Ephesians 1:3-4 states "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath
blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ: according as he hath chosen us in him
before the foundation of the world".
This is very encouraging news because it tells us that even
before the sperm of our father ever made it to the ovum of our mother, the
blessings of God were already in place for us!
But in order for us to receive them, we must be properly positioned to
get them!
Ephesians unveils to us great revelations in relation
to Christ and the Church - the ecclesia
or an assembly of called out ones, the
body of Christ.
For we are members of
his body, of his flesh, and of his bones" (Ephesians 5:30 ).
"For as the body
is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being
many, are one body: so also is Christ" (1 Corinthians 12:12 ).
God didn’t just prepare a body for Jesus to suffer in, but
He prepared Him a body in which He should be glorified! That “body”
is “the Church”! Jesus Christ is “the head”, and we are His body! When we “the Church” come in alignment positionally
with the “Head”, we are glorified together as a “perfect man” in the earth!
And he is the head of
the body, the church: who is the
beginning, the firstborn from the dead;
that in all things he might have the preeminence" (Colossians 1:18 ).
Till we all come in
the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto “a perfect man”, unto the measure of
the stature of the fulness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13).
Ephesians 1:3-4 tells us that God hath (already) blessed us with ALL spiritual blessings in heavenly
“places” in Christ! What places?
Those of dominion; authority; power;
wisdom; knowledge; understanding; counsel; reverencing God; peace; joy;
righteousness; love; divine health; eternal life!
But we must be positioned
for the blessing!
Positioned - the
manner in which something is placed; an altitude; a viewpoint; a job;
employment; placed in proper order.
Ephesians reveals to us positions the Church must be in to
get the blessing of God!!!
THE FIRST POSITION:
SIT (Ephesians
2:6) "And hath raised us up
together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus".
SIT is from the Greek word sugkathi’zo, meaning to give (or take) a seat in company with or
together; beside or with; completeness.
This “seat” is a place of ruling authority that the Church has because
we have companionship with Him. We have
fellowship with Him. We have formed a
relationship with Him. 1 John 4:17: "For as he is, so are we in this world"!
"He that
believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than
these shall he do" (St. John
14:12 ).
Remember, one of the definitions of “position” is altitude! The synonyms for altitude are height and
elevation! As we grab hold of the revelation of Christ, He raises (sunegei’ro) or rouses us from death
(spiritual deadness) and awakens us with truth!
He revivifies us or restores; refreshes us by His Spirit or His
breath!! The same breath that was
breathed into Adam in Genesis; the same breath that was breathed in the valley
of dry bones in Ezekiel; the same breath that Jesus breathed on His disciples
when He said “Receive ye the Holy Ghost” in St. John chapter 20; the same wind or breath
that was in the upper room at Pentecost in Acts 2! His breath (wind; Spirit) has caused us to
return to consciousness or life! This is
our resurrection, our awakening to
the truth, and standing up in the power of the Living God!
This is why we have to renew our mind, people of God! Romans 12:2: "Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind"! This mind is nous, the intellect, which is the ability to not just understand
knowledge but also to accept knowledge.
This word mind (nous) taps
into the thoughts, feeling, or will; understanding; complete awareness of who
God is in you and who you are in God!
Philippians 2:5: "Let
this mind (phrone’o or be of the
same mind) be in you, which was also in
Christ Jesus"!
1 Peter 1:13: "Gird
up the loins of your mind (dian’oia
or deep thought)". Don’t settle for
pablum and milk. Go on and drink some
wine and eat some meat!! Launch on out
into the deep with your thought processes!
Did you notice that your mind has loins,
which is the power to reproduce and manifest the total of Christ in you? Halleluyah!!
THE SECOND
POSITION:
WALK (Ephesians
4:1) "I therefore, the prisoner of
the Lord, therefore beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith
ye are called".
Walk is peripate’o,
meaning to tread all around; to live;
be occupied with; to tread under foot!
God does not want us to be hearers only of His Word but also a doer of
His Word! We need to exemplify Christ in
our daily lives in all that we say and do!
Our walk must be
“holy”. It must be hag’ios (sacred; pure; blameless; innocent; consecrated; perfect). I know the word “perfect” will raise a few
eyebrows. But if Jesus said we could be
“perfect”, that settles it. "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father
which is in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48)!
"Who hath saved
us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but
according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus
before the world began" (2
Timothy 1:9).
This calling we have from God is a very high calling! He has called
us into the elevated places in Him in Christ Jesus! He has called us and raised us up already
into the heavenly places in Christ Jesus!
You don’t have to physically die to get into this place. All you have to do is let that “old mind” die
that has been programmed with religious carnality, and let your mind be
resurrected with the revelation of Christ as Peter experienced in Matthew
16. Peter saw more than “Jesus”. He saw “the Christ” (the Anointed One and the
ones with His anointing!!). I press toward the mark for the prize of the
high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:14 ).
Walk in the love
of the Father: (1 Jn.2:10) "He that loveth his brother abideth in the
light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him".
I’ve heard people say many times over, “You’ll make mistakes
now and then”! Only if we’re not walking in the “light”! Stumbling is the Greek word skan’dalon, or our English word
“scandal”, meaning a snare or trap that causes displeasure or sin; an occasion
to fall. But if we’re walking in the
light, we will not stumble! "Now
unto him that is able to keep you from falling,
and to present you faultless before
the presence of his glory with exceeding joy" (Jude 24). Good news!!!
THE THIRD POSITION:
STAND (Ephesians
6:10-11) "Finally, my brethren, be
strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil".
STAND [his’temi] means to
abide; continue; establish; hold up; tolerate; endure; last; persist; remain
upright; bear; undergo.
There are some things that you
will go through, but the armour of God will equip us to endure and come out
victors and not victims! But we must be suited up with the whole armour of God! Armor
in the Greek is panopli’a, or full
armor; all of; or the whole armour!
We are told about the seven pieces
of armour in Ephesians 6:10-18, but without the other two pieces of armour,
we’re not fully dressed! The other two
are: the armour of light & the armour of righteousness!
"The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of
darkness, and let us put on the armour of light" (phos or illumination
which means understanding) (Romans 13:12 ).
"By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of
righteousness on the right hand and on the left" (2 Corinthians 6:7).
The “armour of righteousness” is
the cornerstone that the other
pieces of armour are attached to!!
Take a look at the dress of Aaron
the high priest which was made of “fine twine linen”. The fine linen is the “righteousness” of God! In
the breastplate of judgment was the “urim (light) and thummim (perfection). It was by this “light” that God spoke to
Aaron the high priest of Israel
in relation to the Israelites. Aaron’s
name by the way means enlightened!
When we get clothed in the “righteousness” (character) of God and
walk in the “light” (knowledge) of God, we will know how to use the other
pieces of “armour”!
1) Loins gird about with truth
2) The shield of faith
3) Feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace
4) Taking the shield of faith
5) The helmet of salvation
6) The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God
7) Prayer
"For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through
God to the pulling down of strong holds" (2 Corinthians 10:4).
When you look at the “armour” in
Ephesians 6, all of the armour is defensive
(protects; wards off; shields; resists; safeguards)! But the “sword of the Spirit”, which is the
Word of God, is both defensive and
offensive! While it will protect,
ward off, shield, resist and safeguard, it will also launch an outright assault
against the enemy!!
When we are properly dressed with “ALL” THE ARMOUR OF God, we are in “position” to be able not to just STAND but also to WITHSTAND!!
To STAND is the
ability to win the fight; to hold one’s POSITION! But to WITHSTAND
is the result (consequence; action; course; operation) of the fight! When the fight is over and all the dust
settles, YOU are still STANDING!!
So people of God:
Take your position
and sit (become established in
God’s wisdom; knowledge;
understanding; peace;
divine health; eternal life; power; authority)!
Take your position
and walk (live) according to your calling as a son, priest, and king!
Last but not least, take your position and stand in the dominion, authority, and power that God has given you, and tread down
the powers of the enemy!
~ Apostle Gracie Perry
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