Belonging Begins Where Self Ends

Walls fall when grace walks in. We open Ephesians and follow Paul’s path from distance to nearness, tracing how Jesus brings both Jew and Gentile into one family with full access to the Father by one Spirit. No seniority, no special pass—just the same door for everyone. As we unpack the early church’s shift from a mostly Jewish movement to a global mission, we confront the tensions that come with growth and the simple answer that heals them: everyone stands on the same ground of mercy.

Together we explore the power of “in Christ” as the center of Christian life. Not in works, not in rule-keeping, not in giving or membership, but in Christ we pray, belong, and endure. That identity doesn’t float in the clouds; it rewires daily choices. When old festivals and social circles no longer fit, God names us fellow citizens and members of his household. We become living stones in a holy temple with Jesus as the cornerstone, fitted together as a habitation of God through the Spirit. That’s more than theology—it’s comfort for tired hearts and courage for a divided world.

You’ll also hear field stories that bring the text to life, a Christmas-tinted reminder of Emmanuel—God with us—and a practical look at how the Spirit unites unlikely people into a beautiful whole. We close with an invitation to pray for and support Taking the Light and Peru Ministries, partnering in the work God is building. If this conversation stirred hope or clarity for you, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs encouragement, and leave a rating or review so others can find it.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Access To The Father By One Spirit
• 2:51 From Jewish Roots To Gentile Mission
• 5:36 Breaking The Wall Between Jew And Gentile
• 9:06 No Longer Strangers But Citizens
• 12:31 A New Tribe And Household Of God
• 15:56 In Christ Not In Works

Transcript

Austin Gardner: 0:26

I hope you are enjoying the book of Ephesians. And I hope you're learning because we're studying the Word of God. It's really not about our opinion, it's about what the Lord says. And we have gone over time and time, you know, all the things that God's doing are wonderful in our lives. We have seen how he abolished the law. The thing that was against us, he put it to the side, and he has reconciled both unto God in one body. Both Jew and Gentile get saved in one body, that's in Christ, because Christ did it all. He has broken down the wall of partition. There's no boundary line between us now. And he's preached peace to us and those that were away off, us Gentiles and the Jews. And he brought us all. And we all have access, verse 18, by one spirit unto the Father. All have access. Robert, why don't you?

Robert Canfield: 1:21

I'm sure you want to say something about that. No, I think we've we've hit on that last couple days real hard. Access. I mean, you think about Hebrews chapter 4, now having access. We think about Romans 8. Now we can cry Abba, Father. All this things, Romans chapter 5, we have access to this grace wherein we stand. All these things that we have because of Christ, and it's it's so deep, it's so wonderful. We can say that God is my father. We can cry daddy. We can say that, man, we have something that we can't generate in and of ourselves, that's grace. And we have access to this grace and we have access to this help and time of need, according to Hebrews chapter four. All these things were so far away from us before Jesus. But because of Jesus and what he's done, not anything I've done, not anything anyone else has done, because what Jesus did on the cross, how he shedding his blood on that perfect, that precious blood that we talked about several days ago, because of that, we now have a God that is nigh. We have a God that wants to be with us, we have a God that's going to help us out through life.

Austin Gardner: 2:25

One of the things that's going on in Ephesians is in Ephesus, you have a large number of new believers that are Gentiles. In the early church, everybody was just about Jewish. You know, on the day of Pentecost, people from all over the Jewish world were in Jerusalem and they got saved. And so we go chapters and we don't really have much outreach, much evangelism to those that are not Jewish until Philip does that. Who does Philip go talk to there, Robert? He talks on Ethiopian.

Robert Canfield: 2:55

Go ahead. Yeah. Yeah, the Ethiopian eunuch there in Acts chapter 8. But he also, who did he go and preach to before that? Before that, he was in Samaria, which those were like the half-breeds there, and those were people that were untouchables. But Jesus seemed like in his ministry he went to a lot of Samaritans. Cleansed the one of the lepers that came back and was giving thanks to him was a leper that was a Samaritan, and he talked about the story of a good Samaritan, and he went to Samaria to see the water.

Austin Gardner: 3:22

But on the whole, the church is still relatively Jewish. And it it won't be till Antioch when it kind of goes full blossom. And in 11, they hear about it, and Peter goes in 10 and 11, and Peter goes and checks on it, and then and then Barnabas shows up and Barnabas starts doing a work. But still, the the until Paul goes out and begins dealing with he is Paul is the apostle of the Gentiles, of the godless. That's what Gentile really means. Because they were considered atheists or godless because they didn't know the one true God, the God of heaven. And now the church in Ephesus has got two groups of people. And you got the Jewish believers and you got the Gentile believers. And there's some little bit of issues probably going on in the church because uh the Jews are like, you know, we're the people of God. You guys are in here by grace. Paul's like, well, sorry, you, buddy. Everybody's here by grace. And he's showing them there's no longer Jew and Gentile. Fact is, in other parts of scripture, he's gonna say, there's no longer male and female, free and bond or slave, free and slave. He's gonna say, No, that's none of that exists. Everybody's one. We are for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Everybody's failed. He's gonna make that real clear. He's gonna show everybody that. And so I love how the verse says in verse 18 that we looked at just a second ago. Let me see if I can show that to you right quick. He has made fun. Look what it says here. For through him we both, Jew and Gentile, have access uh by one spirit under the Father. So you don't, Jews don't get to God one way and Gentiles another way. And and the people in over other parts of the world don't get to God one way, and us, everybody goes to the Holy Spirit of God. I'd like to, this is kind of off topic, but it's God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. And there are three that are one, and there are three that are distinct, which is mind-blowing to understand. But God, God was in human flesh, Jesus. Jesus was on earth doing everything. And so the whole Godhead, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, are all involved in our salvation. And so now, if you want to get to God, we go through the Spirit, one Spirit under the Father. Who the Spirit is God and Spirit, but they're it have different jobs. And so that leads us to verse 19. But Robert, you might want to throw something in before we get to that.

Robert Canfield: 5:53

No, I don't. That's that's wonderful.

Austin Gardner: 5:55

Well, see, it says, now therefore, let me let me show you that verse right quick. But now therefore, we are no more strangers. We are no more strangers. So read the verse with me. Now therefore, you are no more strangers and foreigners. So you're not you're not you're no longer pilgrims, you're no longer people that don't belong. You are now fellow citizens with the saints of the household of God. And so he he's he's the middle wall of partition has been broken down. We are no longer two groups of people. Now everybody, any emphasis on equal footing, whether you came from a religious background or a non-religious, you all got saved the same way. It was always God who did it. And the way you talk to God is through the Spirit. It's always the Spirit of God. It's always God, God, God, God. Everything is God. And that's where all the praise and all the honor go. And so we are going to talk just a little bit about the strangers and the foreigners and the fact that we're fellow citizens.

Robert Canfield: 7:01

Go ahead, Robert. Yeah. It's hard to explain this and understand this, especially being an American, because we're so individualistic. But you know this, living in another culture for 20 years almost, and I've seen this a lot, that people, people have their tribes, right? They have their group of friends. And even America, they have their group of friends. And these people here at Ephesus, they at one time had their connection, they had their community, they had their festivals, they had their parties and their dates and their times where they used to hang out with their friends. They had their way of life. And that all got messed up when Paul went to that town and people started getting saved, and people were actually turning from the idols. They were turning from their festivals. I'm reminded of hearing and seeing these little in these little villages there in Burkina Faso after people get saved, after people put their faith and trust in Jesus, when they realize that there's the Creator God out there and that the Creator God loved them so much that he died on a cross for their sins, and he now wants to have a relationship with them. When those people get saved, they now become a new, new being. They're new beings. They're no longer their old selves. And so they they stop going to the festivals. They stop hanging out during the festivals of the mask, and they're not doing what everyone else does. And that can sense, in a way, if you got a small little group, it makes you feel a little bit lonely, but that makes you feel like you're something totally different. And what Paul's saying right here is that those people, you people who are now in Christ, those people who have been brought now to God, you have a new group of people that you're that you're family with. You have a new group that you're that you're connected with. You have a new citizenship. And it's with those who who have trusted, like he says in verse 20, he says, those who who who who are built upon the foundation of the apostles and the prophets, those who've put their faith in what Paul was teaching and what Peter was teaching, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Those people that put in there, they are now become one. And that's in a person's mind, they're in Ephesus, you got to think about what they're thinking. They're like, I don't hang out with the people I used to do. I don't have a, I don't have a group of people. I don't have a I don't have a tribe. And Paul's telling them that you guys aren't strangers, you guys aren't foreigners. Now you have a new tribe. You have a new chief. It's the Father. It's God the Father. You have a new chief, and you have new brothers and new sisters. That's that's the born-again believers. And so we got a new, a new citizenship. We we we're saints. We're we we're part of a new household. And uh we're just not out there wandering and and we're just not out there, not part of anything. We have a new group of people that we have with us. I believe that's really what he's stating.

Austin Gardner: 9:34

I could be wrong on that, but I that's what I think also what we want to see before we close out today is and it's found in the verse here, and you want to realize that it's all about who you're in. It's all about who you're in. And now we are in Christ. Look at this in verse 21 and 22, in whom. In whom. And all through the scripture, we've been looking at the fact that it's in Christ Jesus, if you'll see that, and without Christ. I'm showing you that on the screen if you're looking at it. In verse 10, in Christ Jesus, through Christ Jesus, in Christ Jesus. You see, I I want what I want you to realize is we are in a new family and we are not separated anymore. We were in Adam. And by the way, it doesn't matter if you're moral or immoral. If you're in Adam, you receive sin and death. If you're in Adam, you receive sin and death. You are like your father, you receive your inheritance. But if you're in Christ, now you're not a stranger. Now you're not a foreigner, now you are a fellow citizen, now you are a member of the family of God. We are, like Robert said, we are we are we're a member of something else. But it's all because of who we're in. And when you catch on to who you're in, you realize it's not in my works, it's not in my church membership, it's not in my giving, it's not in my obedience, it's not in my keeping the commandments, it's everything is I'm in Christ. And and when we get when we get to to heaven or anywhere we are, it's who we're in. When you go to the wedding, are you wearing the wedding garment of Christ or are you going in on your own? And too much religion's about me, me, me, me. And the truth is in Christ, we kind of forget me, me, and we think about him. We are in Christ. And that's what I want you to get through your head. It's all about being in Christ. And because how do you get to God in Christ? How do you live a holy life in Christ? How do you have a fellowship in Christ? And so everything about our conversation and everything about our lives ought to be about in Christ. We're in Christ. And before I turn it back over to Robert to say a few things, and Christ is in us, the hope of glory, I should mention. And God is in Christ, and Christ is in us, and we're in God, and we're in Christ, and it's all just one big bowl, one big bundle of love that we're in, in Christ.

Robert Canfield: 12:12

Amen. And this this passage, when Paul's talking to these people, he said that in verse 21. He said, or verse 20, we're built on the foundation, right? Jesus, the chief cornerstone, the apostles being the foundation, and he says, in whom all the building, all the building, that's you, we're all part of the building, we're fitly framed together. We are you are a unique and purposeful and and and and thing in this this, like you said, you called it a bundle, this building that Paul says. This holy temple in the Lord. It's in him, he says, verse 21, in the Lord. And he says, Whom ye, yeah, he's talking about you and me and and those people there in Ephesus, we're building together. Look at this, for the habitation of God through the Spirit. And so he's the one that's growing, he's the one that's building, he's adding to his kingdom, he's adding to this building, and it's all the purpose for him. Does that make sense? He he brought us nigh by his blood, he's putting us together in this wonderful, wonderful thing that's gonna bring glory to him, that is bringing glory to him. And he's doing it through his spirit, and he's gonna he lives there. His it says, for an habitation, habitation. What is it? You look at the word habitation, it's it's just a dwelling place. It's something where God's gonna dwell through the spirit. And so us who are saved were born again, we have a lot of wonderful things. I just don't know if we would know that. I don't know if we remember that. We got to bring to our remembrance. It's not by works, it's not by by keeping a list of rules, it's not about by being a member at this church, or it's not about a baptism. All it is is about being in Christ and how he's growing us together, how he's fitted us into something wonderful and amazing. And he does so through his spirit, and he's the builder, he's the he's the start, he's the framer, he's the starter, he's the foundation, he's the one that's gonna live in it.

Austin Gardner: 14:03

And that's, I mean, what Robert said is he, he, he, he. And that is exactly the Bible truth. It's all the Father, it's all Jesus. And, you know, I call this podcast followed by mercy. And I'll just bring you back to that. The Lord is our shepherd. We are sheep that belong to him. We're not the smart animal. We're not, we belong to him. It's all his work. You can relax. It is all his work. Man, I hope you're enjoying the book of Ephesians like we are. And I really appreciate you, Robert. Man, you are such a blessing and the way you love the Lord and the way you share truth. And I want to thank you very much.

Robert Canfield: 14:41

Any final words, Robert, for today? No. For you out there today, I hope you have a wonderful day and a wonderful week. This Christmas time, it is a great time for us to remember that Emmanuel, that means God with us, he came down. We get to think about that. God came down to earth to make all this thing happen. And it's because you're precious to him, you're his beloved, he cares about you, and he's doing something in and through you that you couldn't do in and of yourself. He's the builder. All we get to do is just be a part of it. It's it's just a wonderful thing. So don't forget that. Remember what God's done for you and remember that all that was, like you said, was brought about because of mercy, and that's who he is. He's a God of love and he's a God of mercy, and he's just been pouring out on us ever since I've, I mean, ever since even before the foundation of the earth, he's been thinking about that. And so he's been pouring it out on us.

Austin Gardner: 15:27

Well, before we go, when you listen to this, Robert and David will be improved on the day you listen to this, because as we're recording it, they're just about ready to leave. So you're going to prove for how long?

Robert Canfield: 15:39

We'll be there for about a week right now. That's the graduation for the Bible college, and I praise the Lord for having a great friend like David Gardner. He's an answer to prayer for me, even before, I mean, even before he was missionary. He was a young missionary, but before he was the only missionary out of the Gardner family in Peru, even before that, he's always been a great friend, and now we get to be co-laborers together. And I just praise the Lord for what he's doing right now through David and the ministry there and through taking the light. It's just wonderful. It's exciting to be a part.

Austin Gardner: 16:06

I would just like to say to all of you listening, if you are looking for mission works to support, these are very valuable. They'll take individual support, taking the light with Robert Canfield and Prue Ministries with David Gardner, and they are just doing a phenomenal job. But I want to ask you to be in prayer for them. You might send them a note just to tell them you are praying. So much going on. Young people are graduating from the Bible college and ministry going on all over the place. And we thank you so much for what you're doing, Robert. I really appreciate it. And I'm so proud of you and David and how God's blessing you, and then pray for your the families that are left here behind. Any further words for today, Robert? Don't forget he's the builder. Amen. And you keep your eyes on Jesus. Thank you all so much for being with us today. God bless you.