“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.” Ephesians 1:3-12, KJV
“But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:4-7, KJV
“For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him. Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” Ephesians 3:1-21, KJV
“Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:” Colossians 1:25-27, KJV
Note: In the previous verses, the word “dispensation” is derived from the Greek word “oikonomia”. It signifies management, oversight or administration.
Please also refer to the KJV Bible Verse List called “Predestinated and Chosen”, which you can find at the following URL:
Our church is so dead, we need a plan,
So give me some new ideas, if you can.
Well, let’s talk about everything but sin,
Then some new churchgoers we will win.
Maybe if some strobe lights we can offer,
They will all come and fill up our coffer.
While we’re at it, let’s crack a few jokes,
After all, we gotta loosen up those folks.
And don’t forget musicians for the crowd,
Even hard rock music should be allowed.
But no Bible, let’s sell our books instead,
We need cash, our church is in the red.
Let’s be real liberal and marry the gays,
It’s a new century, so we need new ways.
Great ideas guys, this will all work fine,
Has your church stepped so out of line?
Note: In addition to the verses below, please also read Romans chapter fourteen in its entirety.
“And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you:” Luke 10:8, KJV
“I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.” Romans 14:14, KJV
“All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not. Let no man seek his own, but every man another’s wealth. Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, that eat, asking no question for conscience sake: For the earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof. If any of them that believe not bid you to a feast, and ye be disposed to go; whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience sake. But if any man say unto you, This is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not for his sake that shewed it, and for conscience sake: for the earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof: Conscience, I say, not thine own, but of the other: for why is my liberty judged of another man’s conscience? For if I by grace be a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks? Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:23-31, KJV
“Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.” Titus 1:15, KJV
“And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.” Acts 10:15, KJV
“But the voice answered me again from heaven, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.” Acts 11:9, KJV
Heaven is real, I know that it’s true,
It’s a wonderful place, beyond the blue.
Nothing on Earth, can possibly compare,
Faith in Jesus alone, can take us there.
All other paths, will only lead to loss,
God demands, the narrow way of the Cross.
This life is nothing, we’ll all soon die,
Act quickly, reserve your place in the sky.
Don’t be deceived, by the things of Earth,
All that it offers, is of little worth.
Put your faith, in the great God of Love,
And His City, that comes down from above.
You thought you were oh so intelligent,
When you carried out your devious plot,
But what you obviously did not realize,
Is that by God you were already caught.
The Lord saw what you were planning,
He heard every word that you had said,
But He wanted to teach you a big lesson,
So now it’s come right back on your head.
If there’s one thing you’re now learning,
And if there’s one thing you should know,
By now it should be painfully obvious,
That we all reap exactly what we sow.
