Ephesians - Part 5: Built Into a Holy Temple || Alice Meads

Vineyard Church Cardiff

Sunday 25th February, 2024 - West & North Sites Sunday 3rd March, 2024 - Central Site AM&PM Speaker - Alice Meads Alice continues our series on the letter Paul sent to the Church at Ephesus, focusing on Ephesians 2:11-22. She explains that the Ephesian church was made up of a kaleidoscope of people from every part of the Roman Empire. It would have been home to both Jews - those belonging to the nation chosen by God to demonstrate His love - and Gentiles - those the Jews called 'uncircumcised'.

Paul explains that both these people groups were in need of repair and restitution, and Jesus' death on the cross brought about this miraculous work. He goes on to explain that God's purpose was to bring into being a new humanity, one body made up of people from all nations who have become reconciled by His sacrifice.

Alice focuses our attention on this, God's purpose, and asks us to consider what barriers we may put up which may stop people from being part of our fellowship, barriers which may stop people from coming to faith. As she says, we want to be a church where everyone feels welcome, and can use the gifts that God has given them, playing their part in the body of Christ.

Reading the last few verses of this chapter, Alice asks us to notice that we are being built together. Not to build walls that separate, but to be built together into a Holy Temple, a dwelling place for the Spirit. To become a place of encounter, where people can come and experience the presence of God for themselves. We are to embrace people; we are not to put up barriers to stop people from coming. Alice reminded us of the visit last year of Steve Nicholson, a Vineyard pastor from the States, who gave us a prophetic message that our church was to be know as the "freedom getting place" - the place where people come to encounter the freedom that comes from knowing Jesus. We do this, Paul says, by being built together into a Kingdom community of peace; a place of embrace, in order to become a place of encounter.

Ephesians 2:11-22

11) Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— 12) remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13) But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

14) For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15) by setting aside in His flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in Himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, 16) and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which He put to death their hostility. 17) He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18) For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

19) Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of His household, 20) built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone. 21) In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22) And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit.

------- Recorded at the North Site - 25Feb2024