The Daily Readings for SUNDAY, September 30, 2018 - Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost

The Daily Readings

SUNDAY, September 30, 2018 - Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost

(Revised Common Lectionary Year B)

Greeting

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

~ Phillipians 1:2

Prayer of the Day (Collect)

O God, you declare your almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity: Grant us the fullness of your grace, that we, running to obtain your promises, may become partakers of your heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Confession and Forgiveness

Trusting God's promise of forgiveness, let us confess our sins against God and one another.

Eternal God our creator, in you we live and move and have our being. Look upon us, your children, the work of your hands. Forgive us all our offenses, and cleanse us from proud thoughts and empty desires. By your grace draw us near to you, our refuge and our strength; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Lessons

Old Testament

Numbers 11:4-6,10-16,24-29
11:4 The rabble among them had a strong craving; and the Israelites also wept again, and said, “If only we had meat to eat! 5 We remember the fish we used to eat in Egypt for nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; 6 but now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.”

10 Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, all at the entrances of their tents. Then the Lord became very angry, and Moses was displeased. 11 So Moses said to the Lord, “Why have you treated your servant so badly? Why have I not found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me? 12 Did I conceive all this people? Did I give birth to them, that you should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries a sucking child, to the land that you promised on oath to their ancestors’? 13 Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they come weeping to me and say, ‘Give us meat to eat!’ 14 I am not able to carry all this people alone, for they are too heavy for me. 15 If this is the way you are going to treat me, put me to death at once—if I have found favor in your sight—and do not let me see my misery.”

The Seventy Elders
16 So the Lord said to Moses, “Gather for me seventy of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them; bring them to the tent of meeting, and have them take their place there with you.

24 So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord; and he gathered seventy elders of the people, and placed them all around the tent. 25 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders; and when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do so again.

26 Two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the spirit rested on them; they were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp. 27 And a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” 28 And Joshua son of Nun, the assistant of Moses, one of his chosen men, said, “My lord Moses, stop them!” 29 But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit on them!”

The Psalm

Psalm 19:7-14 Caeli enarrant

7 The law of the Lord is perfect
and revives the soul; *

the testimony of the Lord is sure
and gives wisdom to the innocent.

8 The statutes of the Lord are just
and rejoice the heart; *

the commandment of the Lord is clear
and gives light to the eyes.

9 The fear of the Lord is clean
and endures for ever; *

the judgments of the Lord are true
and righteous altogether.

10 More to be desired are they than gold,
more than much fine gold, *

sweeter far than honey,
than honey in the comb.

11 By them also is your servant enlightened, *

and in keeping them there is great reward.

12 Who can tell how often he offends? *

cleanse me from my secret faults.

13 Above all, keep your servant from presumptuous sins;
let them not get dominion over me; *

then shall I be whole and sound,
and innocent of a great offense.

14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my
heart be acceptable in your sight, *

O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.

The Epistle

James 5:13-20
The Prayer of Faith
5:13 Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. 14 Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. 17 Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth yielded its harvest.

19 My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and is brought back by another, 20 you should know that whoever brings back a sinner from wandering will save the sinner’s soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

The Gospel

Mark 9:38-50
Another Exorcist
9:38 John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” 39 But Jesus said, “Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. 40 Whoever is not against us is for us. 41 For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.

Temptations to Sin
42 “If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea. 43 If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. 45 And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell. 47 And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell, 48 where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.

49 “For everyone will be salted with fire. 50 Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”

Here ends the Lessons

Click HERE to read today's Holy Gospel Lesson message

The Apostle's Creed

We believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

We believe in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Closing Prayer

Lord God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us; through Jesus Christ ore Lord. Amen.

Blessing

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.

~ Numbers 6:24-26

The Bible texts of the Old Testament, Epistle and Gospel lessons are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the USA, and used by permission. The Collects, Psalms and Canticles are from the Book of Common Prayer, 1979.
If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire.

“Don't Worry About Others - Seek The Kingdom” The Sermon for SUNDAY, September 30, 2018 - Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost

“Don't Worry About Others - Seek The Kingdom”

The Holy Gospel comes to us this morning from Mark the 9th chapter, beginning at the 38th verse.

9:38 John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” 39 But Jesus said, “Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. 40 Whoever is not against us is for us. 41 For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward. 42 “If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea. 43 If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. 45 And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell. 47 And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell, 48 where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched. 49 “For everyone will be salted with fire. 50 Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”

Dear Heavenly Father, you sent you Son into our world to seek the lost and to save those who dwell in a land of darkness and despair. Through the power of your Holy Spirit, stir in us compassion and concern for those who think that they are beyond hope and your saving grace. Protect and keep each of us from the snares of hell, and restore in us a sense of value and potential for our lives and for the growth of your church. This we ask, in Christ’s holy name. Amen.

In our Gospel lesson for this morning, there appears to be a real contrast between the first four verses, and what follows. And so, I invite you to enter this contrast with an open heart and an open mind.

Our lesson opens with Mark telling us that John, one of Jesus’ closest disciples, tells Jesus that they happened upon a person who was casting out demons, or healing people of various diseases, and doing so in Jesus’ name. But this person wasn’t a disciple. He wasn’t even a person who had been following after Jesus, from place to place, as so many had been doing.

Oh, this person may have heard Jesus speak once or twice. This person may have even seen Jesus perform a miracle of healing. Or perhaps, this person had never even seen Jesus, or heard him speak. This person may have just heard about Jesus from others, as Jesus’ reputation as a healer and prophet spread throughout the region.

To bring it into modern day terms, this person may never have joined a church, but heard others tell about their own encounter with Jesus, and believed their witness enough to pray for the healing of others in Jesus’ name. And according to Biblical scholarship, to perform an act “in the name of Jesus,” means to perform that act “by the authority of Jesus.”

So John, as spokesperson for the disciples, tell Jesus, “we tried to stop this person from healing people by invoking your name, because he was not following you, was not a member of your church.” But Jesus rebuked his disciples, saying, and “Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us.”

Then Jesus goes on to say that even if a person gives you a simple drink of water because you are a follower of Jesus the Christ, that person will not go unrewarded. It sounds as though Jesus is saying that it really doesn’t matter if you are a member of his church, if you perform an act of kindness in his name, you will receive his blessing.

But after saying this, Mark tells us that Jesus addressed his disciples, those of us who follow him as members of his church, with some rather stern warnings. Jesus tells us that if we put a stumbling block before any person who might believe in him, if we hinder their growth in faith, it would be better for us to be drowned in the sea. And then he goes on to tell us that if our hand or foot or eye causes us to sin, it would be better for us to cut them off from our body, and enter into the kingdom of God without these parts of our body, than to be thrown into hell.

Now there is the contrast! If someone acts to perform a healing in Jesus’ name, and is not a member of Christ’s church, they will receive their reward. If someone even gives a thirsty member of Christ’s church a drink of water in his name, that person will receive his or her reward. But if we, as members of Christ’s church do anything to cause someone outside the church to lose faith in Jesus, Mark tells us that we should cut out our sinful eye, or arm, or leg, rather than risk being thrown into hell.

Now, the first thing that we need to recognize as we begin to interpret this lesson, is that it cannot be taken literally. To “cut off your hand,” or to “pluck out your eye,” because it has caused you to sin, has never been advocated by the church. In fact, persons in Christian history who actually mutilated their bodies, such as Origin, a theologian who lived in the third century, were severely criticized by the Christian community.

Rather, the church has historically held that Jesus often used hyperbole – a common teaching technique of his day – to teach his disciples. In other words, Jesus used obvious exaggerations and overstatements in order to stress a point and catch the attention of those he was teaching.

I do not believe that Jesus was literally telling us to cut off those parts of our bodies that cause us to sin. Rather, I believe that Jesus was stressing the idea that we need to be, as members of his church, self-critical – to realize that the cause of sin comes from within our selves, rather than from someone or something outside of ourselves.

For example, I still enjoy an occasional cigar. I used to chew snuff, until my dentist told me that I needed to get off of that stuff. But who am I going to blame, if I develop lip cancer or lung cancer. Many have sued the tobacco industry, but the truth begins with me. I am the one who has used those products, with their warning labels clearly evident that I use their product at my own health risk. I have no one to blame but myself. And if my use of tobacco, and imbibing in a few beers causes any one to doubt my faith in Christ, I am, as your pastor, in need of Christ’s grace.

Now, without trying to diminish the contrast that Jesus makes in our lesson, there is still a point that needs to be made. First of all, I am not a “hell, fire and brimstone” preacher. And the reason for this is, that in all of Scripture, the word that is translated “hell” only appears thirteen times – all in the New Testament – and nowhere in the Old Testament. And as it is used here in Mark’s Gospel, it refers to a specific place, in the actual landscape of the people living during that time.

The word that is translated “hell” is “Gehenna.” Gehenna was the name given to the Hinnon valley outside the city walls of Jerusalem, where centuries before the time of Jesus, it had been a place of pagan idolatry, where unfaithful Israelites once offered up child sacrifices to the pagan gods of Molech and Baal. As a result, it had long been condemned by Josiah as an eternally unholy place.

Thus, by the time of Jesus, Gehenna had become the city dump. This was the place where rubbish, decaying carcasses of various animals, and leftover bones of the meat consumed by the people living in Jerusalem, was discarded. This place was constantly kept burning, in order to purge it of the rot and decay that infested it.

Since Gehenna was an actual place at the time of Jesus, detestable as it was, filled with flesh eating worms and perpetually burning rubbish, many Biblical scholars question whether Jesus was literally describing a place in the hereafter. This thought provides us with a rather stark contrast to the long held belief that there are two eternal kingdoms waiting to receive us after our death – one the eternal flames of hell; the other the golden lined streets of heaven.

In all honesty, I have no doubt that Jesus invites us, through our faith in his death and resurrection, to experience life beyond death, together with him in God’s heavenly kingdom. This is the true message of the Gospels. It is the message that we are called to proclaim, as his disciples.

But whether there is, or is not, an eternal place of “hell,” does not diminish the impact of this morning’s lesson. For the difference between our life ending with our bodies simply being thrown on the garbage dump of Gehenna, or passing through the gate of death to be with our risen Lord in his Father’s kingdom, makes an eternity of difference.

What Jesus seems to be stressing in our lesson for this morning, is that we should worry less about those who call on Jesus’ name, but do not follow us in our forms of worship and theology – as much as we should worry about our own lives of faith. He calls on us to confront our own sinfulness, and strive to amend our own lives as disciples of Christ. Jesus calls on us to live by faith, to trust in him, even through those times in which we might be tested with fire. “Have salt in yourselves,” he says, “and be at peace with one another.”

May God’s Spirit so grant us the ability to do just this.

Amen.

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The Bible texts of the Old Testament, Epistle and Gospel lessons are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the USA, and used by permission. Sermon written by Rev. Ronald Harbaugh.
What Jesus seems to be stressing in our lesson for this morning, is that we should worry less about those who call on Jesus’ name, but do not follow us in our forms of worship and theology – as much as we should worry about our own lives of faith.

The Morning Prayer for SUNDAY, September 30, 2018

Sunday morning prayer

Lord on this special day, I run into Your loving arms. May Sunday be a celebration, filled with thankfulness, where I connect with the presence of Heaven, seek Your beauty and goodness, and cherish special family time together. Come fill my heart afresh with Your love. May it overflow with Heaven's bounty, moving through this rest day and into the week ahead.

Lord on this special day, I run into Your arms. Spend cherished time with family, and find shelter in Your palm. May Sunday be a celebration, full up to the brim, with Heaven's promise ringing loud, and Your love flowing in.

Amen

Verse of the Day for SUNDAY, September 30, 2018

John 3:20-21 (NIV) Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

Read all of John 3

Listen to John 3

New International Version (NIV) Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica

Un dia a la Vez - Hay un mañana

Hay un mañana

Vivirás tranquilo, porque hay esperanza; estarás protegido y dormirás confiado.

~ Job 11:18 (NVI)

Hace un tiempo veía en la televisión un programa que se llamaba «Atrapado en la frustración».

Me llamó mucho la atención que las imágenes que mostraban la representación de ese título fueran de personas atadas, amarradas y desesperadas por ser libres, pero que no podían.

En ese programa presentaban gente de todo tipo que estaba frustrada por el trabajo que tenía, por las drogas y por muchas otras situaciones.

La vida en la que vivimos está llena de trampas, traiciones y adicciones que van atando a la gente de tal manera que a veces caen sin imaginarlo siquiera.

¿Sabes? Contrario de seguro a lo que piensa mucha gente, yo le daba gracias a Dios por mi libertad, por la felicidad de poder trabajar en lo que me gusta y sentirme absolutamente llena en Jesús.

Hoy quiero invitarte a conocer al Dador de la libertad. Quiero decirte que la voluntad de nuestro Padre no es que tú vivas atrapado y sin salida. Al contrario, Él quiere que seas libre y quiere romper todas esas frustraciones y ataduras en el nombre de Jesús.

Dale la oportunidad a Cristo de transformar tu vida y así poder declarar de todo corazón:

«Soy libre en Jesús».

Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzón
La vida en la que vivimos está llena de trampas, traiciones y adicciones que van atando a la gente de tal manera que a veces caen sin imaginarlo siquiera.

Standing Strong Through the Storm - I AM NOT AFRAID ANYMORE

I AM NOT AFRAID ANYMORE

One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.”

~ Acts 18:9-10 (NIV)

Paul was experiencing great pressure and persecution while sharing the gospel in Corinth. With the encouragement of these “red letter” words from Jesus Himself, Paul gained courage to stay in Corinth for another year and a half teaching the word of God.

Known for its rich historical heritage and tourist attractions, Aurangabad is one of the very famous districts of Maharashtra, India. It has been an important place since ancient times because of its location in the famous Silk Route. The route traveled across the width of Asia to Europe. The city is named after the great Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb and is one of the fastest growing cities in India. Marathi and Urdu are the main languages spoken in the city.

During the first Standing Strong Through the Storm (SSTS) seminar, the participants expressed profound appreciation, gratitude and the need for more such seminars. So new sets of people were targeted in order to bring awareness and educate them on how to handle persecution when it comes.

The majority of the students confessed that they had never heard on this kind of teaching before. Topics such as addressing religious intolerance were highly appreciated. While the participants were initially apprehensive of sharing their testimonies, they stepped forward after watching the persecution related movies and video clips, and boldly shared what God had done in their lives.

Pratima Pagare attended and commented, “I was always scared to death with the thought that fundamentalists will attack and stone us because we minister to people in the name of Jesus. I am so encouraged to come to this seminar and to hear the testimonies of people who faced persecution in their ministries and still went on. I was also strengthened by the teachings on how to stand strong in the midst of storms and this has driven away all my fears. I thank God and Open Doors for this.”

Priti Alhad said, “I did not know what the content of the seminar would be, but gradually as the sessions went by, I considered myself privileged to be present here and be blessed by the teachings. I am not afraid of persecution but these teachings encouraged me and prepared me for the times of persecution…As I go from here I want to share this knowledge that I have gained here and create awareness among my church members and utilize these teachings in my ministry. I thank your ministry for organizing this seminar in our area.

RESPONSE: Today I will keep on speaking and not be silent trusting the Lord for His protection and blessing.

PRAYER: Help me Lord to lose my fearfulness and trust You when I face those who oppose me.

Standing Strong Through The Storm (SSTS), a daily devotional message by SSTS author Paul Estabrooks. © 2011 Open Doors International. Used by permission.

LHM Daily Devotions - Forgive Our Sins as We Forgive

"Forgive Our Sins as We Forgive"

Sep. 30, 2018

"Forgive our sins as we forgive, You taught us Lord to pray; but You alone can grant us grace to live the words we say.

In blazing light Your cross reveals the truth we dimly knew: what trivial debts are owed to us, how great our debt to You!"

I was recently pulled over for driving with expired plates and given a ticket complete with a court date. I then broke both my wrists the day before court and completely forgot to go. So, when I called to find out what I needed to do, I was so nervous I lied.

You see, I did break both wrists this summer, but it wasn't the day before I was supposed to be in court. I just wanted to make myself look better to the person on the other end of the phone who was deciding my fate. What really happened is I've been home with my kids this summer and not checking my calendar.

Thankfully, they had not issued a warrant for my arrest, and I was given another court date which I instantly memorized. I then tried paying the ticket online, but apparently that option doesn't extend to delinquents who miss their first court date. So, I couldn't even figure out how much I owed.

Money doesn't exactly grow on trees in our house, and I was really disappointed with myself for twisting that story about my arms. So, I was super nervous about encountering the judge and the consequences. I knew I couldn't lie again, but I also had no good defense if he asked -- not just about my unregistered plates, but also my missed court date.

Having established the proper spelling of my last name, the first thing he asked me was "How do you plead? Guilty or not guilty?"

I've never been so relieved to be asked such a straightforward question. "I'm guilty!" I exclaimed perhaps more exuberantly than he was used to hearing. And as I began trying to explain all the reasons I was in this predicament, he cut me off and asked, "Are you working on it?" -- and without waiting for my answer -- "Of course, you are. You're an upstanding citizen. Just pay $15 court costs, and we'll consider this done. Okay?"

It was more than okay! I was guilty of not just breaking the law, but of being irresponsible and then lying about it. But he forgave my debt and called me an "upstanding citizen"! It was a Gospel moment to receive a label I did not deserve in exchange for my guilty plea. I was reminded again of the undeserved grace we possess in Christ Jesus.

Do you remember the last time you were forgiven and the sense of freedom and relief you experienced? Friends, that experience is ours to receive from our Heavenly Father every day! Even better, it is ours to give away: to our children, spouse, employees, employers, neighbors, criminals, and friends. None of us are so righteous that we don't still need forgiveness, and to give it is the most Christ-like thing we can do.

THE PRAYER: Heavenly Father, You're in the business of dispensing grace, and we are so thankful for that! Refresh us when we are weighed down with sin and forget the mercy we've been shown in Jesus. In His Name we pray. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by AmyRuth Bartlett. It is based on the hymn, "Forgive Our Sins as We Forgive." Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
I was recently pulled over for driving with expired plates and given a ticket complete with a court date.

Notre Pain Quotidien - Percer un mystère

Percer un mystère

Lisez : Éphésiens 3.1-12

La Bible en un an : Ésaïe 9 – 10 ; Éphésiens 3

Ce mystère, c’est que les païens sont cohéritiers […] en Jésus-Christ par l’Évangile. V. 6

En rentrant à la maison, un jour, j’ai vu une paire de souliers à talons hauts près de l’entrée et j’étais certain de savoir à qui elle appartenait. Je l’ai donc mise dans le garage pour la remettre à ma fille Lisa lorsqu’elle viendrait récupérer ses enfants. Or, j’ai découvert qu’elle n’appartenait toutefois pas à Lisa. En fait, personne de la famille ne l’a réclamée ; je l’ai donc remise où je l’avais trouvée. Le lendemain, elle avait mystérieusement disparue.

Saviez‑vous que l’apôtre Paul a écrit au sujet d’un mystère dans ses épîtres ? Par contre, il a décrit un mystère bien plus grand qu’un genre d’énigme. Dans Éphésiens 3, par exemple, Paul a évoqué un mystère qui « n’a pas été manifesté aux fils des hommes dans les autres générations » (V. 5). Le voici : Si Dieu s’est révélé lui‑même par Israël, il le fait maintenant par Jésus, afin que les païens – ceux n’appartenant pas à Israël – soient « cohéritiers » avec Israël (V. 6).

Réfléchissez un peu à ce que cela signifie : tous ceux qui mettent leur foi en Jésus comme Sauveur peuvent aimer et servir Dieu ensemble. Tous ont, au même titre, « la liberté de nous approcher de Dieu avec confiance » (V. 12). Et par l’unité de l’Église, le monde pourra voir « la sagesse infiniment variée de Dieu » (V. 10).

Louons Dieu pour notre salut, car il nous révèle le mystère de l’unité de tous ceux qui deviennent un en Jésus, quels que soient leurs antécédents.

L’unité en Christ abat les barrières et bâtit l’Église.

par Dave Branon

© 2018 Ministères NPQ
En rentrant à la maison, un jour, j’ai vu une paire de souliers à talons hauts près de l’entrée et j’étais certain de savoir à qui elle appartenait.