<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>Ephesians 4;20-24<div><br></div><div><b>20. &nbsp;You did not so learn Christ!—</b>&nbsp;(remaining&nbsp;hard-hearted,&nbsp;licentiousness,&nbsp;greedy, and unclean)&nbsp;<br><b>21. &nbsp;assuming that you have heard about him and we’re taught <u>in</u>&nbsp;him, as the truth is in Jesus.</b></div><div><b>22. &nbsp;Put off your old nature which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful lusts,</b></div><div><b>23. &nbsp;and be renewed in the spirit of your minds,</b></div><div><b>24. &nbsp;and put on the new nature, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>What does it mean to, <i>“be renewed in the spirit of your mind”? &nbsp;</i>It means to allow the truth of God to change the very way you think about yourself.</div><div><br></div><div><i>“I appeal to you therefore,&nbsp;brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice&nbsp;to God, holy and acceptable to God&nbsp;which is your spiritual worship. &nbsp;Do&nbsp;not be&nbsp;conformed to&nbsp;this world but be transformed by <u>the renewal&nbsp;of your minds, </u>&nbsp;that you may prove </i>(test and live out) <i>what is the will of God, what is good, and&nbsp;acceptable, and perfect.” &nbsp;</i>(Romans 12;1&amp;2)</div><div><br></div><div>We are a living sacrifice to God, a gift from&nbsp;to to God. &nbsp;Think of that! &nbsp;Have you ever given yourself a ‘gift’? &nbsp;That is what we the Church are, God’s gift to himself. &nbsp;We are acceptable to God because he has cleansed us and given into us his own Son, Jesus, who dwells in us by the Holy Spirit.</div><div><br></div><div>A renewed mind is one which no longer thinks of itself as who we once were in our darkened, unbelieving, old natures. &nbsp;We are, <i>“the workmanship of God, created <u>in</u>&nbsp;Christ Jesus for good works”</i></div><div>(Ephesians 2;10). We are <i>“born-anew” “baptized <u>into</u>&nbsp;Christ”, </i>dead to sin and alive to God. &nbsp;We have a new life to live. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>We live this new life, by thinking differently about ourselves. &nbsp;That is what Paul means when he says, <i>“be renewed in the spirit of your minds” </i>he means the way we&nbsp;think about ourselves<span>. &nbsp;The old nature is ugly and dead, it is filthy and infected with evil desires. &nbsp;Like a set of clothing which we remove because it is filthy. &nbsp;</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>We are cleansed, and indwelt, to walk before God <u>in</u>&nbsp;true&nbsp;holy living,&nbsp;pleasing to God.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Changing the way we think about ourselves is also part of faith in Jesus, because he is risen and ascended so that he may fill us! &nbsp;We are not simply forgiven of our sins, we are given the death of Christ to sin. &nbsp;God by the Holy Spirit has been given&nbsp;into our very being, even to the point of a <i>“new nature,”&nbsp;</i>one which delights in the good works God has prepared for us to do.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Who do you say you are? &nbsp;If you say you are ‘just a forgiven&nbsp;poor miserable sinner’ you are ignoring the Offertory. &nbsp;<i>“Create in me a clean heart O God, and renew a right spirit within me. &nbsp;Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation and uphold me with thy free Spirit. Amen. &nbsp;</i>(Psalm 51;10-12)</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Prayer: &nbsp;Bless us dear Father to be changed in the way we think about ourselves. &nbsp;Teach us to discard the old corrupt nature, and be renewed in the spirit of our minds. &nbsp;Bless us by faith to believe Christ indwells us for what is good, and acceptable, and perfect. &nbsp;Grant that this be our worship of you dear Father. &nbsp;In Jesus we pray, Amen.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Love,</span></div><div><span>Dad/Baba/Eric</span></div><div><span>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</span></div><div><span>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word. &nbsp;God’s Word in our habitation, and we are His.”</span></div><div><b><br></b><br><div><a href="https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&amp;c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&amp;af_sub1=Acquisition&amp;af_sub2=Global_YMktg&amp;af_sub3=&amp;af_sub4=100000604&amp;af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>


Ephesians 4;20-24
20.  You did not so learn Christ!— (remaining hard-hearted, licentiousness, greedy, and unclean) 
21.  assuming that you have heard about him and we’re taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus.22.  Put off your old nature which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful lusts,23.  and be renewed in the spirit of your minds,24.  and put on the new nature, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
What does it mean to, “be renewed in the spirit of your mind”?  It means to allow the truth of God to change the very way you think about yourself.
“I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice to God, holy and acceptable to God which is your spiritual worship.  Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your minds,  that you may prove (test and live out) what is the will of God, what is good, and acceptable, and perfect.”  (Romans 12;1&2)
We are a living sacrifice to God, a gift from to to God.  Think of that!  Have you ever given yourself a ‘gift’?  That is what we the Church are, God’s gift to himself.  We are acceptable to God because he has cleansed us and given into us his own Son, Jesus, who dwells in us by the Holy Spirit.
A renewed mind is one which no longer thinks of itself as who we once were in our darkened, unbelieving, old natures.  We are, “the workmanship of God, created in Christ Jesus for good works”(Ephesians 2;10). We are “born-anew” “baptized into Christ”, dead to sin and alive to God.  We have a new life to live.  
We live this new life, by thinking differently about ourselves.  That is what Paul means when he says, “be renewed in the spirit of your minds” he means the way we think about ourselves.  The old nature is ugly and dead, it is filthy and infected with evil desires.  Like a set of clothing which we remove because it is filthy.  
We are cleansed, and indwelt, to walk before God in true holy living, pleasing to God.
Changing the way we think about ourselves is also part of faith in Jesus, because he is risen and ascended so that he may fill us!  We are not simply forgiven of our sins, we are given the death of Christ to sin.  God by the Holy Spirit has been given into our very being, even to the point of a “new nature,” one which delights in the good works God has prepared for us to do.
Who do you say you are?  If you say you are ‘just a forgiven poor miserable sinner’ you are ignoring the Offertory.  “Create in me a clean heart O God, and renew a right spirit within me.  Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation and uphold me with thy free Spirit. Amen.  (Psalm 51;10-12)
Prayer:  Bless us dear Father to be changed in the way we think about ourselves.  Teach us to discard the old corrupt nature, and be renewed in the spirit of our minds.  Bless us by faith to believe Christ indwells us for what is good, and acceptable, and perfect.  Grant that this be our worship of you dear Father.  In Jesus we pray, Amen.
Love,Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.  God’s Word in our habitation, and we are His.”

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