Thank you for joining today as we seek God’s wisdom together. Let us begin with prayer.
“Lord Jesus, I ask that you take the words in this blog and breathe life into them. Apart from your anointing they are just words on a page. I ask that you quicken our hearts to hear, see, and act upon what you are trying to teach us by the Power of Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus name, Amen.”
Romans 15: 1-7 (NASB).
“1Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength, and not just please ourselves. 2Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his edification. 3For even Christ did not please Himself, but as it is written: “THE TAUNTS OF THOSE WHO TAUNT YOU HAVE FALLEN ON ME.” 4For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another, according to Christ Jesus, 6so that with one purpose and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us, for the glory of God.”
What the Word is Saying
From the start I think it is important to point out something I failed to do in the last message and that is the term “bear”. Paul is telling us not to “put up with” the weaknesses of other believers. You can almost hear the audible sigh of the one who has not burden to deal with food eating or sabbath or holiday observance. Begrudgingly they say to themselves that I guess I have to put up with it for my neighbor's sake. That is not the attitude that Paul is talking about here at all. It is a matter of bearing the load with your neighbor. If they are weak in faith in an area, we should be willing to accept and join them where they are. Just today at church we were talking about why the lost don’t look to us for help anymore. Why this country is careening off the road towards a post Christian society. A point was made that we have failed to be Jesus’s skin to the lost. They don’t see any difference between us and the world. Jesus stooped down to the sick, the poor, and the lost and picked them up. Even when the disciples tried to keep them away, Jesus would tell them not to. I am reminded of Jesus telling them not to suffer the children to come unto Him. He truly seen them and their needs and did His best to meet them. This is the attitude we must have as a church. To be the Christ Jesus that they can see in the flesh and feel His love for them through us. We are not just reflections of Him, we are also His hands and feet.
Our savior said, “Your light must shine before people in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in Heaven (Matt: 5:16, NASB).” Imagine the impact we can have on the lost if that is who we become. I mean for our walk and love to be so genuine that they will recognize who is working in us and Glorify the Father because of it. This is not an individual effort. We cannot rely on the pastor or the staff of the church to do this. The lost do not often come to church on their own. They recognize Jesus working when you show it to them in everyday life. When you tell them are praying for them and show genuine concern for them. This is the like mindedness that Paul is talking about in verse 6. We as the Body of Christ need to have a unified effort to show love for each other and the lost. When we do we glorify our Father and the lost glorify Him because of us. Verse 7 then is a capstone. It has to follow that is if we have unity and love for each other, if we accept everyone as they are as the Lord accepts us, then we bring glory to God.
If you do not yet have a personal relationship with Jesus I encourage you to do so right now. Where the church has failed you, where the world has failed you, maybe your parents, your spouse, or even your friends have failed to be the Jesus with Skin on I guarantee you that He will never fail you. He loved you enough to die for you that you might spend eternity with him. Pray this prayer with me right now; right where you are: say the words out loud: “Jesus I confess that you are lord, I believe you came to this earth and lived a sinless life, you suffered and died on a cross, were buried in a tomb, and rose again from the dead three days later. I confess to you I am a sinner and I thank you because of what you did I can live in peace and Joy here on earth and spend eternity with you. In Jesus Name, Amen. If you prayed that prayer, I encourage you to contact us. We would love to stand beside you and hold you up as you begin your Journey with HIM. Likewise, I encourage you to find a church to attend. Your walk will benefit from the help of the community of believers in Jesus. We were where you are once, and it is an honor to help you begin your walk with Jesus.
Thank you for joining me today as we searched the scriptures for What the Word is Saying to us Today. I pray that God would send His Holy Spirit into our lives anew and fill us again with His love and His purpose for us.
“Scripture quotations taken from the NASB (New American Standard Bible) Copyright 1971, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved.” lockman.org.
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