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Chosen Before the World • Jul 01st 1997

The REAL Reason Why Jesus Died For You!

This message of Gene Edwards attempts to unravel a truth so complex, the Apostle Paul seemed to be “juggling” attempts to unravel a truth so complex, the Apostle Paul seemed to be “juggling” many thoughts at once. What if your holiness is already a settled fact, determined by God before time began? Gene Edwards humbly challenges us to wrestle with the mind-boggling reality of God’s eternal plan as revealed in Ephesians. This is a deep dive into your present estate: you, the corporate body of believers, were chosen, predestined, and marked off as “holy and blameless” in Christ, not through your effort, but as a “freely bestowed” gift, placed “in the beloved”. Edwards emphasizes the incomprehensible nature of a God who was “rich in mercy,” “rich in love,” and filled with “kind intention” before He acted, whose magnificent purpose required nothing less than the “death of God and the blood of God”. The ultimate purpose of this vast, cosmic plan is that we shall be a “praise to his glory,” demanding a corporate, faith-filled response, not just from an individual, but from the church. Listen in and see why this truth is “too big” to be handled alone, and why we are commanded to remind one another of this unending grace.

The Church in Ephesus Part 3 – Swiss Conference July 1997 Message #4

Do you know what God calls us? And what Paul called us? What did Christ call us? We’re believers. We’re believers. Unfortunately, and it’s really a loss in our language, the words “believers” and “faith” are the same word, except one’s a verb and one’s a noun. It never calls us believers; we’re faithers. We’re faithers, brothers. Do you believe? Absolutely. You know why? Because you’re a believer. We’re gullible folks; we believed. Let me tell you how gullible we are. We believe that we could find God pleased with us without doing anything to make Him feel good about us. We actually believed that, and that’s insane. Everybody knows that God’s sitting up there looking down at you and saying, “Behave yourself. You’d better do something I like.” But we believe that wasn’t possible, and that, if we can do brother, we can believe anything. Yeah, this is too big for you, isn’t it, sister? Can you handle this by yourself? I can’t even remember this by myself.

Hopefully, if we don’t run out of time, before this week is over, you’ll be in chairs facing one another from all four sides, and I won’t be present, and you’ll talk to one another. I may extend the length of this conference, change my plane ticket, and tell you that you can’t leave until some people around here start opening their mouths. Isn’t that beautiful? Is that all you have to say, brother? Are you sure? We can listen to more. It does me too.

I hope that is not a question. If it is, I am not answering it. I don’t like the answers to that question, I never have, and it’s not because the answer wasn’t correct; it was the way it was answered. I’ll let God answer that one for you, brother. Okay, now then, you did spend some time with it, alone? Daniel, you did. Well, finally. Finally, take the dunce cap off of this guy.

Okay? Well, now did you get together with one person? You did. The way to do it is to get up front with it right quick, head it off at the pass. Okay, did most of you… you did? Nod your head, let me know. Yeah.

Now then, this is what I want to know. Did you get more out of the first or the second time? You don’t know? First, yeah. When you were alone or with someone else, huh? The second. Second.  Corporate. Yeah. Anybody get more out of it being alone? Definitely, there usually is someone who is, who does.

Alright. I think, for me, my impression is that some of you, this meant a lot to you, or a little bit at least. Okay, now then, it’s 10 o’clock, and you’re going to do this right now. If we have to put the meeting off tomorrow a little bit, we’ll run over, but I want you to go find somebody while you’re full of these things. I want you to find two other people, and y’all get together and decide on a passage, and then hold your nose and jump in. Just whoever can and whoever will, alright? You know, no form, no going around in a circle. If you need to start in a circle, do so. And I want to say again, if someone says something and it sparks something in you—your spirit—say it. Don’t hold it. And if you see something they didn’t, you make it a declaration to the Lord. I don’t call this prayer; I call this fellowship. You may call it prayer if you wish; I don’t mind that one bit. You can call it anything you want, but for me, this is really fellowship with the Lord.

 

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