I’ve been wrestling with God lately on some things, battling depression, anxiety, even questioning God, his will and purposes.
And I’m so grateful for my wife who has been there day in and day out challenging my poor thinking patterns. Reciting God’s word to me. She brings the truth up, and just keeps saying God loves you so much Justin.
So many people, members of the body of Christ, have encouraged me, Dennis and Barbara came over for Bible study last Thursday and that meant a lot to me. Yesterday my DC called and just talked with me and encouraged me. Not 15 minutes later the pastoral care officer for our area called to pray with me. My brother in law texted me some encouraging words. My friend Heston and I talked for about an hour on the phone.
I’ll tell you this, we need each other.
What if I didn’t have my wife, didn’t have my friend, didn’t have my fellow Christian leaders, my church members, what if? I would be in a much darker place.
We’ve talked about faith, healing, redemption, holiness, and service. Now we talk about community.
Too many Christians today operate as lone wolves. They are an easy target for the enemy. But, when we surround ourselves with Christian community, we put ourselves in a position for success.
In Romans chapter 12 we see the apostle Paul telling us what it means to live in Christian community, and how to do it successfully.
The very first thing Paul does is give us a warning, he says this: “3 Because of the privilege and authority[c] God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.”
The very first thing to remember in Christian community is to live at a radical level of humility.
Why does Paul mention this first?
It’s easy to get proud. It’s easy to want to show off. Its too common in the church. Instead, let’s choose to be very humble, serving each other gently.
It says be honest in your evaluation of yourself. Don’t get puffed up. Evaluate yourself based on where you’re at in your faith.
Next Paul writes in verse 4-5 “Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.”
Secondly, we all have unique functions in the body of Christ. Your job isn’t the same as mine. You have skills I don’t.
You have a job to fulfill. You have an area where you can serve. And we need each other. We belong to each other it says.
What if we in this church really felt, we belong to each other? How would we serve each other differently?
Next in verses 6-8, “6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. 7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.”
These are gifts. Wrapped up in beautiful paper with golden bows, and placed at your feet when you became a Christian. And God says, use this gift I’ve given you. Use it for each other. Isn’t that beautiful?
Is your gift prophesy? What an amazing gift. Use it to speak truth in love to each other.
Is your gift serving others? Then serve people earnestly.
Is your gift teaching? Then it’s time to take up your role as a teacher.
Is your gift encouraging others? I love the gift of encouragement. Use it generously.
Is your gift leadership? Be a godly humble yet strong leader.
Is your gift giving? Give generously.
Is your gift showing mercy? Show mercy to people that are hard to love.
Let’s Pray: Father, bring to mind and heart which of these gifts are for us. And keep it in our minds, prompt us again and again to use the gift you’ve given us. We are willing God, in Jesus name, amen.
How else do we go about living in community together?
We are the army of God! We’ve got to learn to march together as one. And we’re getting our instructions.
Verse 9, “Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them.”
It’s easy to pretend to be nice. It’s easy to pretend to love someone. Just smile, say some nice words, and say “I’ll pray for you.”
God had to do some work on me in this area. I like ideas, thoughts, philosophy, theology, apologetics, but God had to train me to love people deeply. Just love them. Stop, and let your heart feel for them. Slow down, and see people, engage with people, talk with people, and learn their stories.
Where are you at with this? Do you genuinely love people? Not just your family. But your Christian family. Love them dearly.
Pray about this. Say God, I need you to help me love more deeply. And he will.
But also notice the second part of verse 9, it says, “Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.”
Hate what is evil. Hate what is wrong in the world. Don’t hate the person. But hate evil.
Recently during the opening ceremony of the Olympics there was a display mocking the last supper of Jesus. Do I hate the person that decided that was a good idea? No I don’t. I disagree with them, but I don’t hate them.
And it’s unfortunate, as soon as the world does something like that, you’ll have Christians who jump up and start attacking other Christians. How dare you notice that the world did that? How dare you hate evil? But we’re supposed to hate evil.
Many of these incidents very quickly become an excuse for Christians to attack other Christians. We have to stop shooting our own. Can’t we stand united when something like a mockery of the last supper happens? Unfortunately, many of us prefer to sling arrows at our own. It makes us feel superior, like we’re showing how merciful we are to the world. Yet we’re told by God, to hate evil, and love good.
Love the person, but hate the sinful attitude or action. Don’t be afraid to speak out against evil. But make it about the evil itself, not the person behind it. Jesus died for that person. But evil is still evil, and it’s ok to call a spade a spade.
So how do we prosper in Christian community? We love each other with genuine love. And we call out evil. We expose the deeds of darkness, and do not participate in them.
Many Christians will attack you if you speak out against evil in the world. But ignore them, they are wrong. They are mixing up mercy with truth. Mercy doesn’t erase truth. Mercy draws us toward the truth. But the truth needs to be in it’s place too. It can’t be hidden. And Christians can’t be silent in the face of evil. So if a Christian calls you judgmental, you tell them, I’m not judging anyone, I’m speaking up against evil. Why aren’t you doing the same?
Next, verse 10, “Love each other with genuine affection,[e] and take delight in honoring each other.”
Brotherly love, it says in the Greek, enjoy a sense of brotherhood, sisterhood in the church. I’m a salvationist, you’re a salvationist, let’s be excited about that. We’re the army of God, get excited! And enjoy honoring each other. That’s why we brag about each other, I saw so and so serving someone. I saw them volunteering at the food pantry. We honor each other, above ourselves.
Next verse 11, “Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.”
How do we live in community? Don’t get lazy. Keep serving. It’s easy to start saying well I served the last year I’m going to take a break for a while. No, keep serving. Don’t get lazy. Work hard for God’s kingdom.
I’ve been so tired lately, and stressed, and I have to remind myself, keep serving God Justin. Keep speaking up for Jesus. Keep standing firm for Him.
And be enthusiastic, I like the footnote in verse 11, it says the Greek could be rendered, “Or but serve the Lord with a zealous spirit; or but let the Spirit excite you as you serve the Lord.”
Let the Spirit within excite you as you serve the Lord.
I love that. Get excited about serving God. I think it’s exciting. Doing God’s will is exciting!
There are so many great concepts here, next verse 12: “Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.”
Christian community, next keep looking back at the confident hope we have of eternal life that Jesus Christ has paid it all and made us new. Rejoice in that.
At the same time, be patient when troubles happen. I can relate to that. When we enter a problem, a struggle, a suffering, we instantly want it to be over fast. Can anyone relate? Be done now!
But God says be patient. And yes it’s on a clock. But wait patiently for God. These things take time to work out, by God’s action in the situation.
In those dark times, keep on praying, return to prayer over and over. I like to go sit outside on my back deck, or in Owosso it was on the front porch, and I just pray. Get alone with God for a while and talk to Him.
If you can train yourself to do that in difficulties you’re gonna rise up on eagles wings in those hard times. Get away from the phone or the tv or the computer, and sit with God in nature.
So many good instructions!
Verse 13, “When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.”
Just be willing to help someone in need. When you see a need, say, you know what, I think I could help. Get messy in their situation. Get into it and help.
I remember there was a situation, messy situation at the corps, and this lady who was volunteering in our food pantry, she liked to get into those situations and she brought this family into my office and there was all this drama and I thought I don’t want to get into all this. Talking to the police, talking to the family, trying to find the truth, dropping off paperwork, this and that. But later the daughter joined our church, and I thought thank you Lord that she brought them into my office. As messy as it was sometimes you have to get into the situation and try to help.
It also says practice hospitality. Invite someone over for dinner. Take someone out to lunch, guys with guys, women with women, thank you. But yes, let God prompt you to do that. Invite someone over. Take them out for coffee. Get to know their story. Learn more about them. Invite your pastor over for dinner, he might not be a very good cook. You never know.
Here's a tough one, “Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them.” (v.14)
Street preacher Cliffe Knechtle was being interviewed by Jake Paul online, and he shares this story about when he was playing division 1 basketball, but he was the worst player on the team, and there was a guy who would always make fun of him, and he hated this guy. It was Cliff’s dream to be a basketball player and this guy would always mock him and his basketball skills. And Cliff felt he would always hate this guy. So he went to God in prayer and said Lord I don’t think I can ever forgive this guy, but he asked for God’s help and sure enough God did a miracle in his heart, and he was able to forgive that person.
Is there someone who hurt you very badly, and you need God to do a miracle? First of all, believe it’s possible. Second, ask God for help. Third, pray and say, Lord I forgive him or her. And watch the miracle begin to happen. But remember, forgiveness for others is a command, not an option, it’s so important God even says if you don’t forgive someone their sins against you, God will in turn not forgive some of your sins. And we know what happens when sins are not forgiven. They must be punished.
Pray for people who have hurt you, pray that God would bless them, and God will deal with them. I’ve seen that happen. I pray for God to bless them, and God does something huge to deal with them. He heaps burning coals on their head. Why? Because I gave up my hate. I forgave them. I even prayed they would be blessed. Now I’m off the judgment seat, and God gets in the judgment seat, and he takes action. It’s biblical, look it up, Romans 12:20.
Next, verse 15-16, “Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!”
This concept is really interesting in scripture, it’s the concept of empathy, of literally “feeling with” someone.
If someone is mourning you literally enter into that emotion with them, and mourn with them.
If someone is celebrating you literally enter into that emotion with them, and celebrate with them.
It’s a profound truth of scripture, it says about someone in prison, Hebrews 13:3, “Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.”
Join in with someone emotionally. Remember that one. Celebrate with a Christian who is celebrating, and mourn with a Christian who is sad.
Also it adds, live in harmony. Enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know everything.
I’ve met a few know-it-all Christians. And it’s very off-putting. That’s why we return to verse 3 that says stay very humble. Don’t act like you know it all. Because no one does.
Verses 17-20 continue like this, “17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.
19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord.
20 Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap
burning coals of shame on their heads.”
But I want to draw your attention to verse 21, “Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.”
Yes, we want to call out evil. We want to call evil for what it is. And we want to love people even those caught in sins. But, at the same time, we can only overcome evil with good.
Sometimes we as Christians get so stuck on fighting and reacting to evil, we lose focus on building the good. As you build the good, the world becomes better.
I recall when the whole controversy with the Olympics took place, the television show the Chosen, they put out a picture from the show’s upcoming season of the last supper, a beautiful picture of purity and holiness. And that kind of beauty it a great response. Refocus on goodness. Overcome evil with good.
Main Points:
Remember the question was, how do we live in community?
1. Be radically humble toward each other
2. You have a unique role to fulfill in the body
3. Discover your spiritual gifts and use them
4. Genuinely love each other
5. Expose evil in the world, hate evil
6. Enjoy honoring each other
7. Don’t get lazy, keep serving enthusiastically
8. Be patient in dark times
9. Be quick to meet a need for someone & hospitality
10. Forgive one who hurts you, bless your persecutor
11. Join in with someone mourning or celebrating
12. Overcome evil by building good things
