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NASB | Ephesians 2:22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Ephesians 2:22 In Him [and in fellowship with one another] you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. |
Bible Question:
I will provoke another thought now, that I hope will have repercussions for this entire forum. I will accuse us of a low level of processing. We can talk about a topic. We can talk about talking about a topic. We can talk around a topic. We can even quote scriptures that relate to a topic. We can talk about a question, but we either give an easy theoretical answer or we don‘t answer it at all. We can parry about and go off on tangents. But we find it hard to get to the guts, to answer a question in practical terms and to apply the word of God. We can talk about what “invisible” means and now, about how much dust would fly if the invisible became visible and vice-versa. It is more difficult to express an appreciation for what the word of God says about the church that Christ is building. But I like this forum. I have talked about its potential. One aspect of it I like is the tree-like format of the thing. We can make this part a tangent end and stretch it out. Or we can get to the higher level and actually answer the question. But is it not wonderful that we can talk all day about what “church” means and never ever say what we like abut the church? I challenge us to make a choice here. Say that it is wrong to provoke. Ask for a definition of “repercussions”. Impugn the motive. Argue the etymology of the word “church”. Engage in a personal attack on Nobel Aixen. Accuse him of bringing psychology onto a Bible Study forum because he used the words “level of processing". Cut him off. Or rise to the higher level and answer the question. What do you like, marvel at, appreciate, admire, about the wonderful work that the Lord is doing on this earth, building his church? See the vast building See it rise The work, how great! The plan how wise! How do you like it? To many, within and without, the church may not seem very beautiful now. There is all the dust and rubble of construction. Just as they may not see much beauty in Aixen. But when he shall appear, we shall be like him. I hope we get to shout to the principalities and powers then, “How do you like me now?” But Jesus is the Master Builder, and he is building his church. Down around here, amidst the dust and the rubble, we can hardly see the beauty of the thing. Let us rise to the higher level and look at it, and say what we think. Or must I put it in the form of a question? |
Bible Answer: Nobel You have more than once convinced us you like to dabble in the hypothetical, the philosophical, and perceived rather than the tangible, absolute, and never changing. You asked what we like or dislike about the church. I dislike how the hypothetical, philosophical, and the perceived is invading the church. God is real, constant and absolute as should the church be. We have allowed situational ethics, relative truth and experience replace what God designed to be the standard, the stalwart, the consistent, the fact and the truth. We have done it name of intellectualism, relevance, and just plain keeping up with the times. However the truths God gave us span time, span philosophy, span analytical mumbo jumbo. We can try to reduce God down to our feelings, our perception, or even our state of mind but the fact remains God is still God. Instead of trying to find out how our thoughts fit in the church, or how the church can be changed to allow our thoughts to fit in, we need to make our thoughts conform to what God has defined as constants in this world. God and the things of God are not hypothetical, philosophical nor perceived. And we need to learn to accept, conform and be content with in them. What do like about the church? Everything God has done! EdB |