SCRIPTURE: Romans 15
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
“In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” [Matthew 5:16]
The love of Jesus at work in and through us results in praise and conversion.
Paul talks about the ‘spirit of unity’ that results from accepting and blessing one another in Christ, despite our social, economic, racial, cultural differences.
In cosmopolitan Rome, the unifying love of Jew and Gentile (non-Jew, that is, every other race and culture) leads to glorifying God “with one heart and mouth”.
Paul’s eagerness to share the message of Jesus with non-Jews anywhere, and especially Rome, reveals the heart of God.
God wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. [1 Timothy 2:4].
As the Christians in Rome (and everywhere) unite together in demonstrating Christ’s love (as described in Romans 12-4 for example), the people of all nations will see this and praise God as a result.
This is God’s plan through Jesus and His followers: empowered by the Spirit, they model the alternative lifestyle of God’s world, God’s kingdom, God’s paradise.
We become God’s show-and-tell to the world.
Yikes, what is scary about this is how often we are not united in love, or modeling the life and love of Christ as churches and christians.
Thankfully, the Lord always reserves enough followers for Himself to maintain His testimony to the world.
But as we saw earlier in Romans 9-11, when God’s people fail to live up to their calling to be a blessing to the world, He will punish them and raise up others to take over.
The history of the church reveals this.
Again and again we see Jesus movements rise up, have a great impact, then slowly lose their way until they are replaced by other Jesus movements.
The Reformation is a case in point.
The 20th century church is another.
What lies beyond this? Who will take up the call to the mission of God, to show and to tell the love of Jesus to a world that desperately needs to see and hear and receive it?
Do we share Paul’s eagerness to move on, to share this message with others?
If not, step aside, and the Lord will raise up those who will not hold back.
As the Father sent Jesus, they now together send us. Either go, or get out of the way.
The mission calls…
PRAYER:
Lord, thank You for renewing the call of the gospel in my life. Strengthen it in me, and in Crossroads, and in all our churches!