Paul teaches how Jesus broke down the walls of division between Jews and Gentiles, uniting believers in Christ. Pastor Steve Schobert invites us to find our identity in Jesus rather than in the differences that separate us, recognizing that we belong together as members of God’s family.

One Family, Many Nations, United in Christ

We live in a world filled with walls.

Some are made of concrete and steel. Others are built from prejudice, cultural differences, painful experiences, or the belief that people who aren’t like us somehow don’t belong with us.

Throughout history, walls have separated nations, communities, and even families. And although we may not encounter physical walls in our everyday lives, the invisible barriers between people can be just as real.

But the gospel tells a different story.

On All Nations Sunday at North Cities, Pastor Steve Schobert shared a message titled Walls Torn Down, reminding us that Jesus Christ came to remove the barriers that divide us and bring us together as one family.

Drawing from Ephesians 2:11–22 and Galatians 3:26–28, Pastor Steve explored a powerful biblical truth: our identity in Jesus Christ is greater than the differences that separate us.

We may come from different countries, cultures, generations, and backgrounds, but through Jesus Christ, we can belong to the same spiritual family.

And that is something worth celebrating.

The Wall That Divided a Nation

On June 12, 1987, President Ronald Reagan stood near the Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin and delivered one of the most memorable speeches of his presidency.

Standing near the Berlin Wall, which had divided the city for decades, Reagan issued a challenge to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev:

“Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”

For nearly three decades, the Berlin Wall had separated families, friends, neighborhoods, and communities. What had once been a united city was divided by a physical barrier that represented much deeper political and ideological differences.

To many people, the possibility of that wall coming down seemed unimaginable.

But on November 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall began to fall.

People who had been separated for years crossed into parts of the city they had been unable to visit. Families were reunited, crowds celebrated, and a symbol of division began giving way to a new chapter in history.

It was a remarkable moment.

But long before the Berlin Wall was built, the Apostle Paul wrote about another wall that had already been torn down.

This wall wasn’t made of concrete.

It was a wall of hostility and separation between people.

And the One who tore it down was Jesus Christ.

Jesus Came to Tear Down the Walls Between Us

In Ephesians 2:11–22, Paul addresses one of the deepest divisions in the ancient world: the separation between Jews and Gentiles.

The Jewish people had been entrusted with God’s covenant promises and lived according to the Law of Moses. Gentiles, who came from the other nations of the world, did not share that same covenant identity.

These differences shaped religious practices, social relationships, and the way people understood their place before God.

But through Jesus Christ, everything changed.

Ephesians 2:14 declares:

“For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us.” (KJV)

Paul wasn’t simply suggesting that Jews and Gentiles should learn to get along.

He was announcing that Jesus had accomplished something far greater.

Through His death on the cross, Christ made reconciliation possible, bringing those who had been separated into one body.

The wall that once divided them no longer had the final word.

Jesus Didn’t Just Bring Peace. He Is Our Peace.

Notice Paul’s language.

He doesn’t simply say that Jesus teaches peace or encourages peaceful relationships.

He says, “He is our peace.”

That distinction is important.

The unity of the church is not built primarily on shared culture, common interests, or similar life experiences.

It’s built on Jesus Christ.

We don’t have to come from the same country to worship the same Savior. We don’t have to speak the same first language to belong to the same spiritual family. And we don’t have to share identical backgrounds to experience the transforming power of the same gospel.

Jesus is the foundation of our unity.

That’s what makes the church so extraordinary.

In a world that frequently organizes people according to their differences, Jesus brings people together through something greater than those differences.

We are not united because we are all the same. We are united because we belong to the same Jesus.

All Nations, One Family

All Nations Sunday is an opportunity to celebrate the beautiful diversity of the body of Christ.

People come to North Cities with different stories.

Some were born and raised in Texas. Others grew up in different states or countries. Some have worshiped in Apostolic churches their entire lives, while others are discovering biblical faith for the first time.

Our families have different traditions. Our experiences shape the way we see the world. Our cultures influence our food, music, celebrations, and everyday lives.

Those differences are not something we need to erase.

They are part of the beautiful diversity of humanity.

But Scripture teaches that none of those distinctions should become barriers that prevent us from loving one another or recognizing our shared identity in Christ.

In Galatians 3:26–28, Paul writes:

“For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” — Galatians 3:26 (KJV)

He continues by explaining that in Christ, the divisions that once determined a person’s standing and identity do not determine their place in God’s family.

Then he makes this remarkable declaration:

“For ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” — Galatians 3:28 (KJV)

That is the heart of All Nations Sunday.

Many nations.

Many backgrounds.

Many stories.

But one family in Jesus Christ.

Our Differences Don’t Have to Divide Us

Biblical unity does not mean everyone must become culturally identical.

Paul was not teaching that nationalities, ethnic backgrounds, or individual experiences suddenly cease to exist.

He was teaching that those distinctions do not determine a believer’s standing before God or their belonging in Christ.

A person’s value is not determined by their country of origin, the language they speak, their financial circumstances, or their social position.

Every person is made in the image of God, and the gospel is for people of every nation.

In the church, our differences should never become reasons to treat someone as less important.

Instead, they give us opportunities to learn from one another, serve one another, and demonstrate the love of Jesus in ways that reach beyond our personal experiences.

When we embrace the unity Christ established, we begin to see people differently.

We stop asking whether someone is like us and begin recognizing that Jesus loves them just as He loves us.

Our differences tell part of our stories. Jesus gives us our shared identity.

Your Identity in Christ Is Greater Than Your Background

Every person carries an identity shaped by many things.

We identify with our families, hometowns, cultures, careers, accomplishments, and experiences.

Those connections are meaningful. They help explain where we’ve come from and the people who have influenced our lives.

But for followers of Jesus, none of those identities should become more important than our relationship with Him.

Galatians 3 reminds us that through faith in Christ, we become part of something greater than ourselves.

Paul also connects this identity to baptism:

“For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” — Galatians 3:27 (KJV)

This is especially meaningful to us as an Apostolic Pentecostal church.

We believe the gospel calls us to respond to Jesus through repentance, baptism in His name, and the infilling of the Holy Ghost, as proclaimed in Acts 2:38.

Our new life in Christ is not simply an additional label we attach to ourselves.

It changes who we are and how we live.

We Find Our Greatest Identity in Jesus

Sometimes the world encourages us to define ourselves primarily by the groups we belong to or the differences that distinguish us.

But Jesus offers us an identity that goes deeper.

We are not merely products of our past.

We are not defined only by the circumstances of our birth.

We are not limited to the expectations other people have placed on us.

Through the gospel, we can experience forgiveness, transformation, and a new life centered on Jesus Christ.

And that identity should shape how we treat others.

If Jesus has shown us grace, we should extend grace.

If He has welcomed us into His family, we should welcome others.

If He has forgiven us, we should be willing to pursue forgiveness and reconciliation.

Our identity in Christ isn’t merely something we declare.

It should become something people can see in the way we live.

You Are No Longer a Stranger

One of the most beautiful passages in Ephesians 2 comes near the end of Paul’s teaching.

After explaining how Jesus broke down the wall between Jews and Gentiles, Paul describes what that means for believers.

Ephesians 2:19 says:

“Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God.” (KJV)

Think about the significance of those words.

People who had once been considered outsiders were now welcomed into the household of God.

They weren’t simply invited to observe from a distance.

They belonged.

And that truth speaks directly to one of the deepest needs in the human heart.

Everyone wants to know they belong somewhere.

We want to be seen, known, valued, and accepted. We want relationships that go beyond surface-level conversations. We want to know that our lives matter to other people.

God designed the church to be a spiritual family where those needs can be met through relationships grounded in His truth and love.

The Church Should Feel Like Family

The church is more than a building we visit or a service we attend.

It is a community of believers who share a common faith and a responsibility to love and care for one another.

That means we don’t simply worship beside people who look, think, and live exactly like us.

We learn to build relationships across generations, backgrounds, and cultures.

We encourage people who are struggling. We pray for families facing difficult seasons. We celebrate one another’s victories and help carry one another’s burdens.

And when disagreements arise, we remember that our shared identity in Christ is more important than our personal preferences.

Families aren’t always perfect.

Neither is the church.

But the beauty of the church isn’t that everyone is identical or that nobody ever makes a mistake.

It’s that Jesus is bringing imperfect people together and transforming them through His Spirit.

The church isn’t a place where everyone has the same story. It’s a family where everyone can find their place in God’s story.

Unity Is Something We Must Protect

Jesus accomplished the work of reconciliation through the cross, but believers still have a responsibility to live according to that truth.

Paul makes this clear in Ephesians 4:2–3, where he encourages Christians to walk with humility, gentleness, patience, and love, making every effort to preserve the unity of the Spirit.

Unity doesn’t happen simply because we attend the same church.

It requires intentional choices.

It means being willing to listen to someone whose experiences are different from our own.

It means refusing to allow prejudice or assumptions to determine how we treat people.

It means extending patience when misunderstandings occur.

And it means choosing love when our natural response might be frustration, pride, or resentment.

Don’t Rebuild the Walls Jesus Tore Down

Sometimes the greatest barriers in the church are not obvious.

They can appear in the form of social circles that unintentionally exclude newcomers, assumptions about people from different backgrounds, or personal preferences that become more important than the mission of the church.

We may never intend to make someone feel like an outsider.

But if we’re not careful, we can create an environment where people feel they have to look like us, speak like us, or share our experiences before they truly belong.

The gospel calls us to something better.

We should be a people who make room for others.

A people who recognize the value of every individual.

A people who celebrate the work God is doing across cultures and generations.

And a people who refuse to allow unnecessary divisions to distract us from the mission of reaching our world with the gospel.

Unity does not mean compromising biblical truth or ignoring wrongdoing. The unity Paul describes is rooted in Jesus Christ and His Word.

But it does mean refusing to elevate personal preferences, cultural assumptions, or human traditions above the unity He established.

If Jesus tore down the walls that separated us, we should be careful not to build them again.

Jesus Is Building One Church

Near the conclusion of Ephesians 2, Paul uses the imagery of a building to describe the church.

He explains that believers are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Jesus Christ Himself as the chief cornerstone.

Ephesians 2:21–22 describes a spiritual building growing together into a holy temple in the Lord, a dwelling place for God through the Spirit.

It’s a beautiful picture of what the church is called to become.

People from different backgrounds are not merely standing beside one another.

They are being joined together into something God is building.

Every believer matters.

Every person has a place.

And Jesus is the One holding everything together.

One Foundation. One Purpose. One Savior.

A building cannot stand securely without a proper foundation.

In the same way, the church cannot experience genuine biblical unity unless Jesus Christ remains at the center.

Our unity cannot be built on personalities, preferences, or cultural similarities.

It must be grounded in the truth of God’s Word and the transforming power of His Spirit.

When Jesus is our foundation, we can celebrate the diversity of the people He has called while remaining united in the faith He has given us.

That is the beauty of the church.

Not uniformity, but unity.

Not division, but reconciliation.

Not strangers, but family.

Celebrating All Nations at North Cities in Garland, Texas

At North Cities, we believe the church should reflect the heart of God for people from every nation and background.

All Nations Sunday is a reminder that the gospel is not limited by geography, culture, language, or nationality.

Jesus Christ came to bring salvation to the world.

And His church has the privilege of sharing that message with people from every walk of life.

As a Spirit-filled, Apostolic Pentecostal church in Garland, Texas, we are committed to helping people encounter Jesus, grow in biblical faith, and find meaningful connection in the family of God.

We welcome individuals and families from Garland, Murphy, Plano, Richardson, Rowlett, Wylie, and surrounding communities throughout Dallas County, Collin County, and Rockwall County.

Our North Texas communities are home to people with many different cultural backgrounds and life experiences. We believe the church has a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate the love and unity of Jesus Christ in the middle of that diversity.

Whether you’re searching for an Apostolic church in Garland, a Pentecostal church near Plano, or a welcoming church family near Murphy, Richardson, Rowlett, or Wylie, we would love for you to experience what God is doing at North Cities.

You don’t have to have everything figured out.

You don’t have to come from a particular background.

And you don’t have to walk through life alone.

There is a place for you to connect, grow, and take your next step toward Jesus.

The Walls Are Down. Let’s Live Like It.

When the Berlin Wall began to fall in 1989, people celebrated the possibility of being reunited after years of separation.

The barrier that had divided them was finally coming down.

But the work Jesus accomplished through the cross is even greater.

He broke down the wall of hostility between Jews and Gentiles.

He made reconciliation with God possible.

He brought people from different backgrounds into one spiritual family.

And He established an identity that is greater than the differences that once separated us.

That truth deserves more than our agreement.

It deserves our obedience.

What if we approached every relationship remembering that Jesus loves the person standing in front of us?

What if we became more intentional about welcoming people whose backgrounds are different from our own?

What if we refused to allow pride, prejudice, or personal preferences to create divisions within the church?

And what if our communities could look at North Cities and see people from many nations and backgrounds genuinely loving one another because of Jesus Christ?

That’s the kind of unity the gospel makes possible.

And that’s what All Nations Sunday reminds us to celebrate.

Many nations. Different stories. One Savior. One family.

The walls have been torn down.

Now let’s live like it.