Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone
Ephesians 2:19-20 NIV
Beloved, take a moment to answer this question before reading any further. Meanwhile, I want you to be true to yourself. “Who are you?” When you do not know your identity, struggling becomes inevitable. Knowing the privileges that are yours is next to impossible. By this we can infer that living a fulfilled life would be nothing but a mirage.
Paul, in his letter to the church in Ephesus, in chapter two, from verse nineteen through twenty-two describes the believer’s new identity. He also described God’s plan, the place of Christ in the plan, and the place and role of every believer in the same. How wonderful it is that every believer are no longer foreigners and strangers in the family of God. This is the temple God is building.
That’s plain enough, isn’t it? You’re no longer wandering exiles. This kingdom of faith is now your home country. You’re no longer strangers or outsiders. You belong here, with as much right to the name Christian as anyone.
Ephesians 2:19-20a MSG
Let me remind you once again that you belong to God’s kingdom. Therefore, you have all the benefits of being a citizen of the heavenly kingdom. So, stop leaving like one who does not. In Christ, you are no longer foreigners, but esteemed members of God’s household, intimately connected to His divine family. No longer outsiders, you have been welcomed into the blessings, promises, and inheritance of God’s chosen people.
God is building a home. He’s using us all—irrespective of how we got here—in what he is building. He used the apostles and prophets for the foundation. Now he’s using you, fitting you in brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone that holds all the parts together. We see it taking shape day after day—a holy temple built by God, all of us built into it, a temple in which God is quite at home.
Ephesians 2:20b-22 MSG
Once strangers, you are now co-heirs, sharing in the same blessings bestowed upon Abraham and the people of God. No longer alienated, but embraced, you are citizens of the Kingdom, entitled to the rights and privileges as God’s children. Each individual plays a vital role, empowered by the Spirit for acts of service and the advancement of God’s Kingdom.
Will you avail yourself to be used by God in the home He is building?
Embrace your identity as a cherished member of God’s family, empowered to impact the world and bring Him glory. Rejoice, for you are no longer wanderers, but esteemed citizens, intimately connected through Christ, the foundation of our faith.
