Sarah Chang’s CME Testimony
SPIRITUAL BLESSING IN CHRIST
Ephesians 1:1-11
Key verse;1:3
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
Thank God for sending Dr John Jun and Sarah Jun to serve CME in Belize. Lord thank you for helping me to know my identity, how much I am blessed and to know what is my inheritance. Thank God for giving me my spiritual life direction .
I.Praise God for new identity
Paul wrote this letter to God’s people in Ephesus, the faithful in Jesus Christ, including us today.
Paul identifies himself as an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God. He was a prisoner in Rome from worldly point of view. But he saw himself from God’s point of view. By the will of God he was chosen, though he was an enemy of God. He was predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will(v11 ). Who sent me to Belize? UBF? No. God sent me according to his plan and by his will. So I repent and accept my identity as a missionary of Christ. I am chosen by God, the Creator of heaven and the earth, the Almighty God. Thanks and praise to God and our Lord Jesus Christ.
II. Praise for spiritual blessing in Christ
I even did not know what are spiritual blessings in Christ. 1st He chose us in him even before the creation of the world. He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ. When I believed in Jesus, he gave me right to become child of God. God adopted me as his child, heavenly princess. 2nd, In him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace (7) 3rd, As his adopted daughter I have a right of his inheritance. I did not know about my inheritances. What inheritances I am getting? 1st, his kingdom, 2nd eternal life, 3rd a blessing, 4th promises, 5th, new Jerusalem, and 6th, redemption of body. This gives me hope. Praise God for his blessings and promise of inheritances.
III. Praise God for his purpose
Why did God save and bless Paul and us and even me? V6 says to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. He lavished his great love on us. With all wisdom and understanding he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure. He wants us to know him better and better. And to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. God saved me and blessed me with silver mission. It is good to work hard and bear fruits. But I learn more important thing is to praise God. Paul was in prison. It was cave prison. He was chained. He was in worst environment with many hard realities. But he praised God, remembering God’s saving grace, his mission, his calling grace every day. He did what he can do every day, teaching those who come to him one by one, writing letters to God’s people in Ephesus and more. He prayed. He glorified God by overcoming the present realities by faith. He was full of thanks and praise in prison. Like him I should renew God ‘s saving and his calling grace every day and overcome heat, itching etc. and live life with full of thanks and praise and pray. This year my key verse is Mk9:29 He replied, This kind can come out only by prayer. I have impossible things with me such as my children, Melanie’s marriage, raising up disciples and successor, new bible house etc. I never dreamed that I would see M Moses’ change. What was impossible with me, I began to see God is doing. I put my faith in this God and decided to learn prayer. I changed to get up at 4 instead at 5. But so far, my prayer life is like disciples at Gethsemane. Why? I found key point and my spiritual life direction through CME and life together with God’s servants. I learn to imitate God’s servant to sing hymns until my heart is moved and awake and to renew His saving and calling grace and praise him and pray. I could grasp what is like holy and prayerful life through God’s servants. I have this longing to live life holy, prayerful and Spirit filled life with the fear of God. Thank God for my spiritual map to be more clear. I thank God and praise God.
One Word: Live life of praising God