Ephesians 2:17-22—And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
I read this passage this morning and was reminded of a Bible class I took in college. Everyone in the class was assigned a text from Ephesians. No matter what our assignment, we each had to write a 15 page paper.
As a fairly new Christian, I was hoping to get one of my favorite passages in the Bible—Ephesians 2:1-10 which features “For by grace you have been saved through faith.” It’s a wonderful summary of the gospel grace I was freshly experiencing.
When I saw my assignment began with “Ephesians 2,” I thought my hopes were coming true! But then, upon further inspection, I realized I got the second half of the chapter! Oh no! It had all sorts of weird stuff about Jews and Gentiles and circumcision and covenants and commonwealths. I didn’t know what was going on. Little did I know that this assignment would open my eyes to the grandeur of God’s grace. The first half of chapter 2 helped me see the beauty of God’s grace. The second half helped me see the breadth of God’s grace.
What I mean is that Ephesians 2:17-22 shows that both Jews and Gentiles are in desperate need of God’s grace for the forgiveness of sin. And God has made a way for BOTH those who are near (Jews with the Law) and those who are far off (Gentiles without the Law) to be brought near through Jesus Christ.
So, there is no more room for ethnic, linguistic, or religious animosity. One is not superior to the other. Faith in Christ is the new common denominator. He is the King over the new citizens. He is the big brother in the new household. He is the cornerstone of the new temple. He holds everyone together! So, there’s a new people - diverse in languages, cultures, and gifts - united in Jesus Christ.
PRAY FOR OUR GLOBAL FAMILY
This has wonderful implications for us a Christians. First, it means that we have access to God through Jesus Christ. Our sins are forgiven and we’ve been brought near! Second, our God is sovereign over the whole world that he created and he is at work! He is continuing to bring near those who were far away. And He’s doing this all over the world. He is a global God creating a global family through Jesus Christ.
So, we wanted to give you a brief summary of how God is at work around the world in some of our partnering churches through Sovereign Grace and some ways that you can pray.
UKRAINE
Summary: Ukraine has been all over the news recently as the conflict with Russia has erupted. Russia has questioned the legitimacy of Ukraine’s independence and has lined the border with thousands of troops for invasion. Anytime there is an invasion, you can be sure that there will be tremors felt all over the world both politically and economically. However, no one will feel the fallout more acutely than civilians in the Ukraine. We have an affiliate church in Germany that has planted a church in the Ukraine. The pastor of that church passed along these prayer requests.
Prayer Requests
Pray for us that the Lord will give His peace in the hearts of believers and remove all fear.
Pray for the Gospel of Jesus to be a stronghold and a strong foundation in rebellious circumstances.
Pray for believers to support one another and keep their eyes on Christ.
Pray for Christians to share the Gospel with unbelievers and help them find peace in Jesus.
ETHIOPIA
Summary: In November of last year, rebel forces were attempting to overtake the country of Ethiopia. Two cities just north of Addis Ababa (the capital) were being taken by a rebel military. The US Embassy had labeled Ethiopia a Red Level #4: Do not Travel, and was emailing all Americans to evacuate the country immediately. One of our sister churches was recently planted by our friend, Michael Granger, in Addis Ababa. After a hard few months, the rebels have been pushed back and defeated, allowing our friends to reunite with their families and push forward with establishing the church community and the pastors college. The church just celebrated 1 yr together. People are coming to saving faith. And the pastors college is equipping a new generation of pastors and church planters who will fan out around East Africa.
Prayer Requests
Praise the Lord for answering our prayers to end the civil war
Praise the Lord for continued conversions
Praise the Lord for a fruitful first year in the midst of a pandemic and war
Pray for revival throughout Ethiopia and the surrounding countries as Trinity Fellowship seeks to establish a gospel-presence
PHILIPPINES
Summary: Jeffrey Jo is the lead pastor of a church in Manila and leads a region of Sovereign Grace Churches in the Philippines. Over the last 15 years, God has allowed their church to plant 9 churches in regions around the southern island of the Philippines, which has a large muslim presence. Even in the midst of Covid and some Muslim extremist insurgencies, these 9 churches have continued to grow and even plant more churches. Jeffrey Jo and the elders from his church recently traveled to encourage these new believers in the faith and to help them build their lives into the local church. Many in that area are hungry to learn how to study the bible and to be equipped for service. So, Jeffrey Jo’s church is praying about establishing a gospel-centered, church-planting Bible school in that region.
Prayer Requests:
Praise the Lord for these 9 church plants
Praise the Lord for allowing Jeffrey Jo and the elders to encourage and strengthen these churches
Pray for continued growth and discipleship in the local churches
Pray for wisdom as they explore the possibility of launching a church-planting school
Pray for the gospel to spread in this area where Islam has a stronghold
ONLY A FRACTION
The above represents only a fraction of the work that God is accomplishing all over the world. There’s simply not enough space to talk through the gospel outreach in Pakistan, the church planting couple getting established in Turkey, the church adoptions occurring throughout Latin America, the pastors college equipping church planters in Liberia, and many more!
These stories remind us of his broad grace - to bring those who were far off into the family of God. He brought us near. So, let’s pray for those across the world who are also being knit into the family of God. This is our eternal family!
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