Romans 12 is one of those treasure troves of Bible study. This post focuses on our relationships with "one and another." If we could sum up Romans 12:9-21, it would have to be with the word "love." As a matter of fact, that love among brethren is one of the greatest determining factors when it comes to church growth. Here Paul gives us 9 steps for building relationships with brethren.
1. Be Genuine (vs 9). "Let love be with hypocrisy." When we begin to talk about people in private the way we treat them in public, it will go a long way to building better relationships.
2. Be Careful Of Other's Needs (10). We are to be "affectionate to one another." In other words, we should treat them in a kind and loving way.
3. Be Contagious With Enthusiasm (11). We are to be "fervent in spirit." Ira North use to say "Enthusiasm is as contagious as the measles and as powerful as dynamite."
4. Be Positive, Patient, And Prayerful (12). This is a natural response to verse 11. The only way we can keep rejoicing in hope and being patient in troubles is to continue in prayer.
5. Open Your Heart And Home To Others (13). Hospitable people make life so much more beautiful. Opening one's home is like opening their heart.
6. Never Speak Evil Or Negative Of A Brother (14). "Bless and curse not" does not leave much leeway does it? God has always condemned backbiting and murmuring. This kind of thing can destroy the church.
7. Be Sympathetic To Each Other's Feelings (15). This will help us avoid the problem of indifference toward others.
8. Avoid Pride And Partiality (16). Look around when you are assembled with the church. Is there a member with whom you have a problem associating? Then you may want to work on this area of your life.
9. Let God Handle The Justice (17-21). When we seek revenge, we have to put ourselves in the place of God because we don't have all knowledge in order to truly be just. Another thing about letting God handle the justice is that it forces us to depend completely on Him.
May we always strive to build better relationships in the local church.
5 comments:
You might want to think twice before you post pictures of Pat Hogan on your website. I couldn't resist. Enjoy the blog. Keep up the great work!
Westley Hazel
Wes,
That's SO funny. That was the first thing I noticed, too!
It could be the end of SteveSight as we know it!!!
Seriously, we used this article on the back page of our bulletin this week, Steve. Great job (as always).
Adam
This is a excellent outline. I think I will steal it and use it for a sermon sometime.
"Let love be with" should be "Let love be without" =0). Great post!
Really nice steps to build a goog and effective relationship. I really lerans a lot fro this article.Regards Relationship building training
Post a Comment