United Series

Introduction

Series on biblical community in preparation for the launching of community groups next month we will look at a variety of passages, but most of our time together will be in the book of Ephesians

Background

Diversity

There were cultural, ethnic, and religious divisions in the city - not unlike what we experience today. Ephesus was a city of about 250,000 people. While they had a large Jewish population - there were also a great deal of “Lydians, Ionians, Greeks” and an indigenous people (LBD).

While Poolesville and the surrounding towns are a lot smaller - this is not unlike what we experience here.

There are people who have been here for generations - who have a sense of ownership/comfort. Some time ago, I was talking with Glenn Norris about the fact that in the 1800s, his family used to farm much of the land that now makes up the westerly neighborhood. He has told me where their family used to run an oil business as well - providing heating oil. Norris street is named for his family.

Then there are people who’ve been here for decades. I’ve heard about pictures in front of the old town hall.

There are also - unfortunately - people who trace their slave roots here. They call the Poolesville area home because this is the home they’ve grown up in, but it’s not necessarily the home they would have chosen.

And then there are many newer families - from a variety of socio-economic backgrounds and ethnicities - who have chosen to live here because of what Poolesville has to offer - small town life, family values, good schools, etc.

Ephesus was diverse

Commerce

coastal town - many opportunities and influences

located near the Mediterranean coast in what is Turkey today

Religious Beliefs

One of the seven wonders of the world - the Temple to Artemis (Diana) was in Ephesus - Artemis was knows as the goddess of fertility, magic and astrology. (LBD).

There was a variety of religious activities in which people would have engaged in their worship of Artemis/Diana

Much of it was superstitious

much of it was speculation - never knowing whether an act of worship would result in a desired outcome.

The Church

While the original Christians were Jewish background believers, this new church in Ephesus also included Gentiles - or non-jews. It seems like this new church may have been mostly Gentile. Paul notes that in the old way of things (under the law), these gentiles were

outsiders/alienated from communion/fellowship

hopeless - there was a general understanding in Jewish religious thought - something that Paul seemed to understand as well - that all Gentiles were “unsaved and without God.” (ESVSB) - which would provide reason for their hopelessness. Whatever resurrection or religious hope might have existed, the Gentiles did not get to participate in that.

In the previous section of Ephesians - Paul delineated a beautiful picture of the reconciliation that we have with God - bringing peace between us and Him through Jesus Christ.

(consider reading) Ephesians 2:1-10 “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which god prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

Now that there has been this beautiful union between us and God, Paul notes a second thing that Christ’s sacrifice on the cross does - uniting believers with one another. We have been brought so near to Christ together that we are one, we are UNITED (2:11-12)

Then, Paul elaborates on this more and helps us to understand what UNITY means - how that is worked out. So, for the remainder of our time, we’re going to briefly consider the 6 metaphors that Paul uses. For each of these, we’ll note a practical implication of that metaphor.