http://www.esvbible.org/Romans+16/
Paul writes about a lot of people at the very end of his letter. It goes to show that a lot of people go into one person's journey of faith. Do not be discouraged if you do not see the direct fruits of your labors. God is using you for His work but it is not about you, and you are not the only one He uses. Beware of those claiming to be Christians who create divisions. They seek glory for themselves. They are smooth and flattering but deceitful. God can strengthen you. Let His Good News be known, so He can reveal the mystery.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Romans 15
http://www.esvbible.org/Romans+15/
Those of us who have strong faith must practice patience with those who have weak faith. We must not think only of ourselves, just as Christ did not think only of Himself. Imagine if He had chastised everyone about the small things they did wrong. He would have never had as much influence in helping people see that faith is all that matters. The bottom line of the Scriptures is faith, so Jesus did not let Himself get caught up in the surrounding decisions people made based on their faith. He only looked at the one literal life or death decision. In the same way, concern yourself with people who see you and what will further them in faith.
The Old Testament Scriptures exist because they give us confidence through endurance and encouragement of the Scriptures. It would be much harder to have faith in Jesus if the prophets had not written about Him long before He came. Having a Savior would not matter if we did not know what we needed to be saved from. The whole context that comes from the Old Testament puts the gospel into perspective. It deepens our understanding of just how powerful God is. God gave us the ultimate example for living together in unity by giving us Jesus. The bottom line of Jesus' message is love (faith comes through love). This unity within the church is important because we all have the same goal of brining praise to God the Father and Jesus. When we break down along certain belief lines, we fall out of unity, and that shows nonbelievers that we don't know what we're talking about. It displays a limited power to God instead of the limitless. Another importance in unity is that Christ accepted all of us, despite how messed up we all are, and now we must continue to follow His example and accept each other. Paul lists some very good verses about unity. When God fills you up with joy and peace through your faith, you will overflow into the lives of others. You will feel like you have no other choice than to pour out into those around you. God looks for that in all of us.
Paul talks a little bit about why he shares the gospel. He writes to the Christians in Rome to remind them of certain things that Jesus teaches. God gave him a gift, he calls it, to spread the gospel to non Jewish people. Paul considers this a great blessing from God to have the honor of telling people about Jesus, yet this is something many of us fear doing today. Part of Paul's offering to God is to bring people to a relationship with Christ. He builds on new territory for God because the Scriptures say that those who do not see will be shown. For the rest of this chapter, Paul talks about visiting them on his way to Spain. He asks them to pray for his safe travels.
Those of us who have strong faith must practice patience with those who have weak faith. We must not think only of ourselves, just as Christ did not think only of Himself. Imagine if He had chastised everyone about the small things they did wrong. He would have never had as much influence in helping people see that faith is all that matters. The bottom line of the Scriptures is faith, so Jesus did not let Himself get caught up in the surrounding decisions people made based on their faith. He only looked at the one literal life or death decision. In the same way, concern yourself with people who see you and what will further them in faith.
The Old Testament Scriptures exist because they give us confidence through endurance and encouragement of the Scriptures. It would be much harder to have faith in Jesus if the prophets had not written about Him long before He came. Having a Savior would not matter if we did not know what we needed to be saved from. The whole context that comes from the Old Testament puts the gospel into perspective. It deepens our understanding of just how powerful God is. God gave us the ultimate example for living together in unity by giving us Jesus. The bottom line of Jesus' message is love (faith comes through love). This unity within the church is important because we all have the same goal of brining praise to God the Father and Jesus. When we break down along certain belief lines, we fall out of unity, and that shows nonbelievers that we don't know what we're talking about. It displays a limited power to God instead of the limitless. Another importance in unity is that Christ accepted all of us, despite how messed up we all are, and now we must continue to follow His example and accept each other. Paul lists some very good verses about unity. When God fills you up with joy and peace through your faith, you will overflow into the lives of others. You will feel like you have no other choice than to pour out into those around you. God looks for that in all of us.
Paul talks a little bit about why he shares the gospel. He writes to the Christians in Rome to remind them of certain things that Jesus teaches. God gave him a gift, he calls it, to spread the gospel to non Jewish people. Paul considers this a great blessing from God to have the honor of telling people about Jesus, yet this is something many of us fear doing today. Part of Paul's offering to God is to bring people to a relationship with Christ. He builds on new territory for God because the Scriptures say that those who do not see will be shown. For the rest of this chapter, Paul talks about visiting them on his way to Spain. He asks them to pray for his safe travels.
Romans 14
http://www.esvbible.org/Romans+14/
It is important to welcome people who have weak faith, maybe especially so. Be careful, however, not to argue with them over simple differences in opinion. So often, especially in the US, we get caught up in denomination, and what the differences in our denominations mean. We can never stray to a church outside of our denomination and we are cold and hostile to those who were not raised in our denomination. This way of treating other people is wrong because it does not come from love. If we all love God and believe in the sacrifice of Christ, then we should all love each other even if we disagree. Some Christians may believe in ceremonies such as not eating meat or making one day holier than the others. As far as not eating meat, Paul writes that God revealed to Him there is nothing evil about any type of food. The person who eats all types of food does it in praise because He blesses the food before God then eats it. There is nothing wrong with not eating certain types of food because the person still blesses the food before eating it. The person who does not eat certain foods, however, has the weaker faith because he is putting stock in something other than pure faith in Jesus Christ. It is still up to those with stronger faith not to cause others to stumble, so if it will make someone stumble to see you eat meat, do not eat meat in their presence. Never intentionally cause someone to stumble because that is a terrible thing to do against someone you are supposed to love. Also, never let anyone tell you something you believe to be good is evil. If you believe something, go for it as long is it does not go against anything God or the Bible says. The person who follows what they believe is better than the one who believes something that doesn't act on it because that second person does not act on faith. Anything not done in faith is done in sin. It is right to avoid eating or drinking anything that causes other Christians to have doubts regardless of the fact that it is not wrong to eat or drink any certain types of food or drink. The Kingdom of Heaven is not made up of what we eat and drink. It's made up of God's approval, peace, and the joy that comes from the Holy Spirit. That sort of joy you feel when you know you've done something that pleases God. That feeling of knowing you are so deeply in love with God and He reciprocates those feelings times a billion. Every person has to make their own decisions regarding faith. We don't live or die to honor ourselves. We live and die to honor God because we belong to Him. Christ died and came back to life to be Lord of the living and the dead. You can never escape Him in all of eternity. You are called upon to honor Him with your life and death. Therefore, we all belong to the Lord as His servants, and it's not up to us to criticize someone else's servant. The Lord will discipline and teach them what is right in these nearly meaningless choices.
It is important to welcome people who have weak faith, maybe especially so. Be careful, however, not to argue with them over simple differences in opinion. So often, especially in the US, we get caught up in denomination, and what the differences in our denominations mean. We can never stray to a church outside of our denomination and we are cold and hostile to those who were not raised in our denomination. This way of treating other people is wrong because it does not come from love. If we all love God and believe in the sacrifice of Christ, then we should all love each other even if we disagree. Some Christians may believe in ceremonies such as not eating meat or making one day holier than the others. As far as not eating meat, Paul writes that God revealed to Him there is nothing evil about any type of food. The person who eats all types of food does it in praise because He blesses the food before God then eats it. There is nothing wrong with not eating certain types of food because the person still blesses the food before eating it. The person who does not eat certain foods, however, has the weaker faith because he is putting stock in something other than pure faith in Jesus Christ. It is still up to those with stronger faith not to cause others to stumble, so if it will make someone stumble to see you eat meat, do not eat meat in their presence. Never intentionally cause someone to stumble because that is a terrible thing to do against someone you are supposed to love. Also, never let anyone tell you something you believe to be good is evil. If you believe something, go for it as long is it does not go against anything God or the Bible says. The person who follows what they believe is better than the one who believes something that doesn't act on it because that second person does not act on faith. Anything not done in faith is done in sin. It is right to avoid eating or drinking anything that causes other Christians to have doubts regardless of the fact that it is not wrong to eat or drink any certain types of food or drink. The Kingdom of Heaven is not made up of what we eat and drink. It's made up of God's approval, peace, and the joy that comes from the Holy Spirit. That sort of joy you feel when you know you've done something that pleases God. That feeling of knowing you are so deeply in love with God and He reciprocates those feelings times a billion. Every person has to make their own decisions regarding faith. We don't live or die to honor ourselves. We live and die to honor God because we belong to Him. Christ died and came back to life to be Lord of the living and the dead. You can never escape Him in all of eternity. You are called upon to honor Him with your life and death. Therefore, we all belong to the Lord as His servants, and it's not up to us to criticize someone else's servant. The Lord will discipline and teach them what is right in these nearly meaningless choices.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Romans 13
http://www.esvbible.org/Romans+13/
God puts the governments in place. God is all powerful. He is in charge of everything. Nothing happens that surprises Him or throws Him off. This is especially important to realize now, around election time. People get so caught up in their party winning that they can lose sight of regardless about what happens, God is still in charge. Obey the government that is over you. If you resist the government, you resist God. Furthermore, if you resist the government, you will be punished because God has given the government that power. People who do the right thing don't need to fear the government. People who do what is wrong should fear the government. The government serves God, even if it doesn't know it. This is also why you should pay your taxes. Pay what you owe.
The most important thing we can do is love others. If we love others, we fulfill Moses' Teachings because all of the commandments can be summed up in love. If we love others, we won't do anything to hurt them. We are closer to the time of salvation now than when we came believers, and we march forward even now. Rid yourselves of what is dark, and take up the weapons of the light. Give up the things of our sinful natures.
God puts the governments in place. God is all powerful. He is in charge of everything. Nothing happens that surprises Him or throws Him off. This is especially important to realize now, around election time. People get so caught up in their party winning that they can lose sight of regardless about what happens, God is still in charge. Obey the government that is over you. If you resist the government, you resist God. Furthermore, if you resist the government, you will be punished because God has given the government that power. People who do the right thing don't need to fear the government. People who do what is wrong should fear the government. The government serves God, even if it doesn't know it. This is also why you should pay your taxes. Pay what you owe.
The most important thing we can do is love others. If we love others, we fulfill Moses' Teachings because all of the commandments can be summed up in love. If we love others, we won't do anything to hurt them. We are closer to the time of salvation now than when we came believers, and we march forward even now. Rid yourselves of what is dark, and take up the weapons of the light. Give up the things of our sinful natures.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Romans 12
http://www.esvbible.org/Romans+12/
In light of everything in this letter, Paul says it's clear that the truest way of worship is to offer your bodies as living sacrifices to please God. We do this by not living like the rest of the people in the world. Not that we are weirdos but that we hold ourselves to a higher standard. Don't let this way of acting lead you to think higher of yourself than you should. Instead, use good judgement for what God tells you to do. A body has many different parts that do different things but they are all connected and come together so that we can go through life. In the same way, Christians are many different people, but through faith in the One True God, we are all connected in the body of Christ. God gave us different Spiritual Gifts and we therefore are important to different aspects of the body of Christ in a specific way. God will use us in those ways. We use a foot in the way a foot is supposed to be used. In the same way, God uses people with the gift of teaching to teach. He uses people with the gift of giving to give, and the person with the gift of serving to serve. If He did not grant you a certain gift, do not fear, He will not make your primary purpose something like that. For example, someone without the gift of giving will not find their primary purpose in funding missionaries. But we are all called to give in some capacity. You do not use a foot as an elbow, and in the same way, God does not use you primarily where your gift does not match. Always love others sincerely and hate evil. Be a family with other believers, especially those around you, Don't be lazy in devotion. Be happy and patient. Pray ceaselessly. Share your relationship with God. Be hospitable. Bless those who persecute you and don't curse them. Live harmoniously. Be empathetic. Don't think you are smarter than you are. Don't be arrogant. Don't repay evil with evil. Live in peace with everyone as much as you can. Don't take revenge. It is God's place alone to take revenge. If you show kindness to your enemies, you will make them feel guilty. Don't let evil conquer you but conquer evil with good.
In light of everything in this letter, Paul says it's clear that the truest way of worship is to offer your bodies as living sacrifices to please God. We do this by not living like the rest of the people in the world. Not that we are weirdos but that we hold ourselves to a higher standard. Don't let this way of acting lead you to think higher of yourself than you should. Instead, use good judgement for what God tells you to do. A body has many different parts that do different things but they are all connected and come together so that we can go through life. In the same way, Christians are many different people, but through faith in the One True God, we are all connected in the body of Christ. God gave us different Spiritual Gifts and we therefore are important to different aspects of the body of Christ in a specific way. God will use us in those ways. We use a foot in the way a foot is supposed to be used. In the same way, God uses people with the gift of teaching to teach. He uses people with the gift of giving to give, and the person with the gift of serving to serve. If He did not grant you a certain gift, do not fear, He will not make your primary purpose something like that. For example, someone without the gift of giving will not find their primary purpose in funding missionaries. But we are all called to give in some capacity. You do not use a foot as an elbow, and in the same way, God does not use you primarily where your gift does not match. Always love others sincerely and hate evil. Be a family with other believers, especially those around you, Don't be lazy in devotion. Be happy and patient. Pray ceaselessly. Share your relationship with God. Be hospitable. Bless those who persecute you and don't curse them. Live harmoniously. Be empathetic. Don't think you are smarter than you are. Don't be arrogant. Don't repay evil with evil. Live in peace with everyone as much as you can. Don't take revenge. It is God's place alone to take revenge. If you show kindness to your enemies, you will make them feel guilty. Don't let evil conquer you but conquer evil with good.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Romans 11
http://www.esvbible.org/Romans+11/
God has not rejected the Jewish people. He does not reject anyone. Just think of it like this: there are Jewish people who come to know Christ. Paul and all of the other Apostles were Jewish. Israel, and Jewish people by extension, have never fully achieved what they have striven for. Only those on which God has bestowed His kindness can achieve salvation. And you don't get God's kindness by anything you do because if you did, it wouldn't be kindness. The fall of Jewish people made the world rich because it helped open salvation to the non-Jewish. If the Jewish people return to Jesus, the world will be richer. If God is the root of an olive tree, then the branches are holy by extension. For a while, the branches were Israel, but God cut those off who did not believe and grafted the gentiles on who do believe. He can just as easily cur anyone off who does not continue to believe. If Jewish people start to believe, they can easily be grafted back onto the tree. We cannot become arrogant in being one that has received God's approval because the branches of the olive tree did not graft themselves onto the tree. The make had to do it for them. After all, who knows how God thinks? Who has anything to offer Him that He doesn't already have? Who can give Him something that He will have to pay back? God uses us because He loves us, not because He needs us.
God has not rejected the Jewish people. He does not reject anyone. Just think of it like this: there are Jewish people who come to know Christ. Paul and all of the other Apostles were Jewish. Israel, and Jewish people by extension, have never fully achieved what they have striven for. Only those on which God has bestowed His kindness can achieve salvation. And you don't get God's kindness by anything you do because if you did, it wouldn't be kindness. The fall of Jewish people made the world rich because it helped open salvation to the non-Jewish. If the Jewish people return to Jesus, the world will be richer. If God is the root of an olive tree, then the branches are holy by extension. For a while, the branches were Israel, but God cut those off who did not believe and grafted the gentiles on who do believe. He can just as easily cur anyone off who does not continue to believe. If Jewish people start to believe, they can easily be grafted back onto the tree. We cannot become arrogant in being one that has received God's approval because the branches of the olive tree did not graft themselves onto the tree. The make had to do it for them. After all, who knows how God thinks? Who has anything to offer Him that He doesn't already have? Who can give Him something that He will have to pay back? God uses us because He loves us, not because He needs us.
Romans 10
http://www.esvbible.org/Romans+10/
Paul says that he prays for the Jewish people to be saved. It's hard for some of them to accept the message of Christ. Before Christ, they were God's chosen people. They had to follow Moses' Laws to prove that they were worthy of God's approval. It's easy to look at things retrospectively. Moses spoke of faith being the true way to receive God's approval. Scripture even says that the message of faith is near to you and on your lips. It is natural for us to seek God because no one comes into this world as a hopeless case for God. God seeks after the hearts of those who don't know Him. We want this salvation, and we all, at some point or another, come close to proclaiming it and sometimes even succeed. All you have to do to be saved is believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and God raised Him to life from death. By declaring your faith, you are saved because Scriptures say that you cannot be ashamed if you have faith. There is no difference in any people because there is one God that all people must receive approval from to come to true life. Anyone who calls on Jesus' name will be saved; however, if they do not believe in Jesus' name, how can they be saved? How can they believe if they have not heard what He has to say? This is also why it is important to have quiet time with God and to study the Word. Read the whole Bible all the way through, so you know what God is all about. That's what I'm working on. How can they hear if no one tells them the message? How can people tell the Good News if no one sends them? We need missionaries to go out into the world and teach people about the one, true way to Heaven, and those missionaries need environments that foster a growing relationship with Jesus to send them out and teach others how to achieve a similar relationship in their own personal way. At the same time, the message has already gone out through the world because of the Holy Spirit. Scripture says that God is found by those who are not looking and revealed to those who weren't asking. Meaning something similar to what Jesus taught, which is that He came for those who know they are sinners.
Paul says that he prays for the Jewish people to be saved. It's hard for some of them to accept the message of Christ. Before Christ, they were God's chosen people. They had to follow Moses' Laws to prove that they were worthy of God's approval. It's easy to look at things retrospectively. Moses spoke of faith being the true way to receive God's approval. Scripture even says that the message of faith is near to you and on your lips. It is natural for us to seek God because no one comes into this world as a hopeless case for God. God seeks after the hearts of those who don't know Him. We want this salvation, and we all, at some point or another, come close to proclaiming it and sometimes even succeed. All you have to do to be saved is believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and God raised Him to life from death. By declaring your faith, you are saved because Scriptures say that you cannot be ashamed if you have faith. There is no difference in any people because there is one God that all people must receive approval from to come to true life. Anyone who calls on Jesus' name will be saved; however, if they do not believe in Jesus' name, how can they be saved? How can they believe if they have not heard what He has to say? This is also why it is important to have quiet time with God and to study the Word. Read the whole Bible all the way through, so you know what God is all about. That's what I'm working on. How can they hear if no one tells them the message? How can people tell the Good News if no one sends them? We need missionaries to go out into the world and teach people about the one, true way to Heaven, and those missionaries need environments that foster a growing relationship with Jesus to send them out and teach others how to achieve a similar relationship in their own personal way. At the same time, the message has already gone out through the world because of the Holy Spirit. Scripture says that God is found by those who are not looking and revealed to those who weren't asking. Meaning something similar to what Jesus taught, which is that He came for those who know they are sinners.
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