Breaking Down Barriers
Human beings tend to form groups, drawing close to people who think like us, act like us, or look like us. It gives us a sense of safety and belonging. But this also means we tend to build barriers. We place ourselves into categories based on culture, language, race.
Throughout history, religion—our practiced efforts to please God—has included some and shut out others. The results have been awful, because…
This is not the way of Jesus.
Before Jesus walked the earth, God chose the people of Israel to uniquely demonstrate His goodness to the nations. Outsiders could and did follow God, yet there was still a clear line of distinction between Israel and the other nations.
The book of Ephesians is the apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus. They’re struggling with issues of division and exclusivity. Paul explains that the division between the Hebrew people and the rest of the nations changed when Jesus came.
Jesus broke down the barrier that separated humanity from God, and the walls we built between each other.
Paul writes in Ephesians 2:18: “Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.”
That means every person is invited to come and know Jesus—His love, mercy, and compassion, and promises. Every person is invited to follow Him into eternity. There are no exceptions!
None of us earned this gift. Jesus reached out first. He loved us when we were lost, hopeless—when we didn’t even know we needed Him.
Consider this: Are you hiding behind walls that Jesus has already torn down? Or will you open your heart and arms wide, as Jesus did, when He extended His generous welcome to everyone?
The Gospel is Good News for the whole world. Let’s share it!
The Ultimate Guide
Have you ever faced something unexpected? Maybe it was a good surprise that brought you joy, or a heartbreaking tragedy that deeply affected your life. All of us experience moments in life that we don’t anticipate.
Even though unexpected things will happen, we still make plans and dreams for our lives. We make plans for our future—education, family, community, career, or specific relationships. But we can never fully plan for the unexpected, since we cannot know the future. We don’t even know what might happen in the next few minutes.
We learn in Scripture that God is all-knowing, which means He knows everything that will happen everywhere in the world. He has complete knowledge of every event and action that happens. More than that, He is also sovereign, which means He has ultimate authority and control in this world.
That means that even though we make our own plans, God is ultimately the one who directs our steps. He has the power to change the direction of our ...