Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

August 3
Sunday


A SHARED
BOND

READ:
Ephesians 2:11-18
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You are all one in
Christ Jesus.
__Galatians 3:28
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When I needed a locksmith to get into my car, I had a pleasant surprise. After he arrived and began opening my little Ford's door, we began chatting and I recognized his warm, familiar accent.

It turned out that my rescuer was originally from Jamaica__a land I've visited often and have grown to love. This changed a negative event into a positive one. We were in a small way kindred spirits because of our shared love for that beautiful island nation.

This struck me as a reminder of an even greater camaraderie__the joy of meeting someone new and discovering that he or she is also a believer in Christ.

In some places, this is not unusual because there are many believers. But in those lands where there are few believers, the joy of meeting someone else who loves Jesus must be even greater. It's thrilling to share together the amazing reality of the freedom from sin we have through Christ!

For all who know Jesus, there is a shared bond, a oneness in Christ (Gal. 3:28), a joy of fellowship that can brighten even the darkest day. praise God that He brings a bond of unity to all who know Him as savior. __Dave Branon

```````````````````````What a miracle it is, dear Lord, that You can````````````````````
````````````````````bring together people of all tribes, tongues, and````````````````````
`````````````````````nations to be like-minded in Christ__to share``````````````````````
`````````````````````````a bond of love and affection for Jesus.```````````````````````
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Christian fellowship builds us up
and binds us together.

****************************************Today's Bible Reading __ Ephesians 2:11-18*********************************

11 Therefore remember that
you, once Gentiles in the
flesh_who are called
Uncircumcision by what is
called the Circumcision
made in the flesh by
hands__ 12 that at that time
you were without Christ,
being aliens from the
commonwealth of Israel
and strangers from the
covenants of promise,
having no hope and without
God in the world. 13 But
now in Christ Jesus you
who once were far off have
been brought near by the
blood of Christ.

14 For he Himself is our
peace, who has made both
one, and has broken down
the middle wall of
separation, 15 having
abolished in His flesh the
enmity, that is, the law of
commandments contained
in ordinances, so as to
create in Himself one new
man from the two, thus
making peace, 16 and that
He might reconcile them
both to God in one body
through the cross, thereby
putting to death the enmity.

17 And he came and
preached peace to you who
were afar off and to those
who were near. 18 For
through Him we both have
access by one Spirit to the
Father.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

In the days of Jesus and Paul, there was a religious and social
divide between Jews and Gentiles. So great was this divide that
Jews avoided contact with Gentiles as much as possible, even
erecting walls in the temple courtyard to keep themselves separated.
However, both Jesus and Paul spoke of the gospel as crossing all
social and national boundaries. Jesus sent the apostles to "all the
nations" (Matt. 28:19) and "to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8), and
He broke down the "wall of separation" (Eph 2:14).