One

God has made it possible for us to be insiders, and because of sin, we were once

outsiders, but everything changed when Jesus died and rose again. Paul wrote about this oneness in his letter to the church in Ephesus. Ephesians 2: ¹ Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called “uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts. ¹² In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. ¹³ But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.

Along with this oneness comes a heavenly peace that is given to us when we receive Jesus. Ephesians 2: ¹⁴ For Christ himself has brought peace to us. To be one with our heavenly Father and our Savior, Jesus, is a powerful weapon against an enemy who wants us to be scattered and ineffective in our faith walk. We used to be that way, but we are no longer that way. Ephesians 2: ¹⁹ So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. ²⁰ Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. ²¹ We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. ²² Through him, you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.

We learn about this oneness from this relationship with Jesus, and that translates into a oneness with other believers, and that is very powerful. Instead of churches fighting all the time, they. move forward "together" in a very fluid motion that is astounding to the world. If you have distanced yourself from Jesus, then the oneness effect is not working for you. So change. Repent. Works every time.

The Pilgrimage Continues,

David Warren