Today's Passage - Ephesians 2:11-13

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Ephesians 2: 11-13   Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called "uncircumcised" by those who call themselves "the circumcision" (which is done in the body by human hands) - remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.   We were called Gentiles before as this word depicts those who have not been circumcised.  Circumcision , by itself, is precious but has since  shamefully become a wall separating man from God.  Actually, this phenomenon existed not only in the early churches, but the churches today.  The rules and regulations of today's churches have become walls separating  among churches as well as among their people.  Examples like:  method of baptism, frequency of holy communion, issues of the Holy Spirit have all becomes walls. People have been separated because of all these rules and regulations - what used to be the body of Christ initially is now broken into pieces, and the root cause of which is actually the result of our own self-centeredness.  Based on our own experience, we feel we are absolutely right and condemn those with experience different from ours.  More dreadfully, we fight for the sake of the truth in the name of the Holy Spirit damaging  the body of Christ as well as you and me.   I have never come across an army fighting within itself except in the churches.  This is heart-breaking on one hand, and, on the other, we need to confess our sins wholeheartedly asking God to take away our deep-seated prejudice so that we would no longer criticize others  according to what we have received.  May the Lord help us stride toward unity with the help of the Holy Spirit.                                                                                    Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, we thank You for Christ has taken down the walls of destruction as there are walls erected among churches and among their people.  May You help us humble ourselves and confess our sin of self-centeredness, and break down these walls now.  With thanks we pray, in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!