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“Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have NOT seen yet have believed!” John 20:29 Eye-witness. First-hand account. Court-side seat. Present and accounted for.

Faith Studies Ephesians | “No foreigner may enter within the barricade which surrounds the sanctuary and enclosure. Anyone who is caught doing so will have himself to blame for his ensuing death.” Wall-builders. Boundary setters. Exclusionists. Separatists. Elitist. Us versus Them.

Ephesians 1:3-6 | “He predestined us to ADOPTION as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will…” Ephesians 1:5 Amazing grace! “Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” James 1:27

Ephesians 1:3-14 | It was not a day of joy. It was an annual event both dreaded and anticipated. It was dreaded in that the day would begin with the painful reminder of all the many, many ways that you had failed.

Ephesians 1:15-23 | We were not alone when we laughed out loud at what the preacher was saying. “Why is it,” he asked, “that we think that in order to appear ‘Christian’ in our decaying culture we have to be marked by our symbols? We have ‘Christian coffee shops’ and ‘Christian jewelry’ and ‘Christian bookstores’ and ‘Christian t-shirts’ and we even want our underwear to have the ‘Jesus fish’ label on them! Hey, this pastor is giving all you Christians permission to wear Fruit of the Loom!” And at that we, along with the 100s of others worshipping with us, could not help but laugh out loud. ☺

She was helping us with a major decision and we began a conversation… I asked, “Where are you from?” “I’m from Africa,” she replied. “I was in Kenya and Rwanda last month. Is that anywhere close to your home?” “I’m from Uganda. It’s a smaller nation in Africa. I usually just say ‘I’m from Africa’ because most Americans think it is just one big country. But there are over fifty nations in Africa. I’m from Uganda in Africa!”

Ephesians 2:8-10 | Legends. That would be the best word to describe us. The Class of ’68 was the MOST talented, the MOST accomplished, the MOST memorable, the GREATEST athletes, the most BRILLIANT scholars, trendsetters long before #trending was added to Webster’s treasury of frequently used words and freshly coined phrases. We were “All-Class” performers! Well…at least that’s how we remember it.

It is the sermon every Bible preaching pastor wishes he had delivered. For 40 years Pastor S.M. Lockridge faithfully shepherded the Calvary Baptist Church of San Diego, California. There were many memorable sermons delivered from that pulpit in those more than 2,000 Sundays. But the most noted of all was entitled, Sunday Is A Comin’!

Ephesians 2:18-22 | “In Him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” Ephesians 2:22 It’s not about the building! “Being ‘the church’ is our passion. Understanding from the Bible that Christ loves His church, died for His church, nurtures His church, and offers hope to a hopeless world through His church, we deeply desire to be a biblical church...to be a Christ-centered, Spirit-enabled, God-honoring body of believers devoted to growing as a Biblical church.”

Ephesians 2:13-18 | A simple glance at current headlines indicates that our world is in desperate need of a peace-maker!