God has Established a Diverse Family for His Glory
FOCUS TEXT: Ephesians 2:17-3:13
Sunday’s message was the fourth in our “We Are Family” series. In it we explored the idea that God has established a diverse family for His glory.
Paul opens his letter to the diverse church in Ephesus saying: “to the saints who are faithful.” What he does not say is — to the black or white or Asian or Hispanic or middle eastern, or Jewish, or Roman saints in Ephesus. No, this sort of delineation was foreign to the NT church. People were either faithful followers of Jesus and active in the church or they were not. The point is that all who came to faith in the community were included in the Church.
In Ephesians 1:5 Paul says: “In love He predestined US (the diverse Church) for adoption to Himself as sons through Jesus, according to the purpose of His will,” meaning that God chose to adopt all kinds of children into His family. When emphasizing diverse ethnicity Paul chooses to use adoption as the picture.
Then in Ephesians 2:10 Paul calls the coming together of Jews & Gentiles (all other ethnicities) God’s “workmanship.” In other translations “masterpiece” or “handiwork.” The idea is that God is building something masterful and powerful and good (a diverse Church) on the foundation of Christ.
In Ephesians 2:17-22 we learn that God made strangers and aliens a Spirit-filled family. From Ephesians 3:1-6 we learn that God has now, through the Church, revealed a mystery hidden in other generations, that all ethnicities are included in God’s family. Then in verses 7-13 we discover that God reveals His “manifold wisdom through the Church.”
This wisdom is two-fold. The manifold wisdom of God is the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ and God’s plan to unite in Christ all that was divided by sin, including diverse peoples.
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
Why do you think churches (leaders & members) tend to shy away from conversations about ethnicity and diversity?
What do you think hinders many followers of Jesus from making disciples across cultural and ethnic lines?
PRAYER RESPONSE
Take time to pray for our Anchor family that God would enable and empower us to make disciples of all nations, tribes, and tongues in our own neighborhood. Pray for the Family that God would empower us to build relationships with our neighbors, co-workers, classmates, and other community members regardless of cultural differences. Ask the Lord to show you any hindrances within yourself to investing in cross cultural friendships.
MEMORY VERSE: Ephesians 2:17-18
