“His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Eph 3:10-11 (NIV) Who makes up the church? According to Paul, the church is made up of those who are in Christ. Their reality is that of being saints, blessed, chosen, adopted, redeemed, forgiven, included, sealed, and secure. As believers in the completed work of Jesus on the cross, we are His body, the church. The church is both local and global. The church has local expressions such as Champion Forest Baptist Church in Houston, Texas. The church also has a global expansion inclusive of all believers on the planet regardless of ethnicity. Jesus is the Head of the church and the One who creates unity in the midst of diversity. “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” Matt 16:18 (NIV) Peter confessed that Jesus was the Christ. Jesus acknowledged that He would build His church, not on Peter, but on the God-revealed confession. Jesus is the Christ! God’s desire is to manifest His manifold wisdom through the church. God’s glory will be revealed through the Body of Christ, the church. In other words, God’s church is the world redemption center. Are you connected to the local church? Are you serving through the ministry of the local church? Make yourself available for God’s use. Become a conduit of blessing for the One who bestows the blessings. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
Author: Stephen Trammell
“Although I am less than the least of all God’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.” Eph 3:8-9 (NIV) Have you ever met someone who was great and they didn’t know it? In other words, they were simply being who God made them to be and didn’t build a tower of recognition for themselves. Paul was great and didn’t know it. He understood that his usability was proportionate to God’s dispensing of immeasurable grace. His validation came through recognition of his desperation for God’s mercy and grace. Only through Paul’s humility and dependency upon God was he enabled to hyper-focus on the mission of bringing clarity to the mystery of the gospel for the people in need of salvation. “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” Romans 10:17 (NIV) Does your behavior bring clarity to the gospel for those watching your life? Are you drawing people to Christ or repelling them from Christ? May the fog lift and the gospel clearly go forth through opportunities God gives you this week to make Jesus known. Is there any greater vision to give your life to than that of bringing the gospel to the nations beginning right where you are? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
“I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power.” Eph 3:7 (NIV) The resounding phrase that reverberates throughout the line at Luby’s is, “Serve you? Serve you?” As you sift through the many options available to you, you continually hear these soothing words from those serving the food. Jesus is the ultimate example of servitude. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45 (NIV) “After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.” John 13:5 (NIV) Paul identified himself as a servant of the gospel. His disposition was that of placing the needs of others before his own. He lived his life to benefit others. His motivation was to populate Heaven by getting the gospel to as many people as possible in his lifetime. Paul was passionately focused on spreading the Good News. Where’s your towel? Are you wearing it under your chin as though it were a bib declaring your desire to be served? Or can you honestly say that the towel is lapped over your forearm in the position to identify you as a servant? Seize opportunities today to serve others. Serve you? Serve you? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
“This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.” Eph 3:6 (NIV) When we hear the word mystery, we usually think of something that doesn’t make sense or add up. We use the word to denote something strange or unfathomable. However, in the language of the New Testament, mystery refers to something hidden in God, but not hidden from God. God is all-knowing, all-seeing, and all-powerful. There is nothing hidden from His sight. God determines our level of comprehension of His revelation. He chooses what to reveal and what to conceal. God unveils the mystery to Paul by revelation. That is, God unveiled the truth of the gospel to Paul. That which was once hidden from Paul became visible to Paul by God’s revelation. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul conveys to the saints at Ephesus the reality found within the mystery. Paul is saying that the mystery is that through the gospel both Gentiles and Jews come together in the Body of Christ and share in the promise. The wall of separation has been demolished by Christ. The separation wall collapsed and the unifying bridge was built. Are you embracing the mystery of the gospel? Have you decided to live in light of God’s revelation? God’s revelation is determined by our participation in the divine nature. “Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” 2 Peter 1:4 (NIV) Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
My dad was given a ten year prison sentence for committing five consecutive DWI’s during my childhood. As you can imagine, anytime I hear the word “prisoner”, my heart rate escalates. I remember going to see my dad in prison for the first time and seeing him hand-cuffed and shackled in his prison orange jump suit. When Paul, who is writing from prison to the saints in Ephesus, continues his epistle by identifying himself as a prisoner, my attention is arrested. “For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles–“ Eph 3:1 (NIV) Paul was captured by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He viewed himself as one bound to Christ for the sake of others. His life was fully surrendered to the Lordship of Christ. Therefore, Paul willingly gave his life to the vision of seeing Gentiles come to faith in Jesus Christ. His loyalty was to Christ. His devotion was to Christ. He lived to please the One who sacrificed His life for others. Have you been captured by the Gospel of Jesus? Has the Good News apprehended you? Whose life will be influenced for Christ as a result of your loyalty to Him? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
“In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” Eph 3:12 (NIV) Being in Christ changes everything. Your position in Christ gives you direct access to God. In the Old Testament Tabernacle, only the High Priest was granted access into the Most Holy Place which contained the Ark of the Covenant. “Have them make a chest of acacia wood–two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high. Overlay it with pure gold, both inside and out, and make a gold molding around it…There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the Testimony, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites.” Ex 25:10-11, 22 (NIV) “Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant.” Heb 9:3-4 (NIV) Now every child of God has the privilege of approaching God with freedom and confidence. What makes that possible? Our position in Christ which is a result of our faith in Christ gives us direct access to our Heavenly Father. When I pray through the Tabernacle each morning I choose to stop speaking to God and simply wait before Him as I enter the Most Holy Place. I often quote Samuel by saying, “Speak, LORD, your servant is listening.” It is at this time that God begins to place people on my heart that He wants me to intercede for. Also, this is the specific time that God will bring truths from His Word to my attention that He wants me to focus on for the day. Carve out some time to spend unhurried time alone with God. Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is to simply be still before God and wait for Him to speak. How long should you wait before the Lord? Wait long enough for Him to reveal His thoughts to you. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
“Make a curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen, with cherubim worked into it by a skilled craftsman. Hang it with gold hooks on four posts of acacia wood overlaid with gold and standing on four silver bases. Hang the curtain from the clasps and place the ark of the Testimony behind the curtain. The curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place.” Ex 26:31-33 (NIV) In the Old Testament Tabernacle, only the High Priest could enter the Most Holy Place. He would have to enter through the curtain which separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. The wonderful news is that God has given every believer access into His Presence. How did He provide the way? Notice how the sacrificial death of Christ granted access for every child of God. “And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split.” Matt 27:50-51 (NIV) God initiated the process to bring us into position to be reconciled to Himself. God gave us His best! God gave His only Son to die in our place and to pay our sin debt. “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.” Heb 10:19-22 (NIV) How will you respond to God’s redemptive activity? What will be different about your outlook on life? Are you sensing the need to draw near to God? He has done all the work! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
In the Holy Place of the Tabernacle, we have identified the Table of the Bread of the Presence and the Golden Lampstand. The next item is the Altar of Burning Incense. God instructed Moses on the details for the Altar. “Make an altar of acacia wood for burning incense. It is to be square, a cubit long and a cubit wide, and two cubits high–its horns of one piece with it. Overlay the top and all the sides and the horns with pure gold, and make a gold molding around it…Put the altar in front of the curtain that is before the ark of the Testimony–before the atonement cover that is over the Testimony–where I will meet with you.” Ex 30:1-3, 6 (NIV) Take inventory of your life right now. What are you offering up to God? How are you allocating your time and your energy? Are you living to bring glory to God in all things? “May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.” Psalms 141:2 (NIV) “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise–the fruit of lips that confess his name.” Heb 13:15 (NIV) “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship.” Romans 12:1 (NIV) As you pray, your prayers rise like burning incense. As you live out your faith in Christ, your life becomes an aroma pleasing to God. As you offer your body to God for His glory, you are expressing worship to God. The Altar of Burning Incense represents your life made by God and for God. Obedience to God demonstrates your passion to please Him and to honor Him with your life and your lips. Does your conversation honor God? Does your conduct move God’s heart? May God’s smile be your goal today! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
“Make a lampstand of pure gold and hammer it out, base and shaft; its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms shall be of one piece with it…Then make its seven lamps and set them up on it so that they light the space in front of it. Its wick trimmers and trays are to be of pure gold. A talent of pure gold is to be used for the lampstand and all these accessories. See that you make them according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” Ex 25:31, 37-40 (NIV) Have you ever driven through a neighborhood in December to behold the captivating path of luminaries? It is so moving to capture the sight of the streets outlined with paper bags illuminated with candles flickering in the night. The Golden Lampstand illuminated the Holy Place of the Tabernacle. It provided light to the table of the Bread of the Presence and the Altar of Burning Incense. The lampstand had seven oil lamps that provided light for the priest to serve. A candle consumes itself whereas an oil lamp consumes the oil. Jesus has positioned us to be His light in this dark world. The Holy Spirit is the oil that fuels our gracious illumination. Is your neighborhood a brighter place because of your influence? Is your school or workplace different as a result of allowing the light of Christ to shine through you? “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12 (NIV) Jesus has made you the light of the world. Don’t hide His light. Allow His light to shine through you today in the interactions you embrace as well as the interruptions you face. Is the light of Jesus shining through you? You are a luminary for the Lord. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
Where do you go for nourishment? How do you refuel your soul after you have depleted your emotional love tank? Is there a place to receive nourishment? As we tour the Old Testament Tabernacle, we find the place for nourishment is the Table of the Bread of the Presence. It speaks of communion, fellowship, and nourishment. “Make a table of acacia wood–two cubits long, a cubit wide and a cubit and a half high. Overlay it with pure gold and make a gold molding around it…Put the bread of the Presence on this table to be before me at all times.” Ex 25:23-24, 30 (NIV) As clarified in the New Testament, we don’t go to a place for nourishment. Instead, we go to a person. Jesus! He is our Manna from Heaven! He is our daily bread! “Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.’” John 6:35 (NIV) In a moment, close your eyes and begin visualizing Jesus as the bread of life. Begin acknowledging His daily provision in your life. Think about seasons when you did not know how you would make it another day and Jesus showed up with abundant resources. Reflect on the transitions in your life where Jesus provided a way for you when there seemed to be no way. Jesus is the ultimate way-maker! He is all you need! Surrender to His tender care. He will see you through. He has already been where you are going. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
The second step to intimacy with God involves “the basin of water” found in the Old Testament Tabernacle. We are touring the furnishings within the Tabernacle. After acknowledging God’s gift of salvation through the atoning work of Jesus on the cross as symbolized by the altar of burnt offering, we now move to the basin of water. “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Make a bronze basin, with its bronze stand, for washing. Place it between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and put water in it.’” Ex 30:17-18 (NIV) The basin of water represents our cleansing provided by the shed blood of Jesus. In our prayer time, we move from praising God for His salvation gift to our confession of sin and receiving His forgiveness. How can a Christ follower stay clean while living in a dirty world? You stay clean by consecrating your life before the Lord daily. That is to not only be conscious of your sin, but to specifically confess your sin. “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:8-9 (NIV) Are you living by instant obedience and immediate confession of sin? Don’t allow sin to linger. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
When you think about relationships, there are different levels of intimacy. Some relationships are emotionally distant and surfaced whereas some relationships have the capacity to be more consistent and feature an element of closeness. Then there are those relationships where the interaction is meaningful, transparent, and magnetic. The Encarta Dictionary defines the word intimacy as a close personal relationship; a detailed knowledge resulting from a close or long association. One of my favorite definitions of intimacy is: “in to me you see.” God desires intimacy with you. In the Old Testament, the portrait of intimacy was the formation and utilization of the Tabernacle. God made a way for His people to experience intimacy with Him through a religious relationship. “Build an altar of acacia wood, three cubits high; it is to be square, five cubits long and five cubits wide. Make a horn at each of the four corners, so that the horns and the altar are of one piece, and overlay the altar with bronze.” Ex 27:1-2 (NIV) As you enter the Tabernacle, the first item you encounter is the altar of burnt offering. The New Testament equivalent is the cross of Jesus Christ. Jesus became the ultimate sacrifice for your sin. As you pray through the Tabernacle, spend some time at the “altar of burnt offering” to praise God for His ultimate love gift and for Jesus being willing to pay the penalty for your sin. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
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Tabernacle
Three chapters of the Bible are given to the details of God’s creation activity. Yet, fifty chapters of our Bible are focused on the details of the construction and utilization of the Tabernacle in the Old Testament. The Tabernacle was God’s instrument to come to us and for us to come to Him. Remember, the purpose of the Tabernacle was connected to the Old Covenant prior to the New Covenant that Jesus ushered in. Let’s take a journey back into the Old Covenant to capture God’s redemptive activity and His pursuit of fallen man. “Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you.” Ex 25:8-9 (NIV) God revealed to Moses the architectural dimensions, interior design, and precise function of the Tabernacle. Picture over two million Jews encamped in an area that would take about twelve square miles. If you lived on the outskirts of the encampment, then you would have to walk nearly six miles to bring your sacrifice to the Tabernacle. From the distance, you would be able to view God’s glory cloud descending from the sky down into the Most Holy Place. The Tabernacle was mobile. It was designed in such a way that when God’s glory moved, the Tabernacle could be moved to accommodate God’s presence. Did you know that you are “the walking Tabernacle” of God’s presence? “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” 1 Cor 6:19-20 (NIV) God demonstrated in the Old Testament through the Tabernacle that His desire is to dwell with His people. As His Tabernacle, God has chosen to dwell in you permanently. He indwells you by the Holy Spirit. You are His priceless treasure. What kind of Tabernacle are you being for His presence to dwell? Have you allowed Him to move into every area of your life? Have you given Him full control of your life, your desires, your ambitions, and your fears? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
We would be stunned to receive a personal invitation for a private meeting with the president of the United States. Our mind would immediately be bombarded with thoughts of excitement, anticipation, and wonder. We would call, email, and text our friends and family members. Word would get out quickly. Then our focus would be on deciding what to wear for the special occasion and what to say to the Commander in Chief. Now compare that to the reality of the personal invitation from the Creator of the entire universe to daily and perpetually come into His presence. Ponder the treasure of having unrestricted access to our Heavenly Father. “For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.” Eph 2:18 (NIV) Through Jesus we have been granted access! What a wonderful reality of our relationship with Christ. You don’t have to wait in line. You don’t have to rigorously step through ritualistic hoops to enter God’s presence. You have the unlimited back stage pass. How can this be? “And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split.” Matt 27:50-51 (NIV) Jesus removed the barrier. Jesus eliminated the wall of hostility. Jesus provided the way. Jesus granted the access. Jesus made us acceptable. Jesus built the bridge. Does your level of intimacy with God represent the level of access to God made possible by Jesus? Don’t waste the privilege! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
The former complexity of believing and belonging in the Old Covenant has been replaced by the simplicity and sufficiency of the New Covenant that Jesus completed. The paradigm shift involves moving from the ritual of religion to nurturing a vibrant love relationship with God through Jesus Christ. “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.” Eph 2:11-16 (NIV) How will you respond to the removal of the barrier? Jesus has made it possible for you to believe and to belong. Jesus has taken the full wrath of God for your sin. The ultimate price has been paid so that you can have the ultimate relationship that moves through this life and into the life to come. Your eternal destination has been radically relocated as a result of your faith response in Jesus. Now it is your turn to live in response to His sacrificial gift. Do you believe? Do you belong? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” 1 Cor 12:27 (NIV) Did you know that God’s plan for your life begins with two invitations? God invites you to believe in the completed work of Jesus on the cross and God invites you to belong to the local expression of His body, the church. Do you believe? Have you settled that fact of God’s salvation by grace through faith in Jesus alone? If so, then you have been adopted into God’s family. You are now a child of the King. Your eternity is secure and your identity is firmly rooted in Christ. Do you belong? If you believe, then you belong to the family of God. You are a citizen of heaven. However, God invites you to belong to the local visible expression of His body, the church. Notice that I did not ask you if you go to church. I want to know if you belong. Are you connected? Have you become a member of the local church and connected to a small group bible study where you can know and grow with those your age and life stage? What you believe determines where you will spend eternity. Where you belong determines how you will fulfill God’s purpose through His local body, the church. Invest your life in a vibrant, healthy, and growing Christ honoring church that passionately seeks to fulfill the Great Commission and get connected to one of the small group bible studies. We do better together! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
Why blood? Have you ever wondered if God could have brought salvation to fallen man through another means? Jesus even prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane asking if it were possible for the cup of wrath to be passed. Yet, Jesus submitted to the Father’s will. Why would blood be necessary to produce redemption? God is holy, righteous, and pure. There is not a fraction of sin in God’s character. He is perfect. God’s character demands perfection from His creation. As you know, we live on a broken planet and inherited the sin nature from Adam. We are without hope. There is not a chance that we could ever erase the curse that keeps us from knowing God and coming into His Kingdom. God took the initiative by demonstrating the necessity of the blood sacrifice in response to providing covering for Adam and Eve after they fell. God killed an animal in order to atone for their sin and to cover their nakedness. Later, God instituted the blood sacrifice through the tabernacle and then the temple. The blood sacrifice is the non-negotiable for the removal of sin. “In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” Heb 9:22 (NIV) “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.” Eph 2:13 (NIV) Jesus is the sinless sacrificial Lamb of God. Jesus became the substitute for our sin. He shed His own blood so that we could be made right with God and experience His abiding peace and live in the assurance of His eternal security. Have you made that transaction? Have you confessed your sin and received God’s gift of eternal life? If so, say so! Let somebody know about your spiritual story this week. Testify of God’s redeeming love! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
Categories
Brought Near
“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.” Eph 2:13 (NIV) I remember one of my childhood family vacations in Florida when my dad decided that we needed to experience the freedom that sailing brings. He had never been on a sailboat before. However, the longer my brother and I played on the beach, the more time my dad had to stare at the sailboats nearby. He convinced my mom that this would be a memorable exploration for our family to enjoy. After a few minutes of instruction from the sailboat renter, we were charting new waters. My dad was the captain and my mom, brother, and I were the captive audience. The first hour was fun in the sun. Then, darkness came upon the sea rapidly. We were abruptly entangled in a massive storm that made the waters turbulent. The most frightening part of the adventure was the reality that the beach became smaller and smaller. Before long, my whole family was in panic mode, including the captain! I thought we were fashioning our final memory as a family unit. Fortunately, the sailboat renter came to our rescue. If he hadn’t, I don’t know that I would be here today. It is a frightening reality to be far from God. There is not a darker or more isolated experience than that of being far from God. The truth is that every Christ follower was once far from God. The wonderful and liberating news is that we have been brought near. God took the initiative to mobilize His rescue package. He provided the atoning work of Jesus on the cross to bring us near. “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.” Eph 1:7-8 (NIV) Contemplate the desperation of being far from God. Look into the mirror first and get an honest glimpse of your proximity to God. Then, make yourself available today to be an agent to bring others near to God. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
If you have ever traveled internationally, you know how it feels to be on the other side of the world. You know the impact of being twelve time zones away from home. There is a touch of insecurity which echoes the reality of being far away. You can experience being far away in relationships. You can feel very close to someone at one time and then feel far away from them even when the physical proximity has not changed. It is possible to be far away from God even though God is omnipresent. There is nowhere God is not. Yet, relationally you can be far away from God. You can walk closely with God and then in a subtle way over time drift until you are far away. “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.” Eph 2:13 (NIV) The refreshing news is that you don’t have to stay far away. God’s desire is for us to walk in daily intimacy with Him. He initiates the relationship and gives us the capacity to respond. Don’t waste your life. Don’t live your life far away from God. There are no benefits to living far away from God. You will experience isolation and alienation. The only way to eliminate the gap is in Christ. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
“Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called ‘uncircumcised’ by those who call themselves ‘the circumcision’ (that done in the body by the hands of men)– remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.” Eph 2:11-12 (NIV) You are either a Jew or a Gentile. In the New Testament period, Jews did not associate with Gentiles. In fact, the Jews viewed the Gentiles as unclean. Jesus made a way for the two to become one in the family of God. Paul is reminding the saints at Ephesus of their former condition. He was placing a mirror in front of them and giving them a look into their life before conversion. They had to face the painful reality that they were actually separate from Christ and excluded from citizenship in Israel. Their former status was that of desperation. Being excluded from citizenship meant overt rejection. Exclusion means that one does not measure up. It means that one does not meet the standards for inclusion. Paul is reminding the believers in Ephesus of their former reality. Calculate for a moment what it would mean for you to be excluded from God’s family. Think about the separation anxiety related to not being included in God’s family tree. Do you remember what it felt like to not be in Christ? Do you remember being lost, hopeless, and separated from Christ? Let the panic subside. Now, spend some time thanking God for including you in His redemptive plan. Let our Heavenly Father know how much you appreciate Him for including you in the salvation package. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
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Moses & the Cloud
God makes His Presence known. For the children of Israel, God revealed His Presence through the glory cloud. “In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out–until the day it lifted. So the cloud of the LORD was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel during all their travels.” Ex 40:36-38 (NIV) God would guide the Israelites by the visible manifestation of the cloud during the day and fire by night. When the cloud lifted and shifted, the Israelites moved. The Tabernacle was constructed in a way that emphasized ease of mobility. This enabled the Israelites to move when God moved. As God’s workmanship, where did Moses learn that kind of sensitivity to God’s movement? Did he learn it in the palace during his first forty years on the earth or perhaps during the second forty years of his life as a shepherd in the desert? The burning bush experience obviously made an abiding difference in his sensitivity to God’s Presence. God is always at work. Are you sensitive to His activity? You can experience God’s Presence moment by moment as you commune with Him through prayer and feed on His Word. You can experience God’s Presence as you maintain a posture of expectation and anticipation. You always find what you are looking for. If you are looking for the activity of God, you will find it. Recognition of God’s activity is proportionate to your sensitivity. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
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Moses & the Desert
“But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?’” “And God said, ‘I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.’” Ex 3:11-12 (NIV) What benefits were available to Moses in the desert that were unavailable to him in the palace? What could God teach Moses in the dusty desert that he could not learn in the palatial palace? I remember going through a difficult season in ministry and felt led to call one of my mentors. I shared with him that perhaps God was preparing me for my next assignment. I’ll never forget his response. He said, “Stephen, God is always preparing you for your next assignment. However, your next assignment may be right where you are.” Moses probably felt that way. He likely wondered what God could possibly be up to by allowing him to remain in the desert for forty years. God allowed Moses to experience forty years in the palace to prepare him for the forty years in the desert to prepare him for the forty years of leading the children of Israel to the Promised Land. God does not waste our desert experiences. God uses those dry times in our lives to reveal Himself in a way that we would not comprehend otherwise. He is always preparing us for our next interaction, our next appointment, our next interruption, and our next assignment. God will redeem the season you are in. Are you willing to trust God with your life? Are you willing to submit to His prompting? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
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Moses & the Palace
“When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, ‘I drew him out of the water.’” Ex 2:10 (NIV) Amram and Jochebed were the parents of the baby that we come to know later as Moses. In response to Pharaoh’s order to throw every boy that is born into the Nile, they sought to preserve his life by placing him into a floating basket and into the Nile River. He floated down the crocodile infested Nile safely into the view of Pharaoh’s daughter. When he grew older, he was brought to her and she named him Moses. God was clearly at work. God provided for Moses to go from being a helpless baby targeted by the death sentence of Pharaoh to being reared in the palace. Only God can maneuver someone from the awful plight of persecution to the panacea of the palace. God thrives in hopeless situations. When your circumstances are desperate and impossible, God performs His greatest work. There is nothing beyond His grasp. He can surprise you with the exact provision at the exact time of need. As God’s workmanship, Moses encountered an unusual beginning. He was born in an environment that was not on his side. Everything seemed to be against him. Yet, God was for him and made a way when there seemed to be no way. Have you ever felt like you were in the turbulence of the Nile? Have circumstances ever weighed you down and depleted your emotional reserves? God is fully in tune. He invites you to come to Him as you are and rest in His care. You are His workmanship and He knows what you need. “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” Matt 6:6-8 (NIV) God knows. God cares. Rest in Him. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
“Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made a richly ornamented robe for him. When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.” Gen 37:3-4 (NIV) Favored does not always equate to invincible. Joseph was favored by his father and hated by his brothers. Jealousy is like acid that erodes relationships and dissolves family unity. The seed of jealousy would germinate into a vine of hurtful branches in Joseph’s life. Joseph journeyed from the pit to the palace and then from the prison to the place of prominence. His life was like a vine climbing the rubble of a collapsed brick fence. Yet, through it all, the Lord was with Joseph. God never abandons His workmanship. You are created by the Master architect. Your unique design comes from Almighty God. Nothing happens to you without the permission of your Creator. Whatever God orchestrates He navigates. You are safe in His Hands. He knows what you are going through. He knows your past, your hurts, and your hang-ups. He knows ever wound you have incurred. The Lord is with you and for you. “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” Gen 50:20 (NIV) Lessons from Joseph’s Life: God never abandons His children. God navigates what He orchestrates. God nestles a mess into a masterpiece. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
“So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man.” Gen 32:24-25 (NIV) Have you ever wrestled with God? Who won? Wrestling is part of being God’s workmanship. Jacob, as God’s workmanship, came to know God in a new way after a night of wrestling. Just like in weight training, without resistance there is no growth. God allows us to go through seasons of uncertainty. God allows us to experience seasons of silence and yes, even seasons of suffering. We wrestle with God in those seasons. Our faith is challenged and often our prayer life is stretched. We come to know God by experience. Sometimes that experience involves pain. As God’s workmanship, Jacob came away from the night of wrestling with a limp and a new name. You don’t come into close proximity with the living God and leave the same. “Then the man said, ‘Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome.’” Gen 32:28 (NIV) God is for you. He is willingly to go to any length to bring you into a vibrant, intimate, and growing relationship that is eternal. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
“This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.” Gen 6:9 (NIV) God’s workmanship included Noah. When we meet him in Scripture, we are drawn to Noah because he is the kind of daddy every child desires. He is in right standing with God and other people. Noah lives in harmony with God. He walks with God. It sounds like Noah is a finished product. When we read about him in this verse, it appears that Noah has arrived. Where can he go from here? Yet, God takes Noah on an aquatic journey that is preceded by a perpetual dry season. As God’s workmanship, Noah has to learn how to trust God when circumstances do not make sense and delays are as frequent as the shifting shadows. Noah’s life becomes a consistent pattern of waiting. Can you relate? Are you agonizing over something in your life that seems to linger? Waiting does not come naturally to us. We live in a high tech world that delivers information faster than the blink of an eye. We expect instant responses and instant results. Yet, God does not seem to be on our timetable. Could it be that part of being God’s workmanship includes more than just us employing good works? Maybe God wants us to see His value in the process more than the finished product. Maybe it’s not so much about the ark. Maybe it’s more about what is on the inside of the ark. God is really passionate about the interior of our lives. While you are waiting, God is working! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
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Workmanship
Salvation is a gift, not a reward. You cannot perform enough good works to earn salvation. You receive the gift of eternal life by the grace of God through faith in the completed work of Jesus on the cross. If salvation is a gift, how do good works add value? “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Eph 2:10 (NIV) He graciously gave His best, Jesus, to pay the sin debt you owed. It is a gift. If you try to pay for the gift one has given, then you cheapen the gift. What can you add to the finished work of Jesus on the cross? His atoning work is complete. You were uniquely designed by God and for God. You are His masterpiece, His treasure, and the apple of His eye. You are His workmanship. He formed you and fashioned you for His glory. You are not an accident! You are here on purpose! You cannot add to the salvation that God provided to you by His grace through faith. However, as His workmanship, you are created to do good works. You don’t work for salvation; you work as a result of the salvation gift you have received. Good works are a result of a grateful heart. Gratitude for what God has initiated and our faith has activated results in good works. “Then will all your people be righteous and they will possess the land forever. They are the shoot I have planted, the work of my hands, for the display of my splendor.” Isaiah 60:21 (NIV) Are you willing to display God’s splendor today? You are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works! Who will benefit from your life today? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
God asked Job a very enlightening question: “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand.” Job 38:4 (NIV) Sometimes we forget how big God is and how small we are. That is one factor that makes salvation so amazing. God as the Creator of the entire universe has taken the initiative to rescue, redeem, and restore fallen humanity. God became like us so that we could become like Him. Wow! So what do we bring to the table? Out of 6.7 billion people on planet earth, what does one individual add to the equation of God’s redemptive activity? “…not by works, so that no one can boast.” Eph 2:9 (NIV) Remember, we are saved by His grace through faith. It is a gift, not a reward. We do not earn salvation by our works or deeds. Thus, there is no room for pride. Pride says, “Look at what I have done! Look at what I have accomplished!” The reality is that we cannot add to the completed work of Jesus on the cross. “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” Gal 6:14 (NIV) How will you respond to God’s transforming grace? How will you interact with people this week in light of God’s redemptive activity in your life? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
How much of your salvation depends on God and how much depends on you? If you say that it all depends on God, then what role do you play in the salvific process? If you say that it all depends on you, then what role does God fulfill? The danger is to think that you did all you could do and then God did the rest. See if you can detect the clarity of what you bring to the salvation package in this verse. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast.” Eph 2:8-9 (NIV) Let’s focus on the phrase, “and this not from yourselves.” We have been saved by grace through faith. Where did that come from? Who made that possible? God! Salvation was not our idea. It was and is God’s idea. God’s redemptive activity is His loving response to fallen humanity. God initiates and we respond. Salvation originates with God. God thought it, Jesus bought it, and the Holy Spirit wrought it. “But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.” 2 Thess 2:13 (NIV) Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
Religion is like a vaccination. It will give you just enough to keep you from getting the real thing. Religion is our attempt to reach up to God. God desires relationship. Relationship is demonstrated by God coming down to us. The Creator coming down to His created ones. Though we are fallen, flawed, and fall short, God in His love and through His grace comes down to us. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast.” Eph 2:8-9 (NIV) Our love relationship with God is made possible by His grace. Yet, this eternal relationship is transacted through our faith response. Our faith, plus works, does not bring forth justification. Our faith response to God’s offer of salvation opens the door to justification which in turn produces an outflow of good works. Faith includes accurate knowledge, belief, and commitment. It is not enough to know that Jesus lived and died and rose again. You must believe that Jesus is the sinless, spotless, and sacrificial Lamb of God who paid the penalty for your sins. Faith involves belief that results in commitment and full surrender of your life to the Lordship of Christ. Got faith? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care