Daily Bread – February 15, 2024 (The Fifth Day – Genesis 1:20-23) Ephesians 2:22 – …in whom also you are built together into a habitation of God by the Spirit. Through the mercy and grace of God, we are brought into the family of God and are being taught and prepared by the Holy Spirit to live the life of God. Both Jew and Gentile believers must submit themselves to this work of grace and allow God the Holy Spirit to take control of their lives. There is no doubt God has future plans for Israel as a nation, but everyone must realize the only way they can come into the Kingdom of God is through Jesus Christ. Jesus was not just the means by which the nations’, or Gentiles’, sins were washed away, but He is also the means for Israel as well (Acts 4:12; Romans 10:1-4) Through Jesus, we grow into a holy temple. And through Jesus, we are built together as a holy habitation where God dwells (1 Peter 2:5). This does not take away from the miracle that made each person the temple of the Holy Spirit and the habitation of the Lord (1 Corinthians 3:16; 2 Corinthians 6:16; John 14:23). Rather, this expands it into how we are brought together in the culture and relationship of God’s eternal Kingdom. There is only one Church, one company of the redeemed – and they are made up of all the nations of the Earth, including Israel. There are no walls, or partitions, to make room for different expressions and beliefs. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all (Ephesians 4:4-6). The Greek verb ‘sunoikodomeo’, translated ‘built together’, is a compound verb of ‘sun’ and ‘oikodomeo’. The verb ‘oikodomeo’ is used in the same context in 1 Peter 2:5 and Matthew 16:18. This Greek verb is in the form of a present passive indicative which denotes a continuous process. Each time someone is born of the Spirit, they are incorporated into this building of God. Blessings, Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
Daily Bread 2/15/2024
