Receive One Another

Posted on April 22, 2007

Romans 15:4-13

The pain of not being “received” by others begins early in life. From not being picked for a team in sports, to being made fun of because of clothing or social background, kids can be downright brutal. But then, so can adults…

TRUTH:

God’s goal is to enjoy the unified worship of all kinds of people, together in one body.

Revelation 5:8-10 gives us the picture of a multitude of people praising and worshipping God in the various languages and dialects of all the people of the world. And that is beautiful to God!

GOD’S PLAN FOR ACHIEVING UNIFIED WORSHIP…

Teaching the Scriptures.

The things written before were intended to provide our “doctrine,” our foundation for living life well according to God’s truth.

Three things the Scriptures produce…

• Patience – the endurance we need to run our race well.
• Comfort – the strength we need to get through the tough stuff.
• Hope – the optimism we need to focus on an assured future in heaven.

Reaching Others.

In singing, there is a significant difference between “unison” and “harmony.” Unison is when everyone is singing the same note, but harmony is when different notes come together to make beautiful music. God’s intention is that we harmonize. We should agree on the basic doctrines of Scripture, and we should share a common mission, but we accomplish that mission through different personalities and gift mixes.

Jesus becomes the ultimate example. He receives us! The word is proslambano – “to take to oneself.” We are to take others to ourselves in a hospitable way, even as Jesus Christ has taken us to Himself in a hospitable way.

James 2:1-9 is a blunt confrontation of prejudice within the church. Truly it is tragic that the church remains America’s last societal institution that is, for the most part, segregated. But that, thankfully, seems to be changing!

Paul continues this thoughts by quoting four different Old Testament texts, all of which foreshadow that wonderful day when Jews and Gentiles will be brought into the family of God together to praise God with one voice, and that day is here! Our missionary purpose is not simply to rescue people from hell, but to bring together under one family all the peoples of the earth for the praise and glory of God!

Conveying Hope.

I love the wording here. He identified God as “the God of patience and consolation” in verse 5. He now identifies Him as “the God of hope.” He’s the God who gives us a bright expectation of the future. The only foundation for lasting joy and peace is the hope God alone offers. Joy and peace seem unreachable in our times, but they are possible when we place our faith squarely on the promises of our awesome God! And it is the Holy Spirit who allows this hope to permeate our lives on this earth!