Now therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but citizens with the saints, and of the household of God.

Ephesians 2:19 (NMB)

The Apostle Paul reminds us that we already have a sense of belonging with each other because of our life in Christ. We are called to receive one another, as Christ has received us. This is possible because Jesus has already demolished the dividing barriers that alienate and separate us through His finished work on the cross.

Our shared love for one another in Christ is stronger than any prejudice or differences based on ethnicity and social status. The right and best thing for us to do is put the truth into practice and live out what Christ intended for our church family. In desiring to live as Christ did, we must learn to recognise the prejudice, fear, and conflict that can sabotage relationships and keep people from forming strong and healthy connections. The less connected you are with other believers, the more easily you can be offended. But as you mature spiritually and as you grow in love, you become less easily offended.

As we live out the truth of the gospel, we will discover the true depth and joy of community life. Embracing, accepting and receiving one another is a biblical mandate for all of us who follow Jesus. Love wins more hearts than theology. People don’t really care what we know if we don’t demonstrate that we genuinely care for them.

Believing and belonging go together.

Our faith in Christ gives our relationship a sense of meaning and purpose. The fellowship and communion we have in Christ enrich the way we believe and live as a community. It is through this life together that we function as citizens of God’s kingdom and members of His household. In working together and sharing with each other the graces and gifts we have been blessed by our Father, we will become the kind of people who can and will transform the lives around us.