The Wall
In Mending Walls, Robert Frost wrote, “Good fences make good neighbors … why do they make good neighbors? … before I built a wall I'd ask to know what I was walling in or walling out, and to whom I was like to give offence."
For centuries we have built walls to keep people either out or in. The Great Wall of China, built between 800 and 200 BC was rebuilt and maintained for more than 1000 years. Its main purpose was for defense to keep invading forces out. Claims have been made for hundreds of years that the wall can be seen from space, however, modern space flight has proven that no manmade objects are visible from space.
The Berlin Wall was built following World War II. Its main purpose was not to keep people out, but rather to keep people in communist controlled Eastern Berlin. The Cold War between Russia and the Western world ended shortly after the famous speech by President Ronald Reagan calling on Russian leader Mikhail Gorbachev to “Tear down this wall.” The wall was torn down November 9, 1989.
Another wall made the news in 2016 when presidential candidate Donald Trump announced that he would build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico and make Mexico pay for the wall. The main purpose of this wall was to keep illegal immigrants out of the country. The wall continues to make the news and recent estimates are that it would cost $22 billion to build and billions more to maintain and protect.
As we continue our series in Ephesians, Paul mentions a wall that had separated people for more than 2000 years. Now, 2000 years later, that same wall continues to separate us, but God’s plan for the church is far stronger than any wall.
11 So then, remember that at one time you were Gentiles in the flesh—called “the uncircumcised” by those called “the circumcised,” which is done in the flesh by human hands. 12 At that time you were without the Messiah, excluded from the citizenship of Israel, and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. (Ephesians 2:11-12)
Hitting the Wall
The Church in Ephesus must have been dealing with some friction between the Jews and non-Jews that were part of their church. The tension was not as much about race as it was about religious differences. The Gentiles, or non-Jews, were previously viewed as being outside of God’s covenants that had been made with Israel. More importantly, Paul reminds them that they were without hope and without God.
That wall of separation is something that continues today because the majority of people in the world are living without God and without hope. They may have religion, but they do not have a relationship with Jesus. They have hit the wall, a term used in exercise that means that are fatigued or have reached their limit. They cannot get over the wall on their own. They need Jesus.
13 But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of the Messiah. 14 For He is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility. In His flesh, 15 He made of no effect the law consisting of commands and expressed in regulations, so that He might create in Himself one new man from the two, resulting in peace. 16 He did this so that He might reconcile both to God in one body through the cross and put the hostility to death by it. 17 When the Messiah came, He proclaimed the good news of peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. (Ephesians 2:13-18)
Break Through the Wall
As followers of Jesus, it’s important for us to understand that the only thing that really separates us from others is our relationship with Jesus. Once we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, our redeemer and boss, we no longer are separated by anything. Not race, nationality, language, gender, socio-economic positions, nothing. We are all part of the same family: the family of God.
Notice that Paul says that God tore down the wall that separated them. God tore down the dividing wall of hostility and brought peace. God did this so that He could reconcile both to God in one body through the cross and put the hostility to death. Now all people have access to God through the Holy Spirit.
What does this mean for us? I believe that we can see two very important actions that we must take as followers of Jesus regardless of our differences:
· Worship together
· Reach out to all people
First, the church must end segregation. It has been said that the most segregated place in our nation is in church on Sunday mornings. We have churches based on race. In Shady Side, there are two Methodist churches sitting side by side. One is for white people and the other is for black people. We have many churches in Eastport that are predominantly African-American or white. And some of these churches have actually asked people not to return because the brought someone of the wrong color to church with them. God wants His family to worship together.
I understand that there are preferential differences that might keep us segregated in our churches. Some people like much more exuberant worship. Some people expect their pastor to yell and dance around the platform to show that he is working hard enough to get his pay. Some people like quiet, meditative worship. Some people like to worship without their children. Some people like to sing hymns, some like to sing country-style music, some like to sing rock-style songs, some like to have worship with a fog machine and a laser lightshow.
Personal preferences should have no place in the church. Last week we learned that it is all about God. Not about us. What we want or like has nothing to do with the church. God had a plan for the church and we see that His plan was to tear down the wall and remove the hostility between races so that we could all worship together. It’s not something that is easy to do, but it is necessary. It may be difficult to accomplish, but God. Remember that from last week? But God is the one that will be doing all of the work through us.
19 So then you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone. 21 The whole building, being put together by Him, grows into a holy sanctuary in the Lord. 22 You also are being built together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:19-22)
Building Walls Together
Paul continues by explaining God’s plan for a diverse church. First, we must recognize that we are all citizens of the same kingdom. When an Arab Christian worships God, they might speak Arabic and call God Allah, which is the Arabic word for God, but they are worshipping Jesus nonetheless. When a Chinese Christian is worships God, they might speak Chinese and call God Shen, which is Chinese for the word God. In Spanish it is Dios. In Hebrew it is Yahweh. Our languages do not separate us from the Kingdom of God.
Second, we must understand that we are all brothers and sisters in Jesus. His blood has joined us together. As a child I had a blood brother. You know what that is, right? My friend and I poked our thumbs and rubbed them together to indicate that we were blood brothers. We were saying that we were now as close as real siblings. When Jesus shed His blood for us, when we accepted His forgiveness and becoming followers of Him, His blood united us into the same family.
Third, we must work together to build walls. Not physical walls to separate us, but spiritual walls for the purpose of building a strong church. Our foundation has already been placed, by Jesus. He is the cornerstone, the rock that helps to keep our church aligned and solid in our faith.
Why are we called to build a strong church? So that we can work together to be built up. God is continually working to make us better than what we are. Like Gold from the mine, He is constantly taking us, cleaning us, purifying us, and molding us into beautiful works of art to be displayed for His glory.
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