Shepherd's Corner
STETSON HILLS COMMUNITY CHURCH
Affiliated with Church of God, Anderson IN
SHEPHERD'S CORNER
Sunday May 19, 2013
Allow Christ to Breakdown the Walls in your Life
We humans love to put up walls to separate ourselves from others. In the case of Jerusalem and other great cities, this was a good thing because it protected the people from their enemies. In the workplace, walls provide a quieter place to do business and in the home bedroom walls create much needed separation between brothers, sisters and parents. One of the reasons I really enjoy summer camp so much is because there are only a few walls that exist. There are of course separate cabins for the boys & girls and the wall that separates the sleeping area from the bathroom but that’s it! The kids spend 5 straight days eating, sleeping worshipping, and playing together which enables them to bond & connect quickly even with those they just met. In the first century church, Paul fought hard at keeping the walls of false doctrine, human traditions, and self-righteous pride from dividing the church. He points to Christ as the one who breaks down the walls of division, brings peace, and then builds each of them up as one new person.
But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were [so] far away, through (by, in) the blood of Christ have been brought near for He is [Himself] our peace (our bond of unity and harmony). He has made us both [Jew & Gentile] one [body], & has broken down (destroyed, abolished) the hostile dividing wall between us Eph 2:13-14
We may not be battling the same issues as Paul spoke about to the church at Ephesus, but the dividing walls we experience are in our family, workplace, and the church. On Sunday I will be talking about ways we can remove those dividing walls in our lives.
In the Love of Christ,
Pastor Mike