I had the privilege of visiting my close friends from San Diego who are currently serving at Calvary Chapel Southampton, England.
There, they have reaped a harvest of fruitful relationships and for a few short days invited to be a part of it. I was truly encouraged.
Then, God spoke to me through Ephesians 2.
"For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility (vs 14-16)."
God showed me clearly that even though I felt there was too much of a "cultural barrier" between me and the people of England it's through Jesus that we are made ONE. This "wall of division" I had been experiencing was a form of separation Jesus Christ destroyed on the cross.
It continues to say that, "you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household...with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit (vs 19-22)."
My hope was restored, my joy renewed, and God laid another stone of solidity in my trust walk with Him. I returned back to Bradford ready to take some steps of faith. I joined a small group that meets every other Monday night coincidentally down the street from my house. There, I've met a few amazing people, including another American who has been in England several years with her family as missionaries. I also volunteered my hands for practical assistance in cleaning the church facilities, cooking for the homeless, and administration assistance.
These steps have been small and still quite challenging,however, I am more confident in God's promise to me that the cultural barrier has been removed through Christ. I am no longer an alien but a citizen of God's household here in England.
No comments:
Post a Comment