At the beginning of his letter to the Ephesians, the apostle Paul pours out God's heart for them in one looooong sentence. He writes:

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. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.

In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory. --Ephesians 1:3-14

These powerful words form the practical foundation for the theme of 2007: A Year of Inheritance. In these foundational words, we discover that we are a blessed people! How are we blessed? I'm glad you asked.

• We are a blessed people because we have been chosen by the Father.

All of us can relate to how important it is to be chosen. When we are chosen, we have a sense of security and significance. Well, Paul reminds us here of the importance of being chosen by the Father.

• Because of the Father's love, we have been adopted into His family.
• Because we have been adopted into His family, we are to resemble His Son.
• Because we resemble His Son, we bring praise to Him.

This is our inheritance!

• We are a blessed people because we have been redeemed by the Son.

Before we came to faith in Christ, every one of us was enslaved to sin. But Christ has set us free by the sacrifice of His own love, and the implications from His paying the price to redeem us are numerous:

• Because of His sacrifice, we have received the riches of His grace.
• Because we have received the riches of His grace, we have been given the gifts of forgiveness, wisdom, and understanding.
• Because we have been given these gifts, we are fulfilling His purpose and bringing praise to Him.

This is our inheritance!

We are a blessed people because we have been sealed by the Spirit.

When we become a part of God the Father's family through believing and receiving the sacrifice of His Son Jesus, we are sealed into that family by God, the Holy Spirit. This sealing work also has several significant implications:

• Because of the promise, we are marked with His seal.
• Because we are marked with His seal, we are guaranteed an inheritance.
• Because we are guaranteed an inheritance, we will fully possess it, and we are His possession to the praise of His glory.

This is our inheritance!

As we reflect deeply on this passage and the implications, the depth and breadth of this inheritance is amazing. Psalm 2:7-8 gives us yet another prophetic insight into this glorious inheritance:

I will proclaim the decree of the LORD: He said to me, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.

This psalm reminds us that there is a King, the anointed Son, Jesus Christ. This King reigns over His inheritance, the nations, and rules over His possession, the ends of the earth. And we have been invited to submit to this King and join with Him as heirs of His kingdom and co-heirs of His inheritance, the nations. This is the calling and destiny of Bethel Christian Fellowship as an Apostolic House of Prayer for All Nations.

--Pastor Jim Olson