Paul mentions 36 names in the last chapter of Romans (ch.16). But he is referring to even more, since he mentions "households" and "families" and the apostles. Beyond these 36 people and their families, Paul also knew many others personally. The guy planted churches all across the Roman empire and yet he still knew many people by name, in a personal way. He had been imprisoned with some of them. Some of them had opened their home to him. Some taught with him. Some worked with him.
Paul really knew what it meant to be part of the family of God. In all the paintings I've seen of the apostle, he's always lecturing or writing letters in prison or being blinded by Jesus at his conversion. In the paintings he's always so serious. He's traditionally viewed as a strict preacher type. But just looking at this list of names of the people he knew well, it's so obvious that he must've been the kind of guy everyone would want to hang out with. It's like Jesus in a way; Jesus had to have been that kind of person where it just felt good to be around him. Paul had that quality too.
It's something I think God wants all his children to have, a magnetic personality. It doesn't matter whether you're traditionally extroverted or introverted, because the Spirit of God is living and active within the Christian. Do we really think that the Spirit of God is just a boring professor-type? No way! Boring professors are cool and all, but the Holy Spirit of God is loving, joyous, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, self-controlled. If that list described your best friend, chances are that person is friends with tons of people!
And yet, it's not just a happy-go-lucky type of person. Paul was a smart, very focused person. He had just a few goals in life, but they were huge, very important goals. He was committed to God and the gospel, to his calling and the glory of God. This is how he closes out his letter:
"Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages
but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith - to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen." (25-27)
Paul was probably a really fun guy. A deep thinker. Loving. Harsh. A worshiper. Focused. Committed. Passionate. He had the big picture in mind. As Christians, we need to strive to be the kind of person that everyone likes to be around. It's not enough to just stay how we are and pull that "Well, that's just the way I am and you can't expect me to change" garbage. I think it's totally Scriptural that God does expect us to change. And if we aren't willing to be like Jesus, if that's not one of our desires, what are we doing calling ourselves his followers?
Father, you've taken me so far from where I used to be; who I used to be. Continue to change me for the better, because it's all worth it, and you're worth it.
Smiley Paul
DCAF
Romans 15:5-7
5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus,
6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.
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Paul has just finished a discourse on why it is so important to live with others in mind, and why those who are strong in faith should not cause those who are weaker or newer to stumble - because Christ did not live to please himself, but rather chose to live a life where he bore the reproaches of others.
Those who are strong in faith live by hope, and according to Romans 15, verse 4, hope comes by encouragement from one another, and what was written in Scripture.
Then comes the exhortation of verses 5-7; it's a cry to be the church and show the world that God is glorious. As a part of New Hope, I hear about team building and teamwork and doing church as a team almost every day. Paul says that living in harmony with one another, united in Christ, with one common cause - glorifying God the Father and his Son, through his Spirit, should be welcoming and gracious toward each other, and all for the glory of God.
There are so many times when it seems right to break from the team, or to disagree and push for my own way, or to not do something with all my effort and heart. But the point is not to do things my way, it's to do things for others because that's what Jesus did, and his example beyond any other is worthy of imitating. When we imitate him, we glorify him. And Christ is most glorified when the church, his body, his bride; a family of believers are in harmony and striving to bring glory to God with "one voice," in unison.
When people see the church they should see something like a beautiful chorus of singers in harmony and unison. Sometimes I wonder if the world sees the church and feels like they're watching a pre-school chorus where everyone's off-key and not everyone knows the song and some people are in la-la land digging their nose, but it's cute to watch because everyone seems so innocent and has no idea what it's like to really live in the real world.
The church is God's family. If we are adopted sons of God, we are like brothers and sisters to Jesus, who is also our Lord. Doing church as a family should be the most awesome thing people in the world see. It should freak them out and blow their minds. It should be something that people see and aspire to be, not shun, reject, and criticize.
O God, guide me into making this a reality in my life first, so that it's not just something I talk about. Show us how to see each other as family, treat each other as such, and then live a life that is an amazing light to the world.
Imitating Christ
Proverbs 23:26
My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways.
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This proverb may not necessarily be addressing a literal son-father relationship, but the principle remains. A son/daughter should give their heart to their father/mother, meaning they should be open and willing to receive instruction from the godly parent who loves and cares for them.
On the other end, a parent should desire the hearts of their children, and they must be willing to live a life where they can say with integrity, “Observe my ways.” That word “observe” has the connotation of observing and delighting in what is seen. This is a huge responsibility for parents!
My son is at an age where he is learning how to behave by mimicking the things he observes. He spends most of his time with us, his parents, and so most of the things he mimics comes directly from what he observes us doing. He should observe my actions and be glad in what he sees, not be conflicted or troubled.
As a father, Proverbs tells me that one of my central focuses and joys in my life should be the very heart of my own children, their spiritual core, and guiding them in the way I know to be holy and righteous. This knowledge can only come from God (Proverbs 1:7 - “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge”), and I need to be meeting with the Lord daily and submitting to him, imitating him and his own heart. I can’t imitate what I don’t observe.
This puts a different spin on why daily devotions is so important. It goes far beyond doing it because it’s the New Hope thing to do, or because it’s a classical discipline, or because it’s just the good Christian thing to do; my goal in life is to mimic, emulate, and imitate Jesus Christ. If my son didn’t see me every day, he wouldn’t have a model to imitate. Likewise, if I do not make it a daily necessity to observe the Lord and imitate his heart, I cannot pass that on to my children.
I do not want to get to the end of my life and regret that I failed them in the most important task I was entrusted with as a parent. I desire my children to be like the Lord. And it will first come in them imitating me. I need to set this as priority #1.
It also goes beyond parenting. Everyone who sees me observes me, whether I’m in a coffee shop, in the pulpit, at the beach, at a restaurant, wherever. Anywhere I am, people should not have a cause to say that Jesus is misrepresented, because I should be imitating him as a lifestyle; not as a religious practice.
Mature Desire
Proverbs 19:2
Desire without knowledge is not good, and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way.
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It is not wise to be hasty. Our culture is full of people who have lots of desire, but knowledge is often lacking. It's common in our culture to just go with the flow, or to just figure it out along the way, to not have a plan or not know what's coming up next. The Bible calls this "not good."
On the other end, there are people with lots of knowledge but not much desire. They plan and may not be hasty, but they sure are boring.
The Scripture probably isn't talking about the latter, but there is some truth to it. But the main point is that desire needs knowledge in order to be good. In our culture this is dangerous in many ways. Love is a powerful thing and our culture loves to pair love and youth, sometimes it seems like the two are exclusive. But young love is heavy weighted on desire, but not much knowledge, or foresight, or planning.
This Scripture especially speaks to me. Most of my life has been desire without knowledge. Most of my life has been haste caused by procrastination. So many times, even to this day I have "missed my way."
Desire may not be a bad thing, but in order to have a matured, wise desire, it requires knowledge; and the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge (Proverbs 1:7).
Little Details
2 Chronicles 8: 12-15
12 Then Solomon offered up burnt offerings to the LORD on the altar of the LORD that he had built before the vestibule,
13 as the duty of each day required, offering according to the commandment of Moses for the Sabbaths, the new moons, and the three annual feasts-the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Booths.
14 According to the ruling of David his father, he appointed the divisions of the priests for their service, and the Levites for their offices of praise and ministry before the priests as the duty of each day required, and the gatekeepers in their divisions at each gate, for so David the man of God had commanded.
15 And they did not turn aside from what the king had commanded the priests and Levites concerning any matter and concerning the treasuries.
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The completion of the temple marked a new period of history for Israel and the world. My guess is that Solomon was a busy man. Building an enormous temple, along with his own palace takes a lot of time, work, energy, leadership, management, and planning. In these 4 short verses, we see that Solomon didn't forget to instill certain details like the divisions of priests, Levites, and gatekeepers.
I kept feeling drawn back to this verse, but unsure why. On one end, the feasts and Sabbaths and duties of the priests and Levites were given to Israel as foundations and absolute necessities as a nation (that’s a given), but I feel like the Lord is speaking about the necessity of the things that might otherwise seem like "little details." It's probably easy to oversee the building of a temple and slack on little details that are actually very important, like making sure the priests and gatekeepers are all organized and know what they are supposed to do. When it comes to myself, I tend to almost always slack on the details, the "little things."
Solomon was a great leader, especially in this important time for Israel, because he had vision and wisdom, but also knew the importance of the "little details."
Mobile Mercy
2 Chronicles 6:12-42 records Solomon’s prayer of the dedication of the temple he has finished building for the Lord, which was started in the heart of David. Repeatedly in this prayer, Solomon emphasizes the temple as a place where God hears the cries and pleas of his people and forgives sin. The temple isn’t meant to be like a retreat or a resort for God to come and stay in and be comfortable and just shower blessings on the people, it’s meant to be a place where God’s justice and mercy shine forth as a house of forgiveness, because “there is no one who does not sin” (v.36).
As soon as this prayer is finished, fire falls from heaven, consuming the offerings, and God’s glory fils the temple so strongly that the priests could not enter. No one could do anything but fall on their faces and worship him. It says that the priests had to just stand at their posts (7:6). After a great feast and a 23-day celebration (with one day of solemnity--the 8th day), everyone goes home with joy and gladness of heart. After this, God comes to Solomon in the night and confirms that he has “chosen this place for (himself) as a house of sacrifice” (7:12).
Just as the house of God in Solomon’s day was a house of sacrifice, so it must be today. In our day, God’s house, or temple, is within the bodies of his people. God’s people must act as his “temple,” a place of forgiveness and justice and mercy. Paul, in his letter to the Romans, appeals for us to present our bodies as “living sacrifices,” which is our act of spiritual worship (12:1). As long as there is sin in the world, there is need of forgiveness. And as long as forgiveness is needed, God needs to provide it, or we’re all lost and without hope.
God’s temple was also open to foreigners. His plan was always for all people to know him and worship him. His temple was open to all, “in order that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you” (6:33). The temple of Israel was the beacon of hope in the world, as it was the place God had chosen and blessed to be a place on the earth where his mercy and justice and forgiveness was visible and tangible. Now, God’s “temple” is all over the earth, in those who have received his forgiveness and are sealed by his Spirit. God’s gone mobile, wireless. Am I doing what I am meant as God’s temple to be doing?
Lord, I see clearly today that your temple was not just a place of worship and gladness, but primarily a house of forgiveness. This day, may I be a mobile house of forgiveness; knowing your mercy and dispensing mercy, all to make you known. Thank you for your mercy, and for helping me see more clearly my purpose and your will.`
All In
1 Thessalonions 5:12-22
12 We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you,
13 and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.
14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.
15 See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.
16 Rejoice always,
17 pray without ceasing,
18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
19 Do not quench the Spirit.
20 Do not despise prophecies,
21 but test everything; hold fast what is good.
22 Abstain from every form of evil.
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Here, Paul clearly shows that there is a certain structure in the church. This letter is to be read to the entire church (v.27), and the instruction in verses 12-13 are for the congregation to respect and esteem the people who are over them in the church. It says to have this attitude even when they admonish you. That's not very popular here in Hawaii. We don't like people to admonish us here. But here, Paul says that this is part of the job description for elders and pastors and leaders.
Then, in the next verse, I find it so interesting that the members of the congregation are called to admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, and help the weak (v.14). Those are things we typically hand over to church staff people or pastors, but Paul clearly says here that this is for everyone to do, not just leaders. It means that all Christians are to get idle people un-idle. All Christians are to encourage those who are downcast, pray for them and counsel them. All Christians are to help those who are weak in their faith. And here's the best part, verse 15 says to be patient with them ALL. We are called to be patient with those who are idle, fainthearted, and weak.
The following verses tell us to always do good, rejoice, pray, give thanks, don't quench the Spirit. Then it says to be open to prophecies, not to reject the fact that the Holy Spirit will do some holy, spiritual, miraculous things; but then Paul says not to be completely gullible and accepting, but to test all things and avoid evil.
I read all these verses and find the Christian life to be full of great spiritual interaction, and interpersonal balance. Often, one or two of these verses from this particular section of Scripture are used to emphasize the hardcore, crazy spiritual stuff in Christian living. But these passages all interlock with one another, emphasizing a life of great generosity, humility, servanthood, wrapped up in a singular devotion to one Lord - Christ.
To this day, I sometimes find myself questioning others in ministry and complaining about an assortment of trivial things; especially this morning. But Lord, you are reminding me, admonishing me even, to follow in the footsteps of my master and live a life worthy of your great love for me. This isn't just a calling for me, as someone who works in the church as a minister; it's for all your people.
