“Balanced Living – One Big Family”
Transformational Lessons from Ephesians – Part 4
Doug Holmes (twitter: @dougholmesclc)
Website: www.ChristianLifeChurchFL.com
FaceBook:www.FaceBook.com/ChristianLifeChurchFL
September 14, 2014 (The Season of “Kingdom-tide”)
From Ephesians 1 – To the saints… in Ephesus… Blessed be the God…
He made us accepted…
Ephesians 2:4-10 – …because of His great love… by grace you have been
saved… we are His workmanship… in Christ Jesus for good works…
Ephesians 2:11-22 (NLT) – …you Gentiles used to be outsiders…
“uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews, who were proud of their
circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their
hearts… you were… excluded from citizenship among the people of
Israel… But now you have been united… through the blood of Christ.
For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and
Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke
down the wall of hostility that separated us. He did this by ending the
system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace
between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from
the two groups. Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to
God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each
other was put to death.
…You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people… Together, we
are his house… And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself… carefully
joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord… where God
lives by his Spirit.
 Balance Uniformity with Unity
 Balance Injustice with Peaceful Truth
 Christ at the Center, Build Bridges vs. Walls
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Reflect on your own upbringing; be honest about any
prejudicial attitudes. Talk with Christ about it this week.
When racial hostilities erupt, how empathetic can I be
regarding opinions of people who are different from me?
How proactive, deliberate & intentional have I been in building
bridges with people who are different from myself? Could I
build more bridges? How?
Suggested Prayer: “Loving Father God, Thank You for bringing
peace where there was hostility, building a temple with all people.
Help me build bridges in a world filled with hostility. I want a
“balanced life” with You at the center through Jesus Christ, my Lord
& Savior Who lives & reigns with You & the Holy Spirit, one God,
forever. Amen.”
Next Week with Doug Holmes (Part 5):
“Balanced Living – Mystery & Understanding”