Category: Mystery

Unveiling the Mystery

“And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment–to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.” Eph 1:9-10 (NIV) The mystery Paul is speaking of is not mysterious. He is speaking about something once hidden now made known. God is a God of revelation. As Henry Blackaby says, “God reveals Himself, His purposes, and His ways.” God wants you to know His will. God invites you into a relationship through which you come to learn how to walk with Him. Have you noticed the activity of God in your life? There’s no mystery here! God is at work! It brings God pleasure to reveal His will to you. God is moved by the relational interaction between Himself and the one He pursues. You are that one! God pursues you with His everlasting love in order to bring you into harmony with His purpose and plans. You are treasured by God. Spend some time tracing the activity of God in your life. You may want to write down some spiritual markers in your life that help you identify God’s activity in and through your circumstances. Be sure to include spiritual markers such as salvation and baptism. Think about seasons of uncertainty that you navigated with God. Slow down and feel the love God has shown you. Be reminded of the faithfulness of God to reveal Himself to you in the midst of adversity. God has never left you and He will never forsake you. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor

Abraham Faith Mystery One Month To Live

Living The Dash (2)

“The LORD had said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.’” Gen 12:1 (NIV) Leave room for mystery. How would you respond if God told you to leave everything familiar and go to a land that He would show you? What if God asked you to uproot and relocate? The only catch is, you have to trust God for the details. God’s instruction to you is to simply leave and go. That’s it! So you start packing and you launch out to pursue God’s will and wait for Him to show you the next step. You do not know exactly where you are going. The destination has not been communicated to you. You are simply leaving and going. God’s will includes an element of mystery. God created you to be relational and to learn how to enter into communication with Him. God communicates His will to you. God reveals His purpose and plan for your life. You have the freedom to respond with instant obedience. “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Heb 11:6 (NIV) “But someone will say, ‘You have faith; I have deeds.’ Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.” James 2:18 (NIV) Living the dash involves a faith journey. You are the creature whom God created. You are finite and God is infinite. You are seeking to know the heart and will of the Creator of the universe. Leave room for mystery as you walk with God. As God reveals His plan to you, obey what God shows you. As you spend time in His Word, obey what God says to you. You will discover that your obedience unlocks God’s next step. As you obey what you know, God will show you what to do next. Abraham had to trust God to show him the next step. As Abraham obeyed God, God revealed the next step to Abraham. Are you willing to obey God in what He has already shown you? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor

Mystery

“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

Mystery

“And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment–to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.” Eph 1:9-10 (NIV) The mystery Paul is speaking of is not mysterious. He is speaking about something once hidden now made known. God is a God of revelation. As Henry Blackaby says, “God reveals Himself, His purposes, and His ways.” God wants you to know His will. God invites you into a relationship through which you come to learn how to walk with Him. Read these two verses again and notice how many times God’s activity is revealed. He made known… The mystery of His will… According to His good pleasure… Which He purposed… Under one Head… Even Christ. Have you noticed the activity of God in your life? There’s no mystery here! God is at work! It brings God pleasure to reveal His will to you. God is moved by the relational interaction between Himself and the one He pursues. You are that one! God pursues you with His everlasting love in order to bring you into harmony with His purpose and plans. You are treasured by God. Spend some time tracing the activity of God in your life. You may want to write down some spiritual markers in your life that have identified God’s activity in and through your circumstances. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care