Ephesians 2:8-10
God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
Psst, psst. Come in closer. I have to tell you guys something! I'm whispering because it's a secret.
*Clears throat*
I...AM...NO...GOOD!
Before God and aside from God, there's nothing good about me. I remember a few good years ago a guy that I was attempting to date told me, "You'd be good if you wasn't so deep into that God stuff." I was so confused when I heard this.
Mind you at that time, I wasn't even in too deep with this "God stuff."
I was probably in the kiddie pool with goggles and a duck floatie. Ha!
I was vexed because, I felt like the God stuff were my greatest attributes. Take away the God in me, I'll likely only have left my dry sense of humor and quasi dazzling cuteness. If that!
It's not that all I have to bring to the table is my spirituality. It's just that everything I am is being held together by God and my belief in Him.
He's the glue.
He makes me good!
I am nothing without Him but a ball of useless gunk.
And it's funny because the deeper I would travel in God the more and more I would find myself running into people who would prefer a lesser more watered down version of me. Or if they couldn't control what they saw in me, they would rather I dumb myself down.
#Negative.
I guess by now you might be wondering, "Where am I going with this?" If you figured it out, YOU SMART. (In my DJ Khaled voice)
This week we're going to discuss the 6th fruit of the spirit; GOODNESS.
Last week we had Aunt Jemima pancakes with some Alaga cane syrup as we discussed the fruit of kindness. Hmmm yummy all in our tummy. I hope y'all were blessed full!
Follow me back to the cafeteria for lunch! We're dining in.
I'm going to be honest, in my once remedial understanding of the fruit of goodness, I thought it meant the portrayal of having it all together. Sooooo, I would try to do just that. Even if it meant putting on a facade.
As of late, I'm realizing, better yet, I've accepted, that it's not in the image but the WALK.
Those who accept the gift of salvation and actively pursue God's will for their lives, become J-walkers. Not like pedestrians who blatantly disobey traffic laws, but men and women of God who make it their mission to walk under the law of grace.
J-walkers= JESUS walkers. The imitators of Christ.
They are disinterested in merely mimicking a depiction of holiness. They want to BE holy. They know that the only way to be holy is by harnessing a pure perspective of their wrongs and their rights. Knowing that the weight of their human frailties will prove unbearable and impossible to carry without the sincere reverential acceptance of Christ.
Let's consider the church of Ephesus. Paul wrote letters to them which comprises the 6 books of Ephesians in the bible. Ephesus was an ancient Greek city and the church was primarily made up of Gentiles or non-Jews.
Basically, they were converted outsiders.
In the second book of Ephesians, Paul had to aggressively affirm them in their walk as to keep them from succumbing to the pressures of turning their salvation into something that they achieved on their own and something that their good works won for them.
For some of us, who've come to know Christ through less conventional means as being born in, we run the risk of being glory thieves not glory carriers.
We'll use the fact that we weren't raised into the faith and that we came to know Christ through probably gruesome means, as a badge of honor to flash whenever our posture is threatened by someone who was raised in the faith.
Y'all know I like the flipside of things. Those who were raised in the faith can be glory thieves not glory carriers as well. They are prone to making those who weren't born in, feel less than. They grade anointings, categorize sins by making some worse than others, and demonize those that don't move like them sometimes based off of the premise that these people weren't introduced to God from birth.
All of this is for the birds!
Understand in both cases, that salvation is not effort based. It's grace based.
Now in the first chapter of Ephesians, Apostle Paul praised the church of Ephesus for being faithful followers of Christ. He passionately reminded them of the spiritual blessings automatically set up for them through salvation. Then he prayed that they gain spiritual wisdom and insight as well as grow in their knowledge of God. All of this I believe was a necessary conversation to be held with these people considering their former background.
They lacked the experiences and advantages of the born in Jews, even though they were faithful.
Ephesians 4:17-19
With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.
Upon further digging, I discovered Apostle Paul spent three years with the church of Ephesus. That's a lot of time to be spending with loose people.
Which means Apostle Paul was very much focused on ensuring that this church was operating at optimum levels in the faith.
Hear this though, from chapter 2 to chapter 6, I did not find Paul expressing his concern in their doctrinal procedures or methods of practice as it pertains to doctrine. In other words he did not speak of any doctrinal abuse.
You know what he came for?
THEIR LIFESTYLES AND BEHAVIORS.
Now, they weren't as off the chain as the petty Corinthians with their infighting. However, they were a little rough around the edges and immature because they literally didn't know no better.
We can conclude this, based off of the type of emphases Apostle Paul made and how he made them throughout the six chapters.
He spoke on, spiritual growth once again. Then the definition of unity in the body of Christ, living in the light and by the spirit's power. He also directed some focus toward teaching them how to operate in their personal relationships. Whether it was between wives and husbands, parents and children, and those in authority and their subordinates.
All of this is lifestyle and behavioral centered. Wouldn't you agree?
Reeling all of this back into the fruit of goodness and how it applies to us today, we are living in the day and age where the Christian faith has grown atrociously into mere appearances and superficiality. The fruit of goodness is overlooked because the race towards pulpits, platforms, mics, and flashing lights is more attractive. What's more attractive in this sense, does not require holiness, does not require repentance, and does not require reverence of God. Therefore, could never produce a lifestyle that imitates Christ.
Being a J-walker is not popular part due to the fact that one would have to make sacrifices in order to follow a different cadence from the world. And one would have to deal with being looked at as a goody two shoes since being a J-walker requires an entire lifestyle overhaul.
You see in order to effectively represent Jesus and make disciples you have to possess the fruit of goodness. Everything God produced He called it good. If you're going to reproduce anything in the name of Jesus, you can't do such if your lifestyle is suspect. You yourself don't have to be perfect or without flaws.
But you can't entertain an old life!
J-walkers aren't perfect at all. They're just PRESENT.
They are forward focused. Old lives are null and void to them.
And this was basically the same thing Apostle Paul was telling the Ephesians, "Your faithfulness is commendable. But you all are raggedy in the key areas of your effectiveness. The way you live and the way you behave."
I would bet the Ephesians knew church but their personal relationships with God were weak and their personal affairs were jacked.
Eons later we are under the same spectrum people. I should have warned you guys early on that this wasn't going to be an easy fruit to digest. Welp, it's too late now. We're in too deep! Ha!
You know how when a suspected drunk driver is pulled over and the police officer asks for him or her to walk a straight line and to complete a breathalyzer test to see if they're intoxicated?
Yo, check this out! Every time life pulls you over, you should be able to show that you're walking straight and you should be able to pass a breathalyzer test. In other words, your life should line up with the ONE you say you believe in and your behavior should as well. You shouldn't be intoxicated by the world. It's one thing to observe and be aware of what the world is doing. But it's another thing to be heavily under the influence of it!
Listen, I just gave y'all an extra Capri Sun and some fruit snacks!
You should thank me for that.
Anyway, here's the challenge, can you pin point what part of your walk needs to be excavated and upgraded? Is it your lifestyle or your behavior?
How is your personal relationship with God and/or your personal affairs and relationships with others? Do you actually need to pay more attention to your spiritual growth and knowledge of God? Have you overridden any of God's directives to repent from something? Are you content with playing a part over being the part? Are you faking the funk to appeal to a crowd? Have you yet died to an older version of you?
Have you rejected your transfiguration?
These are weighty questions. But it is what it is. It's time to choose this day whom ye will serve. Will you be a crypt walker, or a J-walker?
*Clears throat*
I...AM...NO...GOOD!
Before God and aside from God, there's nothing good about me. I remember a few good years ago a guy that I was attempting to date told me, "You'd be good if you wasn't so deep into that God stuff." I was so confused when I heard this.
Mind you at that time, I wasn't even in too deep with this "God stuff."
I was probably in the kiddie pool with goggles and a duck floatie. Ha!
I was vexed because, I felt like the God stuff were my greatest attributes. Take away the God in me, I'll likely only have left my dry sense of humor and quasi dazzling cuteness. If that!
It's not that all I have to bring to the table is my spirituality. It's just that everything I am is being held together by God and my belief in Him.
He's the glue.
He makes me good!
I am nothing without Him but a ball of useless gunk.
And it's funny because the deeper I would travel in God the more and more I would find myself running into people who would prefer a lesser more watered down version of me. Or if they couldn't control what they saw in me, they would rather I dumb myself down.
#Negative.
I guess by now you might be wondering, "Where am I going with this?" If you figured it out, YOU SMART. (In my DJ Khaled voice)
This week we're going to discuss the 6th fruit of the spirit; GOODNESS.
Last week we had Aunt Jemima pancakes with some Alaga cane syrup as we discussed the fruit of kindness. Hmmm yummy all in our tummy. I hope y'all were blessed full!
Follow me back to the cafeteria for lunch! We're dining in.
I'm going to be honest, in my once remedial understanding of the fruit of goodness, I thought it meant the portrayal of having it all together. Sooooo, I would try to do just that. Even if it meant putting on a facade.
As of late, I'm realizing, better yet, I've accepted, that it's not in the image but the WALK.
Those who accept the gift of salvation and actively pursue God's will for their lives, become J-walkers. Not like pedestrians who blatantly disobey traffic laws, but men and women of God who make it their mission to walk under the law of grace.
J-walkers= JESUS walkers. The imitators of Christ.
They are disinterested in merely mimicking a depiction of holiness. They want to BE holy. They know that the only way to be holy is by harnessing a pure perspective of their wrongs and their rights. Knowing that the weight of their human frailties will prove unbearable and impossible to carry without the sincere reverential acceptance of Christ.
Let's consider the church of Ephesus. Paul wrote letters to them which comprises the 6 books of Ephesians in the bible. Ephesus was an ancient Greek city and the church was primarily made up of Gentiles or non-Jews.
Basically, they were converted outsiders.
In the second book of Ephesians, Paul had to aggressively affirm them in their walk as to keep them from succumbing to the pressures of turning their salvation into something that they achieved on their own and something that their good works won for them.
For some of us, who've come to know Christ through less conventional means as being born in, we run the risk of being glory thieves not glory carriers.
We'll use the fact that we weren't raised into the faith and that we came to know Christ through probably gruesome means, as a badge of honor to flash whenever our posture is threatened by someone who was raised in the faith.
Y'all know I like the flipside of things. Those who were raised in the faith can be glory thieves not glory carriers as well. They are prone to making those who weren't born in, feel less than. They grade anointings, categorize sins by making some worse than others, and demonize those that don't move like them sometimes based off of the premise that these people weren't introduced to God from birth.
All of this is for the birds!
Understand in both cases, that salvation is not effort based. It's grace based.
Now in the first chapter of Ephesians, Apostle Paul praised the church of Ephesus for being faithful followers of Christ. He passionately reminded them of the spiritual blessings automatically set up for them through salvation. Then he prayed that they gain spiritual wisdom and insight as well as grow in their knowledge of God. All of this I believe was a necessary conversation to be held with these people considering their former background.
They lacked the experiences and advantages of the born in Jews, even though they were faithful.
Ephesians 4:17-19
With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.
Upon further digging, I discovered Apostle Paul spent three years with the church of Ephesus. That's a lot of time to be spending with loose people.
Which means Apostle Paul was very much focused on ensuring that this church was operating at optimum levels in the faith.
Hear this though, from chapter 2 to chapter 6, I did not find Paul expressing his concern in their doctrinal procedures or methods of practice as it pertains to doctrine. In other words he did not speak of any doctrinal abuse.
You know what he came for?
THEIR LIFESTYLES AND BEHAVIORS.
Now, they weren't as off the chain as the petty Corinthians with their infighting. However, they were a little rough around the edges and immature because they literally didn't know no better.
We can conclude this, based off of the type of emphases Apostle Paul made and how he made them throughout the six chapters.
He spoke on, spiritual growth once again. Then the definition of unity in the body of Christ, living in the light and by the spirit's power. He also directed some focus toward teaching them how to operate in their personal relationships. Whether it was between wives and husbands, parents and children, and those in authority and their subordinates.
All of this is lifestyle and behavioral centered. Wouldn't you agree?
Reeling all of this back into the fruit of goodness and how it applies to us today, we are living in the day and age where the Christian faith has grown atrociously into mere appearances and superficiality. The fruit of goodness is overlooked because the race towards pulpits, platforms, mics, and flashing lights is more attractive. What's more attractive in this sense, does not require holiness, does not require repentance, and does not require reverence of God. Therefore, could never produce a lifestyle that imitates Christ.
Being a J-walker is not popular part due to the fact that one would have to make sacrifices in order to follow a different cadence from the world. And one would have to deal with being looked at as a goody two shoes since being a J-walker requires an entire lifestyle overhaul.
You see in order to effectively represent Jesus and make disciples you have to possess the fruit of goodness. Everything God produced He called it good. If you're going to reproduce anything in the name of Jesus, you can't do such if your lifestyle is suspect. You yourself don't have to be perfect or without flaws.
But you can't entertain an old life!
J-walkers aren't perfect at all. They're just PRESENT.
They are forward focused. Old lives are null and void to them.
And this was basically the same thing Apostle Paul was telling the Ephesians, "Your faithfulness is commendable. But you all are raggedy in the key areas of your effectiveness. The way you live and the way you behave."
I would bet the Ephesians knew church but their personal relationships with God were weak and their personal affairs were jacked.
Eons later we are under the same spectrum people. I should have warned you guys early on that this wasn't going to be an easy fruit to digest. Welp, it's too late now. We're in too deep! Ha!
You know how when a suspected drunk driver is pulled over and the police officer asks for him or her to walk a straight line and to complete a breathalyzer test to see if they're intoxicated?
Yo, check this out! Every time life pulls you over, you should be able to show that you're walking straight and you should be able to pass a breathalyzer test. In other words, your life should line up with the ONE you say you believe in and your behavior should as well. You shouldn't be intoxicated by the world. It's one thing to observe and be aware of what the world is doing. But it's another thing to be heavily under the influence of it!
Listen, I just gave y'all an extra Capri Sun and some fruit snacks!
You should thank me for that.
Anyway, here's the challenge, can you pin point what part of your walk needs to be excavated and upgraded? Is it your lifestyle or your behavior?
How is your personal relationship with God and/or your personal affairs and relationships with others? Do you actually need to pay more attention to your spiritual growth and knowledge of God? Have you overridden any of God's directives to repent from something? Are you content with playing a part over being the part? Are you faking the funk to appeal to a crowd? Have you yet died to an older version of you?
Have you rejected your transfiguration?
These are weighty questions. But it is what it is. It's time to choose this day whom ye will serve. Will you be a crypt walker, or a J-walker?
This was SO good!
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