Ephesians 2:19-22

Ephesians 2:19-22

Consequently, therefore, you all are no longer strangers and foreigners but you all are fellow citizens of the holy ones and members of the household of God – after building upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets while having Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone.  In whom every structure grows into a holy temple while being joined together in the Lord.  In whom you all also are being built up together in the Spirit into a dwelling place of God.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

I love hearing these opening words come from Paul.  Remember, he is a former Pharisee.  He was at one point in his life all about distinctions.  He was a persecutor not only of the Gentiles in general but especially of Christians.  And what does he say here?  “You all are no longer strangers and foreigners.”  “You all are fellow citizens.”  Talk about an incredible change of heart!  This sentence goes a long way in speaking to where people can go if they are open to God and willing to submit.  If God can take a former persecutor of Christians and turn him into a bastion of welcoming Gentiles into Christ, then what can’t God do?

What has God done in your life?  Where are you the most open to His movement?

Second Thought:

As if to drive the point home, Paul tells us specifically that we have Jesus Christ as our cornerstone.  Jesus is the foundation.  He is the mover and the shaker.  He is the linchpin.  He is what is important.  Yes, we absolutely must respond.  But without Jesus there is nothing to which we can respond properly!  He is God’s all in all.

How do you see Jesus as the foundation?  What foundation did He lay?  How have you been a part of the building upon the foundation that Christ has laid?

Third Thought:

It is amazing how many of the words in this section of text are etymologically connected to the Greek word “oikos.”  The verb “build up together” is rooted in oikos.  The noun “building” is rooted in oikos.  The verb “building upon” is rooted in oikos.  The noun “member of the household of” is rooted in oikos.  Every the noun for “foreigner” is rooted in the word oikos.  So what is oikos?  Oikos is the primary building block of a culture.  It is the extended family household.  It is the place for intimate relationships out of which culture is passed on from one generation to another.  Paul’s point here is neat.  The transmission of faith and the building up of Christ’s church are all tied together.  They are inseparable.  If we want to get the church, we must disciple out of our personal and intimate relationships.

Who is a part of your spiritual oikos?  Who do you learn from?  Who do you teach?  Who do you include?  Why were intimate teaching relationships so important to Jesus Christ?

Passage for Tomorrow: Ephesians 3:1-6