Put on the New Self

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Sunday Scripture Reading: Ephesians 4:17-32 (NRSV)

17 Now this I affirm and insist on in the Lord: you must no longer live as the Gentiles live, in the futility of their minds. Read more…

Looking to Sunday: Preparing to Hear From God

by Elaine Poproski

This Sunday we continue our journey through Ephesians and will begin to get into some of the nitty-gritty dos and don’ts of the letter. It starts this way: You must no longer live as the Gentiles live. (By Gentiles, Paul, the author, simply meant anyone who wasn’t a follower of Jesus.)

I’ve been thinking about those words a lot this week. This whole passage reads like there’s a distinct and stark contrast between those in the church and those outside the church. And certainly, in the day and age when Paul was writing this letter, there was a significant difference between Christians and everyone else. But I wonder if that difference is still so clear in 2018 in southern Ontario, after centuries of Christendom[1]. Many of the values of Christianity that were foreign to Paul’s neighbours in the first century Roman Empire, are the same values our country was built on when Europeans began colonizing it. Does being a Christian still result in such noticeable disparity from the way non-Christians lead their lives, as it did in Paul’s day?

As you prepare for Sunday, I invite you to spend some time thinking about this question around the differences between those in the church and those outside it. Are there tangible expressions of your faith in the way you live your life – in the way you treat people, treat yourself, prioritize your day, in the activities you participate in, or the behaviours you practice – that are different from the way non-Christians live their lives? Spend some time laying your life out before God and asking Him to reveal where you aren’t distinct enough from those who aren’t following Jesus. Ask Him to encourage you in those areas where it’s particularly difficult to follow Jesus because everyone around you is living differently. Ask for wisdom to know the difference between those areas that are important to Jesus and those that are nothing more than the trappings of culture – even so-called Christian culture.

[1] Christendom refers to the historic era of Christian, religious dominance in the western world. While it is largely agreed that in Canada Christendom is over, we are still shaped by that history and legacy.