Dealing With Disunity And Judgment From Others (In Search Of Truth, Ephesians 2:11-22)

(Ephesians 2:11-22, ESV)
Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 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.


v. 11-12

By superficial standards (circumcision, ethnicity) Gentiles were looked down on by Jews. They also had genuine disadvantages, being far from God out of ignorance, lacking the hope God offered of a promised Messiah, and not being a part of his uniquely purposed people group.

v. 13-18

Christ's sacrifice erased this distinction in terms of one's relationship to God. Christ also removed any reason or excuse for all divisive hostility between people groups. In Christ all believers are one people group, all with the same access to God through the Holy Spirit. A peaceful unity.

v. 19-22

Gentiles are not travelers passing through or foreigners living among God's chosen people. All believers are both citizens of God's kingdom and members of his household, partnering with God on a close, "domestic" level.

The foundation for our unity is the work and sacrifice of Christ as revealed through the apostles and prophets. It is through Christ, in community, that we:
1. have peaceful unity
2. grow in being set apart for God's purposes
3. grow in being the place where the Spirit makes his base of operations on earth.


SO WHAT'S IN ALL THIS FOR GEEKS?

Notice the fact that our new identity in Christ and significance in his kingdom is all described here in the context of community, not in safe isolation from each other. And it's not a perfect community, but one in process. We "are being joined together" and are "being built together" to become a dwelling place for God.

I think a lot of us can relate to the Gentile situation described here. For superficial reasons a number of us have been criticized or overlooked in local church communities. In fact just this week on our forums I heard from at least two people who have experienced harsh judgment of their hobbies from Christians in their lives.

This can leave us feeling disconnected from our local churches, or lead us to compartmentalize our lives and keep a sort of "secret" life that our Christian friends and family don't know about. Either scenario creates a breeding ground for sin, which is why speaking truth in a persuasive and gracious way is such an important skill to develop, so we can keep lines of communication open and maintain connections in our Christian communities.

The Gentiles also had an ignorance of God that we can develop as well. If we distance ourselves from real, in-person, Christian community and friendships, we can find ourselves ignorant of truth as we cherry pick our teachers from books and online resources, not allowing our ideas to bounce off those who are different from us.

Finally, because of our mistreatment at the hands of other Christians, we can develop a quiet "us versus them" mentality that contributes to a social dynamic in direct opposition to the unity we are intended to have through Christ.

The reality, as stated before, is that in Christ all believers are one people group, all with the same access to God through the Holy Spirit. We may each stifle our relationship with God at times, but we all have the same, graciously unhindered  access to God as far as he is concerned. We are also all purposed with significance as citizens of his kingdom and intimate partners of his kingdom plans, whether we take advantage of that partnership or not.

So how do we contribute to unity in our local churches when our local churches either neglect us out of discomfort, or even condemn us for unbiblical reasons?

First, I want to make a distinction between the leadership of a local church and the local church body. If the leadership of the church condemns what it should not, that's an issue to take up with the leadership itself. If we don't know, based on pulpit preaching, where our leaders stand on issues related to entertainment, it's worthwhile to send an e-mail or meet at Starbucks to put the topic on the table.

I cannot tell you how much more excited I am to serve at my church, knowing that the leaders have no issues with people enjoying Dungeons and Dragons, Harry Potter or any number of other entertainment forms. It has freed me up to explore numerous ways that I can serve while incorporating the strengths and passions God has given me.

If, however, your church leaders condemn what should not be condemned and refuse to change their position in light of scripture, they are then adding to God's words and this is not a local church that should be supported by your giving or service. In that case I'll be happy to help you find a genuine bible-teaching church in your area.

If your church leadership supports your enjoyment of entertainment that doesn't cause or tempt you to sin, but there are those in the church body who condemn or criticize you for those things, this is where remembering grace is vital.

In verses 1-10 of Ephesians chapter 2, Paul took pains to remind readers of their need for the rescue of Jesus. We cannot afford to harden ourselves to those who sin against us, because God does not harden himself against us, but offers tireless, undeserved special treatment (the meaning of the word "grace").

Christ is our unifying common ground. When someone judges us unfairly, we should immediately try to remember that although "a, b & c" they are upset about is not really sin, "x, y & z" (that our condemners haven't even noticed about us or mentioned) IS sin in our lives. We DO need Jesus. Not just for past sins but for sin in our lives right now. And remembering our own sin and need for Jesus removes the power of those who condemn us. Because they don't know even HALF of the reasons we need Jesus.

Secondly, the fact that they are judging us unfairly indicates that they need Jesus too.Their passionately unbiblical opinions should be recognized as weakness. And not so that we can smugly think to ourselves, "they are wrong and I am right, they're immature, I am mature". That's just us being judgmental in response to their judgment. Instead, that recognition of weakness should trigger genuine, heartfelt compassion for them, and the recognition that we may be positioned to help.

This is an area I've been slowly growing in since entering the youtube arena, where the ugliest side of humanity, and Christianity, seems to show up to leave comments. The outrageous and nonsensical rantings were the first and easiest forms of judgment for me to develop tolerance to. And now I'm developing compassion for those Christians who unbiblically object in more subtly prideful and passive-aggressive ways.

The key, I think Paul teaches here, is recognizing the common ground of grace and forgiveness we have in Christ, which should lead us to look at the mess we and others make, the wounds we all inflict on each other, and say "Jesus, come quickly to rescue. We're making a mess of it all."

Then, once we've gained the right perspective and gotten at least some handle on our defensiveness, that's the time to invite our judges to a sit down so they can share where they are coming from in the Bible. It might even be good to include a member of church leadership in the conversation. With the support of our leaders and a recognition of our universal need for grace, we can recognize openly the potential pitfalls in some forms of geek entertainment, while also sharing the truth of the freedom and grace we all have in Christ.





Resources typically used to prepare this study include:
"Expositor's Bible Commentary", Frank E. Gaebelein General Editor (Zondervan Publishing House)
"The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament", by Dr. Craig S. Keener (InterVarsity Press)
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Blueletterbible.org (primarily for search functionality)