Monday, January 26, 2025
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will: To the faithful saints in Christ Jesus at Ephesus. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ. For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him. He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One. Ephesians 1:1-6
Our Identity In Christ
Church. One word with so many different meanings to so many different people. Everyone has their own personal “definition” of what church means to them. As Christians, we are called to be a part of the church. Yesterday Pastor Jim began a new series called We Are The Church – A Study In Ephesians. In this series we will discover what church is, our part as Christians in the church and as the church in the world.
Church- “The redeemed and gathered people of God commissioned to multiply the Kingdom of God throughout the world.”
All believers collectively are called the church. We gather in smaller bodies all over the world to share the gospel as far and wide as we can. We meet to worship together in collective worship, encourage each other, learn, pray together, and to ready ourselves for the work of the kingdom that God has called us to do.
Paul wrote to the church in Ephesians to help them better understand who they were in Christ and how to live as believers in church, community, families, and the world. It was a congregation made up of both Jews and Gentiles. Paul knew that as followers of Christ, we must first understand who we are in him. In the church in Ephesus there was a bit of a gap between Jews and Gentiles. The Jews believed they were God’s chosen people and looked down on Gentiles. But Paul explained to them that Gentiles were also chosen – in Christ. In Christ, all Christ followers are loved, accepted, and redeemed regardless of their past sins, background, or religion. There is unity in Christ for all believers.
What does it mean to be “in Christ”? When we become Christ followers, our old identity is gone, and we have a new identity in Christ. Paul was also reminding them that this new identity was for the Jews and Gentiles alike. We are loved by God and called to be holy. When we understand our identity in him we can learn what it means to be an adopted son or daughter. We can find everything we need to understand our new identity in him in the Bible:
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me…Galatians 2:20
Yet to all who did receive him… he gave the right to become children of God. John 1:12
Our identity in Christ is filled with hope. We belong to him, bought and paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ. The more time we spend with Him, the more will live out the identity He has given us. The only identity that matters is our Christ-given identity.
What was God’s plan to reconcile people to Himself and how can we be a part of that plan?
Our Key Truth for this series is, The local church is not a destination but a base of operation. We come together but our calling is beyond the walls of the church building. It is our base of operation and from there we go out as Christ followers to our families, jobs, schools, and communites. We are living testimonies of our faith in Jesus everywhere we go. Jesus tells us we are his, and He wants us to do His work. The more time we spend with him, the more we believe and live out the identity he has given us.
