March 15, 2018
Last night we spent some more time in the book of Ephesians, focusing on chapter 2:11-22. In summary, Paul reminds the Gentiles (non-Jews) that they were alienated from Israel, and without hope before Jesus, but now in Christ, they are brought into God’s covenant promise. We talked about how Jesus, in this sense, restored the vertical relationship between God and man. But Jesus didn’t just make peace for us with God, but He also made peace in our horizontal relationships with each other. Ephesians 2:14-16 tells us that Jesus “broke down the dividing wall of hostility” between the Jews and the Gentiles, in order to make one true Israel, His church! Lastly, He uses our new standing as one people to build us up into the temple, where God dwells with us by His spirit. It’s amazing… the gentiles went from outsiders, strangers and aliens, to partakers of God’s covenant promise for Israel, and part of His dwelling place.
In application, we talked about how important it is to be a part of the church. God didn’t create us to be “lone wolf Christians” but rather to be a part of the body of people who are His temple. I encouraged the students that one of the fundamental aspects of being a Christian is to participate in the corporate worship of the body, to really be a part of the family of God. We talked in small groups about what it means to be a family, and how we can and should live that out in the life of the church. It was a good conversation, and I think a pertinent one to have with students that are getting close to graduating. I want our students to see their need for God’s church, so that when they go off to whatever is next, they’d see getting plugged into the local church as one of the most important things they could do.
As I hope you know, I’m always available to hear your questions, comments, or concerns about your kids, youth ministry, etc. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if ever you want to talk. My hope is to be a resource for you as you shepherd your kids.
Categories: Youth Ephesians, Youth Night Updates