You Have Access to God through the Spirit

“And he (Jesus) came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him (Jesus) we both have access in one Spirit to the Father” (Ephesians 2:17-18, ESV). 

The Apostle Paul could have been writing to the church in America today.   

In this one section of Scripture (Ephesians 2:11-22), Paul referred to physical differences that had resulted in ‘the dividing wall of hostility’: two people groups who were alienated from each other and derogatively labeled one another. In fact, scholars believe Paul wrote the letter to the Ephesians from prison in Jerusalem because of a false accusation that he had taken a man of a different ethnicity into the Temple. Certain Roman politicians even condoned the Jewish leaders executing people who had committed such a crime. Additionally, it was around this same time that Jews and Syrians were killing one another in the streets of Caesarea, a city Paul had recently visited.   

Sound familiar?   

So what is Paul saying here? How does having access in one Spirit to the Father guide our approach to the problems our country is facing today? Let’s take a much simpler example.     

Many, many years ago, my wife and I were on completely opposite sides of an issue.  I could not fathom how she would want to disrupt our lives in such a major way, and I let her know I thought she was crazy.   

She asked me if I was open to having more children.  

From my perspective, our lives were already beyond busy, and I didn’t think I could handle one more thing. Our girls were 3 and 5 years old. I was a full-time associate pastor overseeing multiple ministries in a quickly growing church. Plus, I still worked a few shifts a month at the Psychiatric Emergency Department to make a little extra money. On top of this, we had just purchased our first home, and I had a huge ‘Honey-Do’ list. There were many nights I’d come home from work, spend time with our family, and then work on the house from nine to midnight. I felt like I was already at my breaking point.  

We ended up having 2 more kids, boys in fact, and I can’t imagine life without them! I’m thrilled God changed my heart.   

How did we go from opposite sides of an issue to full and complete unity?   

Jen had dared to ask if we could pray about it.    

Honestly, I felt backed into a corner. How could I say no to praying about whether to have more children? After all, my title was “Youth and Family Pastor”! So I agreed to pray about it.   

I’m not talking about half-hearted, periodic praying; I’m talking about truly seeking God’s face for answers. We prayed every night for six months. And I sought God’s direction in my morning quiet time in the Bible, read books on the family, and even researched Christian viewpoints regarding family size.  

Early on, my heart wasn’t really seeking God, and Jen called me out. She asked, “Are you really open to praying about having more children? Or are you trying to convince me, through your “prayers” that we shouldn’t have more children?”  You see, in my ‘praying,’ I had been asking God to help us be content with what we had or give us strength to deal with all the stress and issues we were already facing.   

I was using Christian words and activity to mask a heart that did not want to change or obey the Lord because I was afraid of what He might tell me to do. I was more interested in advancing my agenda. That is, until I met God in my quiet time one morning, and He changed my heart to reflect His.  

What we learned through seeking God was this key principle: God is not of a divided mind.   

When we encounter the Lord, allowing Him to bring our thinking under His direction, we are brought together. When we don’t ask God to take our side but get in line behind Him, we experience peaceful unity with one another as Paul describes in Ephesians 2.   

A biblical example is when Joshua encountered The Commander of the Lord’s Army and asked if he was for the Hebrews or their adversaries.  The Commander (who was probably Jesus) replied, “No; but I am the Commander of the army of the LORD. Now I have come” (Joshua 5:14, ESV). Joshua’s response was to fall down and worship him, submitting to His direction.   

See, God is not for you and your opinion, no matter how deeply and powerfully you think you’re right. God is not on your side. God is God. The question is whether you will bow in worship and submit to Him and His truth regardingany situation you face.   

Dear Saints, when it comes to interacting with other believers in Christ, we must relate to one another on the principle that every one of us has “access in one Spirit to the Father.” (Eph. 2:18). If we lay aside our preconceived notions and truly seek His face, He can bring us to peaceful unity.  

Let’s show this dark and broken world what true, peaceful, colorful unity looks like.