Ephesians 2:21-22

Ephesians 2:21-22 - 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.

These two small verses are jam-packed with both individual and corporate meaning. Just prior to these verses, Paul proclaims Christ as the Chief Cornerstone to a household of believers that have been gathered and built through the centuries on His foundation.

The foundation of Christ is essential in our lives. Corporately, as a church, our feet must rest firmly on Christ. Pastor Neil Cole said, "The core reality is Jesus Christ being followed, loved and obeyed. Christ alive, forming spiritual families and working with them to fulfill His mission...the church really is an embodiment of the risen Jesus." (Organic Church: Growing Faith Where Life Happens, 2005) As individuals, we should so thoroughly soak in the love of God, allowing ourselves to be filled with His Spirit that we can't help its overflow into the lives of those around us.

When we assemble as Christians, God is joining us together to become a holy movement for His purpose. "Simply gathering a group of people who subscribe to a common set of beliefs is not worthy of Jesus and th sacrifice He made for us." (Neil Cole, 2005) We must bear fruit. That fruit isn't seen in pews being filled or membership growing, it is seen in the transformed lives of those we have found and discipled in the ways and love of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

From the very beginning, God's blessing to Abraham found in Genesis 12:2-3, was a blessing that gives a foundation to our Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20).

God says to Abraham, "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless
you;I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those
who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you."

Today, we as believer's share in that blessing. We learned in Ephesians 1 that we have been adopted into that blessing. As we are blessed, we are called to be a blessing. Pastor Andy Lauer, shared with us in one of his sermons that there has got to be something more. "If not us, then who?" Who will be the hands and feet of Jesus today? We as a church and as individuals are called to bless others because of the blessing that is being built within us through the Holy Spirit.

God has joined us together so that we might be about His business, that we might be fulfilling His purpose not our own! So that through Christ we can be someone else's hope! That is the foundation that Paul is talking about. Christ is our Chief Cornerstone, in Him we can do the will of the Father who sent Him. How can you be someone's hope today? Are you looking at life through the eyes of Jesus? Are you seeing people with the compassion and grace that God saw you?