What Is Your Story?

Wednesday, February 11, 2026

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do. Ephesians 2:10 CSB

What Is Your Story? 

Who does not love a good do-over? Everyone has parts of their story that they wish they could erase. As Christians, we get the most important do-over of all.  We get a whole new identity in Christ. We become a new creature in him, the old is washed away. The old is washed away – forgiven – redeemed. Even though we might not like parts of our past, it is still a part of our story. God uses everything that has happened in our lives for our good and his glory. It is important for us to remember what we have been saved from (dead in sin) as well as what we have been saved to (new life in Christ – saved for good works). 

Sharing our story with others is a key component in sharing the Gospel. Telling our story of redemption – how we came to know Christ and how he changed us – is important for others to hear. It is a point of connection with people, and especially those who may be caught up in some of the same actions as you were before you were saved. It helps us connect with one another at the most vulnerable level, a desperate need to be saved.

Here are some good points to include when sharing your story: 

Your Life Before Christ – This is a very important element of our testimony because it may be the part that our one can most identify with. When they know that we were lost and very different before we came to know Christ, they may feel more comfortable. There are things in all our pasts that others do not know about us and may find hard to believe. It may be embarrassing to you, but it is good for those you are sharing with to see the difference Jesus Christ has made in your life. Remember you are not that person, but you are a new person in Christ.

How You Encountered Christ – How did you come to ask Jesus Christ to be your Savior? Where were you? How old were you? What were the circumstances? What did you hear? What was it that brought you from death to life? Were you at church? Were you with a friend? Were you at camp? What do you remember about that day? 

Your Life Since Christ Made You New – How is your life different since Jesus saved you? God has saved us from the curse of sin and brokenness in order that we might live for His glory.  We are to be changed people who lived changed lives. Our changed lives can help change other people’s lives. We were created for that purpose. 

Our faith is Christ Jesus and his work in our lives is on display for the world to see as we join in his good works happening all around us. Our testimony is the Gospel in living, breathing form. This is what we were created for - created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do. Write out your story, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Surrender to Christ and be obedient to sharing your story when the Holy Spirit urges you.

Created in Christ Jesus For Good Works

For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—not from works, so that no one can boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do. Ephesians 2:8-10 CSB

 

Being once dead in our sin we are now saved by grace through faith – a gift from God for all who will believe. What comes next for the church, the body of Christ, after we have been raised to new life? We have a very specific and important calling as believers and as the body of Christ.

Created For Good Works

We are not saved by our good works, since Jesus’ sacrifice was sufficient for our redemption, but we are saved for good works. Each day we wake up, there are good works God has for us to do. We get the privilege of discovering them and being a part of his good works as we live out our life every day. One aspect of these good works is our faithfulness to share the good news of Jesus where we live, work and play. We should never (but we do) get so busy in our everyday lives that we forget the intentionality it takes to share Christ’s love with others. Our sharing the Gospel does not make God love us any more than he already does, does not make us "more saved," nor does it earn us any points or extra favor in his eyes. But as we live and love like he did and point others to him in all we say and do, we are living out the purpose and calling for which we were created. 

The gospel is good news because without it we have no hope. We are sinners and deserve nothing but death. And we have absolutely no hope of saving ourselves. This is why urgently need to be sharing the Gospel. Hope is in short supply in this world these days. People need to hear that there is hope in a Living God. He is our only hope. This is our calling in him – the good works he has created us to do in him. We are to be salt, light, truth, hope, and all that the Gospel is to a lost and dying world. We are his hands and feet, his ambassadors, and his disciples who are called to go out from the church – our base of operation – and make disciples. 

The last thing Jesus said to His disciples before He ascended to heaven was to go and make disciples. He sent the disciples out to the ends of the earth to spread His good news and lead others to Him. Those new believers could then go and make disciples. We may not be at the ends of the earth today, but right where we are we can shine the light of the Gospel into dark places so the world can see the glory of the Lord through us. In all we do and say, living and loving like Jesus, we are pointing others to him, or away from him as we go. 

God has a plan for us. We were created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do. Before we were born he knew every step we would take. He loves us, redeemed us, raised us up and has a plan and purpose for our lives in him. Pray God would reveal to you the good works he has for you to walk in today.   

God's Rich Mercy and Great Love For Us

Monday, February 9, 2026

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace! He also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might display the immeasurable riches of his grace through his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.  For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—not from works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:1-5 CSB

 

God's Rich Mercy and Great Love For Us

We are in week three of the series called We Are The Church – A Study In Ephesians. In this series Pastor Jim is walking us through what church is, our part as Christians in the church and as the church in the world. Our key truth is, The church is not a destination, but a base of operation. Church is not where we are to quietly live out our days as a believer, but instead it is a launchpad where we are equipped, encouraged, supported, loved, taught, and sent out to do the work God has called us to do as his church – to go out and spread the Gospel far and wide. 

In chapter 1 we learned who we are in Christ and some of the benefits and gifts of being a child of God. Now in chapter 2 Paul gives the most important message of all – how do we become a child of God? What does salvation in Christ look like and how does it change us?

Paul begins chapter 2 with the truth of our spiritual condition before Christ – And you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now working in the disobedient. v1-2 Before we become believers we were living in our sinful and fleshly desires, having no part of God but following the ways of the devil. Our only hope was to be rescued by the only One with the power to raise us from the dead and give us new life. God is the only one who can rescue us from a life dead in sin and give us new life. We cannot do this for ourselves. Apart from that rescue and new life, we have eternal separation from God.   

But God - But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace! v4

Verse 4 tells us how we become a part of the church – the body of Christ. It is only through the grace of God that we are saved -raised from the dead of our sin to new life in him. There is nothing we can do to earn it – it is purely a gift we are to receive and believe which leads to repentance, salvation, relationship with him, and eternal life. 

Because of God’s rich mercy and great love for us, He saved us. We don't deserve it and never will. He forgave us and washed our sins away, making us a new creation in Him. Grace is a gift given by God, with no expectation of anything in return. If is free to us at no cost, but grace cost the giver. God sacrificed His own son so we could know His grace, receive His grace and live in His grace. Once we receive His grace, it is ours forever. It does not expire, and God does not take it back. It is a forever gift to us. 

The most important way salvation changes us is that we were dead and now we are alive! Going from death to life brings a whole cascade of changes into our lives. We are a new person in him. Our lives should reflect his glory, grace, love, and kindness to everyone around us. Our lives should tell his story of saving grace and loving kindness. 

Are you still “dead in your trespasses and sins” or have you been saved by grace through faith? If you have been saved, think about that moment of salvation? Give God thanks for His great mercy and grace in your life? How are you living out that salvation by participating in God’s Kingdom work every day? If you need to know Christ, text TRUST to 72318. 

We Are The Church: A Study in Ephesians “Alive in Christ”

 

We Are The Church: A Study in Ephesians
“Alive in Christ”

Ephesians 2:1-10 (CSB)

 

-     Key Truth: The local church is not a destination but a base of operation.

Main Question: What does salvation in Christ look like and how does it change us? 

1.        Our Past (vs. 1-3) 

Three compelling influences that directed their past:

a.         The world (vs. 2a)

b.         The devil (vs. 2b)

c.         The flesh (vs. 3)

 

2.        Our Transformation (vs. 4-9)

God's saving initiatives are to be found in...

a.         His mercy  (vs. 4a)

b.         His great love (vs. 4b)

c.         His rich grace (vs. 5, 7, & 8)

d.         His kindness to us in Christ Jesus (vs. 7)

3.        Our Calling (vs. 10)

After the Message: 
Read Ephesians 2:1-10. Are you still “dead in your trespasses and sins” or have you been saved by grace through faith? If you have been saved, think about that moment of salvation? Give God thanks for His great mercy and grace in your life? How are you living out that salvation by participating in God’s Kingdom work every day? If you need to know Christ, text TRUST to 72318.

 

Encourage Each Other

Friday, February 6, 2026

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near. Hebrews 10:23-25

Encourage Each Other

This week we have looked at how Paul encouraged the church in Ephesus. We too are to encourage one another.  In the verses 24 and 25 in the passage above, we are persuaded to encourage other Christians. “And let us consider how to stimulate (spur) one another to love and good deeds.”  Verse 24 begins, “let us consider one another…”.It means “to observe attentively, or understand, fix one’s eyes or mind upon.” In short, we are to focus on encouraging each other intentionally. I like how The Message says it: “Let’s see how inventive we can be…” Let us think of creative ways of encouraging others.

The emphasis is on getting to know each other in our community of faith. This results an exchange that leads to encouraging each other to love and good works. Verse 24 continues, “let us consider how we may spur one another on…” To spur means “to stir up, provoke, stimulate or incite someone to do something.”  In other words, to create a thirst.  A thirst for what?  “toward love and good deeds.” 

Church is a place we all get caught up on the latest football games, golf scores, family news, health concerns, or just to visit with friends. A cup of coffee together, a warm handshake, a friendly pat on the back are all part of the social interaction we need as human beings.  All of this is good, but New Testament fellowship goes much deeper than merely socializing when we get together at church.  It takes place when we consider how we can lift up, build up, and brighten up our brothers and sisters in Christ.  Christian fellowship takes place when we offer encouragement to our friends, pray for them, and grow together in Christ.  These are the elements that make fellowship genuine. What about our church? Are we merely socializing? Or are we practicing true Christian fellowship? Christian fellowship builds us up and binds us together.

To feel the love and friendliness of an assembly of believers, requires we pour a little of our own love in.  It was God's love toward us that prompted our love in return. This principle also works in our relationship with other Christians. 

And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.  Colossians 3:15 

God's Word Is Living Power In Our Lives

Thursday, February 5, 2026

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.  James 1:22-25

Getting Right with God

When we take the time to consider the power of the Word of God, it becomes evident that the Word is very important to the Christian!  How can it do it’s work in our lives?  The value of the God’s word can only be realized in our lives if we follow His instructions.  

…to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:22-24

Get Rid of the Sin
Before we can hear anything God is trying to tell us, we need to get right with Him, meaning we need to first confess our sins so that nothing impedes the communication between us.  We need to lay it all out, confess to Him and repent.  Repent means to get rid of it, turn away from it.  Only when we leave the “old self” behind can we experience God’s power in our “new selves.”  God takes our sin, our unholiness, our deep-down wrong motives, bitterness, anger, etc., and covers them with His merciful love and forgiveness. Only then is our heart and mind open to receiving all He has to offer us. 

Get the Proper Attitude
The Word of God is a precious seed that is planted into the soil of the heart. Therefore, it is essential that we have the right attitude toward it. We must come with a gentle, open, and teachable spirit. We have to be accepting and willing to tend to the seeds that are planted in our heart. 

Be Obedient 
True worshipers are doers of God’s word.  It is not enough just to “hear” God’s Word we must act upon it. We must be doers. If we fall short and do not act on it, we become self-deceived and self-deception is the root of hypocrisy. James does well to remind us that what we hear in Church needs to be lived out in testimony or there is no point in hearing at all.

Be Honest 
The passage above speaks of two listeners to God’s Word. One looked at himself and was “gone away” without lasting results. "Just a glance and off he goes." The other one looks “intently” and is transformed.  One man looks at “himself” and the other at the “perfect law of liberty”.  God’s word is like a mirror as it reflects what is taking place in our hearts. It shows us areas in our inner lives that need to be cleansed.  A quick brush with truth will not produce lasting results. A fleeting vision of what God wants us to be will not produce character.  It is important that we examine ourselves against God’s word and be honest with ourselves as to what needs to be cleansed and turned over to God. 

God’s Word is not something imposed upon Christians from without in the form of a code of external rules and regulations. It is not a dead letter for us, but a living power.  It enables us to find true freedom in God's perfect will. 

Crucial to everything is our attitude toward God and His Word. If wehave the right attitude toward God's Word, it becomes a living power in our lives. Do you love His Word? Are you eager to obey it? Or are you anxious to forget what you don't like as soon as possible?

Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Hebrews 13:15 ESV 

Eyes to See – Hope, Riches, and Power

Wednesday, February 4, 2026
Having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. Ephesians 1:18-21

How is your vision? In this passage Paul speaks of a different kind of vision – an enlightenment of the eyes of our heart, or a special understanding that can only come from God. 

There is only one place we can look to have this clear vision. Paul is writing to the church in Ephesus and instead of praying for them to have riches, comfort, or health, he prays for them to have knowledge. He prays for them to have clear vision. God will give us clear vision, direction, and guide our every step. But He will also open our eyes to hope, a rich inheritance, and the immeasurable greatness of His power. 

That you may know what is the hope to which he has called you…
We cannot live without hope. It is almost as vital to sustaining human life as air and water are. Without hope, we cease to fight to live, and we all know this life is a battle. But where do find hope in a world full of falsehood? Where we choose to find hope decides if we strive or if we thrive. If we put our hope in our circumstances, we will be striving in our own power to fulfill our own hopes. And that never ends well. If we put our hope in the world, we will literally see them disintegrate with the lies the world offers. The world is temporary and everything of the world will eventually fade away. If we put our hope in people, we will be disappointed. Even well-meaning people who love us will fail us simply because they are human. But God calls us to hope.  When we hear His word and believe in Him, He calls us to hope. The knowledge we have of God - what we know about Him to be true because His Word tells us - is the hope that will never fail us.

What are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints…
The inheritance that Paul is speaking of here is our inheritance as God’s children. We have done absolutely nothing to deserve it, but a gracious Father, who owns the cattle on a thousand hills, has adopted us and we are His heirs. So, we have eternal inheritance and we also have glorious riches here on earth as well. Our inheritance is not just for later. It is for now too. We are to live in that inheritance, as children of the King. Whatever happens in this life, whatever trials come our way, we know we have an inheritance that cannot be taken from us. It is the hope of this future glorious inheritance that helps us keep a kingdom perspective on all we go through in this life.

What is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe… 
To get through this life, Paul knew that we would need to know what power is ours because we are believers. God’s power is working in us NOW. We have to know this - that He is at work in us with a power that cannot fail. We also need to know that we have this power to call on and to help us in all things. We cannot do this in our own power. We cannot do enough good things to save ourselves, the power that rose Jesus from the grave does that for us. That power puts our sin to death. That same power – that defeated death forever – is ours in Christ Jesus. 

Pray that your eyes would be open to the knowledge of the hope you have, the riches of His glorious inheritance, and the immeasurable greatness of His power that are yours because you are His child. 

Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law. Psalm 119:18

Faithfulness and Love

Tuesday, February 3, 2026

For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. Ephesians 1:15-17 CSB

Faithfulness and Love

Last week we began a series called We Are The Church where pastor Jim leads us through the book of Ephesians. Our key truth is The church is not a destination, but a base of operation. Paul begins Chapter 1 by telling them they are “in him.” The congregation in Ephesus was made up of both Jews and Gentiles. The Gentiles grew up pagan but now Paul encourages them in their faithfulness and love for each other. Their love for each other is an extension of the love they had discovered – the love of Jesus that had broken down all barriers. They were demonstrating the truth that all people can come together in Jesus, regardless of race, heritage, etc.  He offers a prayer of encouragement because their faith and love demonstrating the testimony of their being “in him,” and their work in his kingdom.

We all love words of affirmation. We like it when others acknowledge good traits is us – sometimes traits we cannot see in ourselves. Encouragement in the body of believers is important and prayer is even more important. Paul encourages the church in Ephesus for their faith and love – not works to earn this encouragement – but a direct result of their relationship with God and work in his kingdom. Paul speaks of his inability to stop giving thanks for them ever since he has heard about their faith in Jesus and love for God’s people.

 When someone says they are thankful for the testimony of faith and love they see in our lives it spurs us on to want to continue in our good works, to persevere. We must be careful to make sure we give the glory to God when others see any good in us.  It cannot be for our own glory. 

How does Paul encourage the church in Ephesus and how might we be encouraged today? When we are walking in Christ, our lives will reflect his faithfulness and love, pointing others to him in all we do and say. His presence flows through us to others. As the body of Christ, we should not take each other for granted but remember to encourage each other and give thanks for one another. We should lift each other up encouraging each other. When we encourage each other and pray for one another – giving thanks, we spur them on to good works. Who can you encourage today? 

 

And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works, not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching. Hebrews 10:24-25 

Loving Difficult People

Monday, February 2, 2026

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all this put-on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.  Colossians 3:12-14

Loving Difficult People

It’s February and Valentine’s Day is coming - the day we think about love, celebrate the ones we love, or wish we had love. However, true love looks very different than the world’s opinion of love. The movies and TV shows make love look easy and perfect but true love is messy and hard even in the best of marriages and friendships. 

Love is not just a feeling; it is really caring about what happens to someone. It transforms us more than the ones we love. It is what God has called us to do - love Him and love others. True, selfless love requires a strength we do not possess.  It comes from outside us; it comes from Him. 

We mistakenly believe that love makes everything better, and it does, but only when we are willing to give of ourselves. Too many times we want something to be given to us instead of gaining true satisfaction and fulfillment that comes from giving of ourselves to others. God did not create us only for us to be happy and comfortable the rest of our lives.  He commanded us to go and show His love to others - to the easy ones to love and to the hard ones to love as well. 

Sometimes there are people in our lives that we want to show love to, but they make it very difficult. They are hard to get along with and never happy. The easiest thing is to completely avoid them, but is that truly what God wants us to do? We are all flawed and some of us require more work than others, but God still wants His children to show love in these difficult situations the way He shows love to us.

Some things we can do to show love to those difficult people in our lives:

·      Pray for yourself - Pray for the patience, understanding, and compassion.  Pray about the condition of your heart and thoughts.  Pray to keep bitterness away and to love like Jesus. 

·      Pray for them - Pray for them to be open to you and pray for them to be open and willing to receive the love you show them. Pray for a softening of their heart by the Holy Spirit.

·      Look for ways to show love - Be intentional and purposeful.

·      Give grace - Remember how much grace God pours out on you daily and ask Him to help you forgive as you have been forgiven.

God puts people in our lives for a reason, don’t ignore the difficult people, but love them as Jesus would. Difficult people are the very people we need to be intentional about loving. The steadfast love of our Heavenly Father will sustain us and help us to pass His love on to those around us who need it today and every day.

Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Ephesians 4:2 NLT 

We Are The Church: A Study in Ephesians “A Prayer of Encouragement"

 

We Are The Church: A Study in Ephesians
 “A Prayer of Encouragement"
Ephesians 1:15-23 (CSB)

 

-     Key Truth: The local church is not a destination but a base of operation.

Main Question: How does Paul encourage the church in Ephesus and how might we be encouraged today?

1.        An Encouragement For Faithfulness (vs. 15-16)

 

2.        A Prayer For Enlightenment (vs. 17-19) 

 

a.          The hope of their calling

b.         The riches of their inheritance

c.          The greatness of God’s power

 

3.        A Reminder Of God’s Power (vs. 20-23)

 

After the Message: 
Read Ephesians 1:15-23. Where do you need encouragement in your faith right now? How does this passage help to encourage you to walk faithfully with Jesus? How can you encourage someone else in their faith this week?