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The Gospel isn’t just for you. The Gospel is for everyone, and the amazing thing about the Gospel is that it is the one thing that unites all Christians together better than anything in the world. Think about it, there are Christians who are male, female, rich, poor, Caucasian, African, Asian, South American, Hispanic, liberal, conservative, soccer fans and football fans. Paul writes to the Ephesians and to us today, that we were once dead in our sins but all of us have been made alive in Christ. We have been shown the immeasurable riches of His grace (chapter 2 verse 7), and we are the masterpiece of God’s created world (v10).
The unifying nature of the Gospel is that all of us from different backgrounds, races, and cultures have been united together into God’s family. We who were once different and far, not only from God but from one another, have become part of one body and have been given the same Holy Spirit. There are two components of the relational restoration found in the Gospel. There is a vertical restoration, where our relationship that was broken in the Fall has been restored with God. Second, there is a restoration horizontally, where the relationships we have with other people are being restored. Therefore, there is no place in God’s Kingdom for racism, classism, ageism, sexism cliques, or bullies. The walls of hostility between mankind are broken down because of the inclusivity of the Gospel. The Gospel celebrates our differences not by ignoring them, but by uniting us around something bigger than our socio-economic or racial background, uniting us by the blood of Jesus. Thus, everyone in your church, your Bible study, your youth group, and your Christian club at school is your brother or sister in Christ. That means together we are to be imitators of God’s love and to walk in love the way Christ has first loved us.
Reflection Questions:
What are the different classifications by which the world seeks to separate us as believers?
How does the Gospel bring all of our unique backgrounds and experiences together?
In light of the Gospel, who are our true brothers and sisters?
About this Plan
The apostle Paul was primarily responsible for spreading the Gospel to the Gentiles. Throughout his missionary journeys, he planted churches in cities all over the Roman Empire. He cared for each church and its members and even wrote letters to many of them. In this study, we’ll examine the major themes of each letter to the church and what it means for our lives today.
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We would like to thank the Youth Commission International for providing this plan. For more information, please visit:
http://www.yciclubs.com
