One Body and One Spirit

Week Seven - Day 4

Today's Reading

Letter to the Ephesians

I have to say that the approach of placing Paul's letters to the churches within the context of the events and chronology of the Acts of the Apostles has really allowed the letters to have an impact on me that I have not previously experienced.  Where that has really come to the fore is in the acceptance of the Gentiles as worthy to receive the gospel along with the Jews.  Centuries of division, of protecting against any contacts with Gentiles, has tumbled as many have readily received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

In writing to the Ephesians, Paul is reaching out to a Christian community in a city that Paul had to leave because of the hostility towards him and his companions.  Paul's letter, while celebrating the unity of all who accept Christ, has a new feel for me as I can so strongly perceive Paul's instructions and admonitions to the Gentile converts to the faith.  He is eager for them to set aside their previous ways and is in some manner welcoming them into the fold of the tradition that extends back through God's covenant with the Jews and their Hebrew heritage.  He is also eager for peace and unity within families and within the community, and gives them rules for living the new life they have in Christ.  They are to renounce their old ways, order their households and relationships, and put on the whole armor of God: truth, righteousness, faith, salvation, and the word of God.  His final instruction is to pray in the Spirit, and to pray for him during his captivity.