One baptism

OIP-20

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. Ephesians 4:3-6

Seven things Paul lists as the source of our oneness from being placed into the body of Christ. Seven things that we all agree are non-negotiable: one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God. Take away any one of these and you have something other than the body of Christ.

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One Faith

OIP-19

This is an easy one. One faith means just that: no denominations, no religions, no creeds. There’s only one faith because there is only one means by which one comes to faith in Christ and that is by way of the Holy Spirit.

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One Lord

OIP-18

There is only one Lord.

This makes it easy. It simplifies matters greatly. We don’t have any Lords to choose from. Name one Lord like our Lord. There is no contest. There is only one Lord and Savior of all mankind, and that would be Jesus. The Creator, Sustainer, Counselor, Prince of Peace. He is not a taskmaster. He is not a driver. He is not someone unacquainted with our infirmities. He is the Fairest Lord Jesus. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. And did I mention He holds everything together?

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One hope

First, a note to all our MemberPartners,

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”

– Charles Dickens

These are indeed extraordinary times. Between the pandemic and loss, injustice and ensuing protests, our nation is grieving. But the question remains: how will we make the most of this time now, and prepare for the future?

The life and work of the body of Christ, and therefore the important task of calling, mentoring and training disciples — the purpose of the Catch Ministry — must continue.

While the COVID-19 crisis necessitated the temporary closing of many businesses, we here at the Catch Ministry are having great difficulty keeping up with the increased demand for counseling and the needs of our people. Thanks to the efforts of our wonderful volunteers, we  remain committed to encouraging, praying for and mentoring our Catch Citizens, collectively and individually.

We hope you will forgive us for our inability to complete our MemberPartner It’s Friday Newsletters over the last 2 weeks.  Our Prayer Warriors keep praying and our counselors keep counseling, so keep praying for us as we pray for you — for safety, hope and a positive attitude of grace turned outward to all amidst this time of upheaval and great uncertainty.

All of us thank you in advance for understanding there is just so much we as a team can do with what is at hand.  It is our sincerest hope to provide “It’s Friday” next weekend.

On behalf of all who are working to further Grace Turned Outward,

Thank You!

John and Marti 

One hope

OIP-17

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called … Ephesians 4:4

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people … Ephesians 1:18

Looking for hope in a hopeless world

Trying to find love in these hateful times

Try to stay strong but my mind is weak

Looking for hope in a hopeless world

                 – Widespread Panic

We are currently looking into the great spiritual inheritance we have in the church — the body of Christ. Not the building on the corner, but the living, organic union of believers that exists whenever two or more of us gather together in Christ’s name in a home, or a building, or a park, or on Facebook live or Zoom. So far we’ve found out that our unity is a very big deal. We’ve found that there is one body (of Christ), one Spirit that lives in us all and now we hear about one hope that is associated with our calling — our being chosen by God.

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One Spirit

OIP-16

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. Ephesians 4:4-6

We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord

We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord

And we pray that our unity may one day be restored

           – Father Peter Scholtes

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One body

OIP-14

We are one. One body.

The church around the world is one body. Each person belongs to the whole. Everyone who believes is a part of everyone who believes. There can be no separation or there is no life. It’s organic. It’s a living, breathing whole. This is not a club, or a membership, or an association, or a coalition, or an affiliation, or an organization, or a partnership, or an administration, or a gang, or a demographic. It’s a body. And it’s alive.

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Only One who can make us one

OIP-13

One love

One blood

One life

You got to do what you should

One life

With each other

Sisters and my brothers

One life

But we’re not the same

We get to carry each other, carry each other

One, one

One, one

One

One love, one life

            – U2

Once again, the prophet, Bono nails it. The only answer to division, inequity, enmity, and strife comes in being one, and there is only One who can make us one and that is Jesus.

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More than a bumper sticker faith

OIP-12

We need to have some new answers. If someone asks if you are a Christian today, your answer is going to depend a lot on what that person thinks a Christian is. Based on that, you might want to say no. There are so many wrong ideas of Christianity out there now that it’s like stepping through a minefield to just try and talk about faith in Christ in the marketplace. If people have gotten their idea of what a Christian is from the media and a few bumper stickers, well there just isn’t enough room on a bumper to explain it.

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Getting Jesus right

OIP-11

Yesterday’s title was “Getting the right Jesus.” This is a little different. Having the right Jesus is one thing. “Getting Jesus right” is something else. It’s all about keeping Jesus in His image, not making Him into ours. This is one of the greatest temptations in following Christ — Making Jesus in our image.

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Getting the right Jesus

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Jesus, circa 1971

When God moves upon a generation, divisions dissolve. Denominations become irrelevant. All that matters is: Do you know Jesus? Jesus is the central figure in the church, in the Bible, and, indeed, in all of human history. We calculate the date by when Jesus was here. Nor is Jesus the sole possession of any particular group. No one has an inside track on Jesus. Jesus comes to us by way of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, which is how you will know if you have the right Jesus.

 

 

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