God’s eternal purpose for creation and salvation, and that includes you. A mystery in the Bible is something we would not know unless God told us. For example, Jesus Christ is one of those mysteries. Peter called Him the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and Jesus said flesh and blood had not revealed this to him but His Father who is in Heaven. Looking at Jesus eating, sleeping, spitting, and being crucified you would never conclude that He was the Son of God. The Spirit must reveal this. There are dozens of mysteries in the Bible. The one we will be covering in this series is God’s greatest mystery and His last mystery revealed. And it involves His purpose for your life.
Even though this is God’s greatest mystery and it concerns His purpose and will for your life, many who read these words will not benefit from what you are about to read at all. It will mean nothing to you if you don’t believe it. Or if you don’t adjust your life to God’s word. If you don’t believe it, it will because it interferes with what you want to do. You don’t want to believe it because you have things you’d rather do. You just don’t want to align your life to fit into God’s purpose. If so then you will miss why you are here and God’s will for your life. Before you reject or ignore this message, consider that it is indeed the word of God... http://www.gracehouseclinton.com/2021/01/gods-greatest-mystery-is-his-eternal-purpose-gods-purpose-my-life 

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