Andrew Murray- "God . . . hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3).

In Paul's letter to the Ephesians, the expression, "The heavenly places," is used five times. In the heavenly places, God blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

He set Christ at His right hand and made us sit with Christ. The wisdom of God is to be made known through the Church to principalities and powers. We are ready to wrestle against the spiritual hosts of wickedness. No man or woman can live a Christian life except in the power of the heavenly world.

In his excellent letter, Paul reveals the mystery of God's will and His purpose in Christ. He helps us understand our resurrection and ascension with Christ, our new creation, and our glory as a part of the Body of Christ.

As the light of the Holy Spirit shines on one truth after another, we learn how truly divine and heavenly our life on earth can be.

Knowing Our Heavenly Calling

We have studied the twelve passages in which the Holy Spirit is mentioned. Let us gather all their teaching into one and see if we can sketch a portrait of the man called to live by this heavenly standard.

The believer has been sealed in Christ by the Holy Spirit of promise. The Spirit is the down payment of his inheritance, the pledge of what he is and can become in Christ, and the divine assurance that every promise can be fulfilled. He has the seal of God on his forehead, and his whole being bears the stamp of the Holy Spirit.

The first blessing of the Spirit is that He enlightens our eyes to know our calling and the greatness of God's power to fulfill His plan in us. The Holy Spirit reveals God's power in raising Christ from the dead to the throne of glory as the pledge of what God will work in us each day.

The sealed one has been brought near to God by the blood of His Son and lives in the Holy place. Through the Spirit he has a life of perfect fellowship with God in Christ Jesus.

The sealed one no longer lives for himself but is a member of the great spiritual temple built for God through the Spirit. The Spirit links the believer to the chief cornerstone and to all his fellow-saints.

He also knows the mystery of Christ among the Gentiles and counts them as fellow-heirs to all the unsearchable riches of Christ. He lives for the Kingdom and the conversion of the unbelievers as Christ's inheritance.

The sealed one has learned that only by God's almighty power can he live in the heavenly places. He continually prays that the power of the Spirit may strengthen Him mightily.

He wants Christ to dwell in his heart by faith and to be filled with love and with all the fullness of God. He asks for himself and for others that God may reveal His Son in them.

The sealed one bears the image of Jesus. He walks worthy of his heavenly calling, humbly maintaining the unity of the Spirit. He knows he can do this because God strengthens him with might in the inner man. His calling is to minister to the saints and build up the Body of Christ in love.

Above everything else he seeks never to grieve the Holy Spirit of God. In this way, he can partake of all the blessings in the heavenly places in Christ. He cultivates a tender spirit.

(Chapter 17, pp. 85-87, italics added)

Receiving Power from God

by Andrew Murray
Copyright © 1984

by Whitaker House

Used by permission

www.whitakerhouse.com

(Google image, What is the Bible Perspective? Can loved ones in heaven look down on you?)

Let's pray-

"Jesus is Lord over my spirit, my soul and my body. Jesus is made unto me wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. The Lord is my shepherd; I do not want. My God supplies all my need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." (Personal Confessions, Prayers That Avail Much)

Suggested book:

CHAIR TIME by Dan Southerland

Kindle Edition

Excellent! Easy reading, very helpful in learning to pray. Only 52 pages.

Today's quotes-

~ Brother Lawrence- By practicing God's presence and continuously looking at Him, the soul familiarizes itself with Him to the extent that it passes almost its whole life in continual acts of love, praise, confidence, thanksgiving, offering and petition. Sometimes all this may merge into one single act that does not end, because the soul is always in the ceaseless exercise of God's divine presence." (The practice of the presence OF GOD)

~ Paul E. Billheimer- "God could not become incarnate (become embodied) in angels because they were not created in the full image of God. No other created being was given this capacity of the human being to 'contain and utter (express) God.' Only man has a nature in which God can become incarnate—take on bodily form, or 'become flesh' (John 1:14).

So, God 'tipped His hand,' so to speak, in the Incarnation. By coming to earth in the form of a man, He showed us His plan. By the incarnation, God dignified the human race and raised up redeemed humanity beyond even the highest-ranking angel in all of heaven." (DESTINED for the THRONE, by Paul E. Billheimer, p.36, Special edition for Trinity Broadcasting Network)

Today's Bible verses-

Psalm 8:4, 5 (NKJV)

"What is man that You are

mindful of him,
And the son of man that

You visit him?
(v. 5) For You have made him a

little lower than the

angels,

And You have crowned him

with glory and honor."

Words of wisdom-

~ In the book of Acts we read of salvation, spirited worship, fruit and gifts of the Spirit, ministry gifts, Scripture teaching, ministry from house to house, signs and wonders, church planting, evangelism and functioning of church leaders.

~ During the middle ages, the church became legalism, as there was less passion for the Word of God through the reformation.

Today's popular post-

Personal Help

Lisa Buffaloe: "There are days the journey is difficult and the trials are many. If you are going through hardships, I’ve placed these verses to give you hope.

Would you be willing to read and make them personal? God’s word is for you . . . "

List of recent sermons of CFC ministers. CFC Potsdam NY church has a live service at 10 am Sunday's for shut-ins. If for some reason you can't make it to the church you usually attend, click on the above link, and still get fed!

Jean's blog (Click to see snippets of the 7 recent posts)