Proof #2: From Hostility to Peace (2:11-21)

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The vision of Ozark Christian College is to glorify God by evangelizing the lost and edifying Christians worldwide. The mission of Ozark Christian College is to train men and women for Christian service as a degree-granting institution of biblical higher education.

Classroom Instructions

Lesson

Opening Thoughts

  • We were made for…

  • But our desire for community doesn’t always match our experience of it.

Ephesians 2, Part 2 (2:11-22)

  • How do we know Jesus is most powerful? He unites divided communities.

  • Before we get general, we need to hear it in context.

    • World is divided into “Jews and foreskins” (Gentiles) –

    • But this division, instituted by God mind you, was .

    • And now, in , it is overcome.

  • Only the cross overcomes our conflict because only here do we find a unity that is deeper than our differences.

    • Yes, we are different. But what is the same?

    • This doesn’t end the conversation about race, but it is necessary to start that conversation well.

  • Two points of reflection for application:

    • You can’t have Christ without….

    • We come to one another through…

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

  1. What is the best experience of community you’ve ever known? What made it so special?

  2. Why do we experience such a wide gap between our desire for close friendship and the reality of broken relationships?

  3. Why is it helpful to remember the original Jew-Gentile context of this passage?

  4. What difference does it make for our efforts at unity to know that Christ’s power is demonstrated when divided communities come together in him?

  5. What steps can you (as a person, family, group, church) take to move toward God’s ideal for the church?

Proof #2: From Hostility to Peace (2:11-21) Instructions

Lesson

Opening Thoughts

  • We were made for…

  • But our desire for community doesn’t always match our experience of it.

Ephesians 2, Part 2 (2:11-22)

  • How do we know Jesus is most powerful? He unites divided communities.

  • Before we get general, we need to hear it in context.

    • World is divided into “Jews and foreskins” (Gentiles) –

    • But this division, instituted by God mind you, was .

    • And now, in , it is overcome.

  • Only the cross overcomes our conflict because only here do we find a unity that is deeper than our differences.

    • Yes, we are different. But what is the same?

    • This doesn’t end the conversation about race, but it is necessary to start that conversation well.

  • Two points of reflection for application:

    • You can’t have Christ without….

    • We come to one another through…

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

  1. What is the best experience of community you’ve ever known? What made it so special?

  2. Why do we experience such a wide gap between our desire for close friendship and the reality of broken relationships?

  3. Why is it helpful to remember the original Jew-Gentile context of this passage?

  4. What difference does it make for our efforts at unity to know that Christ’s power is demonstrated when divided communities come together in him?

  5. What steps can you (as a person, family, group, church) take to move toward God’s ideal for the church?