God’s Holy People

“You are fellow citizens of the saints and members of the household of God.” Ephesians 2:19

Saint Paul couldn’t have been writing this to ordinary Christians like you and me, could he? But he did. He wrote this letter while he was imprisoned in Rome. He had spent more than two years building the church in Ephesus, in what is now Turkey. Many had converted to the faith, and of course he wanted to encourage and comfort the believers there. In his 6 chapter long letter, he talks about the glorious inheritance awaiting those who believe in Christ. He expounds in God’s eternal plan from the beginning, how God has given the believer everything he or she needs to live out the Christian life and grow in maturity. 

When I think of saints, of course I think of the well known saints like Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Bernadette, Saint Therese, etc. but for each well known saint, there are thousands of unknown saints. There are those who were thrown to the lions, crucified, burned to death, or beheaded for not sacrificing to Roman gods, or renouncing their belief in Christ. Martyrdom is not confined to the early years of Christianity. According to Open Doors researchers, “Approximately 215 million Christians experience high, very high, or extreme persecution.” 

But apparently, to Paul, we don’t need to be persecuted, martyred or tortured to be considered a fellow citizen of God’s holy people. We already are part of God’s family. We are His house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets, with Christ as the cornerstone. We who believe are one of those building blocks, carefully joined together, to make God’s holy temple. 

Lord, I’m content to be one of the tiny stones in Your temple, but I want to be the best and strongest little stone for You! With Your help, nothing is impossible!