EPHESIANS

[lenore]

[PUTTING ON THE WHOLE ARMOUR OF CHRIST:
I just wanted to contribute to the edifying of the believers?

EPHESIAN 6

TRANSLATIONS ARE TAKEN FROM THE "THE CONTEMPORAY PARALLEL NEW TESTAMENT:

IT IS INTERESTING TO SEE SOME OF THE TITLES:
NAS: THE ARMOR OF GOD
NLT: THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD
NCV: WEAR THE FULL ARMOR OF GOD
CEV: THE FIGHT AGAINST EVIL
                                                           " THE MESSAGE: A FIGHT TO THE FINISH"
NIV: THE ARMOR OF GOD
NKJV: THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD.


THE MESSAGE TRANSLATION:
______________________
EPHESIAN 6: 10-20
And that about wraps it up, GOD IS STRONG and he wants you strong. So take everything the MASTER HAS SET OUT FOR YOU, well-made weapons of the best materials.  And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest
that we'll walk awy from and forget about in a couple of hours.  THIS IS FOR KEEPS, A LIFE OR DEATH fight to the finish against the Devil and his angels.

BE PREPARED. You're up against far more than you can handle of your own. TAKE ALL THE HELP YOU CAN GET, EVERY WEAPON GOD HAS ISSUED, so that  when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet. TRUTH, RIGHTEOUSNESS, PEACE, FAITH AND SALVATION  are more than words. LEARN HOW TO APPLY THEM. You'll need them THROUGHOUT YOUR LIFE. GOD'S WORD is an indispensable weapons. PRAY HARD AND LONG. PRAY for your brothers and sisters. KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN. KEEP EACH OTHER'S SPIRITS UP so that no one falls behind or drops out.


________________________
SUBMITTED BY Lenore.


/color]

[summer007]

The Lord is a Warrior....The Lord is His name!!!!! Ex:15....Yes we are in a Battle...Thank-God he's given us the Equipment to Win ...we may lose a few Battles, but still win the War!!! They that are with Him are Called, Chosen and Faithful!!! I will Bless the Lord who has Trained my hands to War and my Fingers to Fight!!!   Thanks Lenore.

[lenore]

EPHESIAN CHAPTER 5:
DIFFERENT TITLES:
NAS: BE IMITATORS OF GOD
NLT: LIVING IN THE LIGHT
NCV: LIVING IN THE LIGHT
NKJV: WALK IN LOVE
THE MESSAGE: WAKE UP FROM YOUR SLEEP

EPHESIANS 5:1-2 THE MESSAGE:
Watch wht God does, and then you do it.
like children who learn proper behaviour
from their parents.
MOSTLY WHAT GOD DOES IS LOVE YOU,
KEEP COMPANY WITH HIM,
AND LEARN A LIFE OF LOVE.
OBSERVE HOW CHRIST LOVED US.
HIS LOVE WAS NOT CAUTIOUS
      BUT EXTRAVAGANT
He didn't love in order to get something from us
but to
GIVE EVERYTHING OF HIMSELF TO US.
LOVE LIKE THAT.

EPHESIANS 5:1-2 CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH VERSION

DO AS GOD DOES
After all you ae his dear children.
LET LOVE BE YOUR GUIDE.
CHRIST LOVED US and offered his life for us as a SACRIFICE THAT PLEASES GOD.

The NIV says: live a life of love
NLT: says live a life filled with love....

SUBJECT OF THESE VERSES:LOVE

The messages says to observe HOW CHRIST LOVED US. HIS LOVE WAS NOT CAUTIOUS BUT EXTRAVAGANT

The Complete Christian Dictionary for Home and School says: EXTRAVAGANT  is: #2: of ideas, behaviour , and the expression of feeling, going beyond what is reasonable or usual.

Christ went beyond the reasonable or usual.
To offer Himself up out of Love, a sinful creature, like me. No one can measure that type of love
No one can achieve that type of love
It what only God , being able to give that love, to allow his Son to become that type of unmeasureable, extravagant love, in the flesh, so we can have life within that love of Jesus.

HOW DO WE GET IT TO DO IT
The answer is simple: WATCH HOW GOD DOES IT!!
WHERE DO YOU WATCH IT FROM//
Again the answer is simple: KEEP COMPANY WITH HIM AND LEARN A LIFE OF LOVE. OBSERVE HOW CHRIST LOVED US.
I know I keep saying simple: There really nothing simple about that., due to our human natural quirks, that make up road block, or build walls that have been build so high.
GOD WILL TAKE CARE OF THAT TOO. GOD WANTS TO POUR OUT HIS LOVE, POUR OUT HIS LOVE ONTO US.We do not have to ask, or beg, or plead, You know what we have to do .RECEIVE IT, LET GOD GIVE IT TO US  That right!! Just Receive it, I think that is the most difficult of all. We wont let God give us his POURING OF LOVE.

  ;)Thank you for reading this

[lenore]

 ;MAY 22, 4:10 PM

EPHESIANS 6:5-8:
THE MESSAGE VERSION:

Servants, respectfully obey your earthly masters but always with an eye to obeying the real master. Christ.

Dont just do what you have to do to get by, but work heartily, as Christ's servants doing what God wants you to do. And work with a smile on your face, always keeping in mind that no matter who happens to be giving the orders, you're really serving God.
Good work will get you good pay, from the Master, regardless of whether you are slave or free.

In the New Living Translation:
SLAVES, obey your earthyly master with deep respect and fear.
Serve them Sincerely as you would serve Christ.
WORK HARD, but no just to please your masters when they are watching.
As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart.
WORK WITH ENTHUSAIAM, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.
REMEMBER THE LORD will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slave or free.

There are a number of things in this small section:
Obey and respect  our masters:
Who is our masters, is it employers,  pastors, teachers?

Obey how: With sincerity.
WHY:  Because we are really serving Jesus our true employer.
What are we to do? Work hard, work cheerfully, work with energy, work responsibility, work dependability,
as if we were working for the Jesus.
So when we are serving Christ: Jesus expects us to be a trusted, dependable, hard worker who put energy, effort, & soul into our jobs.

There is one area that is learned but hard to do:
"AND WORK WITH A SMILE ON OUR FACE,"
working as a cashier, serving the customers, a smile is good customer relations. It is not easy to paste a smile
and be sincere about it.
You can do , but there are times when it is just a mask
because that is what is expected of you.
But  there are days, when smiling is the last thing you want to do, the last things you have the energy for.

THIS IS ONE OF THE AREA , that relying on Jesus's energy, cheerfulness , that may be the only way you can be an effective servant.

QUESTION: ANY ONE HAS A FEEDBACK THEY WOULD LIKE TO SHARE.
FEED BACK IS WELCOME.
 

[lenore]

MAY 31ST: 7:40 PM EST

EPHESIAN 4:1 TO 3  NKJV

Therefore , the prisoner of the Lord beseech you to walk worthy of the the calling with which you were called.
with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love
endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

THE MESSAGE VERSION:

In light of all this, here's what I want you to do. While I'm locked up here, a prisoner for the Master. I want you to get out there and walk - better yet. run! - on the road-God called you to travel. I don't want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don't want anymone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere. And mark that you do this with humility and
discipline- not in fits and starts, but steadily. poouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differenes and quick at mending fences.
You were all called to travel on the same road and in the same direction, so stay together, both outwardly and inwardly.

There are two distinct different version of the same verses EPHESIANS 4:1-3

How many of you including me, have been start and stop  on our journeys with Jesus?
How many of  us has really poured ourselves  in love for others?
The message hits at times below the spiritual belt.But the words are direct and blunt.  I prefer the NIV, NKJV, but the Message  hits home.

SO ARE WE WALKING WORTHY OF OUR CALLING.
and running on the road God has asked us to travel.

DISCUSSION PLEASE:

[lenore]

 :)JULY 23RD AT 9:56 PM

TOPIC : EPHESIANS:
CHAPTER : ONE
VERSES: 3 TO 15
TRANSLATION: THE MESSAGE

TITLE: THE GOD OF GLORY
How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is!
He's the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him.
Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love.
Long, long ago he decided to adupt us into his family through Jesus Christ.(What pleasure he took in planning this!)
He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son.
 Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, his blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, we're a free people--free of penalties , and punishment, chalked up by all our misdeeds. And not just barely free, either.
ABUNDANTLY FREE!. He thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need, letting us in on the plans he took such delight in making.
He set it all out before us in Christ, a long range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth.
  It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for.
Long before we first head of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.
  It's in Christ that you , once you heard the truth and believe it (this Message of your salvation), found yourselves home free - signed, sealed, and delivered by the Holy Spirit. THis signet from God is the first installment on what's coming, a reminder that we'll get everything God has planned for us, a praising and glorious life.

  Now some question to stir a dialogue.

1. After reading this passage, what feelings were you feeling?
2.  What really jump out at you, and spoke to you?
3. In one or two sentences , what do you think this passage is saying?

MAY GOD BLESS YOU WITH A SPECIAL COMMUNICATION FOR YOU.

LENORE