Be Real Together:
Take a few minutes to catch up, tell stories, and laugh together. Trust and friendship take time to build. If you’re launching a new DNA, one person should tell their story — what do we need to know about you? Next week, have another person in your DNA share their story.
Read Together:
Ephesians 2:10 CSB
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.
Grow Together: Observe and Apply
God the Father is beautifully remaking His broken creation! This new creation, this new work of art, this new community of believers is both Jew and Gentile - it’s a big, multicultural family.
1. We were ALL his workmanship
The Greek word for “workmanship” is poiema, which gives us our English words poem and poetry. Poiema means “something made” and in context is something made by God Himself. As a new creation skillfully and artfully created in Christ Jesus.
2 Cor 5:17 CSB
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!Ephesians 2:14 CSB
For He is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility.
Before we go any further it must be established that this new creation, this new work of art, this new community of believers is both Jew and Gentile. The New Testament church that Paul was writing to was a multiethnic, multicultural community.
Pastor Derwin Gray says:
“Paul wrote this letter to a multiethnic congregation; these ethnically diverse congregations of former enemies were struggling with getting along with each other as God’s people (Ephesians 4-5). It was out of pastoral concern that Paul wrote this letter to these Jewish-Gentile churches so they could be an expression of the glory of God by living in unity and love.”
Examine your heart. Is there any people group that you think is exempt from being considered a work of Christ?
2. We were ALL created in Christ Jesus for good works.
** Galations 3:28 CSB**
There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Christ is the head and we are the body. Jesus died for every single one of us (John 3:16). God gave his son for us, for the Church, so that we could be saved and then bring heaven to earth.
Revelation 7:9-10 CSB
9 After this I looked, and there was a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language, which no one could number, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice:
Salvation belongs to our God,
who is seated on the throne,
and to the Lamb!
If this is what heaven looks like, what should it mean for the Church on earth? Christ becomes visible when we love. This is how the world will come to know and love Jesus, when his body, his bride, his Church comes to love one another (John 13:34-35).
What would it look like for you to be an expression of God by living out your unity with other believers?
Pray Together:
Jesus, thank you for uniting heaven to earth by coming down to save us.
Thank you for making a way for us to be adopted into the family of the kingdom of heaven.
Please help us to remember to treasure our brothers and sisters.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.