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Training Day 14 Much More Than: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Much More Than!

The Questions

1) Who were the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders worshiping? (verse 10)

3) What is the significance of the seven items ascribed to The Lamb in verse 12?

3) Why is it important that every creature join in the praise? (verse 13)

Revelation 5:8-14

8 When he took the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and golden bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song: You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slaughtered, and you purchased people for God by your blood from every tribe and language and people and nation. 10 You made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign on the earth. 11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels around the throne, and also of the living creatures and of the elders. Their number was countless thousands, plus thousands of thousands. 12 They said with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing! 13 I heard every creature in heaven, on earth, under the earth, on the sea, and everything in them say, Blessing and honor and glory and power be to the one seated on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever! 14 The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

Original Intent

1) Who were the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders worshiping? (verse 10)
In Revelation 4:3 we are introduced to the Throne Room of heaven, with God the Father sitting on His throne. Surrounding Him are the thrones of the twenty-four elders. There are many theories about who they are, but according to Meyer’s NT Commentary they are “the representatives of the entire congregation of all believers, to whom…belong the holiness and glory indicated by the white robes, and the royal dominion by the thrones and crowns”. The four creatures are representatives of some of the characteristics of God. “These four creatures represent dominance and majesty (lion, the king of animals), vigor (calf), wisdom (man), and speed or sovereignty (eagle).” (Verse By Verse Commentary) Their role is to praise God forever. (Revelation 4:8) We see them in chapter 5 still in the Throne Room, but this time joined by the Only One able to open the scroll and break the seven seals. (verse 5) He is “the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David” (Revelation 5:5) but is presented in the Throne Room as a slain lamb with “the marks of omnipotence (seven horns) and omniscience (seven eyes).” (Enduring Word Commentary) Who is this Lion of Judah (Genesis 49:9-10), this “Lamb of God” (John 1:29) who was slain but is still alive? It is Jesus, to Whom the elders and creatures offer praise for being the Only One worthy to open the scrolls and break the seals. Jesus is the One who gave His life to purchase His people (verse 9) and made us a “kingdom of priests…holy nation”. (verse 10)

2) What is the significance of the seven items ascribed to The Lamb in verse 12?
The twenty-four elders, the four living creatures, and the thousands upon thousands of angels (verse 11) are all praising and celebrating Jesus, the Lamb, listing the things He is worthy to receive. But Jesus already has all these things because He is God, the Creator and Sustainer of everything. John Gill explains it this way, “…when He is said to be worthy to receive these, it is not to be understood of His receiving the things themselves, but of the praise of them; and that these are to be observed in Him, and to be ascribed to Him.” Specifically, those characteristics are “power-omnipotence; riches-beneficence; wisdom-omniscience; strength-power in prevalent exercise; honour-the highest reputation for what he has done; glory-the praise due to such actions; and blessing-the thankful acknowledgments of the whole creation.” (Studylight.org) Because of how magnificent Christ Jesus is, He alone is worthy to receive all honor and glory.

3) Why is it important that every creature join in the praise? (verse 14)
Philippians 2:9-11 tells us of Father God’s intentions with Jesus. He gave Jesus “the name that is above every name so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord”.  Every creature giving Jesus praise in the Revelation passage shows the fulfillment of God’s plan. Job even said to God, “I know that you can do anything and no plan of yours can be thwarted.” (Job 42:2) Also important is that by joining in the praise of Jesus, the worshipers are acknowledging Him as God, for only God deserves all worship, “There cannot be the slightest doubt that the Lamb is to be reckoned with God and as God.” (Enduring Word) This is evidenced by the elders worshiping in complete surrender. (verse 14)

Everyday Application

1) Who were the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders worshiping? (verse 10)
The four living creatures and the twenty-four elders were worshiping the Lamb who was slain but was yet alive. They worshipped Him as the Lion of Judah and the Root of David. (Revelation 5:5) We know Him as Jesus. We worship Him as the Lamb because He went to the cross to pay for our sins. (1 John 3:16) We worship Him as the Root of David because “the Messiah was the Branch that would grow from Jesse’s root to restore David’s dynasty.” (Global Study Bible) Jesus is that Messiah. Finally, we worship him as the Lion of Judah because He conquered sin and the grave. (2 Timothy 1:10) Just as Jesus was worshiped by the living creatures and the elders, so should we worship Him for Who He is and what He has done for us. Consider your own view of Jesus in your everyday life. How often do you consider worshiping Him for Who He is in the middle of your daily routine? If heavenly elders and creatures worship Him on their faces, how can we do less?

2)  What is the significance of the seven items ascribed to The Lamb in verse 12?
Each of the seven items are characteristics we can observe in Jesus. The Lord Jesus has the power to do what He plans, therefore, we can depend on Him to handle every situation. Every resource belongs to Jesus. He is able to bless us with those riches, of which the most precious is His grace “that He richly poured out on us with all wisdom and understanding.” (Ephesians 1:8) All wisdom comes from God. (Proverbs 2:6) We only need to ask and He will give it “generously and ungrudgingly.” (James 1:5) In everything we face, we can be strong because David reminds us in Psalm 28:7, “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped.” We all like to be recognized for our accomplishments. Jesus who “suffered the ultimate dishonor of being crucified as a common criminal to pay for our sins” and who “focused on honoring His heavenly Father during His ministry” (Kids Talk About God) deserves all honor due Him. Yet He also honors us! (John 12:26) Glory is the praise received for doing something of great significance. There isn’t enough space here to list all the things Jesus has done that are of great significance. Given they are too numerous, this alone is more evidence pointing to Him deserving all glory. And finally blessing. Jesus was there in the beginning with Father God crafting all of creation. (John 1:1-5) Jesus is the holder of blessings, which He freely gives to us. (James 1:17-18) Looking at this list, we begin to see the depth of Jesus’ goodness and His supreme holiness. How blessed we are to be able to worship Him and lavish Him with praise!

3) Why is it important that every creature join in the praise? (verse 14)
In our current culture, there are many who do not believe Jesus is God. There are many who don’t even believe there is a God. In Isaiah 45:22-23, God declares this unchangeable and inevitable truth, “For I am God, and there is no other. By myself I have sworn; truth has gone from My mouth, a word that will not be revoked: Every knee will bow to Me, every tongue will swear allegiance.”  Since it has been established that Jesus is God, then just as every knee will bow and confess God as God, then so too must every creature confess Jesus as Lord. They must acknowledge His divinity and bow in worship to Him. We are able to freely choose this worship today and should make every effort to do so as often as we can. Jesus is Lord. Let us offer Him our praise and worship! On the day Christ returns to earth to set up His rule and reign, the choice will no longer be ours to make. Every tongue will confess Him as Lord, but the opportunity to surrender willfully will have passed. The decision to reject Christ as Lord will be honored by God and all who have willfully rejected Him will spend eternity apart from Him. Choose today to surrender in full worship with your life!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Training Week Three!
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Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

The GT Weekend ~ Seeds Week 2

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The GT Weekend!

At Gracefully Truthful, weekends aren’t for “checking out”.
Use this time to invite the Almighty’s fullness into you life in a deeper way!
Saturdays and Sundays are a chance to
reflect, rest, and re-center our lives onto Christ.
Don’t miss the opportunity to connect with other women in prayer,
rest your soul in reflective journaling,
and spend time worshiping the Creator who
longs for intimacy with each of us!

Worship Through Journaling

Worship Through Journaling

1) Sara put words to a struggle we all encounter at various points in life, either to live in fear of people or walk in faith with the God who has never failed us. Take some time to identify where you have lived in fear of people in the past. How has the Lord shaped your heart to choose Him, as the better, over acquiescing to others? Celebrate His work here! Consider new challenges where you are apt to choose what people want at the expense of following the Savior? Take these specifically to the Lord in prayer!

2) On Wednesday, we were challenged to consider the pitfalls of our identity sources. Sara noted how grateful she was for having walked through a season of having her identity deconstructed. Consider writing out your top 4 markers of your identity and sift through the source for each of those. If the source is removed, the identity will crumble. What is holding up your identity?

3) All throughout this Journey Theme of Seeds, we’ve been challenging ourselves to consider “what if” we lived as boldly as the examples we find in the pages of Acts of those first century Christians. Their stories are incredible and their faith seems entirely other, but it began simply, exactly like our own. Each of their journeys grew from a seed of faith, nourished by a regular, consistent investment in a relationship with the God of the Universe in everyday life. The invitation for dramatic life change is ours as well. What If  you were to begin investing deeper with Jesus this weekend? Where might He take you? What would He want you to know? Who would He want you to share the gospel with? Suppose the Lord had written an invitation to you, what would your response be? Write it out and be willing to be different!

Praying Scripture back to the One who wrote it in the first place is a great way to jump start our prayer-life! Pray this passage from Job 38:31-33 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades
or loose the cords of Orion?
Can you lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season,
or can you guide the Bear with its children?
Do you know the ordinances of the heavens?
Can you establish their rule on the earth?

Prayer Journal
Ah Lord God, Your good kindness to us is so far beyond my comprehension. Keep taking my breath away with the vastness of Your love and Your design for life! You, who created galaxies we haven’t even explored. You, who gather the seas in Your hand. You who measure the mountains on a scale. You, who crafted the body of an ant and the structure of micro-organisms, purposed to have a relationship with every single human being on a deep and personal level. And then You called us out, made us new, and gave us purpose as You invited us into a mission to love others as You have loved us. Keep my eyes focused in this rich truth, reminding me You’ve invited me ever deeper into “What If!”.

Worship Through Community

Can we pray for you? Reach Out! We’d love to pray for and with you!
Send us an email at prayer@gracefullytruthful.com

Build community, be transparent, and encourage others:
Share how God spoke to you today!
Comment Here or in our Facebook Community Group!

Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

Tabernacle Day 10 Scapegoat

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Hebrews 9:1-10
Leviticus 16
Isaiah 53
Hebrews 2:14-18
Hebrews 13:11-15

Tabernacle, Day 10

Sisters, the more I study the Bible,
the more I write these Journey Studies,
the more vividly aware I become of
how little I know about God and His love letter to us.
Familiarity with His Word will do that….make you hungry for more of Him. 
Transparency is central to all of us at Gracefully Truthful, so,
know that we are right here with you, journeying and learning more of our Savior together. 

What we share on these pages….
you’re glimpsing our hearts,
you’re seeing Jesus with the same fresh eyes that we are.
These aren’t just cleverly crafted words to us,
These are the result of hours and hours of pouring over His Word that we might know Him better. 

This precious Word, intricately crafted by the Father God as He wove together every single word to declare His love, making known to us the way of salvation and intimacy with Him.
No detail lacks intentionality.
Even the parts we think are boring. 

Just a few months ago, I didn’t even know that each portion of the tabernacle symbolized anything. I feel completely unworthy of sharing what I’ve learned with you, but the beauty in this is a reminder that
we don’t need to be a certain age to study the Bible,
we don’t need a degree in Theology,
we don’t even need to be a follower of Jesus for a certain number of years. 

The first time I read the Bible cover to cover was in fifth grade. Even today I remember dozing my way through the Old Testament, specifically Leviticus and Numbers.
Boy oh boy were those books a bore! I wondered why God even included them in the Bible!
What did they really have to do with ANYTHING?  

In books and movies, the most fascinating characters to me are those who, being incredibly intelligent, are able to map every little detail of their lives. Their knowledge of every supporting character is so thorough, they know exactly how to evoke the intended response. Sometimes you may be confused by their response or action, but as the story unfolds, you realize that every action was part of a well-intentioned plan.  

I didn’t sidetrack there!
That is a picture of how God wrote the Bible. The more we study His story, watching it unfold, it becomes evident that even those incredibly boring books, full of instructions and lists, are all part of His well-intentioned plan.  

The Day of Atonement is also known as Yom Kippur.
One day a year, the High Priest would enter into the Holy of Holies (the most sacred section of the Tabernacle) to offer a sacrifice on behalf of the people that God would forgive them and remove their sin. Throughout the year, people would offer sacrifices for their individual sins, but this one was corporate as a whole nation before Yahweh.  

Two perfect goats were selected for the annual sacrifice.
One goat would be slaughtered and the spilt blood would be sprinkled in the Holy of Holies to “atone” (Hence, “Day of Atonement”) for the sins of the people. A second goat, a scapegoat, would be sent into the wilderness to “remove” the sins from off the people, carrying them away.  

The High Priest would place his hands on the scapegoat’s head, symbolizing all of Israel’s sin for that year being transferred to the goat. Then the goat would be sent into the wilderness,
never to return again.  

God specifically set up the Tabernacle,
the intricate details of the sacrificial system,
all the feasts and countless minutia we will never fully grasp,
to paint a picture with deep, beautiful strokes.
A portrait of all the coming Messiah would be for us, both at the cross and beyond, into eternity.

Jesus is our High Priest, giving us access into the Holy of Holies that we might have an intimate and close relationship with the Holy God of the Universe.
Jesus is our sacrificial Passover lamb, offered up to free us from sin, just as Israel was freed from the bondage of slavery in Egypt.
Jesus is the Scapegoat of the Day of Atonement, taking our sin, being crucified “outside of the city” (Hebrews 13:11) and removing our sin from us “as far as the east is from the west”. (Psalm 103:12)

Jesus is the fulfillment, the perfect fulfillment.
Every picture painted in the Old Testament, finds its beginning and ending in the heart of God as He very intentionally invites each of us to be partakers in the life that will never end.  

The delicate detail put in place hundreds of years before Jesus came, long before prophets even began prophesying of His coming – Is incredible!  

The Lord does NOTHING without a specific and perfect purpose.
Nothing about Him or His love is reckless.  

How incredible it is to know that He loves us THAT MUCH!
He had a great plan to redeem us, but it wasn’t a simple plan.
The more I learn this, the more I realize I will never be able to grasp the great and mighty Love of the Lord.
And the more I learn that, 
the more I fall in love with Him.  

So sisters… 

Leviticus and Numbers,
and every “boring” book or chapter in between…all have a purpose. 
They all point to His redeeming plan and incredible love for us! 

Ready for more? Dig Deeper!
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Share your thoughts from today’s Study!

Don’t miss today’s Digging Deeper!     And we’d love to hear your thoughts from today’s Journey!    Comment Here!

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Tabernacle Week Two! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
Click the above image for today’s Digging Deeper!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Worship!

Safe Day 8
Do Not Be Afraid

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Deuteronomy 31:1-6typorama (4)
John 16:25-33
John 14

I’m a huge C.S. Lewis fan. When I was in college I read the “Screwtape Letters” for the first time and hung on every word. During a questioning season, I poured over “Mere Christianity”. Like most of us, though, my first introduction to Lewis’ writing was in childhood, when he swept me away through the back of a wardrobe, past a glowing, snow-covered lamp post, into Narnia.

One of Lewis’s quotes from “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” that has always stuck with me is, “If there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than me or else just silly.”
“Then he isn’t safe?” asked Lucy.
“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver. “Don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”

In Lewis’s writings, Aslan represents Jesus, so why wouldn’t he be safe?
Isn’t Jesus safe?
In short, no, He isn’t. But He’s BETTER!

Oddly, when I think of safety, I see bars on windows or strong barricades. If I were hiding from danger, that’s the sort of place I would seek out.
No one gets in, no one has to go out, zero risk!
But that sounds a lot like a prison, doesn’t it? Thankfully Jesus has called us to live out from behind bars. We dwell in the beautiful, intoxicating, completely UNSAFE world.  

Should we be afraid? Of course not! Deuteronomy 31:6 is just one of 365 verses in the Bible that declares, “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you.”

In his book, “Radical” (Highly Recommend!), David Platt says, “Radical Obedience to Christ is not easy—It’s not comfort, not health, not wealth, and not prosperity in this world. Radical obedience to Christ risks losing all these things. But in the end, such risk finds its reward in Christ. And He is more than enough for us.”

As Mommy of three small children, the idea of living in a world of trouble where God doesn’t guarantee our safety is something I struggle with.
Doesn’t He want THEM to be safe?
I can’t go around taking crazy risks, I have tiny people to protect!
We can’t give too much money away, we want our kids to be well provided for!
Perhaps more honestly, I don’t want to do things that aren’t safe.
I don’t want to give things up that make me comfortable.
I don’t want to go to sketchy places and share Jesus with sketchy people and give up my time and do things that are scary….and potentially quite unsafe.
Frankly, I want to eat chocolate, watch some Netflix, and go to bed at a reasonable hour. But time and again, I know Jesus is calling me to more. As He calls each of us.

I recently watched an amazing documentary called, “The Drop Box”. It tells the story of South Korean pastor, Lee Jong-rak, who created a “drop box” for unwanted babies in his home. Lee offers a place for babies to be dropped off and he, with his wife and a few volunteers, raise many of them. Many of these unwanted babies have severe health problems or special needs. I’m crying just thinking about him, not because his actions are so beautiful, but because the grit of his situation, his breathtaking love, and faithful obedience point to a life of surrender to Jesus. What Lee Jong-rak does is dangerous, it’s costly, it’s difficult, uncomfortable, and will likely lead to his own death. It is not safe, but it is good.

The crazy thing is, the more I follow closely to Jesus, the more He actually changes my heart. The more I trust Him, the more my “wants” become different. I actually would rather share my story, than choose not to proclaim Him. Taking a load of food to downtown places and passing it out to bearded, unwashed men in hopes of sharing Jesus is something I willingly choose because of what Jesus has done in me. When we love Jesus, we don’t have to worry about all the “What If’s” and “Unsafety’s” that He will lead us to doing, we can simply choose to trust and know that we are never alone.
No, God didn’t promise safety, but He did promise to never forsake or abandon us.
I’ll take the promise of security over temporary safety any day.

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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Safe Week Two! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme? Here’s a link to all past studies in Safe!

Day Twelve
Desperate for Change: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper posts are intended to help us go farther into God’s word than a simple surface reading
and are designed to help us discover new tools in the process.
Curious as to why we Dig Deeper? Here’s Why! 

The Passage

Looking for yesterday’s Journey Post? Check out Desperate For Change!

2 Corinthians 5:16-21, English Standard Version (ESV)

16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

My Questions

1) What is Paul referring to with “therefore”?

2) What does Paul mean when he says “old” and “new”?

3) What is the “ministry of reconciliation”?

4) What does it mean to be an ambassador of Christ?

The Tools

A trip to www.studylight.org is in order here.
We will get super cozy with this site as we study Scripture together!
Just type in the verse you’re looking at and Boom!
It’s right in front of you in English and Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament), which are the original languages the Bible was written in.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse?
Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Find super awesome stuff like “origin”, “definition”, and even all the different ways that single word has been translated into English! If you want to be geeky, you can even click the word and hear its original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want to get more background on a word or phrasing or passage?
Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

The Findings for Original Intent

1) When you see a “therefore” in Scripture, ask yourself, “What is it there for?” In chapter 5 of 2 Corinthians, Paul is making the argument that all is for the glory of God. No one should boast in his own works, but rather in God’s righteousness alone. As followers of Christ, we long for the day that all will be made right. When we encounter God, our desperation is revealed and the desire for change consumes us. Paul makes the argument that God uses us as believers to be His glory on display in the world around us.

2) We all know what the words mean but here is an analogy used by Paul to make a separation between what was and what is now; what life is before Christ and what life is after Christ. The transformation in our hearts is so great that we go from old, dead, fleshly driven humanity to new, alive, spiritually focused ambassadors.

3) Looking at verses 18 and 19, Paul tells us the definition of the “ministry of reconciliation”. God reconciled us to himself through the death and resurrection of His Son Christ Jesus, because of that we have a job assignment from now until eternity…tell others! God entrust believers with the task of telling others of the change that has taken place in our lives, the dramatic transformation from death to life. God made a way for us, therefore, we must be the eternal town crier letting the world know the reconciliation that comes from knowing God.

4) The word ambassador in the original language literally means ambassador in English as well. The dictionary defines ambassador as “an accredited diplomat sent by a country as its official representative to a foreign country or a person who acts as a representative or promoter of a specified activity.” Christ-followers are aliens and foreigners in this world (John 18:36) and we are accredited by the power of the Holy Spirit to be in this world, but not from it. We are God’s representative and promoters of His loving righteousness in a crooked and twisted generation. (Philippians 2:15)

Some Applications for Our Everyday Lives

1) Paul’s argument is life-giving truth for a desperate soul. We are made new creations in the power of Christ’s resurrection. “O death where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:54b-57)

2) Old and new gives a visual representation that we can relate to. Think about when you buy a new pair of shoes. They are pristine, without blemish. Now wear them every day for a year. What do they look like? They are worn, scrapped or tarnished in some way. This is the difference, praise be to God He never leaves us in a worn out, blemished, separated state! Rather He pursues us, transforms us, and reconciles us to Himself!

3) “God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.” (2 Corinthians 5:19) Through Christ’s death, God bought us into favor with Himself. “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (1 Peter 2:9-10) We have received mercy and our change should prompt a desire to see other’s change.

4) Never forget your desperate state before you met Christ, never forget your story and God’s hand in bringing you into a reconciled relationship with Himself. Your story, His glory! We are accredited representatives for the Kingdom of God. Have you shared your faith story on our Faces of Grace? Now would be a great time to take that step of obedience by proclaiming Christ with your story!

What have you discovered on today’s journey? Share it with the GT Community!

Want To Try It For Yourself?!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read through it (always more than a verse or two).
3) Write down your questions as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers.
Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes
(click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and
embrace the fullness of God in your everyday!

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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
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Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Desperate Week Three! Don’t miss out on the discussion – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme? See all past studies in Desperate!