|
|
|
        |
 |
 Newsletter Archive March 2010 March 28 March 14 March 7
|
  March 28, 2010 What Can We Learn from a List of
Names?
"12 Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, who have labored in the Lord. Greet the beloved Persis, who labored much in the Lord. 13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine. 14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas, Hermes, and the brethren who are with them. 15 Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. 16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. The churches of Christ greet you." - Romans 16:12-16 NKJV This passage is just a sampling of the names whom the apostle Paul greets at the church in Rome to whom he is writing. The greetings begin in verse 3 of chapter 16. Now, mind you, Paul has not been to Rome at this point, although some of the people he greets have been with him on his journeys. However, many others he knows only by reputation. Among those mentioned are Priscilla and Aquilla, fellow missionaries, who risked their lives for Paul; Epaenetus, one of the first converts in the region of Achaia; and a woman named Mary, who is especially noted for her hard work. He refers to Amplias, Stachys, and Persis each as his beloved in the Lord, people for whom he cared much and who apparently showed him great care. Apelles is "approved of Christ," suggesting that he is someone who had turned his life around. Tryphena and Tryphosa, along with the aforementioned Persis, "labored much in the Lord." There are several who are only mentioned by name, yet they, too, were noteworthy to Paul for their service in the church. If Paul were writing to our church, what would he say about you? Would you be mentioned? Have you labored much in the Lord? Are you approved of Christ? Would you be one of Paul's fellow workers? Most especially would you be one of the "beloved"? "This is my commandment," Jesus said, "that you love one another." Would you be noted for fulfilling the law of Christ? Let us live our lives within the church and without, so that those who come to visit, and those who greet us in the marketplace, may remember us for our deeds and our love in the Lord. Linwood Kemp Webmaster March 14, 2010 When Is a Sin Not a Sin?
"I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. . . . All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense. It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak. Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin." - Romans 14:14, 20-23 NKJV This is a tricky passage. The issue Paul was addressing was the offering of meat to idols. Some Christians felt that such meat should be considered ceremonially unclean, and therefore avoided in the marketplace. It was still perfectly good meat, however, and others, including Paul, believed that, under grace, such distinctions no longer mattered. It was okay to purchase and eat such meat. But the discussion doesn't revolve around who was right and who was wrong, but rather on what a person believes in his heart. If a person believes that something is wrong, then to him it is wrong. If he believes that it is all right, than for him it is not a sin. Sin, therefore, is not a matter of things or actions in themselves, but a matter of the heart. However, Paul doesn't stop there. We are still left with two factions. Those who believe something is a sin are naturally going to judge those who indulge, while those whose consciences are clear will have a tendency to look down upon those whom they consider to be still in bondage to rules. Paul says, "Don't do it!" Let love rule. If your actions are going to offend a fellow believer, or cause him to fall into sin, no matter how "clean" something is to you, it is better to abstain from it for the sake of your brother. In other words, if something is not sinful to you but will cause a brother to stumble, then it becomes a sin on that basis. Living by faith under grace is not always easy. It was much simpler when we could say that something was a sin, always a sin, and leave it at that. But under grace what is not sinful to me may be for you, and for that reason I need to be careful not to lead you into sin, lest I commit a sin against you! Instead of examining our every step, though, we simply need to live with an attitude of love and caring for others. There are two principles at work here. The first is that God does not look upon the outward appearance, but on the heart. It is the heart of the individual that defines whether something is a sin or not. The second is that godly love leads us away from sin. "No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us." (I John 4:12) So let's not squabble over who's right and who's wrong. Rather, examine your own heart, and then let your love shine. "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35). Linwood Kemp Web Admin March 7, 2010 Love
is the Fulfillment of the Law
Romans 13:8-10 (New King James Version): "8 Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet, and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law." How does love fulfill the Law of God? "You shall not commit adultery." The person who regards his friends and neighbors with a godly love does not destroy another's marriage, does not lead another into temptation, and does not wish ill will upon the spouse of another. "You shall not murder." Love has no room for the hate and anger that might wish another dead, nor does it have a careless disregard for the safety and welfare of others. "You shall not steal." Love respects another's property and does not take nor destroy what is valuable to another or what another has spent time and energy creating. "You shall not bear false witness." The person who loves does not bring harm upon another by false testimony, nor does he implicate others to try to protect himself. "You shall not covet." He who loves does not let envy cause him to desire that harm come upon another who is prosperous or who has done well. He does not desire that which he himself has not merited. Simply keeping the commandments does not produce love. One can behave properly and still harbor hate, jealousy, and ill-will in his heart. But when one loves, evil intentions are replaced, and the commandments are fulfilled of their own accord. Thus love is a greater force than the law. The Apostle Paul says we are to "owe no one anything except to love one another." This does not mean that we are not to have debts, but that our debts should not be overdue--except for the love that we owe to others. Because Christ died for us and forgave our sins, the debt of love we owe to him, and through him to others, is always overdue. Linwood Kemp Web Admin Home
: Calendar : The Upper Room
Copyright © 2007 Linden Street Christian Church. All Rights Reserved.
|
Archives May 2007 June 2007 Dec 2009 Jan 2010 Feb 2010 |