Unity in Christ breaks down barriers and builds the church.

在基督里的合一能破除障碍，建立教会。

This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel. 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。-以弗所书3章6节

When I came home from work one day and saw a pair of lady’s high-heel shoes next to the driveway, I was sure I knew whose they were. So I put them in the garage to give to my daughter Lisa when she returned to the house to pick up her children. But when I checked with Lisa, I found they didn’t belong to her. In fact, no one in our family claimed them, so I put them back where I’d found them. The next day, they were gone. Mysterious.

有一天，当我下班回家时，在车道旁边看到一双女士高跟鞋。我认为那双鞋是属于女儿丽莎的，于是就把鞋子放在车库里，打算等她来这里接孩子时拿给她。但是当我和丽莎确认时，却发现高跟鞋并不是她的。事实上，那不是我们家的鞋子，所以我就把那双鞋放回原位。第二天，那双鞋神秘地消失了！

Did you know that the apostle Paul wrote of a mystery in his letters? But the mystery he described was so much more than some kind of “whodunnit.” In Ephesians 3, for example, Paul spoke of a mystery that “was not made known to people in other generations” (v. 5). This mystery is that, while in the past God revealed Himself through Israel, now, through Jesus, Gentiles—those outside of Israel—could be “heirs together with Israel” (v. 6).

你知道使徒保罗在书信中，也写了一件神秘的事吗？但他所提到的，不仅是个神秘事件，而是让人无法理解的奥秘。在以弗所书3章，保罗告诉我们“这奥秘在以前的世代没有叫人知道”（5节）。那奥秘就是上帝在过去藉着以色列显明祂自己，但现在藉着耶稣向世人显明，我们这些不是以色列人的外邦人都能与以色列民一起“同为后嗣”（6节）。

Think about what this means: all who trust Jesus as Savior can love and serve God together. We can all equally “approach [Him] with freedom and confidence” (v. 12). And through the church’s unity the world will see God’s wisdom and goodness (v. 10).

这意味着，所有相信并接受耶稣为救主的人，都可以一起爱上帝和事奉上帝。你我不分轩轾，都能“放胆无惧，笃信不疑地来到上帝面前”（12节），而且藉着教会的合一，将会让世人看见上帝的智慧和美善（10节）。

Praise God for our salvation. It unlocks for us the mystery of unity as people of any and all backgrounds become one in Jesus.

赞美上帝拯救了我们，解开了奥秘，现在任何背景的人都可以在耶稣里合一。

Thank You, Jesus, for the unity all believers can enjoy in You. Help us to serve together as equal members of Your body.

耶稣，谢谢祢，因为信徒们可以在祢里面享受合一。求祢帮助我们，在基督里能不分阶级，平等地一起同心事奉祢。

Ephesians 3:1–12    NIV

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 of Christ Jesus. 7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through 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 Gentiles the 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. 12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

以弗所书 3:1-12

3 因此，我保罗——为你们外邦人做了基督耶稣被囚的，替你们祈祷。 2 谅必你们曾听见神赐恩给我，将关切你们的职分托付我， 3 用启示使我知道福音的奥秘，正如我以前略略写过的。 4 你们念了，就能晓得我深知基督的奥秘。 5 这奥秘在以前的世代没有叫人知道，像如今借着圣灵启示他的圣使徒和先知一样。 6 这奥秘就是外邦人在基督耶稣里，借着福音，得以同为后嗣，同为一体，同蒙应许。 7 我做了这福音的执事，是照神的恩赐，这恩赐是照他运行的大能赐给我的。 8 我本来比众圣徒中最小的还小，然而他还赐我这恩典，叫我把基督那测不透的丰富传给外邦人， 9 又使众人都明白，这历代以来隐藏在创造万物之神里的奥秘是如何安排的，10 为要借着教会，使天上执政的、掌权的现在得知神百般的智慧。 11 这是照神从万世以前在我们主基督耶稣里所定的旨意。 12 我们因信耶稣，就在他里面放胆无惧，笃信不疑地来到神面前。

INSIGHT

灵粮透视

Paul’s heart for both Jew and Gentile, like Jesus’s love for Samaritans and Roman soldiers, has deep roots in Scripture. The God who blessed His creation (Genesis 1:22–28) has always been far more than a God of a few preferred people.

保罗深爱着犹太人和外邦人，就像耶稣深爱撒马利亚人和罗马士兵一样，这充分展现了圣经中不变的真理。那位创造万物并赐福于一切的上帝（创世记1章22-28节），绝不是少数特权之人的上帝。

Eve was promised a descendant who would one day defeat the enemy of every woman’s child (Genesis 3:15). Later the same God promised Abraham (12:1–3), Isaac (26:4), Jacob (28:14), David (Psalm 67:1–7) and prophets like Isaiah and Micah (Isaiah 2:1–3; Micah 4:1–3) that He had a mysteriously wonderful plan to bless His world through the salvation and witness of all who trust Him (John 3:16).

上帝应许夏娃，有一天她的一位后裔会战胜女人所有后裔的仇敌（创世记3章15节）。后来，这位上帝也应许亚伯拉罕（12章1-3节）、以撒（26章4节）、雅各（28章14节）、大卫（诗篇67篇1-7节），又应许众先知如以赛亚和弥迦（以赛亚书2章1-3节；弥迦书4章1-3节），让他们明白，上帝有一个奥妙神奇的计划，就是藉着救恩和信祂之人所做的见证，来赐福给祂所造的世界（约翰福音3章16节）。

整理：于姊妹