No Longer a Foreigner 不再作外人
Dexu Xia
You are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people. Ephesians 2:19
“You don’t belong here.” Those words crushed an eight-year-old girl’s heart, and the pain stayed with her. Her family had emigrated from a refugee camp in a war-torn country to a new country, and her immigration card had the word alien stamped on it. She felt like she didn’t belong.
As an adult, although she put her faith in Jesus, she still felt alienated—stung by the feeling that she was an unwelcome outsider. While reading her Bible, she discovered the promises of Ephesians 2. In verse 12, she saw that old, troubling word alien. “You were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world” (nkjv). But as she kept reading, she saw how Christ’s sacrifice had changed her status. She got to verse 19, which told her, “You are no longer” a foreigner or alien. She was a “fellow citizen” with God’s people. Realizing that she was a citizen of heaven, she was overjoyed. Never again would she be an outsider. God had taken her in and accepted her.
Because of our sin, we’re alienated from God. But we don’t have to stay that way. Jesus brought peace to all who were “far away” (v. 17), making all who trust Him fellow citizens of His eternal kingdom—united as the body of Christ. By: Dave Branon
In what way do you feel alienated? What does it mean for you to know that God has called all His children to be united in Him?
Dear heavenly Father, thank You for allowing me to experience fellowship with You and with others who love and trust You.
你们不再作外人和客旅，是与圣徒同国。—以弗所书2章19节
“你不属于这里！”这句话让一个八岁女孩伤透了心，而且这伤痛一直伴随着她成长。女孩与家人从一个战乱国家的难民营，移民到一个新的国家。她移民卡上的戳印标注着外国人，使她感觉到自己不属于这个国家。
这个女孩成年后，尽管她相信了耶稣，却仍然感到被孤立，总觉得自己是个不受欢迎的外人。然而在阅读圣经时，她发现了以弗所书2章的应许。在12节，她看到那长久以来令她不安的字眼──外人：“你们是在基督以外，与以色列国无分，在带有应许的约上是外人，在世上没有盼望，没有上帝”（新译本）。她继续读下去，便看到了上帝的应许，明白她的身分因基督的牺牲已有所改变：“你们不再是外人和客旅，而是与圣徒一同作国民”（19节，同上）。当她意识到自己是天国的子民，真是欣喜若狂。她不再是个外人，因上帝已经接纳了她，成为上帝家中的一员。
你我因为罪的缘故，成为与上帝无关的外人，但我们无需一直处于这种状态。耶稣把和平的福音带给所有人，包括离上帝很远的外族人（17节），让所有信靠祂的人都能成为祂永恒国度的子民，并且彼此联合成为基督的身体。
作者： 白德夫
你在何时何地觉得自己像个外人？
上帝呼召祂所有的儿女在主里合一，对你有何意义？亲爱的天父，感谢祢让我能与祢亲近，并与其他爱祢、信靠祢的人有美好的互动交流