Henry: Welcome To Immerse: The Daily Bible Reading Experience.
Day 36
therefore, I a prisoner for serving the Lord beg you to lead
a life worthy of your calling.
For you have been called by God.
Always be humble and gentle.
Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's
faults because of your love.
Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the spirit, binding
yourselves together with peace.
For there is one body and one spirit, just as you have been called to
one glorious hope for the future.
There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God, and Father of all who
is overall in all and living through all.
However, he has given each one of us a special gift through
the generosity of Christ.
That is why the scriptures say, When he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd
of captives and gave gifts to his people.
Notice that it says he ascended.
This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world, and
the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all
the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself.
Now, these are the gifts Christ gave to the church, the apostles.
The prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers, their
responsibility is to equip God's people to do his work and build
up the church, the body of Christ.
This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge
of God's son, that we will be mature in the Lord measuring up to the full
and complete standard of Christ.
Then we will no longer be immature like children.
We won't be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching,
we will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so
clever, they sound like the truth.
Instead, we will speak the truth in love growing in every way.
More and more.
Like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church, he makes the
whole body fit together perfectly.
As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow so that
the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love with the Lord's authority.
I say this live no longer as the Gentiles do for they are hopelessly confused.
Their minds are full of darkness.
They wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds
and hardened their hearts against him.
They have no sense of shame.
They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity, but
that isn't what you learned about Christ.
Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from
him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which
is corrupted by lust and deception.
Instead, let the spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.
Put on your new nature created to be like God.
Truly righteous and holy.
So stop telling lies.
Let us tell our neighbors the truth for we are all parts of the same body.
And don't sin by letting anger control you.
Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry.
For anger gives a foothold to the devil.
If you are a thief, quit stealing.
Instead, use your hands for good, hard work and then give
generously to others in need.
Don't use foul or abusive language.
Let everything you say be good and helpful so that your words will be
an encouragement to those who hear them, and do not bring sorrow to
God's Holy Spirit by the way you live.
Remember, he has identified you as his own guaranteeing that you will
be saved on the day of redemption.
Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words and slander, as
well as all types of evil behavior.
Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another just
as God through Christ has forgiven You, imitate God, therefore, in everything
you do because you are his dear children.
Live a life filled with love following the example of Christ he loved us
and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, A pleasing aroma to God.
Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you.
Such sins have no place among God's people.
Obscene stories, foolish talk and coarse jokes.
These are not for you.
Instead, let there be thankfulness to God.
You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit
the kingdom of Christ and of God for a greedy person is an idolater
worshiping the things of this world.
Don't be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins for the anger of
God will fall on all who disobey him.
Don't participate in the things these people do.
For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord.
So live as people of light for this light within you produces only what
is good and right and true carefully.
Determine what pleases the Lord.
Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness.
Instead, expose them.
It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret.
But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them.
For the light, makes everything visible.
This is why it is said a Waco sleeper rise up from the dead
and Christ will give you light.
So be careful how you live.
Don't live like fools, but like those who are wise.
Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.
Don't act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.
Don't be drunk with wine because that will ruin your life.
Instead be filled with the Holy Spirit singing Psalms and hymns and spiritual
songs among yourselves and making music to the Lord in your hearts.
And give thanks for everything to God the Father, in the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
And further submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
For Wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord.
For a husband is the head of his wife, as Christ is the head of the church.
He is the savior of his body.
The church, as the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit
to your husbands and everything.
For husbands, this means love your wives.
Just as Christ loved the church, he gave up his life for her to
make her holy, unclean washed by the cleansing of God's word.
He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot
or wrinkle, or any other blemish.
Instead, she will be holy and without fault in the same way
husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies.
For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself, no one hates
his own body, but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church.
And we are members of his body as the scriptures say, a man leaves his
father and mother and is joined to his wife and the two are united into one.
This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way
Christ and the church are one.
So again, I say each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and
the wife must respect her husband.
Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord.
For this is the right thing to do.
Honor your father and mother.
This is the first commandment with a promise.
If you honor your father and mother, things will go well for you and you
will have a long life on the earth.
Fathers do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them.
Rather bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.
Slaves obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear.
Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ.
Try to please them all the time, not just when they are
watching you as slaves of Christ.
Do the will of God with all your heart.
Work with enthusiasm as though you were working for the
Lord rather than for people.
Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we
do, whether we are slaves or free.
Masters.
Treat your slaves in the same way.
Don't threaten them.
Remember, you both have the same master in heaven and he has no favorites.
A final word, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm
against all strategies of the devil.
For we are not fighting against flesh and blood enemies.
But against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty
powers in this dark world and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
Therefore, put on every piece of God's armor so you will be able to
resist the enemy in the time of evil.
Then after the battle, you will still be standing firm.
Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body
armor of God's righteousness.
For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the good news so
that you will be fully prepared.
In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop
the fiery arrows of the devil.
Put on salvation as your helmet and take the sword of the
spirit, which is the word of God.
Pray in the spirit at all times and on every occasion.
Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
And pray for me too.
Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God's mysterious plan.
That the good news is for Jews and Gentiles alike.
I am in chains now still preaching this message as God's ambassador,
so pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him as I should.
To bring you up to date.
Ticus will give you a full report about what I am doing
and how I am getting along.
He is a beloved brother and faithful helper in the Lord's work.
I have sent him to you for this very purpose to let you know how
we are doing and to encourage you.
Peace be with you dear brothers and sisters.
May God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you love with faithfulness.
May God's grace be eternally upon all who love are Lord Jesus Christ.
This concludes today's immer reading experience.
Thank you for joining us.