Love First Love: We're Better Together / Ephesians 2:11-22

The “Now What?” of the Gospel

If you have your Bibles, open to Ephesians chapter two. As we get into things together, here is just a quick side note. For those of you who might be exploring who God is, and this is completely new for you, you have an opportunity to spend time in the greatest piece of literature ever assembled that claims to be inspired by God. This is not an idle word; this is our very life. I really encourage you, if the Bible is new to you and you don’t have one, we would love to give you one. If you head out to the iHub in the back, we would be happy to give you a Bible as a gift. Just take it. You just have to promise us that you are going to read it. Because I will tell you what: if you read it—and I dare you to read it—it is going to mess with your life in the best of ways.

It is too easy to come, sit, and passively endure. I would really love to see you lean into it a little bit. The best way to do that is to have a Bible open in front of you. That is what I did last week as I sat right where you are sitting. One of the beauties of having a teaching team is that every once in a while, I get to sit and listen to somebody else teach. I was taking notes last week listening to Shay give what, in my opinion, might have been the finest message on the nature of the gospel I have ever heard. I was sitting there taking notes, thinking, Wow, this guy is amazing. He is passionate, he knows his Bible, and he cares enough about us and the truth of the Word of God to connect the two. I sat here going, Man, that was money. If for some reason you missed it, take the time to download the podcast and take a listen, because it was incredible.

The focal point of last week was Ephesians 2:1. I don’t know what you think—or maybe thought—your spiritual state was apart from Jesus Christ. But Ephesians 2:1 does not tell us that we were dying in our trespasses and sins. It does not say that we were a little bit hindered or that we walked with a slight limp spiritually. No, it says we were dead.

Ephesians 2:1 (NASB)

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,

The reality is that the gospel begins with the concept that you and I have nothing to offer God. Nothing of nobility, nothing of honor, nothing morally of worth. We have absolutely nothing to offer because we were dead, and there is literally no good in us apart from Him. But thankfully, chapter two contains verse four. Verse four contains the two most powerful words in this entire chapter: But God. Even though we were dead, He made us alive together in Christ. He made us new. He breathed life into us.

Ephesians 2:4 (NASB)

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,

We were dead without Him, but God made us alive. The question we are going to try to ask and answer in our time together is simply this: Now what? What comes next?

Called Out: What Is the Church?

We have been brought to Christ individually, with no question. But once we are brought to Christ, we are united in this unique community called the church. Look for just a moment back in chapter one, verses 22 and 23. Paul gives us an early hint as to where he is heading next.

Ephesians 1:22-23 (NASB)

And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

Paul writes that God put all things in subjection under Jesus’ feet and gave Him as head over all things to the church. I don’t know what your thoughts are regarding “church.” I don’t know what comes to your mind when I say that word. Unfortunately, there have been enough bad examples out there that you probably think of jacked-up things, just like I used to. You might picture some shady guy on TV with a bad haircut and a $3,000 suit, ripping off old ladies from Iowa from their retirement savings, saying, “Pray over this handkerchief, send me your money, and you’ll be healed.” That is what I used to think of church.

Then I came to faith in Christ, started reading the Bible, and was absolutely fascinated by what I saw. I want to suggest to you that the hope of the world is this thing called the church, but it is not the kind of church you might be thinking of. When I say “church,” most people think of a building. People say, “You came to church tonight.” Look, this building is just a shell. Burn it down; I don’t care. This building is not the church. You are the church.

Jesus is our head. Jesus is our senior pastor. That is one of the reasons, by the way, that I chose the title “Directional Leader.” I don’t know what it means either, other than not senior pastor! First, because “senior pastor” gives too much credit to me. Second, because our staff is far too talented to somehow be treated as mere associates who go pick up my dry cleaning. But most importantly, the head of this thing called the church is Jesus Christ alone.

So what is the church if it is not a building? The word “church”—which is mentioned here in Ephesians for the first time—is the Greek word ekklesia. Ek means “out from,” and kaleo means “to call.” The church is a “called-out” assembly of people who were spiritually dead, whom Jesus called out of deadness into life, and whom He has now commissioned to answer the “now what?” question of the gospel.

The gospel saves us and calls us from something, but it also sends us to be a part of something called the church. The church is designed to be a movement of individuals whose hearts have been made alive, who now consider it their life goal to go and accomplish the mission of God that He has set before us.

Affinity vs. Identity

The church is a totally unique gathering of people. If we look around honestly, even in this room, we do not have a lot in common naturally. We share some things, but not everything. Most gatherings in our culture today are affinity-based. You assemble because the people around you are just like you. They talk like you, they live like you, they are from the same background as you. It feels safe, so we assemble based on affinity.

Think back to high school. Some of you might be in high school right now. What were some of the affinity-based groups in your school? You had the jocks. You had the band kids—the “bandos.” You had the cheerleaders with their high ponytails. Someone in the back said the “loadies”—that is an older term, but we’ll let it slide! You had the nerds, the chess club, and the hipsters. None of you with your deep-V shirts are going to admit it, but you are all in it right now with your fixed-gear bikes and sweet waxed mustaches.

We naturally gather based on affinity because it is easy and comfortable. People understand our language; they share our values and experiences. But the church is fundamentally different. The church is not an affinity-based gathering. If anything, the church moves far beyond affinity. The church is a gathering based entirely on identity.

Because the church is built on identity in Christ rather than shared affinity, it transcends geographical borders. You can go anywhere in the world and experience an incredible piece of community. I remember traveling to northern Thailand, upcountry north of Chiang Mai. Nobody there spoke English, and we attended church. The entire service was in Thai, and I don’t speak a word of Thai. They started singing, the worship leader played his guitar, and I realized, Wait a minute—I know that melody. I had sung that song in English hundreds of times. Even though the words made no sense to me linguistically, it was breathtakingly beautiful. Why? Because the church is beyond affinity. As they sang to the God of the universe in Thai, I experienced the reality that the church transcends ethnicity.

In the church, there is no black or white, Hispanic or Asian. It moves far beyond that. The church transcends gender—male and female are united in Christ. It transcends socioeconomic status. It is a gathering of the rich and the poor, the wealthy and those who wish they had two nickels to rub together. We are a collection of all people, united beyond worldly distinctions, because we are the church.

When the church is functioning in health, it is the hope of the world. We are winning people to Christ, discipling believers, influencing our communities, and the movement is powerful and near unstoppable. But when the church is unhealthy, it is an absolute mess. It stinks to high heaven. Why? Because when we fail to recognize God’s calling, we turn inward, gather only with people who look like us, and completely lose the mission of God.

God’s Heart for the Nations: The Big Story

Let’s trace this theme across the Scriptures. If you start in Genesis, God creates the heavens and the earth, creates Adam and Eve, and commands them to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. The original intent was that as image-bearers of God, they would spread His reflection to the remotest parts of the earth, influencing the entire world. But Adam and Eve failed to influence culture; instead, they allowed culture to corrupt them.

By Genesis 6, God hits the reset button with the flood. Noah builds the ark, survives the deluge, steps off the boat in Genesis 9, and God reiterates the exact same mission: be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth. But by Genesis 10 and 11, humanity gathers in one place, eats s’mores, sings songs, and says, “Let’s build a tower that reaches the heavens.” God sees that they are refusing to scatter and fill the earth, so He confuses their languages at Babel, scattering them across the globe.

Shortly after, God calls a man named Abram out of Ur in modern-day Iraq, telling him to leave his family and go to the land He would show him. Look at Genesis 12, which contains perhaps the most foundational three verses in the entire Bible—the Abrahamic Covenant.

Genesis 12:1-3 (NASB)

Now the LORD said to Abram, ‘Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.’

God promised Abraham land, seed, and blessing, declaring that through his line, all the families of the earth would be blessed. We know Jesus ultimately comes from Abraham’s lineage, but the mission was always broader than just one nation. God did not call Abraham so his descendants could hunker down behind closed doors and wait for the Messiah. The goal was for the people of God to fill the earth with His glory and influence the nations.

In ancient times, covenants were ratified through a solemn ceremony. In Genesis 15, animals were cut in half, and the two parties would walk between the bloody halves, essentially saying, “May this happen to me if I fail to keep my end of the bargain.” But in Genesis 15, God puts Abraham into a deep sleep and passes through the pieces alone, swearing by Himself that He would fulfill His promise. Then, in Genesis 17, God institutes circumcision as the physical sign of this covenant—a theological marker that this people belonged to God to bless the earth.

Generations pass. Abraham fathered Isaac, who fathered Jacob, whose family ended up in Egypt for 430 years. Moses leads them out, and God has them build a portable tabernacle. God was on the move with His people in the wilderness, giving them the law to teach them how to live distinctly, worship purely, and be a light to surrounding nations.

Then King David comes along and decides he wants to build God a permanent temple, as if the Creator of the universe needed a condo. David gave God an address. The moment that happened, the focus shifted inward. The nation became obsessed with the building rather than the God of the building. It became about the people of God gathered in a static location rather than the people of God scattered to reach the world. We do the exact same thing today when we assume the church is a building.

When Jesus arrives in the New Testament, He flips the tables—both literally and spiritually. When He cleanses the temple, He quotes the prophets: “You have made my house a den of robbers, but it was meant to be a house of prayer for all nations.” God’s heart for the nations never changed.

At the end of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus commands His disciples to go and make disciples of all nations. In Acts chapter one, right before His ascension, the disciples ask if He is finally going to establish His political kingdom in Jerusalem.

Acts 1:7-8 (NASB)

He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.’

Jesus tells them that instead of setting up shop at an earthly address where people come to Him, He is going to indwell them by His Holy Spirit and send them out. They were to be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the remotest parts of the earth. He called them to be scattered, not merely gathered.

The Early Church’s Struggle with Division

I would love to tell you that the early apostles instantly grasped this global vision, grabbed their passports, and headed out on mission trips. But they didn’t. In Acts 1 through 7, they stayed right in Jerusalem. Even when severe persecution broke out in Acts 8 after Stephen’s martyrdom and believers scattered, Acts 8:1 notes that the apostles remained in Jerusalem. They struggled deeply with ethnocentrism. They had a hard time believing that God was moving beyond their Jewish borders.

We see this tension in Acts 6, where Grecian Jewish widows were being neglected in the daily food distribution by the Hebraic Jews. In Acts 10, God has to give Peter a repeated vision of unclean animals, commanding him to eat, in order to break his prejudice before sending him to the house of Cornelius, a Gentile Roman centurion. When Peter arrives at Cornelius’s house, his first words are hesitant: “What do you want from me?” Even after Cornelius’s household comes to faith, the leaders in Jerusalem confront Peter simply for entering the home of an uncircumcised Gentile.

When the Apostle Paul starts planting churches among the Gentiles, he comes back to Jerusalem in Acts 15 and essentially says, “Gentiles are coming to faith in Jesus by the thousands. What are we going to do with that?” Only then did the council affirm that God’s grace was truly for the Gentiles as well.

Racism and tribalism were deeply entrenched in the first-century world. People clung tightly to their affinity groups and resisted stepping outside their comfort zones. And that brings us directly to Ephesians chapter two.

Ephesians 2: Tearing Down the Dividing Wall

Paul writes to the Gentile believers in Ephesus who felt treated like second-class citizens because of their ethnicity, background, and lack of Jewish heritage. Look at how Paul addresses this in verses 11 and 12.

Ephesians 2:11-12 (NASB)

Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called ’Uncircumcision ’ by the so-called ‘Circumcision,’ [which is] performed in the flesh by human hands– [remember] that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

Paul reminds them of what they were apart from Christ: separated, excluded, strangers, having no hope, and without God in the world. But then comes verse 13.

Ephesians 2:13 (NASB)

But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

We do not assemble based on worldly affinity; we assemble based on our shared identity in Jesus Christ. You who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Ephesians 2:14-15 (NASB)

For He Himself is our peace, who made both [groups into] one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, [which is] the Law of commandments [contained] in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, [thus] establishing peace,

Jesus tore down the dividing wall of hostility. In the church of Jesus Christ, there is no room for division. There is no “better than” or “less than.” There are no insiders and outsiders. There is no preference based on skin color, language, accent, neighborhood, family lineage, wealth, or poverty. We are made one.

Galatians 3:28 (NASB)

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Colossians 3:11 (NASB)

[a renewal] in which there is no [distinction between] Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.

In Christ, there is no distinction between Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, jock, band kid, nerd, or hipster. All are one in Christ. It does not matter whether you went to Clovis West, Clovis High, or Buchanan—we don’t need high school rivalries here! It does not matter whether you attend Fresno City College, Clovis Community, Fresno Pacific, or Fresno State. It doesn’t matter what fraternity you belong to. We do not gather based on affinity; we gather based on identity in Jesus.

Tragically, racism is not distant history. Segregation is only a single generation behind us. I shared this recently, and a gentleman came up to me afterward with tears in his eyes. He told me that years ago, he took a bus into Virginia, stepped off, and saw a sign on the restaurant door that read, “Colored Restroom in Back.” That man is still alive today. This is not ancient history; it is a generation away. And if we are not careful, those same sinful boundaries creep back into our hearts.

Historically, people have twisted Scripture to justify bigotry and hatred. But there is zero room for racism in the Word of God. A few months ago, I sat down with my two daughters to watch the movie 42, the story of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball. People warned me that the language was rough and that the n-word was used frequently. I told them I wanted my daughters to watch it precisely so I could explain the evil behind that word and why it must never, ever be uttered in our home. We watched the fear-driven ignorance, the hatred, and the sickening elitism based on skin color. That mindset has no place in the human heart, and it certainly has no place in the church of Jesus Christ.

One New Humanity: Unity Without Uniformity

Look at how Paul describes the reconciliation Christ accomplished.

Ephesians 2:15-18 (NASB)

by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, [which is] the Law of commandments [contained] in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, [thus] establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. AND HE CAME AND PREACHED PEACE TO YOU WHO WERE FAR AWAY, AND PEACE TO THOSE WHO WERE NEAR; for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.

Paul says Jesus created “one new man” out of the two. In the Greek, “new” does not merely mean newly made; it means entirely new in quality and kind. When we come to Christ, our past does not define our standing before God. We have nothing to boast about in our background, and we have nothing to be ashamed of. We stand on equal ground at the foot of the cross.

We are unified under the headship of Jesus, but unity does not mean uniformity. You do not lose your unique personality or background when you follow Jesus. In fact, your background, your history, and your specific story grant you access to people I could never reach. God has strategically placed you in your workplace, your apartment complex, your dorm room, and your family as a missionary.

What Adam failed to do, what Noah failed to do, what Israel failed to do, we now have the privilege of doing in Christ: carrying the image and gospel of God into every corner of our world. You are called to be the church right where God has planted you—even in that job you dislike, with that difficult roommate, or next to that neighbor who plays their music too loud.

Becoming the Dwelling Place of God

Notice how Paul concludes chapter two.

Ephesians 2:19-22 (NASB)

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner [stone], in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.

Paul says we are no longer strangers and aliens, but fellow citizens and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone. He describes the church as a building that is growing into a holy temple in the Lord.

Have you ever seen a physical brick-and-mortar building grow on its own? Of course not. Paul is not talking about physical architecture. The physical temple in Jerusalem was destroyed in AD 70. Today, we are the temple of God. The Holy Spirit indwells each believer, and together we are being built into a dwelling place for God by His Spirit.

If this reminder of unity across racial, social, and cultural barriers was urgently needed thirty years after the resurrection of Jesus, how much more do we need it two thousand years later? If we are not vigilant, human nature naturally drifts back toward cliques, division, and favoritism. We naturally gravitate toward people who look, talk, and think like us. But when we do that, we forfeit the power of our witness.

We have an opportunity to display something to the world that no political party, social organization, or human institution can ever produce: genuine, supernatural unity in the midst of radical diversity.

Gathering here on Sunday is the easy part. We sing great songs, take notes, and enjoy fellowship. But the real work begins tomorrow morning. The real work happens in your office, in your neighborhood, in your college classes, and in Organic Chemistry—even if you are taking it for the second time! That is where ministry happens. That is where you live out what it means to be the church.

If you feel artificial walls and prejudices rising in your heart, put them to death at the cross. Do not limit your love to people who share your affinity. Reach across the divide, love the people God places in your path, and show them Jesus. The world is desperate for true reconciliation, and the church of Jesus Christ is the only entity on earth equipped to offer it.

Let’s pray together.

Father in heaven, give us courage to look beyond our own ignorance, fear, and prejudice. Do not let us settle for the easy comfort of affinity-based living. Help us instead to live under the headship of Jesus Christ as the church, where there is no dividing wall between races, socioeconomic classes, or backgrounds. Forgive us for the times we have turned inward. Send us out into our city, into our valley, and across the world to reflect the glory of King Jesus. We were dead in our trespasses and sins, but You made us alive. Make us a unified, diverse people who proclaim Your grace to a watching world. In Jesus’ mighty name we pray, Amen.