Issue #3553 - Being the Church...Part 3
This morning I'll continue my muse on being the church . Paul's letter to the church in Rome has some very down home, practical advice on the subject.
Romans 12:9-21 NET
Love must be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil, cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another with mutual love, showing eagerness in honoring one another. Do not lag in zeal, be enthusiastic in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, endure in suffering, persist in prayer.
Contribute to the needs of the saints, pursue hospitality. Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil; consider what is good before all people. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all people. Do not avenge yourselves, dear friends, but give place to God's wrath, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Rather, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing this you will be heaping burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
There's nothing new here. We've heard it before. "Love". Yet to live the life spoken of here stands out against the way the world lives. To live the life we need Holy Spirit's help.
You'll note that Paul's idea of love isn't some wishy-washy nice sentiment. It is active and transformational. These verses are filled to overflowing with action statements. There is nothing passive or wishy-washy about this sort of love.
Christian love requires active participation. It isn't based on feelings. It is a choice that we make in all of our daily choices.
Paul calls us to "Love must be without hypocrisy." James alludes to this idea that our words of love must be matched by our deeds when he writes
James 2:15-16 NET
If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm and eat well,” but you do not give them what the body needs, what good is it?
Listen as I read off some of the active verbs from Romans 12...
- Abhor
- Cling
- Be devoted
- Show eagerness
- Rejoice
- Endure
- Persist
- Contribute
- Pursue
- Live peaceably
- Bless
- Feed Him
- Give Him
That's the Christian walk. It takes work. It takes sacrifice. It takes commitment.
The effortless faith walk is an empty faith walk. An empty faith walk translates to emptiness in the church after all who wants to have an empty life? It holds no attraction for me.
We seem to have a hard time doing these things with our brothers and sisters in Christ let alone going out and living this way in the world. Yet, it is what we must do. These are direct commands from the Word of our Lord. They are not optional extras we can add on to super-size our three dollars worth of Jesus.
When we walk as Paul instructs the world can see our Savior through our actions and attitudes.
When we do that we are being the church.
I'd love to hear the stories of how you are being the church in your community. I'd love to hear your suggestions and thoughts. Please drop me a note and share them with me.
Until next time, may the church be the people and the people be the church just as God intended all along. May we bring light to a dark and hurting world.
Be blessed
Kevin
Never let the enemy tell you that you are worthless or insignificant. You have value in the eyes of God so great that it was worth dying for. You are a blessing to the world. You are so precious to God that heaven will not be complete without you.
HELP FOR THE HURTING
Sometimes Christians can seem unloving. Don't let that truth keep you from seeing the bigger picture. God is never old fashioned or irrelevant. You and I are sinners and we need His love to free us. Run into His arms today.
If you want to know how to do that simply email us and we will send you some Bible verses that will explain it to you.
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