Today's Passage - Ephesians 2:21-22

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Ephesians 2:21-22   "In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit."   It is wonderful that in Christ we can become a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit wants to live within us so that we can clearly know that we belong to God.  Bible describes that Holy Spirit lives within us much like a seal on us.  A seal has several functions:   First, it's a sign of belonging.  Many people like to stamp a seal on their books, so that when someone picks up the book they know to whom it belongs to.  In the same way, when the Holy Spirit lives within us, God has stamped a seal on us saying that we belong to Him.  He's especially saying to the devil Satan, "don't bother him, he belongs to me."  One who belongs to God must have this sense of "seal" in order not to be attacked by deception of the enemy.   Next, the seal is a guarantee of quality.  When the Spirit lives within us, it's like we have received a seal of quality assurance, representing that we will one day be like Jesus.  Bible often mentioned that Jesus is our early fruit, which is a quality guarantee; if the early fruit is sour, the ripe fruit will be sour, but if the early fruit is sweet then the ripe fruit will be sweet too.  If Jesus has become our early fruit, then our life will take on His form, which is a quality guarantee.    Once you know that you have seal of the Lord on you, you must live a life worthy of it, and you can claim victory again the enemy in the name of the Lord.  Just like what Paul said in Galatians 6:17: "Finally, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus."  On the other hand, you also need to be united with others who have the same seal, because the sanctuary of the Lord doesn't just have you alone.  We are like blocks of stone that the Holy Spirit is stacking up in order for us to be united, be edified together, and ultimately to become a glorious temple.  One block of stone won't have any glory, but once a temple built, the whole temple reflects the glory of the Lord.  May God help us to be edified together in the Kingdom of God!                                                                                    Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, I thank you because your Holy Spirit is living within us.  We have become your temple, and we also know that we belong to you.  In our daily life, help us to live worthy of the seal, so that you may receive the greatest glory through us.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!