One People, One Purpose: Blessing Our Community with the Gospel
Notes
Transcript
13 But now, thanks to Christ Jesus, you who once were so far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
14 Christ is our peace. He made both Jews and Gentiles into one group. With his body, he broke down the barrier of hatred that divided us.
15 He canceled the detailed rules of the Law so that he could create one new person out of the two groups, making peace.
16 He reconciled them both as one body to God by the cross, which ended the hostility to God.
17 When he came, he announced the good news of peace to you who were far away from God and to those who were near.
18 We both have access to the Father through Christ by the one Spirit.
19 So now you are no longer strangers and aliens. Rather, you are fellow citizens with God’s people, and you belong to God’s household.
20 As God’s household, you are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.
21 The whole building is joined together in him, and it grows up into a temple that is dedicated to the Lord.
22 Christ is building you into a place where God lives through the Spirit.
Picture several individuals banding together to construct a home. They come from a variety of different places and have a variety of abilities, but they are all working toward the same objective, which is to build a home that is both lovely and practical for a family that is struggling financially. They have moments of happiness and camaraderie when working together, in addition to the difficulties and arguments that they endure. After some time, the house is completed. The family moves in, expressing gratitude to the builders for their hard work and commitment.
This group of construction workers is a lot like the church in many respects. We come from a variety of backgrounds, and each has unique abilities, but we are all striving toward the same end goal, which is to edify the body of Christ and provide blessings to our community. Despite our many differences, our love for Jesus and the desire to minister to the needs of others bind us together. And just like the people who worked together to build the home, we have the opportunity to share in the joy and fellowship that comes from working toward a common goal.
That common goal is to bless our community with the Gospel of Jesus.
Paul in this passage reminds us that it is by the Blood of Jesus that we have gained access to God. Through salvation we now have a relationship with God.
Because of our shared commitment to following in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, each and every one of us is a member of the same large extended family. Because our foundation is in Christ, even if we come from various places and have different points of view, we are able to collaborate for the sake of a common goal.
In John 17, Jesus offered a prayer for our unity. As members of the body of Christ, we are obligated to love and care for one another. However, the completion of this mission is only one of our objectives.
A second part of our mission is to be the hands and feet of Christ in the world by serving the communities in which we live. This requires making contact with those who are suffering, who are on the margins of society, and who have a need.
We believe that holiness on a personal level and in society as a whole is vital. This indicates that we are obligated to not only have a profound relationship with God but also to actively strive toward the transformation of our culture. We have faith that the Holy Spirit will provide us with the resources necessary to make a significant contribution to the world.
In general, as one people united in Christ, we are asked to love and support one another and use our gifts and resources to help our community. This call comes from Christ's command that we follow him. We have the ability to communicate the love of God to a world that is hurting and give people a reason to have hope via the words and deeds that we choose to do.
One People
One People
Think about a large, diverse family reunion. There are people of all ages, backgrounds, and personalities present. Some are quiet, others are outgoing. Some are reserved, others are expressive. Despite these differences, they all belong to the same family and share a common bond.
In the same way, as Christians, we're all part of one big family that's united by our faith in Jesus Christ. Although we come from different cultural, racial, and economic backgrounds, and have different personalities and perspectives, we're all part of the same body of Christ. Our shared foundation in Christ is what unites us.
We take citizenship for granted generally. We have millions of people that want to come to our country so that they can potentially have the privileges that we enjoy as citizens.
Paul wrote there in Ephesians 2:19
19 So now you are no longer strangers and aliens. Rather, you are fellow citizens with God’s people, and you belong to God’s household.
In the Roman empire there was two ways to become a citizen. You could be born a citizen or you could purchase that privilege. Bribing government officials to get one's name included on a list of potential citizens was possible. In addition, a person might acquire citizenship after being freed from slavery. The people of Ephesus would have understood Paul's use of citizenship and slavery in his works. Paul makes the point that followers of Jesus are free – free from the suffocating grasp of sin, free from the power of the flesh, and free from the restraints and prohibitions of the law. Believers now have all the rights and responsibilities of citizens, similar to a freed slave.
When we come to faith in Christ, we become citizen’s of God’s Kingdom. Paul said we are no longer strangers and aliens. We are one with each other.
This unity in Christ is not just a nice idea, but a commandment from Jesus Himself. In John 13:34-35, Jesus said, "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
Look at Colossians 3:11 “11 In this image there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all things and in all people.”
Paul is emphasizing to the congregation in Colossae that, in Christ, there is no distinction between persons. During that historical period, there were a lot of cultural, social, and economic boundaries that divided society. People were divided into several groups based on factors such as their language, religion, and ethnicity. These distinctions, however, are eliminated in Christ.
We have faith that the message of the Gospel has the capacity to heal the wounds that have been caused by our differences and bring about reconciliation.
When we read Colossians 3:11, we are reminded that there is no place for prejudice or discrimination in Christ. This is the message that we take away from the passage. No matter who we are or where we come from, we are each tasked with the responsibility of loving and accepting one another.
As we strive toward achieving unity in Christ, we have the opportunity to demonstrate the transformational power of the Gospel and provide hope to a world that is fractured and in pain.
So, just as a large family can come together despite their differences, we can also come together as one people united in Christ. We can love and support one another, and work together for a common purpose because of our shared faith in Jesus.
We need to keep in mind that we are blessed as one people to bless our community. The oneness that we have in Christ should not only eliminate the differences that exist between us but also motivate us to actively strive toward bringing about positive change in the world.
Let us now explore what it means to be blessed as one people and how we might turn this blessing into a blessing for our society.
We're blessed as one people to bless our community
We're blessed as one people to bless our community
God said through the prophet Jeremiah Jeremiah 29:7 “7 Promote the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because your future depends on its welfare.”
This is being written to the ones who have been taken into exile. They were to not only promote the welfare of the city they were in, but they were to pray for it as well. That is an important reminder to use to pray for our communities that we live in.
Imagine a small town that's been hit hard by a natural disaster, such as a hurricane or tornado. Many people have lost their homes, and the community is struggling to recover.
In the midst of this chaos, a group of Christians comes together to help. They set up a shelter at the local church and start collecting donations of food, clothing, and other necessities. They work tirelessly to distribute these items to those in need and provide comfort and support to the community.
As they serve, the Christians in this group come from many different backgrounds - different races, nationalities, and socio-economic statuses. But despite their differences, they work together as one people, united in their desire to bless their community.
Their actions speak louder than words, and through their service, they demonstrate the love and compassion of Christ to those around them. They're able to provide practical help and bring hope to a community that's hurting.
In this way, they show that being blessed as one people means more than just unity - it means actively working to bless and serve those around us. And by doing so, they bring glory to God and demonstrate the transformative power of the Gospel in action.
As followers of Christ, we are responsible for lifting up others around us in some way. In Genesis 12:2-3, God promised Abraham that he would be a blessing to all of the nations of the earth. Jesus Christ, who came to earth to provide redemption to all people, is the one who makes this promise come true.
We are firm believers in the significance of maintaining holiness in both one's own life and one's community. This indicates that we are tasked with cultivating a profound, private connection with God and working toward the transformation God desires for our communities. Our beliefs must affect every aspect of our life, including how we relate to the people around us.
We are fortunate as a people, so we might be a blessing to our community. This indicates that we should actively look for ways to love and assist our neighbors. This may be accomplished through various activities, such as volunteering at a local shelter, participating in community events, or simply being a loving and supportive presence in our areas.
By showering blessings on our community, we can show others the love and grace that comes from God. Those going through difficult times might get encouragement and hope from us as a tangible demonstration of God's love. Our faith is not only a collection of ideas; it is a way of life that aspires to bring about constructive change in the world, and we may demonstrate this by how we live our lives.
As we strive to love and serve those around us, we must also recognize the importance of sharing the gospel message with others. This leads us to our next point: sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with those who may not have heard it before.
Sharing the good news of Jesus Christ
Sharing the good news of Jesus Christ
As followers of Christ, we have the responsibility to shine as light in this dark world by extending blessings to others in our immediate environment. This involves actively finding chances to serve others and bless them through our words and deeds, expressing the love and compassion of Christ in everything that we do.
Being a source of light in the world can take many different forms, but one way is to engage in acts of kindness that are completely unprompted. This might be offering to pay for someone's coffee, helping an elderly neighbor with yard work, or simply delivering a nice word of encouragement to someone who may be going through a tough moment. By doing so, not only are we able to make someone else's day more enjoyable, but we also have the opportunity to exhibit our tangible love of Christ to another person.
Participating in local outreach initiatives, such as working at a homeless shelter or food bank, is another way to shine one's light in the world and have a positive impact on the lives of those around you. We are able to create connections with people who are in need and display the love and compassion of Christ in a compelling way when we constantly show up to provide help and when we consistently offer support to those who are in need.
In the course of loving and serving our neighbors, we are tasked with going above and beyond just satisfying their physical and emotional need. We have been charged with proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ to them and extending to them the kind of salvation and hope that can only come through putting their trust in Christ alone.
Therefore, while we continue to bless people around us, we must also be purposeful in sharing the message of the gospel with others, exhibiting the love and compassion of Christ in both speech and deed.
Jesus gave us the mission in Matthew 28:19-20 “19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to obey everything that I’ve commanded you. Look, I myself will be with you every day until the end of this present age.””
Evangelism happens on a personal level we we talk about our faith with our neighbors, friends, or coworkers. It can be giving others the opportunity to hear our own personal testimony of how we came to believe in God or encouraging them to attend church with us.
When we do this, we not only have the opportunity to tell others around us about the love and grace of God, but we also increase the possibility of their having a transformative experience with Jesus.
Imagine that you are making your way along a busy city street in the middle of the day, and everyone around you is in a hurry to go somewhere. In the middle of the mayhem, you come across a woman seated on the pavement carrying a cardboard sign that reads "Homeless and Hungry." "Could You Please Help Me?" Most people walk past her without glancing in her direction, but you sense a tug on your heart to do something more in response to the situation.
As you approach her, you start a discussion with her by asking her name and how you can help her. She shares her experience with you, and while you listen with empathy, you offer her a meal and some money to help her find somewhere to live. Then, though, you realize that there is something much more valuable that you can give her, and that is the faith and love that comes from Jesus Christ.
You start to tell her about the gospel, how Jesus died on the cross for her sins and rose from the dead so that he might offer her everlasting life and salvation by saving her from her sins. You can see that the message is profoundly affecting her heart because you can see tears welling up in her eyes as she listens to you speak. You can see that she is visibly moved by what you say.
At that very time, you become acutely aware of the immense significance that the proclamation of the gospel may have on the course of a person's life. You now understand how the love of Christ can transform even the most damaged and hopeless situations, bringing healing and redemption to all those who receive it.
As you leave the experience, you are reminded that every one of us has the chance to benefit people around us by sharing the gospel message with them. This thought stays with you as you walk away from that encounter. You are encouraged to search for chances to share the hope and love of Jesus Christ with those in need, knowing that through your words and deeds, you can transform lives and create an influence that will last for the Kingdom of God. In addition, you are encouraged to look for opportunities to share the hope and love of Jesus Christ with those in need.
Spreading the gospel demands us to be purposeful in our encounters with other people and to seek chances to communicate the good news of Jesus Christ in both words and deeds. By doing so, we are able to have a good effect in our communities and assist others in experiencing the transformational power of the love and grace of God.
I would like to leave you with a challenge to act on what you've heard today. I've highlighted the many ways in which we might be a source of blessing to those who are in our own neighborhood by showing love to our neighbors, proclaiming the gospel, and offering service to others with humility and compassion.
However, I want to put you to the test by asking that you go one step farther with this. Don't simply look at these things as wonderful ideas or recommendations; think of them as actual ideas. Instead, let's make them a permanent part of our lives and our way of life. Let's make it a point to actively look for ways to share the grace and peace that come from knowing Jesus Christ with the people around us, and let's do it with a sense of intentionality.
This could require us to get out of our comfort zones, make an effort to connect with people who are different from us, or give up some of our time, money, and energy to meet the needs of other people. However, if we do this, we will be reflecting the love and kindness of God to a world that is in dire need of it.
When we go from here, let us do so with a renewed dedication to becoming a blessing to the people in the world around us. Help one another and the world around us by being Christ's hands and feet in this suffering and broken world. And let's do everything for the sake of His glory and the growth of His kingdom.
I pray that we may genuinely become "One People" who are unified in our objective to bless our community and offer the light of Christ to those who have the greatest need for it. Amen.