Ephesians 2:11-22

Who are you?

In Ephesus, this small church was meeting close to the enormous temple of Artemis - one of the ancient wonders of the world. They were under huge pressure to be who they were meant to be. They were a church who had the Spirit of the Living God living in them, which was more powerful than any influence of a statue. It can be easy to feel like this as a church in the twenty first century. But remember with joy that we are the temple of God's Spirit. God loves in us.

Our life before salvation

When we were unconverted, we were not just dead. We were "doubly dead". We were dead in our sins before God but we were also dead as gentiles - because of that we were far from God.

In exile from the covenant

Gentiles did not have the covenant that was made with the people of Israel. We are not part of the chosen people of the Old Testament. No-one was right with God before our salvation, and that is the reason for our death. Remembering our life before salvation (if you can) is important because it causes us to rejoice all the more.

Doubly alive in salvation

Both Jews and Gentiles were brought together by salvation from Christ. There is no longer the covenant and the temple and Jewish law to keep us apart from God and His presence. Jesus made peace between the two groups. Salvation in Christ can bring together people of all different types and kinds of people.

Brought together and to God

We are not just joined with each other. We are joined by the Spirit within us to God. We are at peace with God as well, and with that comes access to Him. We can approach God with freedom and confidence. As we meet together, we collectively meet with God and encourage each other in worship.

Recognising the consequences

We are now citizens of God's kingdom, and we should bring a little bit of heaven into this world. We are also a family with each other and God. It's a personal, intimate relationship. We belong to God and can call Him a father. Finally, we are a temple. We are a living icon of Christ and God. We are being built by God so that when people look at us they see Him and His love. Christ determines the foundation and shape of our lives. We join a church with our entire being, a community of stones building a temple to the glory of God.