Sermon Notes
Becoming Who We Are: What’s the Big Deal?
Ephesians 3:1-13
This weekend, I spoke at the memorial service for long-time church member, Steve Lazarian. Dr. John Perkins was there too and did a powerful eulogy about how God had used Steve’s life. And, Dr. Perkins and I reminisced about the first time he and I met. It was the first year that I was president at Trinity International University back on Chicago’s north shore. When we met, I told him about how, years before as I was reading Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, I was gripped by Paul’s vision of the church, i.e., that God has had an eternal plan to bring together one household of faith made up of both Jew and Gentile – indeed, of people from every people, language and national group, all united in Christ. I told him of my conviction that, when Jesus is the Lord of a church, the walls that separate people from people must come down as we are brought into one “unexpected family” when we place our faith in Jesus. I remember saying, “I don’t know exactly how to lead us from where we are to where God promises we all will be. Do you have any counsel for me, Dr. Perkins?”
And Dr. Perkins said, “Greg, you’ll have to share that vision of what God is doing every time you have a chance. Talk about it at every chapel talk, every faculty meeting, and every Trustee gathering. Then, when you have decisions to make, make decisions that go in the direction of that vision. People may not like the decisions – but they won’t be surprised by them. And,” he said, “don’t give up when things aren’t immediately successful or when hardships come. The ways of the kingdom of God will always clash with the kingdoms of the world.”
That conversation with Dr. Perkins took on new importance to me this week as I prepared this message from Eph 3:1-13. The Apostle Paul had been gripped by the vision of the church that was rooted in the prayer that Jesus prayed in Jn 17:20-23 – “I pray for those who will believe in me, that all of them may be one so that the world may believe.” In Paul’s post-resurrection meetings with Jesus, Paul had learned that in the “all of them” that Jesus had prayed for were to be all human beings who believed regardless of race or ethnicity. So, Paul did in Ephesians exactly what Dr. Perkins told me to do. He said consistently in Ephesians:
- God’s eternal plan has been to have one family made up both of Jew and Gentile who through unity would bring glory to God (1:3-14).”
- Both Jewish and Gentile believers would experience the power that raised Jesus from the dead (1:15-23).
- The key to our oneness in this broken world will be our humility because all genuine Christians have been rescued from death and judgment by God’s grace through faith in Jesus (2:1-10).”
- And then, in last week’s text -- because of the blood of Christ, all who follow Jesus become one body, one new humanity, and one household of faith (2:11-22).”
So, as we’ve seen, Paul kept making the same point – though always emphasizing different aspects of it. And, I can envision Paul anticipating some pushback from a congregation that didn’t seem to want to be in one church together. So, in 3:1, Paul began to pray – and he seems to sense that some people were still not ready to accept that Jew and Gentile are now both in God’s family together. So, Paul interrupted his thought. Look at 3:1-2. For this reason, I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles -- Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you…
Do you see Paul broke off in mid-sentence – only to resume his prayer in 3:14? It’s not that Paul had ADD! No, before he prayed, he wanted to make an important point. He wanted them to know that he was in prison precisely because he had preached about Jesus both to Jew and Gentile! You see, the reason Paul was in prison can be found in Acts 21. Paul had been hanging out in Jerusalem with a Gentile named Trophimus. Some of the Jewish people saw them together and assumed that Paul had taken this Gentile man into the Temple and across the dividing wall that threatened death to Gentiles who crossed it that we read about in 2:14-15. Now, Trophimus was from Ephesus. So, do you see it? Although Paul didn’t take Trophimus across the dividing wall, people accused him of it. Because of that, he was in prison.
Notice what Paul did not do as he was in prison? He did not take the “Eeyore” approach saying, “I’ve worked so hard as an apostle and nothing ever goes right for me.” And, he didn’t make a frantic call to the church people saying, “You’ve got to pray demanding that God get me out of this prison now!”
What did he do? Paul wrote a letter that gave people then, and gives us still today, simple lessons about how to live for God as God is at work completing his mission in this imperfect world. Paul teaches us to view all things in this world as only a worshipping Jesus-follower can, i.e., with God at the center of our lives. Paul wants us to look at good times and bad times through the lens of certain truths about God. What are they?
#1: God is at work in this world – Learn be faithful to his calling both in good and in difficult times. You have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you (2:2).
So, Paul was in prison – but this did not mean he was outside the will of God. Far from it! In vv. 2-6, Paul said, “You know that God has called me to make known a part of God’s plan for his creation that has long been a mystery.” Now, what God had planned to do was not a complete mystery, i.e., that he would bless all nations through his people Israel. But, what was a mystery was how God would do that. Paul said that this mystery has been made known. God entered the world through his Son born, through the line of Abraham and David, lived a sinless life that fulfilled the requirements of the law, experienced death for sin on our behalf, defeated sin and death through his resurrection, and now offers membership to God’s family to all – yes, to ALL people -- through faith. See 3:6: The mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
God had called Paul specifically to make known that Gentiles now are welcome in God’s family. Because Paul was faithful to that calling, he was in prison. Look at how Paul spoke of this in 3:1. You may find his words strange. Paul called himself in v. 1 “a prisoner of Christ” – not of Rome. And in 3:6, “a slave of the gospel – enslaved as a gift of God’s grace…” – not a slave of Caesar. Paul had learned as the Apostle Peter said in 1 Pet 1:18-19, “We are bought with a price, the precious blood of Jesus, so we are no longer our own.”
So, the Apostle Paul had been called by Jesus to declare the gospel to Gentiles. Since he was called to do so by his Lord Jesus, he would obey. You see, some of us might ask, “What’s the great Apostle doing in prison. He had a right to be in a 5-star hotel, didn’t he!” But, Paul said in 3:8, “No, no! I am less than the least of all God’s people. Remember, I too was dead in sin and God made me alive. This calling I have to tell people that all people can be in God’s family through faith is a gift – a grace. So, if God sends me to a prison to do it – then, fine. I’ll do it!” (And, remember, many of Paul’s letters now in the Bible were written from a prison.)
I imagine most of us would be asking people to pray that God would get us out of prison. Look at Paul’s prayer request from prison. Pray for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly (6:18-19).
Paul is teaching us that our Lord Jesus is in control of all things. When you follow him, you often will find yourself in challenging places. But, he will he be with you and ask you to trust him and be faithful to him. So, my own prayer often is this, “Lord, where I go today may not be where I want to go. But, my life is now yours so wherever you send me, I will go as your servant and give witness to you with my words and my life.”
#2: God has an end in mind that he will accomplish – and it’s good. Live each day with a view to that end. God’s intent was that, through the church, his manifold wisdom should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord (3:10-11).
This is what John Perkins told me to do, i.e., to keep my focus attention on what God is doing – keep that in front of those under my care and live in the light of God’s ability to do what he promises. Notice that v.10 reminds us that there are spiritual realities that we are dead to until we know God. The Bible teaches that, apart from God’s making it known to them, those angels and powers in the heavenlies apparently don’t know the future. The Apostle Peter would say in 1 Pet 1:12 that angels long to look into these purposes of God. Paul is saying here in 3:10-11 that, from the time sin entered the world, these heavenly beings watched this world but didn’t understand what God was doing. They saw all this division and fighting. All this darkness. But, with the establishment of the church of Jesus Christ, one in which all people could be reconciled to God and to one another, for them the coin dropped. Their “aha moment” arrived. When spiritual beings look at people as different as those people were in Ephesus were and as we are here at LAC – and they see us loving God and loving one another, they say, “So, this is what God has been up to!!”
Notice the remarkable language: “Through the church, the manifold wisdom of God has been made known…” Through the church! That word “manifold” means “multi-colored.” It’s the word used for Joseph’s coat in the Greek version of the OT. I love it. Jew and Gentile – African and European – Asian and Central American together! We together declare to the universe the wisdom of God! When the universe sees this unexpected family of God coming into being, worshipping together, working things out, serving together, living in unity, they see the wisdom of God.
All this is to say that, when we have challenges in figuring out what God would have us to do as a church – or as individual followers of Jesus – we should look to the eternal plan of God to unite all things in Christ and we should live in the light of that promise. When we see relationships broken, we should live should live directed by that promise and always seek to make peace. We become God’s ambassadors of peace (2 Cor 5:18).
When I preached about this several years ago, Irene Leon, sent me a card saying, “Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s the end.” Amen.
#3: God makes us alive to eternal things. Learn to value them more than you value temporary things. In Christ Jesus and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory (3:12-13).
So, Paul was in prison not in spite of but because of his faith in Jesus. But, he’s not discouraged. Not in the least! You see his point, don’t you? His values, his purpose in life had been completely overhauled when he met Jesus. So, he’s not discouraged because, though he was in prison, nothing that mattered eternally could be taken away from him even by a prison cell. He could still “approach God with freedom and confidence!”
Isn’t it amazing that Paul was the one encouraging the Ephesian believers? He was the one in prison – but he was encouraging the church people!! Basically, Paul said, “Let me tell you what I’m after in my life. What I want to do is with my life is to please Jesus – the one who died for me; the one who gave me the privilege to tell others this mystery of how God makes it possible for people like us to be in his family. So, I’ll do it wherever he sends me. If I succeed and get to preach in a great worship center like is at 393 N. Lake Ave. in Pasadena, CA, then great. What an honor! But if Jesus sends me to a prison somewhere, well, I do it there too. What matters to me now cannot be taken away from me.”
More specifically, Paul wrote, “A little bit of time in a prison is no big deal compared to the eternal purposes of God that it contributes toward. Look at what’s happening in this prison: The rulers and authorities in the heavens are learning of God’s wisdom. And, there in Ephesus, all of you – both Jews and Gentiles – are approaching God with confidence together. So, don’t cry for me! This is worth doing.” Look at vv. 11-12 again: This is happening “according to God’s eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In him and through faith in him we may all approach God with freedom and confidence.”
Now, you have to tune in right now – especially if you’re discouraged over the loss of something very important to you, e.g., health, a friend, investments, job, or anything in this world. What I’m going to say is thoroughly biblical but is just as thoroughly counter-cultural. In fact, it’s so counter-cultural here in Southern CA that I’m afraid it’ll make no sense to you. So, listen to me carefully. Discouragement comes in this world when we lose the things we most desire. So, the first question you should ask when you are discouraged is this, “What am I really after in this world?” If the main desire of your heart is God himself, then nothing will ever take him and his love away from you.
Scottish pastor and author, George MacDonald about dealing with the discouragement and suffering that loss brings with it. He wrote, “Jesus suffered not that we might not suffer but that when we suffer we might become like him.”
Do his words ring true to you? Our Christian faith is not that Jesus endured pain so we would never be sick, that Jesus was homeless so we would never be homeless, or that Jesus was poor so we might never be poor. This is NOT what the Bible says. Jesus willingly gave up his life so that when we trust him and live for him in the midst of loss, we will become like him. So, as Paul wrote from prison, “I’ve learned the secret of being content whether I have plenty or nothing.” When we put eternal things at the center of our hearts, we can remain content wherever we are and whatever we lose. Learn to value eternal things as Paul did.
I believe that days of financial turmoil, health concerns and political uncertainty usually provide our greatest opportunities to be salt and light in this world. In times of loss, we have the opportunity to show, as Paul did, that, when our faith is in the resurrected Jesus, there is nothing of eternal value that can be lost eternally.
I think we hear a pastor’s heartfelt cry for his people in v. 13: I ask you not to be discouraged…” That’s my longing for you as your Sr. Pastor today. So, ask yourself this: What am I really after in my life? If you mostly want to use God to become healthy, when you get sick, you’ll be discouraged. If you say you trust Jesus but what you most want is more money, when you lose money, you’ll be discouraged. If what you’re really after is fame, youthful looks, physical comfort in this world, you’ll be enslaved by your pursuit of those things. But, if your deepest desire is to know Jesus, please Jesus and to become like him, you will be free.
And, that brings us to the communion table today. What a time for us to remember the death of Jesus. When we do, we declare what it is that brings us to God and what it is that brings us into one family, one body in Christ. We are one because 1) we were all dead in our sins and desperately in need of mercy and grace and 2) we have all found mercy and grace through faith in Jesus. This can be true for whosoever may come to Jesus in faith. Jesus died so that people from every tribe, language and nation might be in one unexpected family together. Hear again these words summarized from Ephesians 2:15-18.
Now, in Christ Jesus, all who trust in him have been brought near by the blood of Christ. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity... and in one body to reconcile all of us to God through the cross… For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
Chinese Study Notes
成為我們的所是：最重要的是什麼？
以弗所書 3:1-13
這個週末，我為一個長期會友史蒂夫主持追思會，約翰.帕金斯博士也在場，他稱讚了史蒂夫的一生是如何為神使用。約翰.帕金斯博士與我一起回憶了我們的初相逢，那是我在芝加哥北部三一國際大學作校長的第一年。會面時我告訴他多年來我讀以弗所書，被保羅對教會的異象深深吸引，就是神有一個永恆的計畫，把包括猶太人和外邦人在內的信仰大家庭帶到一起，讓各處、各方、各國、各語言群體的人成為一體。我說，我深信耶穌基督是教會的主，當我們因信進入一個“未曾預期”的大家庭時，一切分隔人的高牆都必須拆毀。我問他：“博士，我不確知如何引領人從我們自己的地方來到神應許我們的地方，您有何建議？”
帕金斯博士說：“你要利用一切機會分享神正在完成的這個異象，要在每次靈修會、教師會、董事會上分享；你做決定的時候，就朝著這個異象去。這樣，就算有人不喜歡你的決定，他們也不會吃驚。當事情不能立竿見影或困難重重時，也不要放棄。要知道，神的國與世界的國是不相容的。”
與帕金斯博士的這個談話對我準備今天以弗所書3：1-13節的講道非常重要。使徒保羅被植根於禱告之上的教會的異象深深吸引。耶穌在約翰福音17：20-23節如此禱告：“我為那些信我的人祈求…使他們合而為一…好讓世界知道”。 當保羅與復活的主相遇時，保羅認識到耶穌所說的“那些信我的人”是指所有的信徒，不管他的種族、文化。保羅在以弗所中所做的就是帕金斯博士告訴我去做的。保羅一直強調：
- 神永恆的計畫一直是組成一個包括猶太人和外邦人的大家庭，藉著合一榮耀神（1：3-14）
- 猶太信徒和外邦信徒都會經歷使耶穌從死裡復活的能力（1：15-23）
- 在破碎的世界裡合一的秘訣是謙卑，因為所有的真信徒都是因信耶穌而被神的恩典從死亡和審判中所拯救（2：1-10）
- 在上周的經文中，我們知道因著耶穌的血，所有耶穌的跟隨者成為一體，成為一個新族類，一個信仰的家庭(2:11-22).”
我們看見保羅一直強調這一點，而且從不同的角度去談論。我可以想像，保羅也預計到那些不想成為一個教會大家庭的人會反彈，所以在3：1節，保羅本想以禱告開始，但感到一些人還是不能接受猶太人和外邦人一起在神的大家庭，於是他轉筆寫道，我保羅為你們外邦人做了基督耶穌的囚犯。你們一定聽說過，為了你們的緣故，神那恩典的任務已經賜給我了。。。（3：1-2）
你們看見保羅思維的穿插麼？一直到3：14節，保羅才又回到禱告。是不是保羅有“多動症”？當然不是！在他禱告前，他想強調重要的一點，他坐牢的直接原因是因為他向猶太人和外邦人傳講耶穌。這可以從使徒行傳21章看到。保羅那時在耶路撒冷和一個外邦人特菲姆斯一起；一些猶太人看見了，就想像保羅把他帶進聖殿，而且走過隔斷外邦人的牆---外邦人過那牆是要被打死的（見2：14-15）。這特菲姆斯是以弗所的外邦人。儘管保羅並沒這樣做，但他是因此被誣告坐監的。
注意保羅坐監是冤枉的，但他不像小熊維尼中的“伊爾”抱怨說：我作為使徒這麼努力卻沒有落好！他也沒有瘋狂地讓會友禱告，要求神立即讓他出獄。他是怎樣做的呢？他寫了一封信，就是我們今天領受的，教導我們在一個不完美的世界如何為正在行使其使命的上帝而活，即唯獨耶穌，以神為中心，把握全域，無論得時不得時都聚焦在神的真理之上。那麼，什麼是神的真理呢？
#1: 神在這世上作工 – 學習無論得時不得時都要忠於他的呼召: 你們一定聽說過，為了你們的緣故，神那恩典的任務已經賜給我了 (2:2).
保羅身陷囹圄並不意味著他在神的旨意之外，相反，在2-6節，他說：“你們知道神召我是要將一個亙古的奧秘，就是神的救恩計畫彰顯出來。”如今神所計畫的不再是一個奧秘，他清楚地要藉著他的子民以色列祝福萬國；然而奧秘是，神如何完成它？保羅說如今這奧秘顯現，神的兒子道成肉身，作為亞伯拉罕和大衛的後裔，以無罪的生命成全了律法的要求，為我們的罪受死，並以復活擊敗了罪和死亡，賜給我們在神家中的位子---是的，給所有人---給憑信心的所有人。請看3：6，這奧秘就是：外邦人在基督耶穌裡，藉著福音，成為共同的繼承人，同屬一體、同蒙應許。
神特別呼召保羅讓外邦人知道他們在神的家中受歡迎。保羅因為忠於呼召而坐牢，看看3：1節，你可以發現他的話有些奇特，他稱自己是“基督的囚犯”，不是羅馬的囚犯；3：6節稱自己是“照著神恩典賞賜的福音的奴僕”，不是凱撒的奴僕。保羅正應了使徒彼得在彼得前書1：18-19所說：你們被救贖，是憑基督寶血，所以你們不再屬乎自己了。
使徒保羅蒙召向外邦人傳福音。因為是主耶穌召喚他，他甘心順服。我們中有人會問：這樣一個偉大使徒竟然坐監？他該住5星賓館！但保羅在3：8節說：不，我在所有聖徒中比最小的還小。記住，我也曾死在罪中，被神救贖。我蒙召是要宣告所有人都可以藉著恩典的禮物，憑信心進入神的家。如果神讓我去監獄傳，沒問題，我去！（要知道，聖經中許多保羅的書信都是監獄書信）
我知道大多數人在那種情況下都會求神救我們出獄，看看保羅的禱告：你們要以各樣的禱告和祈求，藉著聖靈時刻祈禱；而且為此警醒，以極大的忍耐，為所有聖徒祈求，也為我祈求，好使我在開口的時候被賜予話語，能坦然無懼地讓人明白福音的奧秘。（6：18-19）
保羅告訴我們主耶穌掌管萬有。儘管跟隨他也會遇到挑戰，但他與你同在，要你相信他、忠心於他。這是我個人的禱告：“主，就算今天我去的地方不是我想去的，但我的生命屬於你。所以不管你差我去哪裡，我都去，作你忠心僕人，用我的話和生命為你作見證。”
#2: 神心中有一個必要完成的計畫—而且那是好的 --學習朝著最後的方向過好每一天：為要使天上的統治者和掌權者，如今藉著教會能明白神各種各樣的智慧。這都是照著他在我們主基督耶穌裡所成就的永恆心意(3:10-11).
這就是約翰.帕金斯告訴我的: 聚焦在神所做的事上，聚焦在我所關心的人，相信神有能力做成他所應許的。10節給我們一個屬靈的事實，若不認識神，許多事我們到死都不知道。聖經說，若不是神的啟示，天使和天上的掌權者也不知道未來。使徒彼得在彼前1：2節說，天使巴不得看見神的那些旨意，保羅在10-11節說：自從罪進入了世界，天使們觀看這個世界，卻不知道神的作為；他們看見分裂和戰爭，看見一切的黑暗。但隨著耶穌基督的教會建立，所有人都可以與神和好，彼此和好，天使們驚詫的時刻來到了：他們看見今天我們教會的人與以弗所人不同，他們看見我們愛神愛人時，就說：“看哪，這就是神一直做的啊！”
值得注意的是這節，“如今藉著教會能明白神各種各樣的智慧。。。” 藉著教會！“各種各樣”一詞意思是“多彩的”，與創世紀中約瑟的彩衣是一個用法。我喜歡！猶太人和外邦人，非洲人和歐洲人，亞洲人和拉丁美洲人都在一起！我們一起向宇宙宣揚神的智慧！當宇宙看見這個未曾預期的神的家庭合一敬拜，一起服事，齊心協力時，就看見神的智慧。
所有這些都是說，當我們遇到挑戰、不理解神要教會或信徒做什麼時，我們要看神永恆的計畫，就是在耶穌基督裡，他要聯絡萬有---我們要照著這應許；當我們看見關係破裂，我們要照這應許去做，尋求和解；我們要作神和平的使者（林後5：18）。
幾年前我講這些的時候，艾倫寫來一個卡片，說：“到結束的時候，每件事都會好起來；若哪件事不好，就還尚未結束！”阿門。
#3: 神造我們是要為永恆事物而活 --學習擁有永恆的價值觀而非短暫的價值觀： 在基督裡，藉著信基督，我們能坦然無懼、確信無疑地來到神面前。所以，我請求你們，不要因我為你們所受的患難而喪膽；這患難是你們的榮耀（3：12-13）
我們知道保羅是因信耶穌入監的，但他不喪膽，一點也不！你是不是看到這點了？當他遇見耶穌時，他的價值觀和生命目的被徹底反轉。他不喪膽是因為他知道牢房不能奪去任何永恆的事物，他能坦然無懼、確信無疑地來到神面前。
保羅可以鼓勵以弗所人這事難道不是很奇妙嗎？他自己身陷囹圄卻鼓舞了教會！保羅會說：讓我告訴你們我生命的追求吧：我生命中想做的就是討耶穌歡喜---他為我死，又給我特權告訴人可以進入神的家。我要做神所吩咐的。如果我成功了，並且得以在像393 N Lake Ave 這樣的了不起的敬拜中心講道，那當然好，很榮幸！但如果耶穌讓我去哪個監獄，我也會去。我所看重的東西從我這裡奪不去！
保羅特別寫道：比起神永恆的旨意，坐一會兒監牢算不得什麼。看看監牢的狀況，天使天軍正學習神的智慧呢；而在以弗所，猶太人和外邦人都憑信心一起來到神面前。請不要為我哭泣，哭就錯了！再看11-12節：這都是照著他在我們主基督耶穌裡所成就的永恆心意。在基督裡，藉著信基督，我們能坦然無懼、確信無疑地來到神面前。
現在，你們要調整好了---特別如果你損失了所珍重的東西正灰心喪氣，无论是失去了健康、朋友、投資、工作，还是這世上的其他事。我现在要說的完全是合乎聖經的，但與主流文化是格格不入的，事實上與南加州的主流文化就如此相對抗以致我擔心你們接受不了。仔細聽：當我們失去了我們最在乎的事，灰心絕望就會從世界而來，此時你要問的就是：“我在這世上追求的到底是什麼 ？”如果你心中的渴望是神自己，那麼沒有什麼可以把他、把他的愛從你拿去！
蘇格蘭的牧師和作家格裡.高利麥唐納在處理損失帶來的灰心、掙扎時說：“耶穌受苦不代表你沒有苦難，而是說，當你受苦時你可以變得像他”。
這話對你有用嗎？基督徒所信的，不是耶穌受苦我們就沒有苦難，耶穌無家可歸我們就不會無家可歸，耶穌貧窮我們就不可以貧窮---這不是聖經說的，耶穌舍己使我們在損失中可以信靠他，為他而活，更像他。因此保羅在獄中寫道：不論是處豐富還是處貧窮，我都得了知足的秘訣。當我們將永恆的事當作心裡的中心，無論我們在哪裡，也無論我們損失了什麼都可以知足。學習像保羅一樣看重永恆的事吧！
我相信財物危機、健康問題、政治不穩定常常都是我們做光做鹽的最好時機。當我們面對損失時，我們可以像保羅那樣有确信，因著信死裡復活的救主，任何有永恆價值的事都不會失去。
在13節我聽到一個牧者為他的民發自心底的呼喊：我請求你們不要喪膽！作為你們的主任牧師，這也是我對你們的渴望。捫心自問：我生命中真正的追求是什麼？如果你只想利用神保健康，那你病的時候就會喪膽；如果你說信耶穌卻只想有更多錢，那你失去錢財時就會喪膽；如果你只是要名聲、姿色、世界的安慰，你會成為你追求東西的奴隸！但是，如果你深深渴望認識耶穌、討耶穌歡喜，更像他，你將得自由！
我們今天來到聖餐桌前，是紀念耶穌的死。我們領聖餐，是宣稱在基督裡，我們得以來到神面前，得以成為一個家庭，得以成為一體。我們合一是因為1）我們都曾死在罪中，我們絕對需要恩典和憐憫；2）我們藉著信在耶穌裡找到了恩典和憐憫。不管是誰，藉著信來到耶穌面前都可以得到。耶穌為各族、各國、各語言群體的人而死，為了讓我們成為一個從未期待過的大家庭。 再聽一遍以弗所書 2:15-18的總結吧：
基督廢除了諭令中誡命的律法，為了把兩者在他自己裡面造成一個新人，締造和平。他在十字架上既然消除了仇恨，就藉著十字架使兩者得以在一個身體裡，與神和好；並且來傳和平的福音給你們在遠處的人，也給那些在近處的人。因為藉著基督，我們兩者能夠在同一位聖靈裡，來到父面前。
榮耀歸給神！
Greg Waybright 博士
主任牧師
Greg Waybright