THE DAILY FOUNTAIN DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE OF THE CHURCH OF NIGERIA (ANGLICAN COMMUNION)
DATE: THURSDAY, 16TH JUNE, 2022
TOPIC: THE DIVINE STRUCTURE FOR BELIEVERS
TEXT: EPHESIANS 2:11-22
11. Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh -- who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands --
12. that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
13. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
14. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation,
15. having abolished in His flesh the enmity, [that is,] the law of commandments [contained] in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man [from] the two, [thus] making peace,
16. and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.
17. And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near.
18. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.
19. Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
20. having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner[stone,]
21. in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,
22. in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
MESSAGE:
Architects design building structures consisting of parts fitted to form a complete structure. Similarly, God has a divine structure for all who will repent of their past lives separated from Him, filled with hostilities as well as rivalries and condemned by decrees, ordinances and curses of the law.
The characteristics of this divine structure are:
1) Christianity is based on Christ alone and His teachings, meaning that Jesus (not any religious leader) is the only door to salvation. Salvation can only be obtained through the born-again experience (John 3:3; John 1:12; Ezek. 36:25-27).
2) Believers are linked to Apostolic teachings in holiness, forgiveness, salvation by faith alone, evangelism, commitment to service, prayer, fasting, bible study, etc.
3) Daily spiritual growth is compulsory for believers.
4) Believers are interconnected as one building in spite of diversities giftings, environments, etc. The structure is not divided by gender, tribalism, competition, class or culture.
However, it is unfortunate that many have designed different brands of Christianity which accommodate fleshly lusts, ethnicity, hypocrisy, little or no growth in spiritual things like holiness, prayer, bible study, fasting, evangelism, commitment and even love. They struggle to see whether they will still fit into this divine structure. Unfortunately, this is merely an exercise in futility because the foundation of the Lord stands sure with unchanging defined patterns. Be warned lest you become a castaway!
PRAYER:
Lord please help me not to deviate from Your unchanging divine pattern for Your children.
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