Breaking Down the
Walls
By Elin Henderson
“For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and
has broken down the middle wall of separation”
Ephesians
2:14 (NKJV)
If you
have ever traveled into many parts of the developing world, you will have
noticed something there that we don’t see in most of our neighborhoods…WALLS.
Whether it is South America or Africa, most of the homes are built with walls
around them for security purposes. And as if walls weren’t enough, there is
usually some form of razor wire, broken bottles or the like placed on top to further
deter would-be thieves. It is just a fact of life for those who live in places
like that.
Let’s
face it, in our country, while people may not have literal walls of concrete
surrounding their homes, they often put up some serious barricades and walls
surrounding their hearts and lives. Their yards might be open, but their hearts
are a virtually impenetrable Fort Knox. Breaking through that will take more
than a wrecking ball and some wire cutters.
There
is only One, the ultimate Wall-Breaker, who can successfully penetrate these
hardened places. And, what tool did/does He use? It wasn’t a sledge hammer, a
wrecking ball or wire cutters, but rather a cross. It was through His sacrifice
that He broke down the middle wall separating us, first and foremost, from
God...but also walls that divide His people. It will only be through the cross
of sacrifice that we too will be able to break down the walls that we so often
encounter.
The
cross wasn’t easy. It wasn’t comfortable. It implies sacrifice and death. What
does that mean for us? This job of wall-breaking will not be a simple one. It
will take time and much sacrifice from our parts. We must count the cost and
ask ourselves, are we willing?
Let’s
pick up our one and only tool - - the cross of sacrifice - - and head out into
this wall-strewn world, looking to our Leader, the ultimate Wall-Breaker, and
trusting Him to bring peace and life to those we encounter.
GOING
DEEPER:
1. Think of those around you, your
neighbors, friends, coworkers, etc… What kind of walls do they have in place?
2. How can you wield the cross of sacrifice
to help those walls come down, including those within the Christ’s Church?
3. How about in your life? Can you identify
any walls that you might have in place that need to come down?
FURTHER READING:
Oakwood’s
missionaries Elin Henderson (a registered nurse) and her husband Phil serve as
church planters with New Tribes in Mozambique, Africa. Elin is mother to fifteen-year-old Callie and
twelve-year-old Elias.
