While it is the calling of every Christian to spread the gospel message, some are called to do this in lands and cultures removed from their own. They may be called to another country, or to a different cultural group in their own nation. This may involve learning new languages, new cultural practices, or new political arrangements. While we take this for granted in our modern world, it had to begin with those in the early church recognizing the need to take the message of Jesus Christ out into the world. They may have been slow initially, requiring persecution to light a fire under them, but Christians soon began to go throughout the world, leaving their old homes for new locations.

We have already seen Barnabas and Saul called from the church in Antioch in Syria to go into Asia Minor with the gospel. They had a remarkably successful journey, starting churches in several cities and seeing many come to faith in Christ. This included not only Jews but Gentiles as well. As Gentiles came into the church, some believers from a Jewish background thought that these new Christians needed to follow Jewish customs and be circumcised. It took prominent leaders whose own commitment to Judaism was unquestioned, like Peter and James the brother of Jesus, to establish that Christianity welcomed all who would come, regardless of their standing before the Jewish Law.

After this was settled at the Jerusalem Council, Saul, now called Paul, started a new mission journey accompanied by Silas. He headed back to Asia Minor, visiting several regions in Asia both to visit established churches and hoping to plant new ones. Yet their mission was held up, not by people or forces opposed to the gospel but by the Spirit Himself. I’m sure Paul and Silas were perplexed, wondering why they were not permitted to go where they wanted to preach the good news.

It took a vision of a man from another region, Macedonia, pleading with them to come over to help them that gave Paul and Silas the direction they needed. They crossed over from Asia to Europe, accompanied by Luke, the author of the book of Acts, to take the gospel into a new territory. They were still in the Roman Empire, but they were in cities that were filled with many Gentiles, with only a small minority of Jews. For the church to take root and grow on European soil, it would have to find converts among the many Gentiles in these nations. Unlike the Jews, they did not have the prophetic Scriptures pointing them to the Messiah; rather, they came from many different religious, philosophical, and practical backgrounds.

Paul and Silas had a challenge ahead of them, but they also had the encouragement of knowing they were sent by Jesus and empowered by the Spirit. They received encouragement when the merchant Lydia became the first Christian convert in Philippi, and Paul successfully freed a young woman from the power of a demon. That led those who were exploiting the woman to have Paul and Silas arrested and beaten, only to have God shake the prison and the heart of the jailer. Their ministry would continue as they traveled, and the church of Jesus Christ would indeed grow on a new continent. Paul and Silas were willing to go wherever the Spirit led them, resulting in a powerful ministry that brought the good news to many and saw the church continue to expand.

When we find our church going through a time of trial, we can easily get focused on everything that’s going wrong. Every disagreement, every repair bill, every disagreeable neighbor becomes another anxiety-producing event that makes us wonder if our church will survive. Yet in many areas of the world the situation is more dire, with some Christians wondering if they will live if they are caught worshiping Jesus. Whether the struggles of the Western church or the threats found in other nations, persecution and trials can cause believers to wonder not only about the health of their own church but the condition of the church throughout the world.

One of the most intriguing aspects of the growth of the early church is how it came not just in spite of persecution, but in many respects because of persecution. When the Christians in Jerusalem failed to heed the Great Commission and go into “all the world,” attacks from those outside the church made them spread out to many other locations. The gospel is meant for the world, and those who preached its message needed to get out into the world so all could hear.

In Acts 11 we see some of the ways the message of Jesus Christ spread as the result of persecution. It started with some going along the Mediterranean Sea to Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, sharing the good news with the Jews they found along the way. While many limited their initial outreach to Jews, some in the city of Antioch started to share the gospel with Gentiles as well. This happened after the conversion of Cornelius, and when the church in Jerusalem heard about it they sent Barnabas to investigate what was going on there.

Barnabas not only celebrated the Gentile mission, he actively encouraged it. Needing a partner in this ministry, he went and found Saul, who had remained in his hometown of Tarsus after the uproar that surrounded him in Jerusalem. Barnabas and Saul continued to minister in Antioch, seeing many come to the Lord and growing in their faith. The church at Antioch even gained a new name for its members, who were called, after the name of the One they worshiped, “Christians.”

Later, in Acts 13, we see Barnabas and Saul called by the Holy Spirit to continue this mission work on a wider scale. The church, recognizing this call, commissioned them and sent them off with prayer. Their mission work followed a pattern, first going to the synagogues to proclaim the Messiah to the Jews, then taking the good news to the Gentiles in the cities they visited. This caused no small amount of controversy, but the Spirit continued to bless their work, and many people in many places came to Christ, with new church springing up in cities throughout Asia Minor and the eastern Mediterranean.

It may be difficult, in the middle of trials, to lift our focus from the troubles we see and to look at the opportunities ministering through those trials may bring. This doesn’t mean that every hard time will bring obvious blessing, nor that some trials may create serious challenges that need much work and prayer. What it does mean is that when we see trials and tribulation, we should also look for what the Lord wants to do through our pain and suffering to spread the good news about Jesus. It may well be that some who would ignore a “happy-go-lucky” church might find one that perseveres under attacks and problems and continues to labor for the Lord.

“You mean if someone has never heard about Jesus and doesn’t believe in Him, they go to hell?” This question is raised by some unbelievers as an objection to the unique role of Jesus in salvation. To them, it seems unfair to expect someone to believe in a God they have never known. The assumption that underlies this question is that everyone is really seeking the true God, thus when they do not have the opportunity to hear about Him it isn’t really their fault that they can’t believe. The objection is essentially an accusation that God is not fair.

This underlying assumption can be called into question on two grounds. First, the Bible states that no human being seeks God on his or her own accord. We do not seek the Lord unless He first draws us by the Spirit. Second, there are accounts in the Scriptures that show that someone who is truly seeking the Lord, under the influence of the Spirit, will be brought into contact with the good news. Those who seek the Lord do so because He draws them, and when they seek, they will find Him.

In Acts 10 we have the story of one of these seekers. The Roman centurion Cornelius was stationed with his soldiers in Caesarea, a group of Italian soldiers stationed in an occupied land. He was an officer, a man of some status, yet he was attracted to the teachings of the religion of Judaism. He was a “god fearer,” someone who accepted much of the moral and ethical teaching of Judaism but who did not follow the physical rituals. His religious practice included prayer to the God of the Jews, probably at the prescribed times practiced by Jews.

Cornelius was seeking this God about whom he had heard so much and whose teaching attracted him. In response, during his prayer an angel of God appeared to him and assured him his prayers and charitable deeds had not gone unnoticed. He instructed Cornelius to send to Joppa for Peter, who would be able to tell him more about the God he sought.

Cornelius wasted no time. He sent men to go get Peter and bring him back to Caesarea. Peter himself had been prepared for this mission by a vision that told him the barrier between the “clean” and “unclean” had been broken down. When the men arrived Peter went with them, and as he learned about his mission he understood the meaning of the vision he had received. Cornelius and his household responded to the gospel gladly, and the Holy Spirit came in power to show that the Gentiles also were able to come to Jesus just as the Jews had. The Jewish believers who had accompanied Peter saw this sign and realized that Jesus indeed was no respecter of persons but was available to all who would come to Him.

This account shows that the Lord can move in powerful ways to bring His message to those who are called through His Spirit. What may seem impossible to us can be handled through the power of God. Cornelius and his household came to know the truth even though they came from a pagan background. In the same way, we hear today many stories of people in places where the gospel is forbidden finding Jesus through events that seem like fortuitous coincidences, but which are in reality the hand of the Lord at work. To those who truly seek the Lord, He will make Himself known, whether in a land saturated with gospel preaching or in the most hostile regions where the gospel is suppressed. The power of the Spirit is available anywhere He chooses to act, and no one is beyond the reach of the Lord.

We may confront times in our lives when it seems all our plans are coming undone and we can’t figure out what we should do. Circumstances may occur over which we have no control, whether they affect our personal situation, our families, our churches, or even our nation. This can happen whether things have gone well for us prior to these new events happening or we have been struggling to make things work out. When such times come, we have to make decisions as to how we are going to keep going and where we might find ourselves living, laboring, and serving.

Philip was one of the Seven, the men chosen by the church at Jerusalem to assist with meeting the needs of the widows in the church. When persecution broke out, he joined many others in fleeing from the city to the regions nearby. This led him to Samaria, the region populated by many whom the Jews disparaged for their mixed backgrounds and unorthodox religious practices. The followers of Jesus had been told to go into all the world, including Samaria, but had failed to follow through. The outbreak of persecution had provided motivation for the church to spread, and Philip found himself in a new mission field.

Coming to the city of Samaria, Philip began to do what the church had been doing in Jerusalem: proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. This was accompanied with miraculous signs, so that the people were attentive to the message Philip brought. Many Samaritans believed in Jesus and were baptized, so many that the apostles sent Peter and John to continue Philip’s work and to be the instruments of the Holy Spirit’s arrival among the people. This solidified the faith of the people in the word of the Lord, and the apostles returned to Jerusalem.

Philip received a divine message to move on despite the success he had seen in Samaria. He was sent along the road to Gaza, a city outside of Israel, without knowing where he was going to end up. He eventually saw a man riding in a chariot, and was told to go join him. Philip overheard the man, an Ethiopian official, reading from Isaiah, and asked him if he understood what he was reading. The conversation that followed allowed Philip to present the message of Jesus, and the official received that message and believed. He requested baptism, which Philip gave him before he was carried off by the Spirit. The official continued his journey, which historically led to a great spread of Christianity in Ethiopia.

The ministry of Philip after the outbreak of persecution in Jerusalem was widespread, and involved some rather sudden changes in location and audience. Sometimes his travels were made on his own, while other times the Spirit led him directly. Whether he was sent to preach to a city of non-Jews or a single foreigner who was Jewish (or at least a God-fearer), Philip responded with the message of Christ and His gospel. He certainly took his audience into account, and used what the Lord placed at his disposal to enhance his message. The Spirit moved mightily through Philip, using him as a willing instrument for His message and for His miraculous powers.

Philip might have preferred to stay in Jerusalem with the rest of the church, but in going out despite the inconveniences he was led to areas of fruitful ministry. Like him, we may have our world shaken up, but in the process we may find opportunities to share Christ we may never have gotten if we stayed in our comfort zone. As you face challenges in your life, ask the Lord to direct you to people who need to know Jesus and His power, then seek to serve Him faithfully with them.

Reading through the Bible is not an exercise in just finding inspirational and uplifting passages every day. There are many passages in Scripture that may shock us, and may even cause us to wonder why such stories are included in God’s Word. It isn’t surprising that some non-believers challenge the propriety of exposing children to parts of the Bible, and Christians would agree that some passages require delicacy and maybe even a wait until a certain level of maturity is reached. Even for adults, however, there are passages that perplex us.

One of those passages is here in Acts 5. We find a couple, Ananias and Sapphira, who have sold some property and want to make a contribution to the fledgling church in Jerusalem. They keep part of the money and bring the rest publicly to the apostles as an offering. As noted by Peter, such behavior was within the bounds of their faith, and they had every right to give part pf what they made and keep the rest.

The problem appears to be that they had seen the example of Barnabas (about whom we will hear more in the future), who had given all his proceeds to the church. This had probably brought him some admiration from the members of the church, whether he has sought it or not. Ananias and Sapphira seem to have wanted similar acclaim, so they represented their gift as the whole price they had received.

Some commentators struggle with Peter’s reaction here. First with Ananias, then later with Sapphira, Peter pronounces harsh judgment on those who would attempt to present themselves as more generous than they were. First husband then wife dropped dead at Peter’s rebuke, and were quickly carried out and buried. The death penalty for a lie seemed to go beyond anything that was found in Judaism, and to us today may look excessive and maybe even petty on the part of Peter.

There was a deeper issue at stake in this than just a simple misrepresentation. The first four chapters of Acts show the mighty work of the Holy Spirit in and through the church and its members. Mass conversions, miracles, and bold preaching were happening regularly, and the church was growing rapidly. So too were acts of generosity by the early Christians, who were meeting the needs of those in their midst and banding together to support one another. In lying about their gift, Ananias and Sapphira were not just trying to deceive the members of the church but were attempting to get away with their deception in an atmosphere charged with the presence of the Holy Spirit.

It is not Peter, or even the Jerusalem church, that put Ananias and Sapphira to death. They are struck down by the divine power of the Spirit, who sees their lie as blasphemy against what He is doing. This act might not have received such stern and permanent judgment at another time, but as the Spirit works to build the church He requires everyone to remain focused on their place before God and on what is expected of those who have been redeemed by Christ.

If we are honest, we are probably glad that we are not judged as harshly for our sins today. Yet the principle behind the Holy Spirit’s judgment on Ananias and Sapphira is still in place today. Too many Christians try to represent their desires as equal to God’s will, or to pretend that they are truly serving Him when they are not. Ananias and Sapphira stand as a warning to us two millennia later that the Lord does not trifle with those who misrepresent themselves or him.

If you have ever been in a crowd watching an unexpected event unfold, you might have some sense of what the people in Jerusalem experienced when the Spirit-filled first believers poured out into the street causing a stir. Every person there heard the proclamation of the gospel in their own language. How long it was before the crowd understood that everyone was hearing their own language, even though all the believers were speaking their own native tongue, is a detail we aren’t given, but it must have happened fairly quickly. The crowd was amazed as they realized what was happening, and I’m sure they were wondering how this could be.

When Peter stood up with the other apostles and started preaching, the people were ready to hang on his every word. Some in the crowd might have recognized them as the men who had been with Jesus, while those who had come to Jerusalem may have included some who were not present during Passover. The fact that each heard Peter speaking in their own language would have left them curious about how he could do this. The miracle of Pentecost, empowered by the Holy Spirit, set the stage for Peter to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.

That gospel included historical facts that many if not all in the crowd would have known. The ministry of Jesus has touched many throughout the region. His arrest, trial, and crucifixion had been witnessed by many, perhaps including some there that day. The story of His resurrection, verified by the empty tomb, had likely set Jerusalem abuzz with speculation. Now the miracle of Pentecost was drawing more attention to Jesus’ followers.

Peter put all these pieces together for his audience. Using the Scriptures, he pointed out the prophecies that had spoken of the coming King and Lord who would be a son of David yet greater than David. The crucified Jesus, left for dead in the tomb, was alive, proving that He was the one for whom Israel had been waiting. He was the Savior and their Lord, the One with the power to overcome sin and death. The Messiah who had been proclaimed in the prophets had come, and now the way to God was open through what He had done.

Recognizing these facts was not enough, however. Peter called the people to repentance and belief in Jesus. As many were convicted of their sins, he urged them to turn from those sins and to Jesus, the One who made forgiveness possible through His own sacrifice. He also assured them that those who did repent and come to Jesus would also receive the Holy Spirit, just as the believers present that day had. The power of the Spirit was seen in His ability to overcome the language barrier, and it was a power that could fill all who came to Christ.

Pentecost was a paradigm shift for those in the crowd. What Peter preached was salvation through faith in the Messianic King, the One who paid the price for our sin and rose from the dead to prove He had overcome it. Thousands did repent and turn to Jesus, joining together in a new fellowship that not only worshipped together but that shared the challenges of daily life together. The small group of believers became a larger band that not only affected Jerusalem but that would start to spread out in the world, taking the message of Jesus with them. The power of the Holy Spirit would enable them to continue to share the gospel wherever they went, and to see more people join them as followers of Jesus Christ. Pentecost may have been unexpected, but the power unleashed that day has continued to spread throughout the world even to today.

Among the most critical questions each person must answer in life, perhaps the single most important is this: “What do I value most in life?” It takes years of living and growing to reach the point at which you are prepared to confront that question, and even more time and thought before you are ready to give an answer. People have come up with many responses to that question, and those answers are many and varied. Ask a random cross-section of people and you are likely to receive an astounding mix of replies. Sorting through those responses can take you in many directions as you see the wide variety of interests that people make the chief priority in their lives.

In Philippians 3 we find Paul discussing what he has made his own priority in life. He starts with what he valued in the past, with a long list of personal positions and activities that had given his life meaning. His status as one born a Jew, who then lived out the expectations of his religion and even beyond them, gave him a status in his culture that many aspired to reach. For all of his achievements, however, Paul knew he had not yet attained the highest value in life.

His search ended when he encountered Jesus and learned that the greatest value in life was knowing Him as Lord. Looking over his life, he was willing to let go of all his earthly status, his national and religious positions, and everything he had achieved in order to follow Jesus. That was no small decision, but as Paul looked at what he already had and what he would gain through Christ it became an obvious one. Every earthly title, every human achievement was worthless in comparison to knowing Him.

This did not mean that Paul would find himself experiencing ease, comfort, and wealth in this life. His goal was to be united with a Lord who has suffered during His own life, ultimately giving His life on the cross. Christ’s sufferings and death made it possible for Him to rise from the dead, which made resurrection a reality for those who follow Him. Paul’s desire to be united with Jesus was one informed by the knowledge that such a union was not one that guaranteed earthly success but one that brought assurance of eternal reward.

In fact, being united with Christ should lead us not to ease but to continued labor. Paul’s goal was to press on as long as he lived, striving to reach the prize of the high calling of Jesus. What the death and resurrection of the Lord provide for us now is a goal, a calling to seek to make our own lives more like His. We will not attain that goal on earth, but we should desire to become more like Jesus each day, matching our lives more closely to His example. The final prize awaits us when we reach the finish line of life and join Christ in eternity.

As we answer the question “What do I value most in life?” for ourselves, we need to remember that our lives are not the few years we have on earth but stretch on beyond it forever. Even as we reach individual goals in our current lives, we push forward to the next, knowing that we have not yet achieved the perfection set before us but striving to draw closer and closer to that eternal goal each day. What we need to value is Jesus, and our desire needs to change until we find ourselves wanting to be united with Him, no matter what the cost. As we willingly participate in the sufferings of Jesus, even though ours never match what He did for us, we will find that our earthly treasure will fade in value even as what Christ has to offer shines brighter as we travel through our lives until we reach that goal of being with Him forever.

Many Christians struggle with believing that they are genuinely saved. As they look at their lives, they see so many times that they have failed to live up to what they see in Scripture that they wonder how they can be a true follower of Christ, Their intentions are good, but they find that they just don’t have the strength to obey the Lord consistently. Since this is what they experience, it leads them to question how, and maybe even if, they will ever be able to be a consistent disciple of Jesus.

Here in Colossians Paul gives us a different perspective on this struggle. He commends the Colossian Christians for the fruit they are bearing in their lives, then goes on to urge them to continue to “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord.” Such a charge could have been oppressive, causing his hearers to worry about how they could possibly satisfy a holy God. Left to their own power, the Colossians may very well have despaired.

Paul solves the problem by pointing the focus of the Colossians from themselves to Jesus. It is Jesus who has rescued His people from their sin and darkness and brought them into His kingdom. This means that salvation is not dependent on the wavering faithfulness of human beings, but on the God who saved them. Redemption is not dependent on how good a Christian is in his or her own life, but on the character and power of their Savior.

This leads Paul to launch into a description of the exalted Christ, the One who is Himself God. This is one of the most significant passages in the Bible for establishing the divinity of Jesus. This doctrine was not the invention of a later council or an emperor; here we have a clear statement that Jesus is divine coming from a letter written barely a generation after the resurrection of Jesus and the beginning of the church. Since redemption is dependent of Him, the fact that He is God Himself ensures that He has the power to not only redeem us but to keep us in a relationship with Him.

This passage should cause us to stop in awe and wonder as we contemplate what Paul says about Jesus. Colossians 1:15-20 emphasizes the divinity of Jesus, His role in creation, and His place in the redemption of His people. His authority over creation is equal to that of the Father, and He is stated to possess the fullness of the divine. There is no question in Paul’s mind that Jesus has absolute power and authority to reconcile people to Himself and to the Father.

This is the basis of our confidence in our salvation, not that we hold on to our faith by our good works but that Christ provides the way to God Himself and brings us to God through His blood. We do not have to earn our salvation before we come to Christ, nor is the continuation of our salvation dependent on our works. It is Jesus who saves us and who assures us that we are indeed His and will one day move into eternity with Him.

When our confidence wavers, or we doubt our standing before God, we need to remember that it isn’t based on us but on our Lord. We are saved by the grace of God, by the sacrifice of Jesus, and by the continued work of the Spirit. Everything depends on the One who is eternal, the Creator of everything, and the Sustainer of the universe. As long as we are on the hands of Jesus, we have no reason to fear for our future, and in Him we can find the power to live for Him even in our human weakness.

The world we live in today is one that shows signs of moving farther and farther away from God. Not only do people and groups espouse beliefs that go against the Word of God, they then turn on those who are faithful to the Lord and accuse them of being the ones who are evil and selfish, wanting to deny others the ability to do as they wish. The world tells us we should seek happiness, but their definition of happiness is a self-centered view that refuses to acknowledge any power beyond oneself.

In Ephesians 4:17-19, Paul reminds the Ephesian Christians that they were no longer to follow the path of their Gentile neighbors. Having been built up into Christ, they were to avoid the ways they had followed in their old lives. The descriptions Paul gives of that way of life- futile, darkened, excluded, ignorant, hard, callous, indecent- pile up one after another to give a picture of life apart from the Lord. Life without Jesus is life without meaning, one in which all that is left is to pursue shallow and temporary desires.

Paul points out to the Ephesian Christians that this is not how they “learned Christ.” So many people who claim to be followers of Jesus try to cloak their sins as just the natural outgrowth of their life. If this is who they think they are, then Jesus must approve of their choices and behaviors. They ignore the clear teachings of the Bible for the ways of the world, looking to their own desires and the norms of our fallen world to justify the way they live, while still wanting to keep the name of Christian and perhaps even the hope of heaven.

Instead, as we come to Christ, we find a new kind of life as we learn from Christ how we are to live. Paul tells the Ephesians to put off their old selves, lives which are characterized by corruption due to lust and deceit. Having a corrupted understanding, we do pursue the wrong things and follow a path of destruction. This old life pulls us away from what God created us to be, and requires the power of the Spirit to overcome and eliminate. Our desire to be right with Jesus is at war with our desire to satisfy ourselves.

Christians must be renewed in order to follow the Lord. This includes renewal of the mind to follow what the Spirit teaches and renewal of the self to be like our Lord. We cannot continue to follow the world and look like those around us and expect that will be acceptable to God. We must walk in holiness, wisdom, and in the Spirit is we are to truly follow Christ. Our lives should be a progression toward the likeness of Jesus, a gradual and ongoing journey toward the perfection that is the ultimate goal for every believer.

This takes time, and is never fully completed in our earthly life. We will stumble at times, and give in to our human desires rather than the promptings of the Spirit. We will have to pick ourselves up and come to the Lord for forgiveness many times. Yet our eternal outlook is to become like Jesus, to reach heaven prepared to be what God created us to be, and to finally leave behind the struggles and sins that plague us in our earthly existence. On that day, when we realize the fullness of our sanctification, we will know that our struggles and sacrifices were worth it as we look to an eternity spent with the Father, Son, and Spirit in holiness and righteousness forever.

Many people today are looking for ways to fix what they think is wrong with them. Books, videos, podcasts, and seminars all promise to heal what is broken in our lives and in our minds. If only we can find that one secret to getting over this bad habit or that ongoing struggle we would be in perfect shape. Life would be great, and we could look forward to a future of success and accomplishment, with nothing to slow us down again.

The Bible gives us bad news when it comes to the human condition. You may have heard some preachers and teachers tell us that humanity is sick, needing a cure for our sin and selfishness. Scripture is much less optimistic about people in their natural state. Ephesians 2 begins with Paul’s statement to his readers that they “were dead in their offenses and sins.” Sin was not just a passing disease, it was a fatal illness. On our own, every one of us was separated from God, destined for eternal destruction, with no cure available from any human source. We didn’t need healing, we needed resurrection.

Because we were dead, we weren’t even looking for a cure for sin. People are perfectly content living for themselves, pursuing their own desires and pleasures while failing to see the judgment that awaits from God. We needed to have our spiritual eyes opened, our spirits revived, and new life that could only come from the Giver of Life Himself. Without the intervention of Jesus, we not only would not be saved, we wouldn’t even seek to be saved. Humans on their own want to fulfill their own desires; only through the power of the Lord do we even begin to desire deliverance from our sin and restoration to relationship with Him.

This was given to us through the grace of the Lord. While we were still dead, unable to help ourselves, God made us alive through Christ, pouring out His grace upon us while we were still rebellious sinners. It is the Lord who initiates the process of salvation, and Jesus who paid the price for our sin by His atoning death. All we can do is come to Jesus in faith, and even that faith is not of our own making but is a gift from God. We are entirely dependent on the Lord for salvation, spiritual life, and any ability we have to do what He has commanded us to do.

Our eternal life is not the result of what we do. There is no way that we, who are dead spiritually, can keep the commandments of God and earn our own salvation. We have pursued our own way and rejected God, and it was up to Him to make it possible for us to return. Since we are saved by grace, not by our own efforts, we cannot boast about our spiritual prowess or stand before God and tell Him He owes us an eternal reward. It is all through Jesus Christ, and we owe everything to Him.

We have been remade by the Lord, so that we are God’s workmanship, His creation both in a physical and a spiritual sense. Our good works do not earn our salvation, but they are the result of God’s creation of us in Christ. Since we have been saved, we must use our news status before God to honor Him by doing what is right. This is not possible before we have been made alive from our sin, but afterward it should become our way of life. By the grace of God, we now can live for Him, while looking forward to an eternal life with the Lord when we pass from this life to the next.