Be - All Christ Called You To Be Ephesians 2:6

 Be!

Introduction

It’s easy to become fearful when read and hear about the various attacks of Isis, Isal & Dash in the media over recent months. In fact, it seems wherever we look today there is some new attack from alkaida or similar group upon innocent victims somewhere in the world. 1Tim 3:1 “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,…”

There is no doubt that this environment is conducive to what Jesus said would take place in the end days Luke 21 “There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. "Then they will see THE SON OF MAN COMING IN A CLOUD with power and great glory.…”

When we add to this the ongoing natural disasters and environmental mishaps we are seeing it is easy to say the earth is in the “pangs” of birth. “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. "But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs” as Jesus said in Matthew 24 says.

What then should be the Churches response to all this if any?...

We naturally can use history to see how the early church responded to such issues, most would know of the persecution of the Church by Nero which ended in the destruction of Rome in AD70, again when the church was persecuted in Acts 6 to 8 which resulted in the church being dispersed throughout the empire.

How did the church react to this persecution? Ultimately they did as they had always done… to pray, break bread together and continue in sharing the good news with those round them. In fact theses very things that Jesus had commanded them to do, they continued to do.

Ephesians 6:10-18 is a powerful chapter for the church under attack, in understanding who the real enemy of God is, how God has equipped us but finally in our last response to attacks from the enemy.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

Be-ers Rather than Do-Ers (Mary vs Martha)

So irrespective to the circumstances or situation you can simply say Jesus is commanding is us to continue to BE all He initially commanded us to BE.

Ephesians 2:5-7 says we are seated with Him…

even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.…

Romans 8:11 says the Same Spirit in Christ is now in us…

If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

The same as it has always been…BE in Him

Continue to abide in Him…John 15:4 (He is the true vine), we must get a revelation not only does he desire to live in us, but that we are in Him.

BE Long to him, Paul says in 1Cor 6:20 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

The word Belong really is made up of two words Be & Long, when we long to be with Him and in His presence over everything else, then we truly belong to Him.

Be the body of Christ on the earth, see Colossians 18-24 He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.

I often tell people, you might be the only Jesus that people see today, perhaps ever. Therefore what kind of Jesus are you portraying to the world.

We are the hands, the feet, the arms, the legs, the lungs, the heart of Jesus in this world today. 2 Corinthians 5:20 says Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ: Be reconciled to God.

Finally

BE the Bride. A clean bride without spot or wrinkle. Ephesians 5:26-27 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.…