The man who lives in a small community lives in a much larger world.  G. K. Chesterton

住在小社区的人，接触更广大的世界。

This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.  Ephesians 3:6

这奥秘就是外邦人在基督耶稣里，藉着福音，得以同为后嗣，同为一体，同蒙应许。-以弗所书3章6节

“Community” is the place where the person you least want to live with always lives, says Henri Nouwen. Often we surround ourselves with the people we mostwant to live with, which forms a club or a clique, not a community. Anyone can form a club; it takes grace, shared vision, and hard work to form a community.

属灵导师卢云（Henri Nouwen）曾说，社区里一定有一些你不想接触、不想看见的人。通常我们周遭都是合得来的朋友，可以组成社团或小圈子，但不是生活社区。谁都能成立社团，但要建造一个生活社区，就需要愿景、共同异象和努力。

The Christian church was the first institution in history to bring together on equal footing Jews and Gentiles, men and women, slaves and free. The apostle Paul waxed eloquent on this “mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God.” By forming a community out of diverse members, Paul said, we have the opportunity to capture the attention of the world and even the supernatural world beyond (Eph. 3:9–10).

教会可说是历史上第一个将众人一视同仁的生活社区。无论是犹太人或外邦人、男人或女人、奴隶或自由人，在基督里都同为一体。使徒保罗说，这是要使众人明白“历代以来隐藏在创造万物之上帝里的奥秘”（以弗所书3章9节）。保罗也表明，教会让背景各异的人成为一家，我们可以藉此引起世人的注意，并天上执政的、掌权的，都能知道上帝各样的智慧（10节）。

In some ways the church has sadly failed in this assignment. Still, church is the one place I visit that brings together generations: infants still held in their mothers’ arms, children who squirm and giggle at all the wrong times, responsible adults who know how to act appropriately at all times, and those who may drift asleep if the preacher drones on too long.

虽然教会仍无法完全发挥这样的功能，但还好，至少教会能将不同年龄层的人聚在一起。在教会中，我常看到睡在母亲怀中的婴孩、嬉戏打闹的孩童、行事稳重自律的成年人，还有因讲道冗长而打盹的长者。

If we want the community experience God is offering to us, we have reason to seek a congregation of people “not like us.”

若要让教会成为上帝使众人同为一体的生活社区，不妨邀请那些“与我们不同”的朋友来参加聚会！

Lord, remind us that the church is Your work, and You have brought us together for Your good purposes. Help us extend grace to others.

主，求祢提醒我们，教会是祢所成就的工，

依照祢的美意将我们聚集在一起；
帮助我们学习以恩典相待。

Ephesians 2:19-3:11New International Version (NIV)

19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

God’s Marvelous Plan for the Gentiles

3 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—

2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. 4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given methrough the working of his power. 8 Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentilesthe boundless riches of Christ, 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. 10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11 according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.

整理：于姊妹