Power has been a pursuit of humanity since the inception of our existence. And our world is in a constant state of drama as a result of the pursuit to possess power. Paul, the apostle and theologian, writes to a group of Christians in a place called Ephesus. Power is one of themes in this letter, which is an encouragement and a reminder of who has ultimate power and how we can access it. It is only that ultimate power, at work in us, in partnership with Christ, that can do far more than we could ever imagine. That is the opportunity that Paul is reminding us of and praying for on behalf of the church in Ephesus.

“TO SEE FOREVER” is the title of this week’s message. We explore the Apostle Paul’s thoughts as he hits the PAUSE button in his letter to his friends in Ephesus, now western Turkey. He reflects on his IDENTITY, DESTINY, and AUTHORITY from a vantage that is his alone.

The Bible is full of plot twists and turns- a Hebrew baby raised in the house of Pharaoh delivers the Hebrews from Egypt, the shepherd with the sling defies the Philistine, the baby in the manger is God in human form, the crucified Jesus walks out of a tomb. But Jesus had one more plot twist up his sleeve-- the inclusion of the Gentiles into the promises and the blessing given to Abraham. God is not just at work to merge two worlds-- heaven and earth. He is also at work to merge two peoples-- the Jew and the Gentile-- into one family of God. The destiny of heaven on earth is dependent on the development of this new community. It will require deep awareness of the reconciling work of Jesus on the cross, a relentless pursuit of peace and unity, and a passionate commitment to demonstrating the character, ways, and mission of God to the world. 

So many of us find ourselves stuck. Stuck in routine. Stuck in frustration. Stuck in systems that hold us down. Stuck in destructive patterns. Stuck in sin that tangles us up. It almost seems impossible to escape. But do you know that God works best in the impossible?

Ephesians 2:1-10 speaks to our journey in Christ. It take us on a journey from who we were, to who we are, to who we can become. We go from our destruction, to God’s grace, to God’s purpose for us. Do you know that God’s grace can overcome sin, satan, and every structure? His grace catapults us to faith. His faith fills us to understand who we are. We are God’s workmanship, His masterpiece, his work of art. And it’s when we know who we are that we can understand where we are going. We go from identity to destiny. And in Christ, and through God’s Spirit, we can lean in to understand what it means to fully live! 

You are not the mistakes you’ve made. You are not the labels people have put on you. You are who God says you are—nothing less, nothing else. You are BLESSED with every spiritual blessing in Christ. You are CHOSEN before the beginning of time.

You are BLAMELESS in the eyes of God. You are ADOPTED by the Heavenly Father. You are REDEEMED by the blood of Christ. You are SEALED by the Holy Spirit, and you are STAMPED with the image of God.

As the people of God, we live COUNTERCULTURE. When we love our enemies, heaven invades earth. When we pray for those who persecute us, heaven invades earth. When we bless those who curse us, heaven invades earth. How? GRACE and PEACE. Paul begins each of his thirteen epistles with those two words, and they pack a one-two punch. We have a vaccine against cancel culture—the grace of God. We have a vaccine against political polarization and racial discord—the peace of God. We are grace givers and peacemakers.

Living UNSHAKEN is refusing to compromise your convictions, even if it costs you a fiery furnace or lands you in a lion’s den. It’s speaking truth to power. It’s showing grace in a cancel culture. It’s confronting the brutal facts with unwavering faith. Why? God’s got this. God’s got you. Don’t lose faith in the end of the story! Administrations come and go. Nations and rise and fall. The kingdom of God is forever. We find our identity, we pledge our loyalty, to the King and His Kingdom. And He’s coming again!

Daniel 11 is written like prophecy but it reads like history. While the people of God are coming to the end of exile and will be able to return to their land, Daniel is told that things will get worse before they get better. Israel will be sandwiched between two warring kingdoms, and the people of God will face a crisis of identity, a crisis of faith, and a crisis of hope. In order to find the right perspective and posture, they must be the kind of people who do not accept the current crisis as the end of the story. They must be the kind of people who do not put their trust in a current leader or ideology but recognize that God will outlive and outlast any earthly leader. They must be the kind of people who put their trust in the story and their trust in the author. As we stand in times of crisis, may we be people who stand in faithfulness, who walk in patience, who cling to hope.

Have you ever had your eyes opened to something that was always there, but you just hadn’t noticed before? Our text today will leave you with your eyes wide open!  

We continue in our series on the book of Daniel, and today walkthrough chapter 10. After seeking God through fasting and prayer for 3 weeks, God gives Daniel a vision and opens his eyes to see the realm of the unseen. The heavenly realm, in which there is good and evil clashing behind the scenes. Believe it or not, there is a spiritual battle happening. And when we lean into God in prayer, he will give us both a revelation of what is happening and affirmation of who we are, to press forward. As God opens up Daniel’s eyes, chapter 10 is just the beginning of the prophetic vision of what is to come. Join us as we engage in a text will challenge us as well as take us underneath the surface of the challenges all around us.

With all that is happening in our 2020 world, a conversation about eschatology seems apropos! What does the Bible say about the end times? Are there any hints that can help us navigate the crisis we find ourselves in? What can I do to get ready for what’s next? Those are some of the questions we’ll explore this week, and a few answers may surprise you! The good news? God’s got this. Don’t lose faith in the end of the story!