Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.Ephesians 4:28-29
Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we we members one of another.Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:Neither give place to the devil.Ephesians 4:25-27
And be renewed in the Spirit of your mind;And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.Ephesians 4:23-24
But ye have not so learned Christ;If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus;That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;Ephesians 4:20-22
Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. Ephesians 4:19
Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: Ephesians 4:18
This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Ephesians 4:17
From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. Ephesians 4:16
But speaking the the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: Ephesians 4:15
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; Ephesians 4:14
Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: Ephesians 4:13
He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:Ephesians 4:10-12
Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.(Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?Ephesians 4:8-9
But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Ephesians 4:7
One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. Ephesians 4:6
There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; Ephesians 4:4
With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Ephesians 4:2
I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, Ephesians 4:1
And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.Ephesians 3:19-21
For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;That Christ my dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;Ephesians 3:14-18
Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. Ephesians 3:13
According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: Ephesians 3:11
To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, Ephesians 3:10
And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: Ephesians 3:9
Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; Ephesians 3:8
Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. Ephesians 3:7
That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: Ephesians 3:6
Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; Ephesians 3:5
If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)Ephesians 3:2-4
For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, Ephesians 3:1
... do not let your 4-year old carry around a glass vase in Target, go with your instincts, which are screaming, "No, you may not carry that; it will ride in the cart."
... if you go out to eat, bring baby wipes with you and be sure all of the children are wearing patterned shirts and if you will be going somewhere AFTER dinner, bring a change of clothes for everyone just in case.
... the customer service desk at Target has BandAids.
... gum stops tears.
... a hand dryer can dry a section of clothing, which you've just rinsed out in the bathroom sink, relatively quickly.
In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. Ephesians 2:22
In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord; Ephesians 2:21
And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; Ephesians 2:20
Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; Ephesians 2:19
And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. Ephesians 2:17
And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: Ephesians 2:16
Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; Ephesians 2:15
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed on his name, he gave the right to become children of God. John 1:12
For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Ephesians 2:14
But now in Christ Jesus ye who were sometimes far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. Ephesians 2:13.
That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: Ephesians 2:12
Wherefore, remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; Ephesians 2:11
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:Not of works, lest any man should boast.Ephesians 2:8-9
That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:7
And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: Ephesians 2:6
Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) Ephesians 2:5
But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Ephesians 2:4
Then, suddenly one morning at 4 a.m., after months of begging God to answer my prayers, I received a vision from the Lord while kneeling beside my bed.In the vision I was walking up a steep hill, trying to push a heavy cart in front of me. I was heading towards a village where I intended to beg for food for my family. I was struggling greatly, because in my vision I was hungry and weakened by constant fasting. The old cart was about to roll back and fall on me.I then saw three men walking down the hill in the opposite direction. A kind old man, who had a very long beard, was pulling a large cart full of fresh bread. Two other men were walking on each side of the cart. When the old man saw me he felt great pity and showed me compassion. He asked, "Are you hungry?" I replied, "Yes. I have nothing to eat. I'm on my way to get food for my family."I wept because my family was extremely poor. Because of my father's sickness we'd sold everything valuable to buy medicine. We had little to eat, and for years we'd been forced to beg for food from friends and neighbors. When the old man asked me if I was hungry I couldn't help but cry. I'd never felt such genuine love and compassion from anyone before.In the vision the old man took a red bag of bread from his trolley and asked his two servants to give it to me. He said, "You must eat it immediately."I opened the wrapping and saw there was a bun of fresh bread inside. When I put the bun in my mouth, it instantly turned into a Bible! Immediately, in my vision, I knelt down with my Bible and cried out to the Lord in thanksgiving, "Lord, your name is worthy to be praised! You didn't despise my prayer. You allowed me to receive this Bible. I want to serve you for the rest of my life."I woke up and started searching the house for the Bible. The rest of my family was asleep. The vision had been so real to me that when I realized it had only been a dream I was deeply anguished and I wept loudly. My parents rushed to my room to see what had happened. They thought I had gone crazy because of all my fasting and praying. I told them about my vision, but, the more I shared, the crazier they thought I was! Mother said, "The day hasn't dawned yet and no one has come to our house. The door is firmly locked."My father held me tightly. With tears in his eyes he cried to God, "Dear Lord, have mercy on my son. Please don't let him lose his mind. I'm willing to be sick again if it will prevent my son from losing his mind. Please give my son a Bible!"My mother, father and I knelt down and wept together, arm in arm.Suddenly I heard a faint knock at the door. A very gentle voice called my name. I rushed over and asked through the locked door, "Are you bringing the bread to me?" The gentle voice replied, "Yes, we have a bread feast to give you." I immediately recognized the voice as the same one I had heard in the vision.I quickly opened the door and there standing before me were the same two servants I had seen in the vision. One man held a red bag in his hand. My heart raced as I opened the bag and held in my hands my very own Bible!The two men quickly departed into the still darkness.I clutched my new Bible to my heart and fell down on my knees outside the door. I thanked God again and again! I promised Jesus that from that moment on I would devour his Word like a hungry child.Later I found out the names of those two men. One was Brother Wang and the other Brother Sung. They came from a village far away. They told me about an evangelist whom I'd never met. He had suffered terribly for the Lord during the Cultural Revolution, and had nearly died while being tortured.About three months before I received my Bible this evangelist had received a vision from the Lord. God showed him a young man to whom he was to give his hidden Bible. In the vision he saw our house and the location of our village.Like many Christians at the time, the old man had placed his Bible inside a can and buried it deep in the ground,hoping a day would come when he could dig it up and read it again. Despite this vision, it took the evangelist a few months before he decided to obey what the Lord had told him to do. He asked two other Christian men to deliver it to me. They then walked throughout the night to reach my home.From that moment on I prayed to Jesus with faith-filled prayer. I fully trusted that the words in the Bible were God's words to me. I always held the Bible. Even when I slept I laid it on my chest. I devoured its teachings like a hungry child.This was the first gift I ever received from God in prayer.
What is this?Where did it come from?Why did Mom buy it?Who is it for?
Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. Ephesians 2:3
...At first, I didn't really know who Jesus was, but I'd seen him heal my father and liberate our family. I confidently committed myself to the God who had healed my father and saved us. During that time I frequently asked my mother who Jesus truly was. She told me, "Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross for us, taking all our sins and sicknesses. He recorded all his teachings in the Bible."I asked if there were any words of Jesus left that I could read for myself. She replied, "No. All his words are gone. There is nothing left of his teaching." This was during the Cultural Revolution when Bibles could not be found.From that day on I earnestly wanted to have a copy of my own Bible. I asked my mother and fellow Christians what a Bible looked like, but no one knew. One person had seen some hand copied Scripture portions and song sheets, but never a whole Bible. Only a few old believers could recall seeing Bibles many years before. The Word of God was scarce in the land.I was so hungry for a Bible. Seeing my desperation, my mother remembered an old man who lived in another village. This man had been a pastor before the Cultural Revolution.Together we started out on the long walk to his home. When we found him we told him our desire, "We long to see a Bible. Do you have one?"He immediately looked fearful. This man had already spent nearly 20 years in prison for his faith. He looked at me and saw that I was so young and poor, with tattered clothes and bare feet. He felt compassion, but still didn't want to show me his Bible.I don't blame him because in those days there were very few Bibles in the whole of China. Nobody was allowed to read any book other than Mao's little Red Book. If caught with a Bible, it would be burned and the owner's whole family would be severely beaten in the middle of the village.The old pastor simply told me, "The Bible is a heavenly book. If you want one, you'll need to pray to the God of heaven. Only he can provide you a heavenly book. God is faithful. He always answers those who seek him with all of their heart."I fully trusted the pastor's words.When I returned home I brought a stone into my room and knelt down on it every evening for prayer. I had just one simple prayer: "Lord, please give me a Bible. Amen." At that time I didn't know how to pray, but I continued for more than one month.Nothing happened. A Bible didn't appear.I went back to that pastor's house again. This time I went alone. I told him, "I've prayed to God according to your instructions, but I still haven't received the Bible I want so much. Please, please show me your Bible. Just a glance and I will be satisfied! I don't need to touch it. You hold it and I will be content just to look at it. If I could copy down some of the words I will return home happy."The pastor saw the anxiety of my heart. He spoke to me again, "If you're serious, then you should not only kneel down and pray to the Lord, you should also fast and weep. The more you weep the sooner you'll get a Bible."I went home, and every morning and afternoon I ate and drank nothing. Every evening I ate just one small bowl of steamed rice. I cried like a hungry child to his heavenly Father, wanting to be filled with his Word. For the next one hundred days I prayed for a Bible, until I could bear it no more. My parents were sure I was losing my mind.Looking back years later, I would say this whole experience was the most difficult thing I've ever endured.
Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Ephesians 2:2
And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Ephesians 2:1
Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church...Ephesians 1:22
