Ephesians: We Are God's Temple

A couple of years ago, my middle school Sunday Church School class built "God's Temple" based on the book of Ephesians. Our interpretation came from Henrietta Mears book, What the Bible is all About. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul describes the church (ecclesia) as a building of "stones" with the "Christ Stone" at its head. We are the "stones," and understanding the rooms of this temple provides a deeper understanding of Paul's message to the people of Ephesus, and of our relationship with God.

With Chapter 1, we explore the Anteroom, where we are reminded of how we are blessed by God. We are "saints in Christ Jesus," "chosen," "redeemed and forgiven," "sharers in His promise," and holders of the "wisdom of God." This was God's intended foundation for us from before the creation of the world. How well do we know the platform from which we begin our relationship with God?

We might be tempted to tremble as we enter Chapter 2, the Audience Chamber of the King. Like Paul, we are ever mindful of our sin-filled past, made whole by the greatest gift of all, the blood of the King's son. Here, the Holy Spirit is prepared to guide our transformation, welcoming us, teaching us the difference between the darkness and the lightness, between the desperation and the hope, between a Saul and a Paul. What wondrous love is this?

In the Throne Room, we anticipate the need to certify our right to enter, but instead, the Lamb of God invites us in as one of the flock. We are here by God's grace and mercy. Like Paul, we seek to be "strengthened by the Spirit" and have "Christ live within us." We hope to know the "breadth," "length," "heights," and "fullness of God."

Entering Chapter 4, the Jewel Room or the Garment Chamber, we are reminded to shed our old ways and put on the garments befitting the children of God. Each of us is a "gem" designed uniquely by God and for a purpose. We are baptized and become one of God's own, with "complete humility," "bearing with one another in love," and "keeping the bond of peace."

The Choir and Oratory Room (Eph. 5) reminds us of our responsibility to accept, acknowledge, and share our God-given talents for the benefit of all of God's family. Instead of burying our talents, we invest them, witnessing to the power and glory of Christ and helping our community grow.

Finally, we enter the Armory where we put on the armor of God, the strength to stand with our Triune God and display the glories of being in a relationship with the Almighty King, the joy of being part of God's Kingdom, and the peace of knowing we can always trust God with our fears and our failures. "Here I am, Lord. It is I, Lord."

After building these six rooms, we decided we needed a "patio" on which to celebrate our community with God. The patio was imprinted with their hand-prints, and within each hand-print, each student described how he or she is different BECAUSE of his or her a relationship with God. "We belong to God. We belong to God."