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Attached to the Body (The Cage Series – Part 4 of 4)
Hello Sister! Now that you are walking in the light free from your cage, it is easy to often feel we have to do it all on our own. But God knows that we need encouragement, instruction, and companionship in order to be faithful Christians.
From the beginning God has longed for mankind to love him. He has wanted them to separate themselves from the world and honor him. He started by creating a separate group, the Israelites, but they failed him often turning to idols and evil ways. Through Christ, however, God created a new gathering of His people, the body of Christ. And we have the choice of being a part of it or not being a part of it. By going through the “water gate” of baptism, you are choosing to enter His body. (1 Cor. 12:13) Christ has freely given you his body. First, He gave you his body on the cross. And then He created a new body for you to be a part of: the church. (Eph 1:22-23)
Where would we be without the church? New marriages often suffer, new parents are often nervous, widows/widowers are often lonely, people who lost a job are often depressed. How much more so if you don’t have a group of people who can lift you up? God knows how much we need each other. Romans 12: 15 tells us to “rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep.” Going through difficult times, such as depression, loss of family, loss of a job, etc., are so much easier to bear when we have our church family. And by the same token, weddings, new babies, new jobs, etc. are so much sweeter, joyful and even less stressful when we have our church family. Even the bonds of blood family are deepened when we share the Lord and his mercies.
Knowing that I have a gathering full of women that I can call and seek advice from when I am struggling through life as a wife, mother or Christian is comforting. I imagine that if I were a widow, it would be a huge comfort to know that if I needed something, I have full gathering of people to call on; that somebody would come help me. Knowing the strength, peace and friendship I receive from the church, I have such a hard time understanding why someone would choose to not be a part of it.
Christ calls us to be an active body part: the hand that serves, the ear that listens, the mouth that teaches, or the shoulder to cry on. Romans 12 says “We have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ… Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.” We each have a place in which to serve. 1 Corinthians 12:18 says “God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired.” And Ephesians 4: 11-12 says “He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ.” Notice that the reason he gave us different jobs was so that we, as the body, would be well equipped for works of service and that we together might build up the body.
Often we hear (said in a deep voice, of course), “DO NOT FORSAKE THE ASSEMBLY.” (Go on. I know you want to giggle). This comes from Hebrews 10: 24-25. But let’s look at these verses more closely. “And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” We are to stimulate and encourage each other. How do we do this? By not neglecting to meet together.
We can look to the first Christians in Acts 2 as an example for us. “They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.” They met together, served together, worshiped together, prayed together, and gave to those who had a need so that they as individuals would be strengthened and the body of Christ would grow in number and maturity.
We often say “time to Go to church” but more accurately we should say “time to go be with the church.” Being a part of the church is more than just filling a pew on Sunday morning. It is lending a helping hand when others need it. And it is calling on others when you have a need. It is about being mentored by older women and in turn mentoring the younger women. It is about fellowshipping with each other over meals and birthday parties. It is about helping each other grow stronger in our faith and our knowledge. It is about coming together to worship our Lord as one body with a united voice. It is about coming together to feast at the Lord’s table. We are called to be one whole complete fitted-together body; not a divided, broken or scattered body.
Some people forget that they have to be attached to the body in order to be a part of the body. If someone has an accident and they cut off their fingers, why do we rush to the hospital to get those fingers put back on? Because if we don’t they will cease to be a part of the body. The severed fingers will die because they are not fed by the blood. The hand where the fingers once were will have to be stitched up. Sadly the hand, though it may work well, will never again work to its fullest ability because of the loss. Same goes with the church. My grief although is more for the fingers than for the injured hand. Because the fingers are lost, dying and now useless. When the body goes to heaven, the fingers will not go, because they are not attached to the body. I fear that too many “fingers” out there, dismembered from the body, believe that because they were once baptized or because they still believe in God, that they are ok. 1 John 1 7 tells us “if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” Based on this scripture, can we not also infer that if we “do not” walk, we “do not” have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son “does not” cleanse us?
It has been said that life is in the blood, when referring to the physical body. It is also true of the spiritual body. Col 2:19 indicates the spiritual body is nourished by the head of the body, which is Christ. Therefore if you are not attached to Christ’s body, you do not have his blood. If you do not have his blood, you have no life and your sins are not covered. How then can those severed fingers claim that Christ’s blood covers them, when they are not attached to the body?
I find this thought amazing: though today’s earthly surgeons cannot replace a finger after a certain amount of time or damage, Christ, the great healer, can. Just as he physically repaired the man’s ear in Luke 22:51, He can bring those dead lifeless fingers back to the body and restore them completely. There may be a time of healing, cleansing and rehabilitation, but eventually they can be fully and completely restored.
So it goes beyond the basic need of companionship, we cannot survive without the body of Christ. And though you have the option of leaving the group at anytime, I don’t understand why anyone would. It makes absolutely no sense to me. Why would you walk away from God’s sweetest blessings? The blessings of spiritual family, of being renewed by the blood, of being nourished by Christ, and of fellowship that encourages you in your walk with God. Because by leaving you are choosing to leave the blessing and grace that are extended to those in the gathering.
Please, join me, and your brothers and sisters, in Christ in strengthening Christ’s body both with your presence and your work.
by Amy Ellis
Originally printed in the Fall 2011 Issue V4N3
Part 1 – The Cage and The Door
Part 2 – Walking through The Door
Part 3 – Living in the Light
Living in The Light (The Cage Series – Part 3 of 4)
You have just come through the water gate of baptism. I run to you and wrap my arms around you, hugging you tight. “Welcome Friend! I am so thrilled that you have chosen to come live in the Lord’s light. God has rescued you from the domain of darkness, and transferred you to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Col. 1:13) You are now a part of “ A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light ; for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD ; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.” 1 Peter 2: 9-10 Friend, You are completely free from your cage of sin.
Now begins your childhood as a child of God, a child of the Light. (1Thess. 5:5) … Imagine for a moment that you are in a busy mall. The alarms start sounding. People start screaming. You look around and notice a bomb is ticking within a few feet of you. Someone runs to you and pushes you behind a counter, saving your life. How would you feel about that person? How would you thank that person? How would you honor that person? What if that person died because they were saving you? Could you ever do enough? … This is how I feel toward our heavenly Father and toward Christ. And what child does not love her father? Especially a father that has saved her life. I can never do enough. But I can give my love and my devotion in return.
Once a scribe asked Jesus, “What commandment is the foremost of all?” Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God Is One Lord; AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.’ “The second is this, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12: 28-31 We should love God with all of our self, everything we have, with every talent, every emotion, every action, every thought. This takes a lot of dedication and practice. And we will not get it right every moment of the day. But that is why God extends us his grace.
We show our love to God through our obedience. Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” John 14:15 By being obedient we are continuing to live in the light. Jesus also says, “I am the Light of the world ; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” John 12:8
Being in the light takes trust and faith in the Lord. There is only one way we can truly know what God expects and desires from us: we must spend time reading his word and applying it to our lives. Furthermore, we must spend time in prayer: praising him, confessing our sins, thanking him and sharing our burdens with Him. By doing these things, we are developing a relationship of trust and faith with him. James 4: 8 says “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”
Being in the light, and delighting ourselves in meditating on God’s word, is like being a tree planted near streams of water, as we grow in the light our leaves will not wither, and whatever we do will prosper but first and foremost, we will bear fruit. (Psalms 1: 2-3) “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” Gal 5:22 Imagine what a magnificent fruit tree you can be; Bearing fruit for the Lord. But it doesn’t stop here. We must continually “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter3:18 You should “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.” Col 1: 10-12 Being in the light is a lifetime journey of learning, growing, maturing, and bearing fruit as we are able.
One thing we must be watchful of is that we do not again fall into sinful darkness. When we are tempted, we often fall into sin. Sin can entangle us in an instant. We must remember that “God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, {then} we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” 1John 1:5-7
We are told to “be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us.” Eph 5:1 We are also told to “Keep seeking the things above,… For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” Col 3: 1-3 Furthermore, “immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.” Eph 5:3-4 We should “Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.” Col 3:5 We are warned that the wrath of God will come on those who disobey. We once walked in filthy, dirty ways, but now we should “walk as children of Light (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth ), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.” We should not “participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them” to the light. Eph 5: 8-11 “As those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, {We should} put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience ; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone ; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.” Col 3:12-13 “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”Eph 5: 15-17
To sum up our goals as children of light, we should
1.“Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.”
2.“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body;”
3.“Be thankful.”
4.“Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you,”
5.“With all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”
6.“Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” Col 3: 14-17
Our goals seem simple, but they take a life time to master. Some people look at living in the light as a list of strict rules, a bunch of do’s and don’ts. But serving God is an honor, a joy and a privilege. If you were asked by the Queen of England, or the Emperor of Japan, to perform for a special event or cook for an intimate family dinner, would you not find that an honor or a privilege to do so? Well we serve the greatest of Kings, everyday. From the smallest of friendly smiles toward a neighbor to the massive missionary efforts. From the daily struggles to form new habits and overcome sin to joyfully and confidently using our talents. Yes, living in the light takes effort, determination and perseverance. At times it will be challenging. But it is also peaceful. Yes you will struggle and even fall but the Lord will lift you up when you are down. (James 4:10) God will be your shelter in the storm. (Psalm 5:11-12) And He will give you solid ground to stand on. (Matt 7:24) Friend, being rescued from our dark cages of sin, is the greatest gift we have ever received. It not only frees us, but gives us the greatest blessing only He can bestow. Let us now spend the rest of our life praising him, thanking him, and serving him as we journey toward our reward in Heaven.
By Amy Ellis
Originally printed in the Summer 2011 Issue V4N3
Part 1 – The Cage and The Door
Part 2 – Walking through The Door
Part 4 – Attached to the Body
Walking through the Door (The Cage Series – Part 2 of 4)
Hello Friend! I see that you are still trapped in your cage. I am sad to see that you are locked inside, away from the beauty of the light, trapped by your sin… What’s that you say?…You want to come live in the light, but you don’t know how to open the Door?…Let me tell you The Way.”
First, you have to accept the fact that Jesus is truly the way out of your cage. Many claim to be the savior of the world, but only through Jesus can you be saved. (Acts 4:12) You have to believe and trust that God will do as he has promised. In John 14:1, Jesus tells us ““Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.” Jesus goes on in John 14 to tell us of the heavenly home he is preparing for us. But we cannot go to that heavenly home unless we are free from our cage. God through his grace provides us the gift of The Door and we in faith must walk through it. (Eph2. 8 )
The door that Jesus provides is actually a water gate, also called baptism. Mark 16:16 says “He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved.” You may be wondering why a water gate? Why is this way so important? What happens when I go through the water gate?
When you are baptized, you are united with Christ’s death and resurrection. Romans 6 says we are buried with Christ in baptism and we are raised from the dead just as Christ was raised from the dead. Just as Christ was put into an earthly tomb, we are put in a watery tomb. As he was covered with the stone, we are covered by water. We are brought up from that tomb just as Christ was brought up from his. We are putting to death the sin we have and we are allowing Christ to live in us. We are choosing to die to sin and to live to righteousness (1 Pet 2: 24 ) Gal 5:24 describes it this way: “those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” In other words, we repent and change our behavior from sinful to righteous so that we might proclaim “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” Gal 2:20
Because we are united with Jesus’ death in baptism we are also united with his blood. Christ’s blood is able to cleanse our conscience (Heb 9: 14), forgive our trespasses (Eph 1: 7) and release us from our sins (Rev. 1:50) Baptism, therefore, is an appeal to God for a good conscience. (1 Pet. 3:21) Before baptism we are vile and repulsive, caged in our sin, but Jesus and the Holy Spirit wash, sanctify (purify, make holy), and justify (make guiltless) sinners in Christ’s blood. (1 Cor 6:11, Heb 13:12, Rom 5:9) During baptism, because of Jesus’ blood, our hearts are “sprinkled clean from an evil conscience” and our bodies are “washed with pure water”. (Heb 10:22) Because Jesus’ blood does all these things, God promises us that we will enter “the Holy Place of God”: Heaven. (Heb 10:26)
Not only are we united with Christ’s death and cleansed of our sins but in baptism we are spiritually circumcised. Before Christ came, to be considered holy before God, men had to have their foreskin cut off. Before baptism we are dead and uncircumcised in our sins but through baptism God removes sin from us, circumcising us, making us holy. (Col 2:9-13) And because we are made holy, we are able to come before Him.
During baptism through the Holy Spirit, we are “all baptized into one body”, Christ’s body (1 Cor. 12: 12-13). Eph 5: 23-27 tells us that Jesus cleanses his body, the church, with his blood and by washing her with water, cleansing her so that she has “no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.” We are no longer divided: Jew or gentile, slave or master, but are unified into one body: the church. (Gal 3:28,) It is through baptism that Jesus fulfills the promise he made in Matt. 16:18 when He says “I will build My church.” And we, having been baptized, are now members of His body, the church, each with our own spiritual gift in which to serve him. (Rom 12)
Once we are buried with Christ, we are raised to a new life, and God puts us under his grace. (Rom 6:4, 14) We were once dead, but are now ALIVE together with Christ, having been forgiven of our sins. (Col 2:13, Eph 2: 5) We have been born again, born of both water and the spirit (John 3:5) Each of us is now “a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” 2 Cor. 5:17 Being a new creature, “we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works” (Eph 2: 10) Also, when we are baptized we are clothed with Christ, which means we now belong to Christ. (Gal 3:27) Being that we are now connected with Christ and made holy, we have been made complete (Col 2:10). Eph 2:19 says “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household.” And as such you are free to live in the Light, free from the slavery of sin. (John 8: 34-36) Because our sins have been removed and we have been made holy, we have been saved from the wrath of God (Romans 5:9) and instead have entered the kingdom of God. (John 3:5) Because God is now our king, we are slaves to Him and to righteousness, rather than slaves to sin, (Rom 6). And our reward and promise will be to live eternally in Heaven with Him (Heb 9:15, 1 John 2:25).
For some letting go of their sin, their cage, is hard. “Do I want to leave the familiarness of my cage? Do I want to change my life? Do I want to let go of sin?” But the choice is yours and yours alone, will you stay in your cage and eventually die in your cage, miserable and separated from the Father? Or will you let go of the cage, and choose to live in the light and in the blessings and in the way of the Jesus. In choosing to walk through the door, you are choosing to live your life differently. To live your life in way that honors both God and Jesus who have done so much to save you.
What if I chose to not go through the door? If you chose not to go through the door, then you are still a slave to sin (Rom 6, Rom 8:34). You are still trapped in your cage. You are separate from Christ, excluded from his body, and denied God’s blessings. And most of all you have NO HOPE! (Eph 2:12) Furthermore, because you are still trapped, the wrath of God remains on you. (John 3:36) 2 Thess 1: 8-9 says “He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power.”
Wouldn’t it be better to come to the light and not live in your cage of sin? Come my friend! Use the water gate and come to the light! “Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.” Acts 22:16
By Amy Ellis
Originally printed in the Spring 2011 Issue V4N2
Part 1 – The Cage and The Door
Part 3 – Living in the Light
Part 4 – Attached to the Body
The Cage and The Door (The Cage Series – Part 1 of 4)
Imagine for a moment that you are locked away in a dark cage with no door or gate and no hope of escape. Through small windows you can see how beautiful life is outside. You try to make your cage homey and tell yourself that living in a cage is “Just fine.” But you deep down you know that it is not fine. That living in a cage is miserable. And while you try to ignore it, you know there is a hopelessness that lives inside you.
Now imagine that I have come to your window. “I know the way out.” I whisper. “He is called ‘The Door’.” Would you listen to what I have to say? I would tell you of The Door, and why I love Him so… His name is Jesus Christ.
I love Jesus Christ because He can sympathize with us. He was born as a man, lived within a family, honored his parents and loved his siblings. And because He was human, he was tempted , just as I am tempted. When Jesus was weak from fasting for 40 days, Satan came to tempt Jesus. Satan tempted Jesus to turn stones into bread, to throw Himself off the pinnacle of the temple and to worship Satan in order to gain kingdoms in this world. (Matthew 4:1-11) Now this is not the same way we are tempted…at least, I have never been taken to Jerusalem to stand on the roof of the temple and then asked to throw myself off without a parachute or a bungee cord. But the essence is the same…I am tempted. I am tempted to concentrate on worldly things rather than spiritual things; such as tending to my own housework rather than helping a friend in need. And I have been tempted to put material things in a higher priority than serving God, such as buying new gadgets for myself or my family rather than giving sacrificially to the Lord’s church.
Even more important than the temptation though, is that Jesus did not “give in”. Jesus resisted Satan saying “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of GOD.” …“You shall not put the LORD your GOD to the Test.” … and, “You shall worship the LORD your GOD, and serve Him only.” (Matthew 4:1-11) Jesus overcame. Jesus can sympathize with our weaknesses because He was tempted and He gives us the example of how to overcome temptation without sin. (Hebrews 4:15) Even though we are tempted in different ways, I can follow the example Jesus set when He was tempted in this world. And just as Jesus overcame, I am thankful that we too can overcome any temptation with God’s help.
I love Jesus Christ because he was a passionate, purposeful teacher. Jesus knew how important it was that we understand God’s love and His will for us. He taught while walking along the road, while sitting in someone’s house, while eating dinner, when he went to the synagogue, when people were gathered on the hillside, everywhere.
Not only that, but Jesus was a teacher with authority. Mark 1:22 says “They were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” Jesus wasn’t some random religious guy, he had authority to speak on God’s behalf. John 3:2 says “This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” Jesus was a purposeful, authoritative teacher sent from God.
I love that Jesus not only taught us how to live but He showed us how to live, making Himself the perfect example. His compassion teaches me to be compassionate. His need to pray teaches me to take time to pray. Devoting all His time to honor our Heavenly Father, teaches me to devote all my time and energy to the Father. Whether I am serving my family by doing the laundry, taking the time to encourage a friend, or building up the family by attending worship, Jesus’ teachings and example guide my way, leading me to a better life here on earth and to a wonderful life in heaven.
Most of all, I love Jesus Christ because God and Christ first loved me. God knew me before I was born (Psalm 139:13) and He wants me to be near him. But God knew I would be sinful. Romans 3:23 tells us that we all sin and fall short of the glory of God. And if we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves (1 John 1:8).
Sin separates us from God. It traps each of us in a dark cage with no way of escape. Unless someone provides a way out, we are forever trapped and separated from God. Often we try to make our cages home and tell ourselves that we like living this way. But ultimately we know the truth; that we are trapped and that we are missing out on the beauty of living outside in the light. Furthermore, if we don’t get out of our cage of sinful living we will be forever separated from God. Living a life trapped in sin only leads to an eternity trapped in hell. God knew that we needed a way out of our cage of sin so He provided us with a door. He sent his son Jesus to be that way out. “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved,” (John 10:9).
Before Jesus came, people would sacrifice animals (bulls, lambs or goats) that had no blemishes or spots to God. The death and the blood of the animal would atone for their sins. Atone is defined as “to make amends for an offense.” But these sacrifices were not good enough to completely atone for sin. God, however, loves people so deeply that He sent His Son be our perfect sacrifice. (John 3:16) Jesus had no sin (2 Corinthians 5:21) or “blemish”, thus making him a perfect lamb. God put our sins onto Jesus Christ and Jesus’ death and blood make atonement for our sins. (1 John 1: 17; Hebrews 2:17)
I am humbled by that fact that Jesus loves His Father and loves us so much that He submitted Himself to become our sacrifice. Jesus subjected Himself to a cruel, painful death on the cross to be my spotless lamb, to be my atonement. He could have fought back, beaten those who beat him, taken Himself off the cross, even prevented the whole thing from happening – but He didn’t. He was motivated by love. Love for the Father and for you and me. “We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us.” (1John 3:16) Because He loves us, He endured the beatings, the mocking, and the pain. By enduring He became my sacrificial lamb. And when Jesus became my sacrificial lamb, He became the door to my cage of sin.
Thankfully, Jesus’ life doesn’t end upon the cross. I love Jesus Christ because he was victorious. He defeated death, and defeated sin, by rising up from the dead. “Knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him.” Romans 6:9 That is amazingly powerful. Sometimes we hear about someone’s heart restarting or lungs that start to breathe again. But I have never attended someone’s funeral, watched that person be buried and three days later looked at their uncovered grave and then been able to touch, hug, and talk with them. But Jesus Christ did just that.
Jesus ascended back to God in heaven and I look forward to the day I can go to the home that Jesus is preparing for me. (John 14:3) I look forward to being united with my Heavenly Father. I am deeply grateful and humble for being freed from my dark cage, and even more grateful that this freedom allows me to escape the wrath and misery of hell.
The Door, Jesus, allows us the freedom to leave our cage of sin and be near our Heavenly Father. Having a door means we have a choice to make. We can choose to stay in our cage or we can walk through the door that Jesus provides and live in the light. I have made my choice – what choice will you make? Will you stay in your cage or walk through the door?
By Amy Ellis
Originally printed in the Winter 2011 Issue V4N1
Part 2 -Walking through the Door
Part 3 – Living in the Light
Part 4 – Attached to the Body