Ephesians 1:1-6
Our Riches in Christ
Ephesians 1:7-14
Redemption For The Believer in Christ
Ephesians 1:15-23
Prayer For Knowledge And Power
Ephesians 2:1-3
How we Were ’Before’ Salvation
Ephesians 2:4-10
How He Works in Us ’After’ Salvation
Ephesians 2:11-13
My Position in Christ As a Gentile
Ephesians 2:14-18
We Are One Body in Christ
Ephesians 2:19-22
Fellowship Needs to Be a Priority
Ephesians 3:1-6
Missionary to The Gentiles
Ephesians 3:7-13
Mystery of God’s Grace
Ephesians 3:14-21
Prayer For God’s Power And Love
Ephesians 4:1-6
Spiritual Unity
Ephesians 4:7-16
Gifts From The Risen Messiah
Ephesians 4:17-22
Walk As a New Person in Christ
Ephesians 4:23-29
Be Holy And Not Sinful
Ephesians 4:30-32
Grieving God’s Spirit by The Way we Live
Ephesians 5:1-7
Who do You Try to Imitate?
Ephesians 5:8-14
Walk as Children of Light
Ephesians 5:15-21
Evidences Of a Spirit-filled Life
My Position in Christ As a Gentile
Ephesians 2:11–13
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General Robert E. Lee was a devout follower of Jesus Christ. It is said that soon after the end of the American Civil War, he visited a church in Washington, D.C. During the communion service, he knelt beside a black man. An onlooker said to him later, “How could you do that?… More
Probably most of us at some point in time have been guilty of being prejudiced and looked down on others thinking that we were better than them. However, no prejudice has ever reflected more hatred and lasted longer than that which has existed between the Jewish and Gentile communities throughout the centuries.
Circumcision which began with Abraham became the distinguishing factor between Jews and Gentiles. It is with this in mind that Paul writes “Gentiles in the flesh” were called “the un-circumcision” (v. 11) Gentiles. He goes on to point out this rite, once used as a sign for spiritual promises is now a superficial thing and of little or no value. Even though a person was a Jew, believed in God, claimed to keep the law and was circumcised did not mean that he was one of God’s children spiritually. His Christianity was purely ritualistic, as it was merely outward and physical (vv. 12-13).
The same is true of people today who claim to be Christians and have even been baptized but have not been born-again by God’s Spirit. They are practicing churchanity but not Christianity. Israel was to be a light to the Gentiles that they might be saved. But sad to say, Israel became like the Gentiles. This should be a warning to the church today. The more the church becomes like the world the less effective it becomes in the world. There are two dimensions to prejudice that every human should come to grips with:
Application
How is my life different than that which the majority of the Jews were living in Paul’s day? In all honesty, is there any group of people that I look down on and think that I am better than they are.
Ephesians 2:11-13 (English Standard Version)
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