I have direct access to God through the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:18)

During those tumultuous pre-teen and early teen years, I wasn't sure I wanted to live.  Though my childhood could be described as "normal" (as "normal" as life can be, I guess, without the Lord!), puberty struck like a tsunami.  My height shot up and my weight missed the memo and stayed the same.  I was about 6' 2" and 120 lb. at one point.  With a skeleton for a body, acne on my face and braces on my teeth, I was the butt of jokes, a convenient target for ridicule to take the spotlight off other insecure youth.  I didn't feel like I belonged and so suicide became a pleasant mode of fantasy, though I never actually attempted to take my life.

Years later, I realized that a good summary "name" or "label" for how I was viewed (and how I viewed myself) during those awful years was outcast.  Looking back on those days, if someone were to come to me now with one of those "Publisher's Clearing House Sweepstakes" checks for $1 million and told me, "This can all be yours...on one condition:  You have to live out your junior high years again!", I would tell them, "No thanks!  Keep your money!!"  Maybe you can relate.

Before the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and His death, burial, resurrection and ascension, the Jewish people were "in", the Gentiles were...well, largely outcasts.  Not so much in God's eyes, but in the eyes of the Jewish nation.  But Jesus changed all that.  His death broke down the dividing wall between Jew and Gentile as it was breaking down the dividing wall (the veil of the temple) between man and God.

So now, in Christ, there is no distinction in terms of acceptability to God or access to the Father.  That's what Paul meant when he wrote, "Here there is no Greek [Gentile] or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and in all" (Colossians 3:11).  As Ephesians 2:18 says, we all have direct access to God...into the very Holy of Holies...through the Holy Spirit, because of what Christ has done for us.

Ever feel like an outsider?  Ever feel like an outcast, like you don't belong?  Maybe you have even felt that way as a Christian...that somehow the church is for others, but not for you.  Not so!  You have as much right to come to God as Billy Graham or Charles Stanley or any other Christian leader you see as "worthy."  You...yes you...have direct access (you don't have to go through anyone but Jesus!) to God the Father through the Holy Spirit.  You have the right to come into the presence of God along with all your brothers and sisters in Christ.  Why don't you take advantage of that direct access today and go spend some time with your loving heavenly Father who delights in you?  His scepter is extended toward you today, warmly welcoming you into His presence. 

I have been adopted as God's child (Ephesians 1:5)

All five of us held our breath as we waited for him to emerge from the crowded, noisy cafeteria.  Our four-year-old son, Lua (later named "Luke"), soon came bounding out, full of energy, eyes bright with joy.  "There he is!" I kept saying as I held the video camera, seeking to capture every movement he made.  Our other kids giggled as they watched their new brother chase a ball we had given him as a welcome present.

Within an hour or so he was sitting in a minivan, driving away from the Rangsit Babies Home, leaving forever the orphanage outside of Bangkok, Thailand where he had spent the previous few years.  He never looked back.  Although there were still official documents to fill out and sign, from that moment on, Luke was our adopted son...part of the "Miller" family.  By law, all the rights and responsibilities of being Luke's parents were transferred to Shirley and me and his former family could never again claim him as their own.

The momentous change to Luke's life that commenced at that moment was far beyond what he could comprehend.  He had a new name, a new family, a new father and mother, new brothers and sisters, a new home, and a new nationality.  He would learn a new language, wear new clothes, eat new foods, experience a new climate and new surroundings, including plant and animal life, and attend new schools with children who looked much different from him.  In reality, Luke had a completely new life, though habits learned in the orphanage would still travel with him to America.

Scripture says that God "predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ" (Eph. 1:5).  God knew long before we were born that one day He would give us a new name, a new family, a new Father, new brothers and sisters in Christ, while preparing a new home for us as citizens of a new "country", heaven.  We would learn a new language of faith and wear new clothes of righteousness.  In reality, we would have a completely new life...the old things passed away...though He knew we would still battle the old ways of living life in the "orphanage" of life without God.  But, praise God, our old family...in Adam...governed by the father of lies, the devil...can never claim us again as his own!  We are welcomed members of God's family, adopted as sons!

"For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption as sons [sonship].  And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father."   (Romans 8:15)

I am a saint (Ephesians 1:1)

The apostle Paul opened up his letter to the Ephesians by saying, "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God to the sinners in Ephesus..."  Hmmm?  What did you say?  Oh, you're telling me he wrote to the saints in Ephesus?  Okay, so he was writing to the super-spiritual people in that city who performed miracles and were eventually recognized by church authorities...  No?  Okay, so Paul was obviously writing to the pastors and elders in that church, right...?  No?  Well then who was he writing to?

You're right!  Paul was writing to the rank and file, those who sat in the "pews" every Sunday morning, believers in Christ, followers of the Lord like you and me.

Most people don't see themselves as saints, so I like to have fun at the conferences I do.  I encourage people to take off their name tags and write St. in front of their name, if they are sure they are one of Christ's followers, and then I have them put their name tags back on.  I jokingly caution them not to put the St. after their name, or they'll become a street!  After wearing that name tag for a day or so, it is exciting to see people become more comfortable with viewing themselves as saints...even calling themselves St. Melanie or St. Frank or whatever.

So what is a saint?  A saint is a holy one, one who (as Colossians 1:13,14 tells us), has been "rescued from the dominion of darkness and brought...into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."  A saint has been set apart from sin and set apart for God.  Saints have been bought out of slavery to sin.  Saints have been forgiven.

Saints, however, aren't perfect (just ask your spouse or a close friend!) but saints do have a new nature and a new identity.  Saints have become partakers of the divine nature (see 2 Peter 1:4), which doesn't mean we become gods, but it does mean we have the capacity to become godly, more and more like the Lord Jesus Christ in our character.

So the next time some well-meaning preacher in a sermon shouts to everybody at church, "Well, we're just dirty, no-good, sinners saved by grace, headed to heaven someday!" you might want to say to yourself, "Well, I was a dirty, no-good sinner.  I have been saved by grace.  But I am now a saint who still sins, but doesn't have to.  And that's the truth!

I am a member of Christ's Body (1 Corinthians 12:27)

All of us play a vital role in the Body of Christ.  You may not think you do, but God knows you do.  When you are operating in your giftedness by His power for His kingdom, the world (and the Church) is a better place!  When you don't, all of us are diminished in some way.

When I look at the Body of Christ, I am reminded by the apostle Paul that we are like a human body, with Christ being the Head.  Those who have a passion for prayer are like the knees.  Those who care for the wounded, hurting and needy are the heart.  Those who serve behind the scenes are the hands.  Those who take the gospel to unreached peoples are the feet.  And so on.

So what part of the Body of Christ does Freedom in Christ Ministries correspond to?  I see us as like the digestive system of the Body of Christ.  We enable the Body to process spiritual food so all the cells can be healthy, and we also help the Body eliminate waste.  Doesn't sound all that glamorous, I know, but have you ever experienced a time when your digestive system wasn't working too well?  Not healthy, and certainly not fun.

And without pressing this analogy too far, I can honestly say that in my observation, there are sure a lot of bloated, constipated Christians out there!

Sadly, many of God's people do not see themselves as playing a significant role at all in Christ's kingdom.  "Oh, I'm just the dirt under the little toenail of the Body of Christ," they lament.  Oh no you're not!  Whatever gifts and talents the Lord has given you, He has ordained them and chosen you to function as an integral part of the Body of Christ.

If you are unsure of how you fit in (and you do fit in, by the way, if you are in Christ!), ask the Lord to show you.  Take the opportunities to serve that He brings your way.  Watch for the ways God blesses the works of your hands or the words of your mouth.  Pay attention to what brings you deep down, godly joy.  Take note when other brothers and sisters in Christ commend you for something you do for Christ.

And if you already know your place in the Body of Christ, go for it with the leading and empowering of the Holy Spirit!  We're all the glad beneficiaries.

I am a member of Christ's Body, and so are you...an essential part of Christ's Body...if you are in Christ today!

I am bought with a price; I belong to God (1 Cor. 6:19,20)

Everybody has a deep need to belong.  I remember how devastated I was when I got cut from the high school baseball team in 10th grade because I had mouthed off to the coach.  Not smart.  I had been part of the varsity squad in junior high school (9th grade), and I figured I was a shoe-in for at least the jv in high school.  Being part of that baseball team was my sure ticket to respect, dignity, identity and friendship...or so I thought.   I remember the head coach's words to this day:  "We have 17 guys trying out for pitcher and you don't need to worry about coming back tomorrow."  And that was it.  It was over.  I had made it very easy for him to reduce his squad by one.

I couldn't quite bring myself to totally exit stage left, so I became one of the assistant managers.  I would have been better off just leaving, because at that school at that time, managers were viewed as the lowest creatures on the feeding chain.  Kind of like slaves.  We did what we were told and were not shown any respect.  I had hoped that at least being connected to the team would give me a sense of belonging.  It didn't.  All it did was make me feel more like an outsider and foster resentment toward what could have been mine...being actually on the team...but wasn't to be...either that year or in the years to come.

Whether it is being part of a team, a club, a band, a work crew, a gang, a group of friends, or a close-knit family, we are social creatures by nature and all have a deep need to belong.  Isolation from meaningful relationships is a killer and can drive people to hostility, bitterness, rage, insanity and even death.

That's why I am so grateful for our rescuing Father who sent His precious Son to pay the bloody price of a cruel death on the cross so that we could belong to Him and to His family.  I am overwhelmed with gratitude for that sacrifice made on my behalf, and on yours as well.  People may reject us and probably will.  But in Christ, God never will.

He bought us.  We are His.  We belong to God.

"For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect."   (1 Peter 1:18,19)

I am united with the Lord and one spirit with Him (1 Corinthians 6:17)

I can still remember that moment nearly 22 years ago when Shirley Grace Koch walked down the aisle toward me.  God knew I surely needed a lot of grace and He gave her to me as my wife on August 12, 1989!  At that point, Shirley Grace Koch ceased to exist.  She became Shirley Grace Miller.  And at that point, Richard Edward Miller, the bachelor, ceased to exist.  After that ceremony and after the honeymoon, we were legally married before God and men.  We became one flesh.

On that hot summer afternoon in Lawrenceville, Georgia, we were husband and wife and were as much husband and wife as we would ever be.  But what began on that day, we will spend the rest of our lives learning to live out.

At the moment you and I received the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, crying out to Him for forgiveness and trusting Him to save us and surrendering our will into His hands, we were united with the Lord and were made one spirit with Him.  Jesus became our Bridegroom.  We became eternally joined to Him in our spirit.  And we will spend the rest of our lives learning to live out this incredible union with Him.

Unlike an earthly marriage, where both parties need to grow to know and love each other more deeply, in our relationship with Christ, He already knows and loves us perfectly.  Regardless of how we may think He feels about us, His love is perfect and will never change.  But we do not know Him, love Him or even trust Him perfectly.  That is a growing process that He tenderly yet unwaveringly leads us into.

Do you not know that you are joined in spirit to Christ?  You are one with Him!  As the Head is joined to the body, and the body to the Head, you are joined to Christ.  As the Vine is connected to the branches and the branches to the Vine, you are connected to the Vine, Jesus.  Won't you move in a little closer to Him this day?  Won't you freely open yourself up to your perfect Bridegroom to love on you, provide for you, guide you and protect you?  Do you remember the day you said "I do" to Jesus?  Maybe you need to be reminded of that moment and how much He meant to you at that time.  He hasn't changed in His love for you.  You still mean the world to Him.

I have been justified

Money is tight these days, and this happens to be one of those times of the month when lots of bills come due in our household.  It can be really discouraging, can't it, when instead of having money left over at the end of the month, you end up with a lot of month left over at the end of the money. And then the checking account balance statement shows up in the mail and you discover all the other debits that were never recorded in the checkbook!

Wouldn't it be great if one month all your checking account balance statement had on it were deposits...no debits at all!  Like if the bank decided to select one lucky person each month whose debits were all wiped away...and this month you were the one picked!

All of us had a "bank account", so to speak, in heaven and we were all so deeply in debt to God because of our sins, that we were hopelessly in the red.  And then God gave us the gift of faith in Jesus, and the debit column was wiped clean...not for a month, but for eternity!  And credited to our account in Christ was His righteousness instead (see Romans 4:24; 2 Corinthians 5:21)...not by faith in our works but by faith in Christ's work of dying for our sins and rising for our justification.

"Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift, but as his due.  And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness (Rom. 4:4,5)."

Our sins...once red like scarlet...are now white like snow.  We have been justified by faith, declared not guilty and instead graced with the very righteousness of Christ.  And so we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1). 

The Judge's gavel slams down.  The trial is over.  The verdict rendered.  NOT GUILTY!  The prisoner is set free...forever.