Jesus Brings Everything Together

September 14, 2025

It doesn't take a great deal of effort to discover that we live in a broken, divided world.  Mass media ensures that we get a healthy dose of division by the hour.  This division is just one of the results of sin in our world. The book of Ephesians addresses several ways in which we see division in our world:  It discusses man's division against God as well as man's division with other men. Christians are divided against other Christians, while family members find themselves divided with one another. Paul addresses the division between slave and their master. While that might seem like an ancient concept to our "modern" thinking, this same division can be seen in the employee's relationship with his or her employer.  Finally, Paul shows us a division that we might not have considered, and that is the division between man and the cosmic powers (Satanic powers, really) that surround him.  It is clear that while these divisions were occurring in the city of Ephesus in the First Century, they have survived and remain alive and well in the Twenty-First Century as well.  Like the Ephesians, what we need is a Reconciler.  Fortunately for them and for us, God provides us one in the person and work of Christ Jesus. Ephesians 1:10 tells us that Jesus Christ breaks down barriers and reconciles all things.  Ephesians discusses reconciliation in all of the areas we mentioned above.  He reconciles man to God through His blood shed on Calvary's cross.  Man is reconciled to man by being placed into one body, the church.  Christians are reconciled to other Christians in this body by their individual spiritual gifts, which contribute to making the entire body function as it should.  Christ's solution for divided families can be seen in His love for the church.  If only families could love each other like Christ loves the church, the divorce rate would drop to zero, and families would find peace.  Christ bridges the divide between slaves and masters as well as employees and employers by giving everyone equal position at the foot of the cross. The book of Philemon provides us a great example of how slaves and their masters (as well as employees and employers) should be reconciled through Jesus.  Finally, Paul tells us that we can be ready to do battle with the cosmic forces in our world by putting on the whole armor of God.  I don't know about you, but as far as I'm concerned, our world could sure use a little less division and a LOT more Jesus!

Be blessed and then go be a blessing . . . Bro. Andy