In Him

In Him

When people come to new life in Christ, our first instinct is to teach them to "do" - to read the Bible, attend church, serve in the church, become part of a small group, give, and so on. And of course, all these things are important. But there is a prior step we too often miss. If we are to negotiate with the mess of life, the ups & downs of our emotions, the whims of circumstance, and the sheer pressure of the world and our human brokenness, then the first step is to make sure that we know who we are as those who have been united to Christ. The Book of Ephesians is a letter the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus in the 1st century. 1st century Christians were losing a lot, they were discriminated against, persecuted against, ostracized by families. It was a diverse church of Jews and gentiles, all trying to figure out how to endure, co-exist and live out this faith in Christ. But to do that, each person has to learn about and come to terms with their identity and who they are IN CHRIST. When you place your faith in Jesus and his work on the cross for the forgiveness of your sins, you get a whole new identity. You become a new creation. In this letter, Paul maps out a counterintuitive and countercultural vision for who you are IN CHRIST and what that means for your practice, day-to-day life. By living out our identity in Christ, the church embodies God’s ways and furthers His work in a dark world.