Saturday night Thrills

Ephesians 2:1-10
"As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts.
Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.
For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

On the opening night of the Bangor World-Wide Missionary Convention Thabiti Anyabwile used the above text as his biography (or Testimony), showing also, that this text is indeed biographical for every Christian.

Verses 1-3 tell how we were once dead in sin and that sin ruled over us as we gratified our sinful nature in disobedience to God & obedience to satan.

Thabiti came to verse 4 thanking God for the 'three' letter word 'BUT' - we were sinners, children of disobedience heading toward God's righteous wrath over sin, But God in love & mercy stepped in & His grace poured down upon us and we ceased to be dead & began to live in Christ.

When we got to verse 10 my friend who was with me leaned over & whispered - 'We are God's workmanship?" "What is man that You are mindful of him?"
What a humbling yet exciting text to reflect upon each of our lives?

Sinners heading toward a fate of punishment from God because of disobedience, Sinners under the complete influence of sin, satan, world & flesh, doing whatever we wanted, or thought would make us happy.

Perhaps for some this is exactly where you still are. Well as Thabiti reminded us, do not think that we are looking down on you - we cannot, because we were in exactly the same boat. But let me also tell you that there is in a 'BUT'!
For me & every Christian it is; But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

For you, that grace is on offer as you read this, love & mercy from God through Jesus who lived, died & rose again so that His righteousness, His death & His life might be given to you & to me.

And for those who have been saved by Grace through Faith & not of works there is no boasting of any work toward salvation. Salvation is by God's grace alone!
But He has prepared good works for us to do & this God calls us, as imperfect as we are, His workmanship.
My response to my friends whisper was that God must be slightly crazy to describe me as His workmanship, yet that is exactly what God's Word says about us Christians. He began a good work in us & He will continue to perfect it!

[Oh yeh, I got to meet Thabiti after the meeting & look forward to having lunch with him later today. My impression of him on Sat night was that of a humble servant with a heart that overflows to anyone he comes in contact with.]