Sunday, December 18th, 2011
Romans 12:3-13 & John 13:34-35; 17:20-26
“Power Walk – Part 4: Impact”
Bible Memory Verse for the Week: By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. — John 13:35
The questions to be answered are . . . What standards or benchmarks does Paul hold out for the Roman Christians (and for us) by which they might measure the extent of their love?
Answer: Paul points out that when one truly pursues sincere love, then one will not only hate what is evil, cling to what is good, be devoted to others in brotherly love and honor others above oneself (as we looked at last week); but one will also never be lacking in zeal, maintain a spiritual fervor, serve the Lord, be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer, share with God’s people who are in need and practice hospitality. As I’m sure you can readily imagine . . . when one lives with this kind of spirit and attitude, one has a huge impact on those around them. That is why Christ died. To give us life in all of its abundance and to demonstrate that life for others so they too would be encouraged to come to Christ.
Jesus turns to the world and says, “I’ve got something to say to you. On the basis of my authority, I give you a right: you may judge whether or not an individual is a Christian on the basis of the love he shows to all Christians.” (John 13:33-35) (Francis Schaeffer; The Mark of the Christian, 13)
If I fail in my love toward Christians, it does not prove I am not a Christian. What Jesus is saying, however, is that, if I do not have the love I should have toward all other Christians, the world has the right to make the judgment that I am not a Christian. (Francis Schaeffer; The Mark of the Christian, 13-14)
The Word for the Day is . . . impact
What kinds of things does Paul say we should be doing if we possess sincere agape love?:
I. We will NEVER be lacking in zeal (Prv 18:9; Eccl 9:10; Jn 9:4; Gal 6:9-10; Eph 5:15-16; 2 Thes 3:13; 2 Tm 1:6; Heb 6:10-12)
Martin Luther translated it, “Be not lazy as to what you ought to do.” (Donald Grey Barnhouse, God’s Discipline, 72)
What hunger is in relation to food, zest is in relation to life. — Bertrand Russell
We may affirm absolutely that nothing great in the world has been accomplished without passion. -George Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
The man who is lethargic has the problem of sloth, but the naturally energetic and fervent man, like Apollos, has always to guard against human zeal. He has to make sure that he is not confusing his own natural energy with the energy of the Spirit, and sometimes it is not easy to differentiate. But we must realize that it is the energy of the Spirit that matters, and you do that by reading, and by reminding yourself of these things, by prayer, by meditation, and so on. (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans Chapter 12, 372)
Against this command all those offend who do their duty indolently, sleep and yawn. In all they do, they only ruin everything. Of such we read in Prv 18:9: “He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster.” Such persons are hated not only by men, but also by God. For this reason the Apostle directs himself against this capital sin, that is, against “sloth,” or against our aversion to do good work. This evil is so widely spread that hardly anyone regards it as proper to exert himself to the utmost. (Martin Luther, Commentary on Romans, 175)
Lest zealous Christians think themselves more deserving of God than others, let them recall the words of Jesus, “So that you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty’” (Lk 17:10). (James R. Edwards, New International Biblical Commentary: Romans, 294)
Today people are apt to look askance upon enthusiasm; the modern battle-cry is “I couldn’t care less.” But the Christian is a man desperately in earnest; he is aflame for Christ. (William Barclay, The Daily Study Bible Series: Romans, 165)
So strong was Jesus’ zeal that His friends thought He had abandoned common sense (Mk 3:21) and His enemies charged Him with having a demon (Jn 7:20). (J. Oswald Sanders, Spiritual Leadership, 110)
Passion is at the core of you — it’s who you are. Without it we would be automatons, going through the motions of life without feeling or distinction. Passion gives you life. It defines you just as much as where you come from and who you spend time with. (Richard Chang, Bits & Pieces for Salespeople, June 15, 2000, 17)
II. We will keep our spiritual fervor (Acts 18:24-25; 1 Cor 9:26; Phil 2:13-16; Col 1:29; 1 Thes 5:17-20; 2 Tm 2:1; Rv 3:15-16)
There are no exceptions, exemptions, disclaimers or any other excuse for keeping your spiritual fervor. We don’t follow God and attempt to do what we know is right just because we don’t feel like it.
“Those who believe in God, but without passion in their hearts, without anguish in mind, without uncertainty, without doubt an element of despair even in their consolation, believe only in a God idea, not God Himself.” (R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word, James, Faith That Works, 37)
“This age will die not from sin but from lack of passion.” -Soren Kierkegaard
We are producing a generation of men and women whose greatest virtue is that they don’t offend anyone. Then we wonder why there is no more passion for Christ. How can we hunger and thirst after righteousness if we have ceased hungering and thirsting altogether? As C. S. Lewis said, “We castrate the gelding and bid him fruitful.” (John Eldredge, The Journey of Desire, 54)
When people aren’t having any fun, they seldom produce good work. Kill grimness with laughter. Encourage exuberance. Get rid of sad dogs who spread gloom. (David Ogilvy, Bits & Pieces for Salespeople, June 15, 2000, 23)
One of the great gifts of the charismatic movement in our times is its evident fervency of spirit. Many participants in charismatic prayer groups exhibit a boiling over of the spirit that draws others into their Hilarity. Worship services are characterized by a spiritual intensity that brightens the music, deepens the expression of affection, focuses the attention of listeners on the teaching of the Scriptures, and results in a life-style of goodness. (Marva J. Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12, 182)
Sir William Osler, the great pioneer Christian doctor, once said, “If we throw all of our energy, intelligence, and enthusiasm into doing superb work today, there will be nothing to fear tomorrow.” (Lloyd J. Ogilvie, The Communicator’s Commentary: Luke, 252)
The temptation to “lose steam” in our lifelong responsibility to reverence God in every aspect of our lives, to become lazy and complacent in our pursuit of what is “good, well pleasing to God, and perfect,” is a natural one–but it must be strenuously resisted. (Douglas J. Moo, The New International Commentary on the NT: Romans, 778)
III. We will serve the Lord (Mt 20:25-28; Lk 6:46; Jn 13:1-17; Rom 1:9; Col 1:29; 3:17-23)
To offer the Lord our bodies might mean doing physical work in his service. When I was first writing this book, I enjoyed immensely the opportunity to participate in a ten-mile CROP walk to raise money for the hungry, to put my feet into a concern that is often on my mind and in my mouth. Offering our bodies might mean mowing the lawn for our parents, going to the hospital to visit someone who is ill, or mopping the floor for someone disabled. (Marva J. Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12, 12)
Sacrifice: In its essence, it is the exuberant passionate love-gift of the best I have to the one I love best. — Oswald Chambers
The church is herself only when she exists for humanity…She must take her part in the social life of the world, not lording it over men, but helping and serving them. She must tell men, whatever their calling, what it means to live in Christ, to live for others.” -Dietrich Bonhoeffer
The ancient manuscripts vary between two readings. Some read, “Serve the Lord,” and some read, “Serve the time,” that is, “grasp your opportunities.” The reason for the double reading is this. All the ancient scribes used contractions in their wiring. In particular the commoner words were always abbreviated. One of the commonest ways of abbreviating was to miss out the vowels–as shorthand does–and to place a stroke along the top of the remaining letters. Now the word for Lord is kurios and the word for time is kairos, and the abbreviation for both of these words is krs. In a section so filled with practical advice it is more likely that Paul was saying to his people, “Seize your opportunities as they come.” Life presents us with all kinds of opportunities–the opportunity to learn something new or to cut out something wrong; the opportunity to speak a word of encouragement or of warning; the opportunity to help or to comfort. One of the tragedies of life is that we so often fail to grasp these opportunities when they come. (William Barclay, The Daily Study Bible Series: Romans, 165)
They refuse to do God’s will and persist in such (works) as they have chosen for themselves. What fools! They refuse obedience to God in order to obey God (according to their own sinful way). They do not know what it means to serve the Lord, for that means to go wherever the Lord calls us, not to resist Him, and not to insist stubbornly upon anything (against His will). (Martin Luther, Commentary on Romans, 175)
One thing the individual should not say is: “What’s wrong with this church? Why doesn’t it love people more?” The person should remember that God is the keeper of hearts. If you have a burden, then God put it there; it is not the result of your innate goodness and love. If he is not moving others in the same way, look at it as his guidance to you! (Timothy J. Keller, Ministries of Mercy, 161)
IV. We will be joyful in hope (Mt 25:21; Rom 5:2-5; 8:24-25, 28; 15:4, 13; 1 Cor 15:16-28, 58; 2 Cor 6:3-10; Eph 2:12; 1 Pt 1:3-7; 1 Jn 3:1-3)
Roosevelt’s passion for life was infectious. Everything about him tingled with zest and vitality. He approached every circumstance and situation with consummate gusto and enthusiasm. What others believed were obstacles, he considered adventures. What others thought of as setbacks, he viewed as challenges. (George Grant, Carry a Big Stick: The Uncommon Heroism of Theodore Roosevelt, 98)
The cross is the absolute assurance that hope cannot disappoint. (Marva J. Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12, 191)
As I travel around the country to teach, I am deeply saddened by our failure to be what God designed the Church to be. People who have been Christians for a while are not very often characterized by the profound gladness that marked the earliest followers of Jesus and that frequently bubbles forth in present-day new believers. (Marva J. Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12, xi)
Evil cannot understand joy. The devil is more austere and serious than God is, which makes us stop and think that if we are to feel at home in heaven, we will need to enjoy joy because “joy is the serious business of heaven” (G.K. Chesterton). It should also be the serious business of our lives and of our ministry. (Earl Palmer; “Joy – Spiritual Health Made Visible”)
No one can perfectly love his neighbor as himself. No one can fulfill the law of Christ. God cannot ask so much and be satisfied with so little. We are made for that which is too big for us. It is for this reason, he concludes, that he must believe in an afterlife. Without such belief, our futile struggle to fulfill the law of Christ would have no point. It is our very longing, our failure, our sense of incompleteness that forces us to throw ourselves on God’s mercy. Our imperfection in this life calls for another, more complete realization of that ideal. (Philip Yancey, Soul Survivor, 144)
V. We will be patient in affliction (Mt 10:16-18; Rom 5:1-5; 2 Cor 4:16-18; Jas 1:2-4; 1 Pt 1:7)
In the early church affliction was expected as a matter of course; the scars it left were considered medals of honor, bestowed by the Lord’s own hands. Now, most Christians expect to get through unscathed, without even a bruise, and they cry out if they are buffeted a little, as though a great wrong were being done them instead of experiencing something that is altogether normal. So many even try to avoid the world’s hate and to win its favor by shaping doctrine, practice, conduct so as to avoid offending the world. So many Christians resemble the children of this world to such an extent that they cannot be distinguished from them. (R.C.H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans, 771)
For many believers who live in our western prosperity, these words are not easy to understand. Life in America is so abnormal from the biblical point of view that much Christian truth is almost impossible for us to grasp. We believers need to humble ourselves and return to the place where the Lord intends us to be. Too many seem to say to the Lord that they will be glad to enlist in His army if He will provide air-conditioned quarters, sumptuous rations, first-class transportation, and all the luxuries. (Donald Grey Barnhouse, God’s Discipline, 83)
If I allow tribulations and trials to get me down, I have failed as a Christian. We must never grumble or complain. That is what we tend to do, is it not? When we are tried, when these things come to us, we say, “Why should this happen to me,” or, “Is Christianity not true after all?” (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans Chapter 12, 394)
For if [a Christian] cannot thank and praise God as well in calamities and sufferings as in prosperity and happiness, he is as far from the piety of a Christian as he that only loves them that love him is from the charity of a Christian. For to thank God only for such things as you like is no more a proper act of piety than to believe only what you see is an act of faith.
Resignation and thanksgiving to God are only acts of piety when they are acts of faith, trust, and confidence in the divine goodness. (William Law, A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life, 321)
VI. We will be faithful in prayer (Lk 18:1-12; Acts 2:42; 1 Cor 14:15; Eph 6:18; Col 4:2; 1 Thess 5:17; 1 Tim 2:8; Jude 1:20)
Our separation from God is the root cause of our separation from ourselves and from each other. Our analysis dare not be superficial and merely blame our troubles on “sin,” but, on the other hand, our culture tends to downplay sin and to excuse it or rationalize it. The more deliberately we penetrate the problem of sin, the more thoroughly we can cut its effects away. (Marva J. Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12, 85)
Christians pray, and rightly so, for deliverance from harm and adversity on their earthly pilgrimage. But if their prayer is not answered accordingly they must not conclude that God is punishing them or give up their faith. The gospel is indeed a hospice of heaven in this life, but it is more often, and more importantly, a training camp for the life to come. The Spirit does not exempt Christians from hardship, but he promises to support them in it. The NT lays great emphasis on the virtue of endurance (Mk 13:13), and on patience, faithfulness, and self-control (Gal 5:22-23) as signs of genuine faith. (James R. Edwards, New International Biblical Commentary: Romans, 295)
Just as your checkbook reveals your financial priorities and life values, your date book will indicate your spiritual priorities and life values. What kind of time does the most significant relationship in your life require? Are you spending time with God, and are you available to serve him as he is calling you–really? (Bruce Bugbee, What You Do Best in the Body of Christ, 111)
VII. We will share with God’s people who are in need (Lk 10:25-37; Acts 2:42-44; 4:32-37; 6:1-3; 11:27-30; Gal 6:10; Ti 3:14; Jas 2:14-17; 1 Tm 6:17-18)
We are to share with those in need. In a world bent on getting, the Christian is bent on giving, because he knows that “what we keep we lose, and what we give we have.” (William Barclay, The Daily Study Bible Series: Romans, 167)
The Church that forgets itself in its passion for others will, in that forgetfulness, find itself.
Love is not a noun; it is a verb. What do you do to show love for someone else? When you give a cup of cold water in the name of Christ, regardless of how you feel about that person, the giving is in love. When you reach out to a brother or sister who is in need, no matter how you feel about them, that is love, too. (R.C. Sproul, Doubt and Assurance, 76)
“When you make the choice to care, the price you pay is pain.” – Steve Brown
VIII. We will practice hospitality (Mt 25:35; Lk 14:12-14; Gal 6:6-10; 1 Tm 3:2; Ti 1:8; 1 Pt 4:9; Heb 13:12; 3 Jn 1:5-8; )
We must remember that the quality of hospitality does not depend on the cost of the food we prepare or the elegance of the setting in which we provide care for those in need. True hospitality instead involves the investment of our lives in genuine kindness to those for whom we care. Perhaps the term elegance, then, can be applied to our spirit and might be part of our definition of the Christian community’s Hilarity. Hospitality includes whatever makes the other person feel welcome, loved, affirmed. We all can grow in elegance of spirit, in Hilarity, as God’s love empowers us together to be more concerned for the needs of the saints and more hospitable toward strangers. (Marva J. Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12, 221)
“Pursuing (as if in a chase or hunt) hospitality” (philoxenia, old word from philoxenos, fond of strangers, philos and xenos as in 1 Tm 3:2). In NT only here and Heb 13:2. See 2 Cor 3:1. They were to pursue (diōkō) hospitality as their enemies pursued (diōkontas) them. (Archibald Thomas Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, Vol. IV, 405)
After God liberated them, they wandered for decades in the wilderness, and they longed for a place to call home. When God gave it to them, he admonished them not to forget where they had come from. They were to show hospitality to the stranger in their gates. They were to open their homes and hearts to those around them (e.g., see Ex 22:21; 23:9; Lv 19:34; Dt 10:18-19; Ps 146:9; Jer 7:6). (RC Sproul, St. Andrew’s Expositional Commentary: Romans, 425)
Here, of course, the Apostle speaks of hospitality that is offered gratis and out of love, without any expectation of pay. The other kind is practiced also by the heathen. (Martin Luther, Commentary on Romans, 177)
Hospitality means being friendly to strangers, not just having friends over. Christian hospitality differs from social entertaining. Entertaining focuses on the host–the home must be spotless; the food must be well prepared and abundant; the host must appear relaxed and good-natured. Hospitality, in contrast, focuses on the guests. Their needs–whether for a place to stay, nourishing food, a listening ear, or acceptance–are the primary concern. Hospitality can happen in a messy home. It can happen around a dinner table where the main dish is canned soup. It can even happen while the host and the guest are doing chores together. Believers should not hesitate to offer hospitality just because they are too tired, too busy, or not wealthy enough to entertain. The word practice is instructive, for it reminds us that hospitality improves with practice. (Bruce B. Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary: Romans, 240)
The Lord had encouraged his disciples to depend on such kindness during their missions (Mt 10:11). Without it, the spread of the gospel during the days of the early church would have been greatly impeded. With it, the “church in the house” became a reality (16:23; cf. 16:5). What sanctified this practice above all was the realization that in receiving and entertaining the traveler, those who opened their doors and their hearts were receiving and entertaining Christ (Mt 10:40; 25:40). (Frank E. Gæbelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 10, 133)
The last responsibility to fellow believers that Paul mentions in this list is that of practicing hospitality. The literal meaning of that phrase in the Greek is, “pursuing the love of strangers.” In other words, we not only are to meet the needs of those people, believers and unbelievers, who come across our paths but are to look for opportunities to help. “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers,” the writer of Hebrews admonishes us, “for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it” (Heb 13:2). (John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Romans 9-16, 194)
“It’s hard to convince a person you wish him in the heavenly home if you don’t want him in your earthly home.” (Lslie Flynn; 19 Gifts of the Spirit, 71)
CONCLUSION/APPLICATION: What can we do to facilitate sincere agape love?:
A- Realize that faith in Christ has given you a new life (Born again – Jn 3:1-16; 2 Cor 5:17; 1 Pt 1:23)
There are no exceptions, exemptions, disclaimers or any other excuse. The Bible says NEVER lacking in zeal! We don’t follow God and attempt to do what we know is right just because we don’t feel like it.
When zeal wanes, we certainly can’t crank up more. Indeed, a great danger of trying harder is that we get burned out even faster. We dare not let this exhortation become a demand over us because the harder we try to force a diligence that isn’t there, the more we will hate our work and the less we will be able to be genuinely earnest about it. We will lose all our Hilarity.
The secret lies in always remembering our goal. We are not diligent for merely human reasons. Our enthusiasm is not empty because we are not serving that which will soon wither and fade. Rather, we know true Hilarity because of the eternal purposes involved. We have infinite power at our disposal; incredible wisdom lies behind it all. That makes the strain worthwhile. (Marva J. Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12, 180)
The mystery of the Christian life is that we can truly offer ourselves to God only if we are willing to give up ourselves. Yet in that death to our limited human concerns, God uses us in ways that demonstrate powerful life at work within us. Paul makes this same point in Gal 2:20. (Marva J. Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12, 14)
There is a natural or a general answer to the question of how we are to deal with slothfulness, and it may be put in this way: Rouse yourselves. Now when he says this, the apostle is not asking you to try to turn yourself into something that you are not by nature. You cannot change your nature or your temperament. So he is not trying to get someone, who is, perhaps, a bit lethargic by nature, to put on a mask and play a part. It is not that. But he is telling us to rouse ourselves. We are never quite as bad as we think we are, any one of us, and that is an important psychological principle. Sometimes people who claim great results in what is called “faith healing” are simply doing this very thing. When we are ill, we are never quite as ill as we think we are, we always add on a certain proportion. And it is, therefore, an easy thing to get rid of that extra bit that we put on psychologically. (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans Chapter 12, 366)
These are the antidotes to sloth, to laziness, half-heartedness, pessimism, or fear of modern infidels and their writings. Read your Scriptures, consider the plan of God, look unto your Captain, keep your eye on Him: “Looking unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith” [Heb 12:2]. Look at what He has done, look at what He is doing, look at what He is yet going to do. There will be no sloth then. (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans Chapter 12, 391)
Roman Catholic teaching is that only some are saints–the vast majority of church members are not. Saints are only those people whom the Church decides to “canonize,” and there are certain tests which must be passed before any one may be so described. Now we must protest against that. People are called saints, not because of anything they do, but because of what God has done to them. They have been “separated” by God through belief of the gospel. (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans Chapter 12, 410)
Real spiritual excitement comes when a Christian discovers his gift and gives it all he’s got. Knowing this, the apostle warns against laziness. When believers lose their enthusiasm for the job the Lord has given them, their spirits sag. They soon find themselves drifting away from Him and becoming lukewarm. It is the believer’s responsibility to keep himself enthused over his job, not the Holy Spirit’s. After all, we are engaged in the greatest business in the world–helping Jesus build His church. Every believer has a vital part in that program. Each one has been equipped (gift) to fill a job that no one else is equipped to do as well. God has to use second best when even one Christian fails to do his job and the body suffers. The excitement comes as we use our gift in the power of the Spirit. See how working for Jesus and spiritual zeal go together? The more energetically you pursue your calling, the greater the enthusiasm in your life. Those Christians who give the priority to the earthly routines of raising families, making a living and striving for the things of this world, never know the genuine excitement of Christ. It comes only when a man gets caught up in the vision of filling his place in the Lord’s program. As he puts his heart into it, the Lord becomes increasingly real and the things of this life grow dim. When he reaches the place where all that matters is pleasing the Lord, a Christian is “on fire” for Christ. His soul boils with enthusiasm as the Spirit’s power pervades his whole life. (C. S. Lovett, Lovett’s Lights on Romans, 329-30)
In a word, we ought in many things to forget ourselves; for except we be in earnest, and diligently strive to shake off all sloth, we shall never be rightly prepared for the service of Christ.
By adding fervent in spirit, he shows how we are to attain the former; for our flesh, like the ass, is always torpid, and has therefore need of goads; and it is only the fervency of the spirit that can correct our slothfulness. Hence diligence in doing good requires that zeal which the Spirit of God kindles in our hearts. Why then, some one may say, does Paul exhort us to cultivate this fervency? To this I answer,–that though it be the gift of God, it is yet a duty enjoined the faithful to shake off sloth, and to cherish the flame kindled by heaven, as it for the most part happens, that the Spirit is suppressed and extinguished through our fault. (John Calvin, Commentary on the Epistle of Paul the Apostle to The Romans, 465-66)
A major hindrance to missionary outreach is the weakened spiritual condition of the local church. Often the typical established congregation seems permanently locked into treadmill status quo, and even newly planted churches have a way of gradually losing their vitality as organizational demands slowly suppress the spiritual life of the body of Christ. (C. John Miller, Powerful Evangelism for the Powerless, 123)
Vanstone says, In false love your aim is to use the other person to fulfill your happiness. Your love is conditional: You give it only as long as the person is affirming you and meeting your needs. And it’s nonvulnerable: You hold back so that you can cut your losses if necessary. But in true love, your aim is to spend yourself and use yourself for the happiness of the other, because your greatest joy is that person’s joy. Therefore your affection is unconditional: You give it regardless of whether your loved one is meeting your needs. And it’s radically vulnerable: You spend everything, hold nothing back, give it all away. Then Vastone says, surprisingly, that our real problem is that nobody is actually fully capable of giving true love. We want it desperately, but we can’t give it. He doesn’t say we can’t give any kind of real love at all, but he’s saying that nobody is fully capable of true love. All of our love is somewhat fake. How so? Because we need to be loved like we need air and water. We can’t live without love. That means there’s a certain mercenary quality to our relationships. We look for people whose love would really affirm us. We invest our love only where we know we’ll get a good return. (Timothy Keller, King’s Cross, 98)
B- Realize that faith in Christ has given you purpose (Mt 5:13-14; John 15:1-8; ch 17; 1 Cor 3:8-17; 6:19-20; 12:27; Gal 3:26; 4:6-7; 1 Thes 5:5; also see point “A”)
Slothfulness in Christian living not only prevents good from being done but allows evil to prosper. “Therefore be careful how you walk,” Paul charged the Ephesians, “not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil” (Eph 5:15-16). “He also who is slack in his work is brother to him who destroys” (Prv 18:9). For weeds to prosper, the gardener need only leave the garden alone. (John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Romans 9-16, 190)
Here’s a mystery: If you expect praise and recognition, it will seldom come. I really don’t know why, but life has demonstrated repeatedly that if your motive for doing something is to receive thanks or praise, you’ll often be disappointed. If, however, you go about doing the right thing, knowing that the doing is its own reward, you’ll be fulfilled whether or not you get recognition from others. When reward or recognition comes, it will be icing on the cake. (Mark Sanborn, The Fred Factor, 31)
Paul is exhorting us to allow the Holy Spirit to “set us on fire”: to open ourselves to the Spirit as he seeks to excite us about the “rational worship” to which the Lord has called us. (Douglas J. Moo, The New International Commentary on the NT: Romans, 778)
There is only one answer to all the troubles that arise from looking at ourselves–serving the Lord. (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans Chapter 12, 377)
Resolved, to live with all my might; while I do live.
Resolved, never to lose one moment of time, to improve it in the most profitable way I possibly can.
Resolved, never to do anything which I should despise or think meanly of in another.
Resolved, never to do anything out of revenge.
Resolved, never to do anything which I should be afraid to do if it were the last hour of my life. (Jonathan Edwards’ resolutions that he made early in his ministry.)
People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered — Love them anyway.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives — do good anyway.
If you are successful, you will have false friends and real enemies — be successful anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow — do good anyway.
Honesty & frankness will make you vulnerable — be honest and frank anyway.
People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs — fight for the underdog anyway.
People really need help but may attack you if you help them — help them anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you will get kicked in the teeth — give the world your best anyway. Why? Cause He said so. — Karl Meininger
Because spiritual love does not desire but rather serves, it loves an enemy as a brother. It originates neither in the brother nor in the enemy but in Christ and his Word. Human love can never understand spiritual love, for spiritual love is from above; it is something completely strange, new, and incomprehensible to all earthly love. (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together, 35)
My dream is that thirty years from now, the church will be known more by what it is for than what it is against. For some time now, the hands and feet of the body of Christ have been amputated, and we’ve been pretty much reduced to a big mouth. We talk far more than we do. It’s time to reattach the limbs and let the church be the church in the twenty-first century. -Dr. Rick Warren (David Kinnaman, Unchristian, 245)
C- Realize that faith in Christ has given you joy (Mt 13:20, 44; Lk 8:13; Jn 15:9-14; Rom 14:17; 15:13; Gal 5:22-23; 1 Pt 1:3-9)
“Joy is the infallible sign of the presence of God”; “Joy is not the absence of suffering, but the presence of God”; and “Joy is the flag that is flown o’er the castle of our hearts when the King is in residence there.” All three sentences stress the same point: because God is with us, we can continually rejoice. His presence makes possible our hope–hope for how he will create good from even the negative elements in our lives (Rom 8:28) and hope for how we will discover that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing to the fulfillment of God’s promises as they will be revealed to us (8:18). (Marva J. Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12, 193)
Some situations are hopeless in human terms, but we can remain under and endure them because our hope lies elsewhere. Instead of despairing over such situations, we find our Hilarity in that which really matters. This is a victory of a different sort. We don’t overcome the situations, but we overcome ourselves and learn to rest in God’s grace, which is sufficient to carry us through the tribulations that don’t ultimately matter. In the things that do, our hope is sure to give us Joy. (Marva J. Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12, 197)
Lukewarm living and claiming Christ’s name simultaneously is utterly disgusting to God. And when we are honest, we have to admit that it isn’t very fulfilling or joyful to us, either. But the solution isn’t to try harder, fail, and then make bigger promises, only to fail again. It does no good to muster up more love for God, to will yourself to love Him more. When loving Him becomes obligation, one of many things we have to do, we end up focusing more on ourselves. No wonder so few people want to hear from us about what we ourselves feel is a boring, guilt-ridden chore! (Francis Chan, Crazy Love, 103)
The fact is, I need God to help me love God. And if I need His help to love Him, a perfect being, I definitely need His help to love other, fault-filled humans. Something mysterious, even supernatural must happen in order for genuine love for God to grow in our hearts. The Holy Spirit has to move in our lives. (Francis Chan, Crazy Love, 104)
There is a slight oxymoron in the combination of hope and joy. Joy normally stems from favorable circumstances in the present, whereas hope looks to the good of the future. Consequently, joy may be short-sighted regarding the future, and hope oblivious of the present. Paul, however, says to be joyful in hope. Christian joy finds its source not in the present (whether favorable or not), for that is a hope which “disappoint[s] us” (5:5). Christian joy consists in the hope of “our adoption as sons [and] the redemption of our bodies” (8:23-25). (James R. Edwards, New International Biblical Commentary: Romans, 294)
D- Realize that faith in Christ has given you peace/patience (Rom 5:1; Gal 5:22-23)
The people who are most sympathetic to those who are ill are those who have been ill themselves. Those who have never known illness are not very sympathetic towards people who are ill. I have seen many men and women like that, and I have known an illness or an operation do such people great good. It has introduced a new note into them, a note of sympathy and of understanding. It is tragic, is it not, that it takes tribulation to teach us these lessons, but that is the sort of people we are, because of what sin has done to us. (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans Chapter 12, 399)
If the world hates Christ (Mt 10:22; Jn 15:18), then affliction is one of the inevitable consequences for the follower of Christ. James says to “consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials” (1:2). Where affliction cannot be accepted with joy, then it must be endured with patience. Endurance (5:3; Col 3:13, “putting up with”) is itself a Christian virtue. If one cannot overcome one’s enemies, one may still hope to outlive them! Since the present world is not the final state of affairs, Christians hold on and hold out for the hope to come (Jn 16:33). For the present, enduring troubles prepares the soul for “an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Cor 4:17). (James R. Edwards, New International Biblical Commentary: Romans, 294-95)
“If you love, you will suffer, and if you do not love, you do not know the meaning of a Christian life.” -Agatha Christie
As we examine this thought, we shall understand why. Only two accusations can be made against us: a true one, or a false one. Now, if someone criticizes us for a fault, we have no right to be offended. As the world would say, we have it coming to us. So the Holy Spirit asks, “What credit is it, if when you do wrong and are beaten for it you take it patiently?” (1 Pt 2:20). Thus, if someone points his finger at me for something wrong which I have done, I must fall at the feet of my Lord, acknowledge that I have been an unfaithful witness, and ask Him to forgive me for having so dishonored His name. At the same time, I can thank Him that He has allowed so small a percentage of my misdeeds to be exposed to criticism. For the world finds out only 5 percent, we may say, of what they might find out about us. (Donald Grey Barnhouse, God’s Discipline, 84)
Thornton Wilder’s short play: Physician by pool of Bethesda getting ready to jump into the pool. An angel comes to the physician and says, “Stand back, healing is not for you. Without your wound, where would your power be that sends your low voice trembling into the hearts of men. We ourselves, the very angels of God in heaven, cannot persuade the wretched and blundering children of earth, as can one human being broken on the wheels of living. In love’s service only wounded soldiers will do.”
E- Realize that faith in Christ has given you a new relationship with God (Jn 1:12; Rom 8:12-17; Gal 4:1-7; 2 Pt 1:4)
The words describe the complete dedication demanded by (true) prayer. Nor is this admonition in vain; for as the ancient Fathers used to say: “There is no work quite so difficult as praying to God.” Such prayer demands a broken and contrite mind, yet also an exalted, victorious spirit. (Martin Luther, Commentary on Romans, 176)
Doubtless one of the reasons the Lord allows His children to go through tribulation is to drive them to Himself. The believer who has the strength to persevere in trials, afflictions, adversity, and misfortune–sometimes even deprivation and destitution–will pray more than occasionally. He will be devoted to prayer, in communion with his Lord as a constant part of his life. So should we all be, no matter what the circumstances of our lives. (John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Romans 9-16, 192)
Love to God will expel love to the world; love to the world will deaden the soul’s love to God. “No man can serve two masters”: it is impossible to love God and the world, to serve him and mammon. Here is a most fertile cause of declension in Divine love; guard against it as you would fortify yourself against your greatest foe. It is a vortex that has engulfed millions of souls; multitudes of professing Christians have been drawn into its eddy, and have gone down into its gulf. (Octavius Winslow, Personal Declension and Revival of Religion in the Soul, 56)
I don’t know about you, but I cannot simply muster up more love. I can’t manufacture patience just by gritting my teeth and determining to be more patient. We are not strong or good enough, and it doesn’t work that way. None of us can “do goodness” on our own, much less all the other elements that make up the fruit of the Spirit.
But despite our inability to change ourselves in this way, to simply become more peaceful or joyful, we expend a great deal of effort trying. We focus on what God wants us to do and forget the kind of people He wants us to be.
Instead of mustering up more willpower, let’s focus our energies and time on asking for help from the One who has the power to change us. Let’s take the time to ask God to put the fruit of His Spirit into our lives. And let’s spend time with the One we want to be more like. (Francis Chan, Forgotten God, 148)
What impact does your new life have on our world? (Mt 5:16; Jn 17:21; Phil 2:14-16)
Hilarity takes possession of our beings, enables them always to be growing toward greater wholeness (Shalom), and springs out of us as a fountain of life reaching out to others. Hilarity is the freedom to be truly ourselves. (Marva J. Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12, 136)
So I use the word Hilarity to describe the ideal Christian community, and my intention is to make us stop and think: what would it be like if the Christian Church were truly a community that thoroughly enjoyed being itself? It seems to me it could change the world! (Marva J. Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12, xi)
Why isn’t the Christian community more characterized by the FUN that could be ours as we delight in the exquisite creation of God? Why are we so afraid to go full tilt into life? Where is the Hilarity of sane thinking? (Marva J. Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12, 70)
Jesus taught us that a divided church is powerless before the enemy. Only love for the brethren like God’s and Christ’s will give us the victory. The world will be compelled to acknowledge that Christ’s love is present and working in us. . (Andrew Murray, Receiving Power from God, 43)
In any church where lives are being changed, marriages are being saved, and love is flowing freely, you’ll have to lock the doors to keep people from attending. People are attracted to churches with quality worship, preaching, ministry, and fellowship. Quality attracts quantity. (Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Church, 51)
Love in such a way that those who know you but don’t know God . . . will come to know God because they know you.
“The test of the vitality of a religion is to be seen in its effect on culture.” ~Elton Trueblood (Bob Briner, Roaring Lambs, 56)
When Christians criticize, carp, and complain but offer no alternatives, the world rolls its eyes, snickers, and moves on. It is really only when we offer a “more excellent way” that we command or deserve much attention. (Bob Briner; Roaring Lambs, 39)
It is extremely important that Christians stop quarreling, bickering, struggling against one another, and feeling strong resentment and hate. A church where these attitudes exist is a totally ineffective body in its community. A church that has this kind of activity going on can say nothing to which the world will pay any attention. (Ray C. Stedman, Body Life, 33)
It is clearly God’s intention that through the true church the world might see Jesus Christ at work. The world needs his ministry desperately, but it was never intended that worldlings should come to the church to find Christ. The church should be in the world. It is only thus that the world will understand that Christ is not dead, is not gone, and is not inactive. (Ray C. Stedman, Body Life, 94)
“You need to be winsome if you would win some.” (Leslie Flynn; 19 Gifts of the Spirit, 70)
You must get involved to have an impact. No one is impressed with the won-lost record of the referee. (John H. Holcomb, The Militant Moderate)
If the Church cannot have an impact on society without political power—it will only corrupt society and itself with political power.
It is not without its significance that the disciples are to be known by their love, the world by its hatred. (Leon Morris; The Gospel According to John, 602)
“Any fool can count the number of seeds in an apple, but only God can count the number of apples in a seed.” (Bishop Thomas – Imagine Conference SAFMC Oct 23, 2009)
We must recognize that the world does not owe the Church’s prophets a hearing and might not listen. Only as we become a Christian community with a truly biblical life-style can our prophetic words carry the credibility of a demonstrated alternative to the society around us. (Marva J. Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12, 107)
There is a battle, a war, and the casualties could be our hearts and souls. The Christian life is about passion. Passion for God and passion for people in need. These are the words and ideas that when enfleshed can changed the world. These are the things we live for. (Ken Gire; The Reflective Life, 67)
Worship point: If you take these words from Romans 12:1-13 seriously, and if you honestly look at your own life in relation to these standards of what it means to love sincerely; is there anything else you can do BUT worship when you realize the grace God has given you in light of your fallen, depraved and severely handicapped position? Worship Christ the Newborn King!
Spiritual Challenge: Come to realize all over again this Christmas that Jesus loved perfectly with all of these standards Paul lists for us in Romans 12. There is no one but Jesus who can claim any righteousness of their own. There is no one but Jesus who can claim to have lived up to this standard of sincere agape love. There is no one but Jesus who could die to pay the debt we owed. By faith in no one but Jesus can we have life. You want a challenge? Endeavor to live so as to never be lacking in zeal, keeping your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord, joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer, sharing with God’s people who are in need and, practicing hospitality. Then come to Jesus for grace and forgiveness as you realize your failure in being what Jesus taught us it means to be truly human.
If we do not show love to one another, the world has a right to question whether Christianity is true. — Francis A. Schaeffer
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