Be Transformed

Ezekiel 36:22-24, 25-27 TPT
“Therefore, say to the people of Israel what I, Lord Yahweh, say: ‘I will not take action for your sake, people of Israel, but for the sake of the honour of my holy name, which you have caused to be slandered among the nations wherever you have gone. I am going to magnify the holiness of my great name, which you have greatly dishonoured before the eyes of foreign nations. And when I magnify my holiness in you before their eyes, the nations will know that I am Yahweh. I, Lord Yahweh, have spoken.’ I will sprinkle purifying water over you, and you will be cleansed from all the filth of your past. I will wash you clean from the defilement of worshiping false gods. I will graciously give you a new, tender heart and put a new, willing spirit inside you. I will remove your hard heart of stone and give you an obedient, responsive heart instead. I will put my Holy Spirit in you to empower you to keep my laws and to live by them.”

I want you to imagine that just yesterday you got married and you were now having breakfast with your new spouse. And as you finish you say to your new spouse “I am actually finding being with you too intimidating, too scary. Could you please give me book with a summary of your life up to now, your future plans and a list of your expectations of what a spouse of yours should do and be. It should have everything you think I need to know to be your spouse. And if you could post it to my minister’s house he will give it to me. Then we can go our separate ways now because then I will have all I need to know to act as your spouse.”

Can you imagine anyone saying that? Can you imagine a distance marriage relationship like that? Does that not seem crazy?

After God had freed the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt, He led them to Mount Sinai. And there the elders of Israel recommitted the nation to follow God. Then God told them through Moses that He was coming to meet with them personally so they could hear Him speaking to Moses.

But when it came to the actual event, the people were so terrified by God’s Presence they said to Moses; “”You speak to us, and we will listen, but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.” (Exodus 20:19 NRSVUE)

The upshot of this was that Israel remained at a distance and God dictated the Old Testament Law to Moses. Israel then committed to following the law.

And if you read the history of Israel in the Old Testament you can see this distanced relationship worked about as well as you might expect.

Hence in Ezekiel 36:22 God told Israel they had slandered His Name in the way they lived.

And the prophet Isaiah said: “This is what the Lord says about these people: “They come near to me with hollow words and honour me superficially with their lips; all the while their hearts run far away from me! Their worship is nothing more than man-made rules.” Isaiah 29:13 TPT

But, before we are tempted to get critical of Israel, you should know that since the reformation of the Christian church in the mid 17th Century, much of the church has adopted and taught Cessationist theology. This teaching says, that now that Scripture is complete, all the supernatural expressions of God’s Personal Presence, like prophets, apostles, miracles, visions, speaking in tongues, and God speaking personally to people, have ceased. Now, most churches effectively teach that reading the Bible is the only way we can have a relationship with God.

Hence, shortly after I became a Christian, when I asked one of my youth group leaders, “What happens next? How do you live the Christian life?” He answered, “You read the Bible and do what it says.” And I replied, “That’s it?” And he answered, “Yes”.

I knew my sins had been forgiven by God through Jesus death on the cross, because my church taught that, but living the Christian life was presented as obeying rules set down in the Bible, rules like the 10 Commandments, or women should not speak in Church.

As for understanding most of the Bible or finding a relationship with God through it, I remained in the dark as to how to do that. There was so much that happened in the Bible that I never saw happening in church and so much that happened in my life for which the Bible seemed to have no answers. By the time I was in my mid thirties I was feeling my worship and my relationship with God had become simply a set of man-made rules. I felt very distant from God and was unhappy with that but could not see a way forward.

That was when God came to me in church and told me He wanted me to go to Bible College. I had no doubt it was Him because I recognised His Presence and I had not ever had the slightest thought of going to Bible college. I had trained as a scientist and that was where I expected to stay. So much so, that I thought I could obey God and yet get out of going to college by being honest with the college principal about where my spiritual life was at. I went to see her and told her how God had told me to come and then explained that I did not read my Bible or pray, except when I had to at Bible study group. I found those occupations to be of no use. And I expected her to tell me come back when I had sorted myself out. But instead she just smiled and said, “We can deal with that.” So I began a Bachelor of Theology.

One of the first subjects I did was the basics of sermon preparation and our first assignment was to write down the preparatory information we needed for a sermon on Ezekiel chapter 37. And one of the first things we were told to do was read the chapters that went before and after it so I did.

And in Ezekiel 36 (TPT) as I read verses 25-26: “I will graciously give you a new, tender heart and put a new, willing spirit inside you. I will remove your hard heart of stone and give you an obedient, responsive heart instead. I will put my Holy Spirit in you to empower you to keep my laws and to live by them,” those words were lit up in my mind as though they were displayed in Neon Lights. And I recognised God was making a personal offer to me of a new heart and a new spirit, joined to His Spirit. I knew my heart had hardened to God but recognised that this was the next step I had been looking for for 20 years. So I immediately said, “YES PLEASE!”

So, you might say, what does it actually mean? How does it happen?

The first thing that stands out in this passage is that it is ALL about what God is going to do. God is saying:

I AM going to cleanse you from all sin

I AM going to remove your old hardened heart and give you a new tender responsive heart

I AM going to put a new willing spirit inside you

I AM going to put My Holy Spirit in you to empower you to live as my holy people.

God is saying He will recreate His people from the inside out in a four part process: cleansing from sin, the gift of a new tender heart, the gift of a new responsive spirit and the gift of His Spirit living in us.

Now, if you have spent any time in a Christian church you have probably heard a lot about how Jesus death on the cross has cleansed and freed us from our sin and that is part of what the water baptism we practice represents. “For he [Christ] died for us, sacrificing himself to make us holy and pure, cleansing us through the showering of the pure water of the Word of God.” Ephesians 5:25b-26 TPT

And this is where I was in terms of understanding when I was told to just read the Bible and do what it says.

But if that is where we stop how do we become more like Jesus and have an intimate relationship with God? Does the responsibility for change rely solely on my willpower and my understanding of what the Bible teaches? Has Jesus saved me only so I can go on floundering about trying not to sin just like I did before I was a Christian?

Thankfully that is not where God stops in this passage. Just like a telemarketing add, God is promising more, much more than cleansing from sin.

Now when the Bible uses the word heart, it does not mean just our emotions. The word translated as heart is a word that is the name for the seat of the will, everything that goes into our decision making and actions. So it covers thinking, understanding, learning, experience and emotions, the core of who we are as humans. And God knows our hearts become hardened to Him, damaged through our actions and the actions of others which hurt us.

So as well as cleansing from sin, He is offering to give us a brand new undamaged heart that is responsive to Him. A heart that is free to love God and others just like Jesus did.

Then He is offering to give us a new spiritual self that is also responsive to Him.

It is an offer to remake us from the inside, to restore the image of God in us that has been broken by sin.

And finally and most importantly, to seal the deal, to give us a permanent and intimate relationship with Him, and empower us to live His holiness He is offering to put His Holy Spirit in us, just like it is in Jesus. He is offering to seal us into the intimate relationship of the Holy Trinity! You can’t get closer or more empowered than that! This is how God wants to magnify His holiness in us.

And ALL this is His work!

So you might say, what happened next? Was it all done and dusted in the instant I said yes? What difference did it make?

When we went to live in Germany in the 1980s we really had no idea what it would be like, and though Steve had done German at school, I knew no German. It was a steep learning curve in how to live in a foreign country. It had never occurred to me that so many ordinary things in life could be done differently. For example when you rent an apartment there you are literally renting just that space in a building. There is no guarantee that it will contain light bulbs, floor coverings, cupboards or any built in kitchen or bathroom. We were lucky to find one with a kitchen sink, bathroom handbasin and bath. But gradually over time we learnt more of the language and culture and how things worked. And now when we go back there it feels like a second home.

And learning to live in and use these gifts from God are like that. It is a process of discovering and absorbing God’s culture and God’s way of thinking and doing things.

The most important thing God has taught me since then is how to have conversations with Him and be confident I am hearing His voice. So now I know I can discuss Bible passages with Him and learn directly from Him. And because of this the Bible is no longer a dead book to me but a significant part of God’s communication with me.

Some times God will suggest things that I need to address. In a prayer time one day He told me He wanted me to forgive a person who had hurt me a great deal. I had not even thought about it, was not even aware of the need. And when He said it I replied, “No Way! She should’ve known better; She DID know better. I can’t do that.” And God replied, “I am not asking you to do it in your strength, I am asking you to let me forgive her through you.” And I replied, “OK. You can do that if you want but only if it requires no effort on my part!” And that was where that conversation ended and I thought no more about it. But a few months later I was sitting next to just that person in church when the minister was preaching on how God can restore relationships. And as she preached I felt as if a sword had been run right through the middle of me, releasing something and I knew the work of forgiveness had just been done by God. And not surprisingly it healed my relationship with that person. It also taught me the critical lesson that changing the way I think and act is God’s work and all I have to do is give Him permission to do it. That has been a very real relief and blessing.

So now I know I can ask for that sort of change in advance. For example I once had to confront a church leader about how they had been bullying someone in a public teaching session. And I knew my automatic response would be to just tell them they had been a bully and it was not acceptable. And I knew that that approach was rarely successful. So I asked God for a different approach and what came to mind was how a prophet used stories to confront King David about his adultery and murder. So when I finally spoke to the leader I said I simply wanted to describe how I had seen the meeting unfold. And when I finished she said, “It sounds like you think I was bullying him. No one has ever accused me of that.” “I replied, “That would be one way to describe it.” She then said she would have to think and pray about it and discuss it with the person involved. And we left it at that. There was no anger and nothing else I needed to do or say. And I left amazed and grateful to God at how gentle the process of confrontation could be.

So, yes the Bible is important, a critical tool through which God speaks, as He spoke to me in this passage in Ezekiel, but living as God wants us to, is SO much more than just reading the Bible and following laws. There is a journey God wants to take us on to know Him personally and intimately. To be empowered by Him to live His way. And it is tailored to individual needs so your journey will be different from mine. But it begins with accepting His gifts of cleansing from sin, a new heart and spirit, and His Spirit coming to live in us. His restoration of us from the inside. And then asking Him to teach us how to unpack, understand and live from those astounding gifts. It is our choice and His work. And I can honestly say it is a choice that has blessed me beyond what I ever thought possible.

The freedom to live in intimate relationship with God and do life His way is an astounding gift of love and grace and it is available to everyone now.

As Paul wrote to the Ephesians 4:24 TPT
“be transformed as you embrace the glorious Christ-within as your new life and live in union with him! For God has re-created you all over again in his perfect righteousness, and you now belong to him in the realm of true holiness.”

A New Heart and Spirit

“Therefore, say to the people of Israel what I, Lord Yahweh, say: I will not take action for your sake, people of Israel, but for the sake of the honour of my holy name, which you have caused to be slandered among the nations wherever you have gone. I am going to magnify the holiness of my great name, which you have greatly dishonoured before the eyes of foreign nations. And when I magnify my holiness in you before their eyes, the nations will know that I am Yahweh. I, Lord Yahweh, have spoken.

I will take you from every nation and country and bring you back home to your own land.

I will sprinkle purifying water over you, and you will be cleansed from all the filth of your past.

I will wash you clean from the defilement of worshipping false gods.

I will graciously give you a new, tender heart and put a new, willing spirit inside you.

I will remove your hard heart of stone and give you an obedient, responsive heart instead.

I will put my Holy Spirit in you to empower you to keep my laws and to live by them.

You will be my people and I will be your God.”

Ezk. 36:22-28 TPT

I was brought up going to Sunday School or church every Sunday. By the time I was 16 years old I was convinced I would never be good enough to be acceptable to God and there was nothing I could do about it. Church was becoming increasingly boring and irrelevant and I was seriously thinking of giving up on it all together.

Then I went on a Christian holiday camp. I can’t now imagine what made me choose that camp as it was all outdoors activities, sailing, canoeing, hiking, camping etc and I was not an outdoors activities type of person. But I went. And at that camp I met too remarkable people. One was my group leader and the other was the camp chef. And these two people stood out because right from the very moment we met, they genuinely acted like people who really cared about me, even though they really knew nothing about me at all. I had never met such loving people. As the camp went on I could see that what was special about these two people was Jesus presence in them. It is hard to explain but I could really see Jesus in these two people and it became clear that it was Jesus who was loving me and accepting me, just as I was, through these two people. And I knew I wanted to stay in that love, and be empowered to love others like that, for the rest of my life. So I went to a quiet place and asked Jesus to be lord and saviour of my life. And I knew His answer was yes!

Shortly after that I was baptised and became a member of my home church. I joined the youth group hoping to get some insight into how to live the Christian life. At one of the Bible studies the youth group ran I can remember asking one of the leaders what you needed to do as a Christian. He said, “Read the Bible and do what it says.” So that is what I attempted to do for very many years.

When I became and adult I got married, completed an honours degree and doctorate in science and began a career as a research scientist in West Germany..

During that time, I read the Bible, was in home groups that studied and discussed the Bible, and listened to sermons on Bible passages and I can honestly say it had little impact. I knew there was still a huge gap between discipleship as I read about in the Bible and what I could do, but I could not understand how to bridge that gap. So my Christianity became performance based and I was not happy with that but could not see another way.

One day, as I was sitting in church service at an American Military Base Church in West Germany, the preacher started to talk about the power of God’s love to transform our lives. He went on to quote a passage from a children’s story called “The Velveteen Rabbit” by Margery Williams.

The main character in the story is a stuffed velveteen rabbit, a child’s toy. The scene he quoted was this discussion between the children’s toys:

“”What is REAL?” Asked the Rabbit one day, , when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. “Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?”

“Real isn’t how you are made,” said the Skin Horse. “It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become REAL.”

“Does it hurt?” Asked the Rabbit.

“Sometimes,” said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. “When you are Real you don’t mind being hurt.”

“Does it happen all at once, like being wound up,” he asked, “or bit by bit?”

“It doesn’t happen all at once,” said the Skin Horse, “you become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t often happen to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”

“I suppose you are Real?” Said the Rabbit. And then he wished he had not said it, for he thought the Skin Horse might be sensitive. But the Skin Horse only smiled.

“The Boy’s Uncle made me Real,” he said. “That was a great many years ago; but once you are Real you can’t become unreal again. It lasts for always.”

In those words I heard God saying to me that His love for me was gong to make me into the real person He created me to be, the loving person He created me to be, and that assurance renewed and strengthened my conviction that Jesus was the answer I needed.

My husband and I had our first child, moved to Tasmania, had a second child, and then moved to NSW. There we joined a large vibrant Church. I had stopped working when I had the kids but gradually began working again, running Biology lab classes.

One Sunday, in a prayer time at the end of sermon on commitment, I re-confirmed my commitment to follow Jesus. As I did that I was suddenly aware of God’s presence. It was like He was sitting in the pew behind me and He leant forward to me and said, “I want you to go to Bible College.”

As it happened, our church had a Bible College, training ministers, on site. But I was totally taken aback by the idea. “I can’t I replied. I’m a scientist with all that training and just restarting my science career. People will think I am crazy if I give all that up! No, I can’t do it!” God did not reply. He did not need to. I knew what He wanted and the choice was mine to make. It took me quite some weeks. Every Sunday in church I would be aware of God’s Presence, just behind me, waiting for me to say yes. And I would present the same argument knowing deep down that it was pointless.

I thought maybe discussing the idea with my husband would be a way of getting out of it but he just told me to do what I wanted to do and he would support me. So I decided to go and talk to the head of the Bible College in our church and see if she would refuse to take me. So I went in and told her how I had experienced God telling me to go to college, and explained how this seemed a crazy waste of all my science training. Then I pulled out my trump card. I was not suitable material , I told her, to go to college and train to be a minister. I was largely just pretending to be a Christian. Sure I came to church most Sundays, and went to a small group Bible Study, but except when my circumstances demanded it, I did not read my Bible and did not pray. Not only that, I did not want to. The Bible made no real sense to me and my prayers were useless. I thought this was bound to get me barred from college and packed off to get my act together. How could a hopeless Christian like me train for the ministry? But she just looked at me and smiled and said, “We can deal with that. When would you like to start?” So I left science and went to Bible College.

One of the first subjects I did at Bible College was a guide in how to prepare sermons. The first assignment we had in this subject was to prepare all the notes and information we would need to write a sermon on Ezekiel chapter 37. And the first thing we were instructed to do when preparing a sermon was to read the chapters that came before and after the passage for the sermon. So I read Ezekiel chapter 36. When I got to verse 26 I read

“I will graciously give you a new, tender heart and put a new, willing spirit inside you. I will remove your hard heart of stone and give you an obedient, responsive heart instead.” Ezk. 36:26 TPT

And as I read this verse it was like the words were written in bright neon lights, to make the point they were just for me. I recognised God was making the point that this was an offer He was making to me personally on that day. I knew my heart had become hardened and I could not love others in the way I wanted to so I most enthusiastically said. “Yes please! Do that in me!”

The first thing I noticed was that it was like a great burden had been lifted from me. I did not have to find a way to become the person God wanted me to be, He was going to do it in me! I could relax and stop pretending I knew how to be a Christian.

So was this accomplished just like that? Was I suddenly all God wanted me to be? Was I suddenly completely holy?

The answer is yes and no. Yes God has cleansed me from all sin, and given me a new responsive heart and spirit, joined to His Holy Spirit, and He is my God. But this is a HUGE HUGE HUGE gift. So big it is really impossible to describe much less experience and live in in one day. And God’s ways of doing things are often so different from what I know and expect, though always better. The only thing I can liken it to is going to live in a foreign country where you don’t even know the language. It takes time to learn a new language and new culture and new ways of doing things. We take for granted that so many of the things we do are normal and have so many habits that we are not even aware of. And that’s ok. God knows that. What He wants is a chance to be with you and in you, in everything you say and do so that TOGETHER you can become the person He created you to be. A child of God, made in God’s image. It is both an immediate change and a life journey. And God loves to journey, to do life, with His people.

“I will sprinkle purifying water over you, and you will be cleansed from all the filth of your past.

I will wash you clean from the defilement of worshipping false gods.

I will graciously give you a new, tender heart and put a new, willing spirit inside you.

I will remove your hard heart of stone and give you an obedient, responsive heart instead.

I will put my Holy Spirit in you to empower you to keep my laws and to live by them.

You will be my child and I will be your God.”

If there is one passage in the Bible that describes the Gospel, for me it is this one, Ezekiel 36:25-28. And it is God’s gift of love to us, and ALL God’s work from beginning to end. All you need to do is agree, accept this amazing gift, open it and live in it with Him.

We could spend a lifetime exploring what this passage means in practice and how it relates to the rest of Scripture but the one thing I want to make clear to you today is that it is ALL God’s work, every single bit of it. All a gift from His heart of love. And if you want it it is yours now, today.

So today God is making an offer to you:

“I will sprinkle purifying water over you, and you will be cleansed from all the filth of your past.

I will wash you clean from the defilement of worshipping false gods.

I will graciously give you a new, tender heart and put a new, willing spirit inside you.

I will remove your hard heart of stone and give you an obedient, responsive heart instead.

I will put my Holy Spirit in you to empower you to keep my laws and to live by them.

You will be my child and I will be your God.”

Is that what you want too?

The Fullness of Your Love

“”Then the son said, ‘Father, I was wrong. I have sinned against you. I could never deserve to be called your son. Just let me be—’ “The father interrupted and said, ‘Son, you’re home now!’ “Turning to his servants, the father said, ‘Quick, bring me the best robe, my very own robe, and I will place it on his shoulders. Bring the ring, the seal of sonship, and I will put it on his finger. And bring out the best shoes you can find for my son. Let’s prepare a great feast and celebrate. For my beloved son was once dead, but now he’s alive! Once he was lost, but now he is found!’ And everyone celebrated with overflowing joy. “The father said, ‘My son, you are always with me by my side. Everything I have is yours to enjoy.” Luke‬ ‭15‬:‭21‬-‭24‬, ‭31‬ ‭TPT‬‬

“For he [Christ] is the complete fullness of deity living in human form. And our own completeness is now found in him. We are completely filled with God as Christ’s fullness overflows within us. He is the Head of every kingdom and authority in the universe! Through our union with him we have experienced circumcision of heart. All of the guilt and power of sin has been cut away and is now extinct because of what Christ, the Anointed One, has accomplished for us.” Colossians‬ ‭2‬:‭9‬-‭11‬ ‭TPT‬‬

“Now we have been stamped with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit. He is given to us like an engagement ring, as the first installment of what’s coming! He is our hope-promise of a future inheritance which seals us until we have all of redemption’s promises and experience complete freedom—all for the supreme glory and honor of God!”Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭13‬b-‭14‬ ‭TPT‬‬

God You embrace me
Jesus You fill me
Spirit You seal me
In the fullness of Your Love
God You embrace me
Jesus You fill me
Spirit You seal me
In the fullness of Your Love

God You embrace me
Cloak me in Your Glory
God You embrace me
In the fullness of Your Love
God You embrace me
Cloak me in Your Glory
God You embrace me
In the fullness of Your Love

God You embrace me
Cloak me in Your Glory
Now righteous and holy
In the fullness of Your Love
God You embrace me
Cloak me in Your Glory
Now righteous and holy
In the fullness of Your Love

God You embrace me
Cloak me in Your Glory
Sealing me as Your heir
In the fullness of Your Love
God You embrace me
Cloak me in Your Glory
Sealing me as Your heir
In the fullness of Your Love

God You embrace me
Cloak me in Your Glory
All that’s Yours is mine
In the fullness of Your Love
God You embrace me
Cloak me in Your Glory
All that’s Yours is mine
In the fullness of Your Love

God You embrace me
Cloak me in Your Glory
God You embrace me
In the fullness of Your Love
God You embrace me
Cloak me in Your Glory
Now righteous and holy
In the fullness of Your Love

God You embrace me
Cloak me in Your Glory
God You embrace me
In the fullness of Your Love
God You embrace me
Cloak me in Your Glory
Sealing me as Your heir
In the fullness of Your Love

God You embrace me
Cloak me in Your Glory
God You embrace me
In the fullness of Your Love
God You embrace me
Cloak me in Your Glory
All that’s Yours is mine
In the fullness of Your Love

God You embrace me
Jesus You fill me
Spirit You seal me
In the fullness of Your Love
God You embrace me
Jesus You fill me
Spirit You seal me
In the fullness of Your Love

I AM meditation

“Jesus said to them, “I give you this eternal truth: I have existed long before Abraham was born, for I AM!”“ John 8:58 TPT

”For God is satisfied to have all his fullness dwelling in Christ.“ Colossians 1:19 TPT

”For he [Jesus] is the complete fullness of deity living in human form. And our own completeness is now found in him. We are completely filled with God as Christ’s fullness overflows within us. He is the Head of every kingdom and authority in the universe!” Colossians 2:9-10 TPT

God lives in Christ and Christ lives in you. It is a free gift. You cannot earn it but you can simply receive it. This meditation focuses on knowing Jesus lives in you.

If you can, find yourself a quiet place where you are unlikely to be disturbed and sit in a comfortable position.

During this meditation, take slow deep breaths in through your nose.

As you do, imagine you are being filled, more and more, with Jesus and and therefore God.

Then breathe out as slowly as possible with your mouth, slowly saying,chanting or singing one of the following lines:

I AM.

Jesus.

I AM.

Holy Spirit.

I AM.

Yahweh.

I AM.

Holy.

I AM.

Righteous.

I AM.

Pure.

I AM.

Glorious.

I AM.

Remember these things are all a gift from God through Christ. They have nothing to do with what you have or have not done. Just receive them.

Continue this for as long as you wish using the lines in whatever order you like.

Do not worry if your mind wanders off, just gently bring it back to the meditation.

Children of God

“But to us living in these last days, God now speaks to us openly in the language of a Son, the appointed Heir of everything, for through him God created the panorama of all things and all time. The Son is the dazzling radiance of God’s splendor, the exact expression of God’s true nature—his mirror image! He holds the universe together and expands it by the mighty power of his spoken word. “ Hebrews 1:2-3a TPT

“He is the divine portrait, the true likeness of the invisible God, and the firstborn heir of all creation. For in him was created the universe of things, both in the heavenly realm and on the earth, all that is seen and all that is unseen.“ Colossians 1:15-16a TPT

“And in love he chose us before he laid the foundation of the universe! Because of his great love, he ordained us, so that we would be seen as holy in his eyes with an unstained innocence. For it was always in his perfect plan to adopt us as his delightful children, through our union with Jesus, the Anointed One, so that his tremendous love that cascades over us would glorify his grace —for the same love he has for the Beloved, Jesus, he has for us. And this unfolding plan brings him great pleasure!”
Ephesians 1:4-6 TPT

“God spoke: “Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the cattle, And, yes, Earth itself, and every animal that moves on the face of Earth.” God created human beings; he created them godlike, Reflecting God’s nature. He created them male and female.” Genesis 1:26-28a MSG

““Then the son said, ‘Father, I was wrong. I have sinned against you. I could never deserve to be called your son. Just let me be—’ “The father interrupted and said, ‘Son, you’re home now!’ “Turning to his servants, the father said, ‘Quick, bring me the best robe, my very own robe, and I will place it on his shoulders. Bring the ring, the seal of sonship, and I will put it on his finger. And bring out the best shoes you can find for my son. Let’s prepare a great feast and celebrate. For my beloved son was once dead, but now he’s alive! Once he was lost, but now he is found!’ And everyone celebrated with overflowing joy. “The father said, ‘My son, you are always with me by my side. Everything I have is yours to enjoy. It’s only right to rejoice and celebrate like this, because your brother was once dead and gone, but now he is alive and back with us again. He was lost, but now he is found!’ ””
Luke 15:21-24, 31-32 TPT

“When Enoch was 65 years old, he became the father of Methuselah. After the birth of Methuselah, Enoch lived in close fellowship with God for another 300 years, and he had other sons and daughters. Enoch lived 365 years, walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him.”
Genesis 5:21-24 NLT

Humanity has never been
An isolated single being
From our very first conception
Jesus is our source and origin
Born in Christ, in God’s Image
In His Presence, One in Jesus