Remember

by Pr. Mei Wong

“Therefore, remember that formerly …remember that at that time you were separate from Christ…without hope and without God in the world.” (Eph 2:11-12)

The Apostle Paul wrote a circular letter to the churches in Asia Minor, of which Ephesus was the capital and asked the Ephesians, of whom most converts were Gentiles, to remember what they were previously and what they are now that they have the gospel and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Remembering brings back memories – good and bad. And memories actually influence our actions and our present lives. After presenting them with their blessings in Christ as children of God, they were asked to remember their former state of desolation without the one and only true God in this world.

Paul contrasted what they were then and now in Ephesians 2:11-13. They were formerly in a sad, deplorable state, looked down and despised, labeled “uncircumcised’ by the Jews, separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in God’s holy nation, foreigners to God’s covenants and promises, without hope and without God in the world. But with Christ’s work on the cross, there was a happy change – a turnaround in their situation (Eph 2:13).

This also reminds us of who we were before we received the good news of salvation through faith in Christ. And today, we must also remember because remembering keeps us grateful and appreciative of all that God has blessed us with. In the Old Testament, we see that as long as God’s redemption was clear and fresh in the experience of the people, they were zealous in their worship and obedience. But as the memory of God’s blessings faded, then their zeal began to fade as well. May we always remember that we are indeed blessed as a people of God in this nation.

Even as we remember all that God has been and still is to us, let us then choose to be that channel of blessing to another person, first by sharing the good news of salvation to them, in our homes, schools or workplaces. And to the many who are resistant to the Good News of peace, may we be like the early church – live out that gospel in our daily lives, so that they too may see that the God whom we profess does not discriminate, is present and will respond if they call out to Him.