HEAVENLY PLACES
THE EPHESIAN LETTER, WRITTEN BY THE APOSTLE PAUL AROUND 60 A.D WHILE IN PRISON IN ROME IS ONE OF SEVERAL LETTERS HE WROTE WHILE IMPRISONED. HE ADDRESSED SEVERAL REALITIES OF THE CHRISTIAN’S WALK IN THIS LETTER. THIS TEACHING ADDRESSES THE REALITY OF HEAVENLY PLACES GUARANTEED A BELIEVER.
SPIRITUAL INSIGHT:
EPHESIANS 1:3 (NLT) “ALL PRAISE TO GOD, THE FATHER OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, WHO HAS BLESSED US WITH EVERY SPIRITUAL BLESSING IN THE HEAVENLY REALMS BECAUSE WE ARE UNITED WITH CHRIST.”
CHRISTIANS MUST MAINTAIN A BASIC REALITY OF THE CHRISTIAN WALK. THE FOUNDATION OF YOUR CHRISTIAN WALK MUST BE SPIRITUAL. YES, MATERIAL BLESSINGS ARE PERMISSIBLE AND GOOD BUT NOT TO THE NEGLECT OF THE SPIRITUAL.
THE PHRASE “HEAVENLY PLACES” SUGGESTS A SPIRITUAL POSITION IN CHRIST. IT SUGGESTS YOUR POSITION WITH CHRIST EVEN THOUGH YOU ARE EARTH BOUND. YOU ARE SPIRITUALLY SEATED WITH HIM ON HIGH ACCORDING TO THE WORD.
BELIEVERS MUST EMBRACE THE REALITY OF “SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS”. A BELIEVER OPERATES IN TWO REALMS, THE HUMAN AND THE DIVINE, THE EARTHLY AND THE HEAVENLY, THE VISIBLE AND IN INVISIBLE. PHYSICALLY HE WALKS ON EARTH: SPIRITUALLY HE OPERATES IN THE HEAVENLY REALM. THE HEAVENLY REALM IS WHERE YOU GET YOUR POWER AND DIRECTION FOR YOUR EARTHLY WALK.
THE SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS ARE FOR THE JEWS AND GENTILES.
APPLICATION: BELIEVER, OPERATE IN THE HEAVENLY REALM!
REF: DOUGLAS CONNELLY, ELMER L. TOWNS, RADMACHER, ALLEN & HOUSE, DAVID GUZIK, WARREN WIERSBE
