THINK TOGETHER.
If a friend asked you, “What is a church?” what would you say?
READ TOGETHER.
Ephesians 2:18-22. 18For through [Jesus] we both [Jews and Gentiles] have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
Do you remember what a Gentile is? A Gentile is anyone who is not Jewish. Most likely you are a Gentile.
Starting with Abraham, the Jews were God’s chosen people, but not because he loved them more than everyone else. God loves the whole world. God chose the Jews so that they could be a light to the Gentiles and teach them about God, making them worshipers of God too. At the same time, God told the Jews to not be like the Gentiles. To be different from them. To be holy.
During the Old Testament times, the Jews failed to be a light to the Gentiles. In fact, they became like them, worshiping false Gods, failing to help people, and even enslaving people (it was really bad). Because of this, God let the Jews be conquered by the Gentile nations – Babylon, Greece, and Rome. By Jesus’ day, the Jews had decided to try to obey God so they totally rejected and even hated the Gentiles. They wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles or even go into their houses. They would only let Gentiles stand and worship outside the Temple, never inside. They were not a light to the Gentiles like God wanted, in fact, they were happy to keep the Gentiles as far away from God as possible.
Then came Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Jesus did everything God wanted perfectly. Jesus was holy and perfect. He always did what was righteous and loving. At the same time, Jesus loved the Gentiles. He was a light to the Gentiles. He preached to Gentiles, healed Gentiles, fed Gentiles, and even ate dinner with them (yikes). Then, when Jesus went back to Heaven, the Holy Spirit came to create the church, a place where Jews and Gentiles will be one family and worship God together.
Ephesians is a letter written to mostly Gentiles. Paul calls them fellow citizens and members of the household of God. Then he says that through Jesus both Jews and Gentiles are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. This is all a really big deal. Finally, everything God wanted is happening through the Holy Spirit and through the church. We get to be a light to everyone! Jews and Gentiles. We all get to worship God together as one big happy family. We all get to love each other just as Jesus loves us. And we can do all this while being holy, different from the world and the same as Jesus.
Because of the Holy Spirit we are united into one family of God.
With the Holy Spirit we can be a light to the world without being like the world.
DO SOMETHING TOGETHER
Look at pictures from your church together (use the church website or a membership directory). In what ways are the people in your church different? Do they come from different nations? In what ways are they the same? How does Jesus and the Holy Spirit make them all the same while being so different?
PRAY TOGETHER
Father, I want to see everyone like you do, as someone to love and share the good news with. Help me to be like Jesus while not being like the world. Amen.
TLICfamily 