Word@Work Eph20 - Ephesians 2:11-13
Published: Thu, 10/23/08
Word@Work from BeaconLight
REALLY INCLUSIVE
Read Ephesians 2:11-13 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called "uncircumcised" by those who call themselves "the circumcision" (that done in the body by the hands of men) - remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.
'Inclusive' is supposed to be a socially good word with a sort of moral 'ought to' about it. Yet, somehow, many are not welcome because people simply choose their own kind in preference to others. In the early church, Gentiles (a classification word for everybody who was not a Jew), were sometimes at a disadvantage in Jewish eyes. Even now they had become Christians, old habits died hard.
Certainly, the Old Testament said that God had a special and exclusive relationship with His people, Israel, and this was expressed in rituals like circumcision. But even in those days, outsiders who really wanted to belong to God, could. Ruth was an ancestor of Jesus, yet she was a Moabitess; Rahab was a Caananite prostitute but she also had faith in the living God and was welcomed as one of God's people. There were many cultural Jews, but the true Israelites were those who had faith in the promises of God. In the same way, New Testament Gentiles who trusted in the Jesus of the Gospel were welcome on equal terms to the Jews who believed.
Being excluded is horrible, especially when you were excluded from God's presence by sin and rebellion. But all those who trust in the promise of God, in the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, are brought close to Him. They are no longer far away from him, but fully included. Once they had no hope, now they have God as their friend. That applies to all: from the most religious to the most seasoned crook, and people in the workplace too. The message is that whoever wants to come to God can do so through Christ - irrespective of background culture. It is a good message for friends in the workplace; to dispel the false myth that only good Christians are welcomed by Jesus - He died for everybody, and He will include all who want to come!
Prayer: Father God, thank you for accepting all who trust in Jesus. Help me to be more inclusive as I discuss with my colleagues, so that they may know that Jesus is not just for me but for them also. In His Name. Amen.
You can read the verses around this Bible passage from the Internet Bible: - in English, and Spanish
'Inclusive' is supposed to be a socially good word with a sort of moral 'ought to' about it. Yet, somehow, many are not welcome because people simply choose their own kind in preference to others. In the early church, Gentiles (a classification word for everybody who was not a Jew), were sometimes at a disadvantage in Jewish eyes. Even now they had become Christians, old habits died hard.
Certainly, the Old Testament said that God had a special and exclusive relationship with His people, Israel, and this was expressed in rituals like circumcision. But even in those days, outsiders who really wanted to belong to God, could. Ruth was an ancestor of Jesus, yet she was a Moabitess; Rahab was a Caananite prostitute but she also had faith in the living God and was welcomed as one of God's people. There were many cultural Jews, but the true Israelites were those who had faith in the promises of God. In the same way, New Testament Gentiles who trusted in the Jesus of the Gospel were welcome on equal terms to the Jews who believed.
Being excluded is horrible, especially when you were excluded from God's presence by sin and rebellion. But all those who trust in the promise of God, in the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, are brought close to Him. They are no longer far away from him, but fully included. Once they had no hope, now they have God as their friend. That applies to all: from the most religious to the most seasoned crook, and people in the workplace too. The message is that whoever wants to come to God can do so through Christ - irrespective of background culture. It is a good message for friends in the workplace; to dispel the false myth that only good Christians are welcomed by Jesus - He died for everybody, and He will include all who want to come!
Prayer: Father God, thank you for accepting all who trust in Jesus. Help me to be more inclusive as I discuss with my colleagues, so that they may know that Jesus is not just for me but for them also. In His Name. Amen.
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