Romans 15:30-33 I urge you, brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. Pray that I may be kept safe from the unbelievers in Judea and that the contribution I take to Jerusalem may be favorably received by the Lord’s people there, so that I may come to you with joy, by God’s will, and in your company be refreshed. The God of peace be with you all. Amen.
As those who hear the most high, our spirits should be in a position of prayer, constantly communicating with God, for God has placed us in Christ as new creatures. We are IN CHRIST and He is IN US. Otherwise, we are never apart from the living God. Our temples have been made holy; Christ in us has made us holy. What prayers have we said today? What songs have we sung? What words have we expressed to God? We are holy people, living in a holy place. The Bible says we are a peculiar people. Every day we anticipate knowing God better, desiring to understand his heart because we are living as adopted children in the household of God. However, often we do not recognize our privileged position before God, failing even to whisper a prayer to him in the course of a day. Even though we are spiritually seated with God in heavenly places, we sometimes live as if this blessed existence with God is not ours. Paul exhibits no other belief than he is a new creature presently alive with Christ in the heavenly realm. Consequently, he talks about prayer repeatedly. Prayer is a daily venue for him. Just as Christ did with his disciples, Paul encourages believers to pray by the love of the Spirit, joining him in his struggle for God by praying for him and his safety. Sometimes, prayer is lacking in us because the world and its circumstance do not change as we desire in our prayers. We see continuous disruption and conflict around us. We see sickness afflicting even the best Christians, some dying too young, according to our thinking. We observe the sinful prospering, living long lives in good health. We know many of the righteous live subsistent lives in a world of material abundance. With all of this in mind, we hold back our prayers, for we do not see mountains moved or crooked roads straightened. We do not see the people we know healed, or the poor prosper, or the disabled in mind at peace. With this understanding, knowing the world seems to be going on as it has from the beginning of time, our prayers become fewer with less fervor and faith. The Psalmist in Psalm 73 had this problem of viewing the world in a skewed manner. His complaint is that the arrogant, boastful, antiGod elite of this world seem to have the best in this life; they are prosperous, healthy and secure. But in viewing the world this way, he concludes that he was a fool in his thinking. He was not looking at the world as God looks at it; with a determination of saving the righteous from destruction and bringing them into his household. I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you. Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you. But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds. (Psalm 73:22-28) The writer is saying, you, God, are my portion on this earth of the senses. I know you have my right hand, that your counsel is always in my ears. I will serve you; I will communicate with you; it is good to be near you. This is what prayer is all about. It is good to be near the Lord, to bring your petitions and desires before him. He loves you—you are eternally dear to him. Unbelievers in this world are living on a slippery slope. Sooner or later, they will slide into oblivion. Their lives will be measured in reference to God’s holiness, and they will be found wanting: destruction will be their destination.
Jesus desired us to pray. Prayer is an act of faith. Some people claim they have faith, but they do not pray or live lives of active faith. We should live our lives with an understanding that we, as believers, are constantly in the presence of the Lord. Therefore, we should desire to pray, to communicate to God our desires and needs. We should know He hears us, and He is a good God, desiring the best for us. Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:7-12) God is in the business of doing good, giving you what he has: eternal life. Doing to others what you want them to do to you is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. From the beginning of time, God is in the business of giving eternal life to all who would put their trust in him. Jesus will open the door to those who knock just as He will give to all who ask. The one who seeks God will find. God will not give you less than what you deserve. He will not give you a snake, or death, if you ask for a fish, or life. He gives good gifts to his children, including the best gift: eternal life. He wants to bring his family home into his kingdom. How does all this fit in with praying daily, fervently? Our lives are not our most precious possession: eternal life is the most precious possession that we hold in our being. Jesus said, do not fear those who can take away your life of the flesh, for that is not what is most important; fear only God who can take away eternal life As we now live in our earthly bodies, we should grasp the eternal nature of our existence. Prayer is important for it allows us to speak with God, and it does move the hand of God. And thinking of time as a clock, God is always moving the minute hand forward. We might pray to stop that progression or to move it backward because of some good thing we have in mind. Of course, when we pray that way, we should remember God’s eternal plan for our lives. The hand of the clock moving forward signifies the will of God for our lives. As Jesus spoke of prayer, He said let God’s will be done on Earth as it is in heaven. God’s will is eternal life for us. This is prayer: telling God our needs, asking him to intervene in our lives, and in everything allowing him to dictate how the clock’s hand of eternal life will move forward. Paul asked for a specific prayer: Pray that I may be kept safe from the unbelievers in Judea and that the contribution I take to Jerusalem may be favorably received by the Lord’s people there, so that I may come to you with joy, by God’s will, and in your company be refreshed. Yet we know the unbelievers in Jerusalem finally got Paul arrested. Rather than go to Rome in peace, Paul went to Rome in chains, under the supervision of the Roman army. The clock hand of eternal life was moving forward in Paul’s life. He had to accept a greater plan than his own All of us Gentiles are recipients of that hand moving forward in Paul’s teachings and in his life.
Dear friends, prayer is important! Living for God in anticipation and hope of what He will do in our lives is important! As we have already read, Paul wanted this hope for the church at Rome: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13) We need to live as new creatures in constant contact with our Maker. We are not alone in this world of the senses. God is with us every hour of every day of our lives. He has not abandoned us, leaving us alone to struggle through life by ourselves. The Holy Spirit came to abide in us, to guide, counsel, and teach us. When Jesus was with his disciples in this world, He probably lay down at night to be near them, maybe to quell their uneasiness over their struggles in life. He is also with us in the darkest of nights, when the pressures of life or the fears of the unknown grip our hearts, his presence is there to say, “I know this is hard, I am with you, do not be afraid.” He knows every unanswerable question and unreasonable fear that goes through our minds. He knows when the problems of life seem higher than our heads, but He is always near to calm down the mountains inside of us. His presence will move the mountains of our lives to other places if only we trust and believe. Our Christian lives are based on the foundation of his goodness and his nearness to us. Breakfast companions, pray to the One who is always with you. Pray to the God who understands your heart more than you understand yourselves. As in Paul’s life, the activities and things of this world might not go the way you desire. You might have wanted to walk a different path, one that looks much easier than the one you are walking on today. If the path you are on this day seems rough and dark, know that there is a companion walking with you: Jesus Christ. You would not have needed him as much on the easier path, but you will turn to him completely on this path. Activate your prayers and dwell upon God’s Word. Tell the Lord your fears, your misgivings, your mistakes. He will listen; He will have your right hand. As we read in the psalm above, I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. No matter what path you are on, if you have placed your trust in him, he is moving you to eternal life. The clock of your life is progressing towards everlasting life. God has given to you what you should present to others, his very best gift: eternal life. Live that life now in prayer, in song, in believing. You will find your heart comforted by his presence in you, the peace of God that passes all understanding.
Monday, January 28, 2019
Monday, January 21, 2019
Romans 15:23-29 Spiritual Blessings!
Romans 15:23-29 But now that there is no more place for me to work in these regions, and since I have been longing for many years to visit you, I plan to do so when I go to Spain. I hope to see you while passing through and to have you assist me on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company for a while. Now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem in the service of the Lord’s people there. For Macedonia and Achaea were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the Lord’s people in Jerusalem. They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews’ spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings. So after I have completed this task and have made sure that they have received this contribution, I will go to Spain and visit you on the way. I know that when I come to you, I will come in the full measure of the blessing of Christ.
Paul, endangered every day by violence, not knowing from one day to the next if he would survive the next challenge from the Jews who hated his message of Christ and his resurrection, was still planning for future events. No one really knows if Paul ever made it to Spain. There is much speculation about whether he ever set foot in Spain, but we do know he made it to Rome. We do know the Jews caught up with him in Jerusalem and brought him to Governor Felix with the intention of having the Romans kill Paul. Paul spent two years in prison in Israel before they granted his appeal to Caesar to bring justice to him as a Roman citizen. Hence, he was sent to Rome, there he died after spending two years ministering to the people while in custody of the Romans. Paul received his desire of a new work, a new mission field, a land where the people had hardly heard of Jesus Christ and his resurrection. They replied, “We have not received any letters from Judea concerning you, and none of our people who have come from there has reported or said anything bad about you. But we want to hear what your views are, for we know that people everywhere are talking against this sect.” (Acts 28:21-22) Paul’s imprisonment in Jerusalem and his subsequent imprisonment in Rome consisted of four years of his life. But in both places he did not stop ministering. He never quit preaching the gospel, in person or in letters. His desire of visiting Rome to tell the people there of the Good News was granted by God. He received his wish, but probably not in the package he had desired. Surely, he had never thought of going there as a prisoner, but God had other plans for him. God knew, just as He knew about Joseph’s venture into Egypt as a slave, that Paul would continue to be faithful to him. He knew Paul’s transformation from death to life was so ingrained into Paul very existence that he would not go back to the secular way of thinking. Paul was a new creature. As a new creature, born again, the light of God had entered into Paul’s temple. The Spirit of God was abiding richly in Paul. He was a fountain of the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ. Nothing could keep this fountain from flowing, not even imprisonment, not even the threat of death. He would endure to the end, believing always that God was with him, that God would never abandon him. He knew that his biological flesh was just a temporary tent. He found no permanency in this tent, for someday it would be folded in the shroud of death: he would move on to a new, eternal existence with God himself.
In the midst of our problems or in the mundaneness of living, do we believe that God and his existence is more real than anything we experience in this world? Paul believed in God’s reality. Even though, life in his last four years on Earth threw him a curve, one he did not anticipate, he did not give up his primary purpose for living: the spreading of the Good News to the lost. He endured to the end in his commission of telling about Jesus and his resurrection. Are we willing to endure to the end or do we let little things or maybe even big things such as illnesses or troubles detour us from our mission of carrying out the gospel in our lives? Above all else, do we want to be the image of God on Earth? Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 5:1-2) In today’s focus scripture, we see Paul’s thinking in his contemporary life was about others. Now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem in the service of the Lord’s people there. For Macedonia and Achaea were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the Lord’s people in Jerusalem. He lived for Christ every day. Do we live for Christ every day or do little things, good and bad, get in our way and keep us from doing the will of God? Are we letting God implement his will in our lives? Faith is the belief that God is real and that He is real in our lives regardless of our circumstances. His instructions, his directions, are more important than the will of the flesh. Faith believes that nothing supersedes the will of the Father and the supernatural existence of our souls; nothing we experience by our senses is as real as God and eternal life. Jesus emphasizes this when he talks about death and our importance to God. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. (Matthew 10:28) He is telling us that there is a more important existence than this biological one: a spiritual reality that comes from God. Paul believed that truth so much that he allowed his physical body to be in dangerous places, where people wanted to hurt him. They even tried to kill him several times. But he was determined to do the will of the Father. He was determined to carry out the purpose of his life: to live for God regardless of the threats on his life. He constantly moved his tent from place to place to reach more people for God. Our tents should be just as mobile. Every day we should seek out the work God has for us, maybe a new work, a new person to tell of the mercy and grace of God. We might not move to a different area or a different land as Paul did, but we can move from person to person in our lives, illustrating and telling of the goodness of God and of his salvation plan.
Paul tells the Romans that when he comes to them, he will come with the full measure of the blessing of Christ. Otherwise, God’s blessing will be upon him so that he might bless the Romans with the same blessing. We might say, how can Paul bless them with Christ’s blessing if he is in chains. Would the Romans realize that Paul’s chains are really a blessing? Of course, we understand two thousand years away from Paul’s life, that the chains he carried to Rome were an indication of God’s purpose in Paul’s life. God wanted Paul in Rome, and He wanted Paul as a prisoner in Rome, a slave to him. Paul carried the Good News to the Romans. What Good News you might say, he is in chains! But the Good News is that eternal life has come to all people who will place their trust and faith in Jesus Christ and his work on the cross. The Good News was the resurrection! The Good News was that God, the Creator of all things, wanted people to be part of his intimate family, known forever as children of God. What a great message, beyond our finite awareness, beyond our wildest imaginations! Paul wanted the people to know that God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:6-7) Paul was willing to be in chains for the dispersion of this message to the Romans. Are we willing to endure hardships, to be in chains in our lives? Will we agree to carrying out God’s purposes no matter how insignificant our lives seem to be, while we feel chained to the mundaneness of everyday pursuits, locked in our houses and jobs. Yes, we have plans to carry out for God, no matter what we think about our lives, no matter how significant or insignificant they are. We must remember we are his servants and we are precious to him. Jesus says that God loves us so much that he has inventory of the hairs on our heads. How many billions of hairs have fallen from people’s heads in the time it has taken you to read this breakfast. Our God is that great, greater than any computer, greater than our ability to understand what we are reading about who He is. He is the one who made the galaxies, the family of stars within each of the galaxies. He is the one who keeps track of every sparrow that flies through the air. His greatness, magnitude, eternalness is beyond our comprehension. This God of magnificence wants you as his child. Paul understood that message, gave his life for that message. The message of love that God has for humanity, his plan, is far above our understanding. He desires children; he desires to adopt us into his family. We can only be part of his family if we are new creatures: holy, without fault, completely acceptable to a sinless God. This position as new creatures comes about only through Christ’s work on the cross. Jesus paid the price for our redemption from sin. His holiness, his perfection are our holiness and perfection. As the temple in Jerusalem was built with precise measurements so that God’s Spirit could enter that temple, we, too, because of Christ work in us, are just as precise. We have the measurements within us that make it possible for God’s Holy Spirit to live in us. Of course, this measurement is Christ, the perfect one. God is at home in us, and we are at home with him. As we read in the Word, For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:3)
Paul, endangered every day by violence, not knowing from one day to the next if he would survive the next challenge from the Jews who hated his message of Christ and his resurrection, was still planning for future events. No one really knows if Paul ever made it to Spain. There is much speculation about whether he ever set foot in Spain, but we do know he made it to Rome. We do know the Jews caught up with him in Jerusalem and brought him to Governor Felix with the intention of having the Romans kill Paul. Paul spent two years in prison in Israel before they granted his appeal to Caesar to bring justice to him as a Roman citizen. Hence, he was sent to Rome, there he died after spending two years ministering to the people while in custody of the Romans. Paul received his desire of a new work, a new mission field, a land where the people had hardly heard of Jesus Christ and his resurrection. They replied, “We have not received any letters from Judea concerning you, and none of our people who have come from there has reported or said anything bad about you. But we want to hear what your views are, for we know that people everywhere are talking against this sect.” (Acts 28:21-22) Paul’s imprisonment in Jerusalem and his subsequent imprisonment in Rome consisted of four years of his life. But in both places he did not stop ministering. He never quit preaching the gospel, in person or in letters. His desire of visiting Rome to tell the people there of the Good News was granted by God. He received his wish, but probably not in the package he had desired. Surely, he had never thought of going there as a prisoner, but God had other plans for him. God knew, just as He knew about Joseph’s venture into Egypt as a slave, that Paul would continue to be faithful to him. He knew Paul’s transformation from death to life was so ingrained into Paul very existence that he would not go back to the secular way of thinking. Paul was a new creature. As a new creature, born again, the light of God had entered into Paul’s temple. The Spirit of God was abiding richly in Paul. He was a fountain of the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ. Nothing could keep this fountain from flowing, not even imprisonment, not even the threat of death. He would endure to the end, believing always that God was with him, that God would never abandon him. He knew that his biological flesh was just a temporary tent. He found no permanency in this tent, for someday it would be folded in the shroud of death: he would move on to a new, eternal existence with God himself.
In the midst of our problems or in the mundaneness of living, do we believe that God and his existence is more real than anything we experience in this world? Paul believed in God’s reality. Even though, life in his last four years on Earth threw him a curve, one he did not anticipate, he did not give up his primary purpose for living: the spreading of the Good News to the lost. He endured to the end in his commission of telling about Jesus and his resurrection. Are we willing to endure to the end or do we let little things or maybe even big things such as illnesses or troubles detour us from our mission of carrying out the gospel in our lives? Above all else, do we want to be the image of God on Earth? Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 5:1-2) In today’s focus scripture, we see Paul’s thinking in his contemporary life was about others. Now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem in the service of the Lord’s people there. For Macedonia and Achaea were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the Lord’s people in Jerusalem. He lived for Christ every day. Do we live for Christ every day or do little things, good and bad, get in our way and keep us from doing the will of God? Are we letting God implement his will in our lives? Faith is the belief that God is real and that He is real in our lives regardless of our circumstances. His instructions, his directions, are more important than the will of the flesh. Faith believes that nothing supersedes the will of the Father and the supernatural existence of our souls; nothing we experience by our senses is as real as God and eternal life. Jesus emphasizes this when he talks about death and our importance to God. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. (Matthew 10:28) He is telling us that there is a more important existence than this biological one: a spiritual reality that comes from God. Paul believed that truth so much that he allowed his physical body to be in dangerous places, where people wanted to hurt him. They even tried to kill him several times. But he was determined to do the will of the Father. He was determined to carry out the purpose of his life: to live for God regardless of the threats on his life. He constantly moved his tent from place to place to reach more people for God. Our tents should be just as mobile. Every day we should seek out the work God has for us, maybe a new work, a new person to tell of the mercy and grace of God. We might not move to a different area or a different land as Paul did, but we can move from person to person in our lives, illustrating and telling of the goodness of God and of his salvation plan.
Paul tells the Romans that when he comes to them, he will come with the full measure of the blessing of Christ. Otherwise, God’s blessing will be upon him so that he might bless the Romans with the same blessing. We might say, how can Paul bless them with Christ’s blessing if he is in chains. Would the Romans realize that Paul’s chains are really a blessing? Of course, we understand two thousand years away from Paul’s life, that the chains he carried to Rome were an indication of God’s purpose in Paul’s life. God wanted Paul in Rome, and He wanted Paul as a prisoner in Rome, a slave to him. Paul carried the Good News to the Romans. What Good News you might say, he is in chains! But the Good News is that eternal life has come to all people who will place their trust and faith in Jesus Christ and his work on the cross. The Good News was the resurrection! The Good News was that God, the Creator of all things, wanted people to be part of his intimate family, known forever as children of God. What a great message, beyond our finite awareness, beyond our wildest imaginations! Paul wanted the people to know that God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:6-7) Paul was willing to be in chains for the dispersion of this message to the Romans. Are we willing to endure hardships, to be in chains in our lives? Will we agree to carrying out God’s purposes no matter how insignificant our lives seem to be, while we feel chained to the mundaneness of everyday pursuits, locked in our houses and jobs. Yes, we have plans to carry out for God, no matter what we think about our lives, no matter how significant or insignificant they are. We must remember we are his servants and we are precious to him. Jesus says that God loves us so much that he has inventory of the hairs on our heads. How many billions of hairs have fallen from people’s heads in the time it has taken you to read this breakfast. Our God is that great, greater than any computer, greater than our ability to understand what we are reading about who He is. He is the one who made the galaxies, the family of stars within each of the galaxies. He is the one who keeps track of every sparrow that flies through the air. His greatness, magnitude, eternalness is beyond our comprehension. This God of magnificence wants you as his child. Paul understood that message, gave his life for that message. The message of love that God has for humanity, his plan, is far above our understanding. He desires children; he desires to adopt us into his family. We can only be part of his family if we are new creatures: holy, without fault, completely acceptable to a sinless God. This position as new creatures comes about only through Christ’s work on the cross. Jesus paid the price for our redemption from sin. His holiness, his perfection are our holiness and perfection. As the temple in Jerusalem was built with precise measurements so that God’s Spirit could enter that temple, we, too, because of Christ work in us, are just as precise. We have the measurements within us that make it possible for God’s Holy Spirit to live in us. Of course, this measurement is Christ, the perfect one. God is at home in us, and we are at home with him. As we read in the Word, For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:3)
Monday, January 14, 2019
Romans 15:17-22 Good News!
Romans 15:17-22 Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God. I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done—by the power of signs and wonders, through the power of the Spirit of God. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ. It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation. Rather, as it is written. “Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand.” This is why I have often been hindered from coming to you.
Paul constantly and aggressively pushed out the gospel to areas that had not been evangelized. He preached the gospel throughout Asia Minor and Macedonia and to the Greeks in Athens. His message of Jesus the Messiah to the Jews who lived in those areas was not accepted well, but many of the Gentiles, or barbarians, as Paul would call them, readily received this message of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. Now, Paul is telling the Roman Christians that he desires to come to them. He wants to preach the Good News not only to them, to support their faith, but also to those Romans who had never heard about Jesus Christ, the resurrected One. Paul’s life was given over to his Master on the road to Damascus. The challenge of preaching the Good News to the world was always on his mind and heart. He was definitely a slave for the Lord. On the road to Damascus, Jesus stopped him in his tracks and gave him a mission that he would never forget. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” (Acts 9:3-6) Paul did what Jesus told him. He was led to Damascus, for he was blind. In Damascus, Ananias, a prophet, told him about God’s intentions for his life. But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” (Acts 9:15-16) Immediately, when the Jews realized Paul, the persecutors of Christians, had changed his allegiance to the Christians, they tried to kill him for his betrayal. From that time on, Paul was in constant danger of being murdered by the Jews. Throughout the area, including Jerusalem, he was never assured of another day of life. In those days, traveling from one city to the next was a dangerous activity. No highway patrol, no police to protect you from the marauders and thieves as you traveled from city to city. Therefore, with a price on his head, Paul was not only in danger from the Jews, but also from the Gentiles. Yet, he continued to push his ministry into the frontiers of godlessness. Now, in this letter, he writes to tell the Romans that he intends to visit them on his way to Spain. His next venture, his next field of ministry, will be Rome and Spain. Paul’s commission from Christ still burns in his soul, no matter what the consequences for his biological life. In Paul, we find the consummate servant of the Lord. But we, too, are to be his servants in everything we do.
Every Christian has this dynamic commission on their lives: He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:15-16) The angels when announcing the birth of Christ said that this child would be a blessing to the whole world. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.” (Luke 2:10) How can Jesus bless the whole world if the people of the world have not heard of him? We have already read of Paul’s zeal for spreading the Good News: How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news! (Romans 10:14-15) We who are alive today are to spread the Good News to the people with whom we come into contact or to the people with whom we associate. We are to personify the Good News. People should see the resurrected Lord in the way we act and live. Our conversations should be righteous in nature, not dwelling excessively on the mundane, worldly things of this life. People should know us as positive people of goodwill, people who are honest, upright in our interactions with them. And when they find us as trustworthy and caring people, they will be more likely to allow us to minister in words the Good News to them. In our prayers, we should ask God to strengthen our daily intentions to spread the gospel of Christ. Many people and books tell us how to live: various doctrines, religions, philosophies, presentations, and the like try to help us make these few years of our brief existence meaningful. Words upon words have been written, have been spoken, about the purpose of life. However, most people are quite bogged down into just the process of living from day to day. In their best of intentions, they try to incorporate into their lives some of these ideas about a purposeful life. With the seeming confusion around us, some people have just given up in finding a deeper reason for their lives; they live only to eat, drink, and be merry. Paul would have agreed with this choice if there were no resurrection. He wrote: If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. (1 Corinthians 15:19) But as we all should know, Paul understood he had something precious to offer: he came into people’s lives with the Good News, the news of ETERNAL LIFE for anyone who would believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Paul brought eternal life everywhere he went. We too are to bring this gospel message wherever we go.
How should we live then? When Jesus was tempted by the devil, He gave us the answer: “It is written: ’Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4) We should seek God every day, read his Word. We need to pay attention to the Holy Spirit inside of us, leading us on God’s paths. Our lives should be full of faith rather than based on our senses. As new creatures, transformed barbarians, we need to know the still, quiet voice within us saying lovingly, “Follow me and I will make your lives significant for others, for those in a dark, sinful world. I will make you lights. Through you, I will feed the poor, I will stroke the brow of the feverish, I will house the homeless, I will take care of the old, the helpless.” We are to be the light of the world. Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16) By being a light, we separate ourselves from those who live only for themselves. So many doctrines, philosophies, and religions are attuned only to self, the bettering of self. We, who are IN CHRIST, become people who love their neighbors as themselves. The gift of the Spirit has been given to us to serve others. He has come to set us free from the bondage to our wills of serving self, so we can accept the will of God, of serving others. However, beware of the hardening of your hearts, beware of going back to the barbarian nature of serving ourselves first. This nature originated from the very beginning in the Garden. Adam and Eve felt they could make a better creation by having their own way, serving themselves. Yes, they thought God’s plan of creation was good, but they could make it better by eating of the tree of knowledge. They said, we will serve ourselves at that tree. This placed man above God’s will. From that time on, we have seen conflict, wars, killings; for self was placed above everything and everyone else. But Paul and all believers are to bring the Good News of sacrificial love to others through words and actions. We are to expound to the world that a new creature is needed within us, a new creature that can only be established by believing in Jesus Christ and his works. As He was resurrected to a new life, we must also be resurrected with him to a new life that displays love for our neighbors, for the world. Faith in Jesus makes us new creatures. We will accept the purposes of God into our hearts. We will become fully committed to the plan of God in this world. Those who find themselves alive IN CHRIST, will have peace to bring to the world. Their very words will be of peace, mercy, and grace. This peace can bring harmony to families, to communities, to nations. Paul is going to Rome to speak and act out that wonderful Good News. Let us go to our communities to share and personify the Good News. When we come to the end of life’s journey, may we all be able to say with our brother, Paul, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.
Paul constantly and aggressively pushed out the gospel to areas that had not been evangelized. He preached the gospel throughout Asia Minor and Macedonia and to the Greeks in Athens. His message of Jesus the Messiah to the Jews who lived in those areas was not accepted well, but many of the Gentiles, or barbarians, as Paul would call them, readily received this message of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. Now, Paul is telling the Roman Christians that he desires to come to them. He wants to preach the Good News not only to them, to support their faith, but also to those Romans who had never heard about Jesus Christ, the resurrected One. Paul’s life was given over to his Master on the road to Damascus. The challenge of preaching the Good News to the world was always on his mind and heart. He was definitely a slave for the Lord. On the road to Damascus, Jesus stopped him in his tracks and gave him a mission that he would never forget. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” (Acts 9:3-6) Paul did what Jesus told him. He was led to Damascus, for he was blind. In Damascus, Ananias, a prophet, told him about God’s intentions for his life. But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” (Acts 9:15-16) Immediately, when the Jews realized Paul, the persecutors of Christians, had changed his allegiance to the Christians, they tried to kill him for his betrayal. From that time on, Paul was in constant danger of being murdered by the Jews. Throughout the area, including Jerusalem, he was never assured of another day of life. In those days, traveling from one city to the next was a dangerous activity. No highway patrol, no police to protect you from the marauders and thieves as you traveled from city to city. Therefore, with a price on his head, Paul was not only in danger from the Jews, but also from the Gentiles. Yet, he continued to push his ministry into the frontiers of godlessness. Now, in this letter, he writes to tell the Romans that he intends to visit them on his way to Spain. His next venture, his next field of ministry, will be Rome and Spain. Paul’s commission from Christ still burns in his soul, no matter what the consequences for his biological life. In Paul, we find the consummate servant of the Lord. But we, too, are to be his servants in everything we do.
Every Christian has this dynamic commission on their lives: He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:15-16) The angels when announcing the birth of Christ said that this child would be a blessing to the whole world. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.” (Luke 2:10) How can Jesus bless the whole world if the people of the world have not heard of him? We have already read of Paul’s zeal for spreading the Good News: How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news! (Romans 10:14-15) We who are alive today are to spread the Good News to the people with whom we come into contact or to the people with whom we associate. We are to personify the Good News. People should see the resurrected Lord in the way we act and live. Our conversations should be righteous in nature, not dwelling excessively on the mundane, worldly things of this life. People should know us as positive people of goodwill, people who are honest, upright in our interactions with them. And when they find us as trustworthy and caring people, they will be more likely to allow us to minister in words the Good News to them. In our prayers, we should ask God to strengthen our daily intentions to spread the gospel of Christ. Many people and books tell us how to live: various doctrines, religions, philosophies, presentations, and the like try to help us make these few years of our brief existence meaningful. Words upon words have been written, have been spoken, about the purpose of life. However, most people are quite bogged down into just the process of living from day to day. In their best of intentions, they try to incorporate into their lives some of these ideas about a purposeful life. With the seeming confusion around us, some people have just given up in finding a deeper reason for their lives; they live only to eat, drink, and be merry. Paul would have agreed with this choice if there were no resurrection. He wrote: If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. (1 Corinthians 15:19) But as we all should know, Paul understood he had something precious to offer: he came into people’s lives with the Good News, the news of ETERNAL LIFE for anyone who would believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Paul brought eternal life everywhere he went. We too are to bring this gospel message wherever we go.
How should we live then? When Jesus was tempted by the devil, He gave us the answer: “It is written: ’Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4) We should seek God every day, read his Word. We need to pay attention to the Holy Spirit inside of us, leading us on God’s paths. Our lives should be full of faith rather than based on our senses. As new creatures, transformed barbarians, we need to know the still, quiet voice within us saying lovingly, “Follow me and I will make your lives significant for others, for those in a dark, sinful world. I will make you lights. Through you, I will feed the poor, I will stroke the brow of the feverish, I will house the homeless, I will take care of the old, the helpless.” We are to be the light of the world. Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16) By being a light, we separate ourselves from those who live only for themselves. So many doctrines, philosophies, and religions are attuned only to self, the bettering of self. We, who are IN CHRIST, become people who love their neighbors as themselves. The gift of the Spirit has been given to us to serve others. He has come to set us free from the bondage to our wills of serving self, so we can accept the will of God, of serving others. However, beware of the hardening of your hearts, beware of going back to the barbarian nature of serving ourselves first. This nature originated from the very beginning in the Garden. Adam and Eve felt they could make a better creation by having their own way, serving themselves. Yes, they thought God’s plan of creation was good, but they could make it better by eating of the tree of knowledge. They said, we will serve ourselves at that tree. This placed man above God’s will. From that time on, we have seen conflict, wars, killings; for self was placed above everything and everyone else. But Paul and all believers are to bring the Good News of sacrificial love to others through words and actions. We are to expound to the world that a new creature is needed within us, a new creature that can only be established by believing in Jesus Christ and his works. As He was resurrected to a new life, we must also be resurrected with him to a new life that displays love for our neighbors, for the world. Faith in Jesus makes us new creatures. We will accept the purposes of God into our hearts. We will become fully committed to the plan of God in this world. Those who find themselves alive IN CHRIST, will have peace to bring to the world. Their very words will be of peace, mercy, and grace. This peace can bring harmony to families, to communities, to nations. Paul is going to Rome to speak and act out that wonderful Good News. Let us go to our communities to share and personify the Good News. When we come to the end of life’s journey, may we all be able to say with our brother, Paul, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.
Monday, January 7, 2019
Romans 15:14-16 Full of Goodness!
Romans 15:14-16 I myself am convinced, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with knowledge and competent to instruct one another. Yet I have written you quite boldly on some points to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles. He gave me the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
Dear friends who sit around this breakfast table, partaking of the Holy Spirit’s offering for this day, understand that Paul encourages you to be light in the communities where you live. In today’s focus he calls you to action, saying, I myself am convinced, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with knowledge and competent to instruct one another. He affirms that you have the goodness of the Spirit in you and are filled with enough knowledge to teach each other. How often do we seek more information from the Bible or from others such as our ministers merely to survive in this world. This behavior is not necessarily bad, for we do gather together in our communities of worship to encourage each other, to hear more of the biblical account of God and his grace, but we also are competent in our daily walk to instruct one another. Jesus said that He had to go away so He could send the Holy Spirit to the world; to abide in each believer; to make him or her a light in a dark and desperate world. Jesus’ going away through his death and resurrection was for our redemption, but the coming of the Holy Spirit to us is for our renewal, our empowerment, to reveal Christ in our daily walk. Paul tells the Roman Christians that they have plenty of knowledge, the capability to spread the light of God’s image to everyone inside and outside of the church. He tells them they have sufficient knowledge of God and his grace to be ambassadors of God’s will on Earth. They may live in a foreign land, a spiritually sparse land, but the Spirit of God abides in this land within them with manna to help make them competent servants of the Most High. After consuming manna in this wilderness, Christians should not go back to rest in their tents; they are to move on, following the Spirit’s cloud by day and the pillar of fire at night. God has a daily mission for us Christians. Each day, the Spirit talks to us about how to live our lives. As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:1-6) As prisoners of the Lord, filled with the Spirit of God, we are to live according to his calling. He died for the world because of his great love for all people. Jesus died for others because of his desire to fulfill the will of the Father. We are to die to this world because of Jesus, our Lord’s desire, not for the sake of death, but to rescue a world that is on the path of eternal death. Jesus came that all who believe in him should live with the Father forever. We who are alive IN CHRIST, ambassadors to his purposes, should so live that the people around us will come to the knowledge of knowing Christ and his eternal life.
Follow God’s example as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 5:1-2) We who are alive IN CHRIST are to walk in the way of love, proclaiming the gospel of God. We are more than able to do that through the power of the resurrected Christ. Paul says that we are competent to be ministers. Not only should our words reveal Christ, but our actions also. We are to leave behind the thinking and actions of this world: immorality, impurity, and greediness. Every day, we are to step into the kingdom of love, grace, mercy and sacrifice. Our lives should be filled with attempts to satisfy the needs of others more than our own. Paul accentuates the sin of greed in his message to the Ephesians: For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. (Ephesians 5:5) The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines greed as “a selfish and excessive desire for more of something (such as money) than is needed.” This idolatrous behavior of desiring more of everything has infected our modern world; more always seems to be better, even if it is not needed. But Christ has called believers to a higher standard than focusing on just more of everything. He has called us to be servants of our loving Father, to serve the world as servants even as slaves for the purposes of revealing his love. We should imitate our Father for we are his children. As we read in Paul’s writing, So be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma. (Ephesians 5:10) Paul was given the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God. He revealed God through his actions and words. He exhibited grace and mercy. He was beaten often, threatened by others, not assured of whether he would live another day. Yet, he continued to serve God in his daily walk. We, too, should serve God openly in our daily journey. We are not anemic Christians, needing another sermon, another encouragement. As Paul said, we are competent to do the will of the Father. We have enough knowledge, enough understanding of God’s purposes to be his lights on this earth. Even in the body of Christ, we often see inactivity rather than actions. Sometimes, even the sinful attitude of self creeps into the demeanor and the behavior of the community of Christ. Words that should not have been said, actions that should not have been displayed are sometimes present within the body of Christ. But Paul says that God has given us his goodness, the ability to understand, and the competence to teach each other. We should behave accordingly in and out of the church
We can best understand the body of Christ by looking at the behaviors and actions of a well-founded marriage for Jesus calls the church his bride. The Bible says, Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. (Ephesians 5:25) Christ gave his life for the church. Husbands are to be willing to give up their lives for their wives. We see that a husband will leave his world for the benefit of his wife. He will unite with his wife unreservedly. A Christian will leave his old world and unite with the body of Christ with a fervency to protect everyone in the church. By doing so, the man becomes one with the body. He becomes one with the church, buried IN THE CHRIST. We see in the Bible that the wife must respect her husband. (Ephesians 5:33) The wife must come along side her husband, keeping in step, in harmony. They will live side-by-side, for the wife honors her husband by living in a state of closeness. In the church, we not only become part of the body of Christ, we live in this world side-by-side with Christ. We do not let anything come in between that intimate relationship. If we do let some outside influence affect our love for God, such as loving the world more than Christ, we become adulterers. Our intimate side-by-side relationship is no longer there for something or someone else becomes the love of our hearts. This adulterous relationship will destroy our covenant relationship with God, a relationship based on faithfulness and intimacy and a commitment to sharing the gospel of God. Consequently, we who are sitting around this breakfast table must never allow anything else to come between us and God, the Creator of all things. He has made us to live with him eternally. Eve was made out of Adam’s side. We have been made in God’s image, out of his Being. We are to live side-by-side with him forever. We are to RESPECT his authority. As Paul says we are filled with his goodness. Let us live that way, let us cleave to his side. Let us flee from our old lives, and live actively the life of a NEW CREATURE, made in God’s image. Jesus prayed for his disciples and for those who would believe in the message, My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. (John 17:20-21)
Dear friends who sit around this breakfast table, partaking of the Holy Spirit’s offering for this day, understand that Paul encourages you to be light in the communities where you live. In today’s focus he calls you to action, saying, I myself am convinced, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with knowledge and competent to instruct one another. He affirms that you have the goodness of the Spirit in you and are filled with enough knowledge to teach each other. How often do we seek more information from the Bible or from others such as our ministers merely to survive in this world. This behavior is not necessarily bad, for we do gather together in our communities of worship to encourage each other, to hear more of the biblical account of God and his grace, but we also are competent in our daily walk to instruct one another. Jesus said that He had to go away so He could send the Holy Spirit to the world; to abide in each believer; to make him or her a light in a dark and desperate world. Jesus’ going away through his death and resurrection was for our redemption, but the coming of the Holy Spirit to us is for our renewal, our empowerment, to reveal Christ in our daily walk. Paul tells the Roman Christians that they have plenty of knowledge, the capability to spread the light of God’s image to everyone inside and outside of the church. He tells them they have sufficient knowledge of God and his grace to be ambassadors of God’s will on Earth. They may live in a foreign land, a spiritually sparse land, but the Spirit of God abides in this land within them with manna to help make them competent servants of the Most High. After consuming manna in this wilderness, Christians should not go back to rest in their tents; they are to move on, following the Spirit’s cloud by day and the pillar of fire at night. God has a daily mission for us Christians. Each day, the Spirit talks to us about how to live our lives. As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:1-6) As prisoners of the Lord, filled with the Spirit of God, we are to live according to his calling. He died for the world because of his great love for all people. Jesus died for others because of his desire to fulfill the will of the Father. We are to die to this world because of Jesus, our Lord’s desire, not for the sake of death, but to rescue a world that is on the path of eternal death. Jesus came that all who believe in him should live with the Father forever. We who are alive IN CHRIST, ambassadors to his purposes, should so live that the people around us will come to the knowledge of knowing Christ and his eternal life.
Follow God’s example as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 5:1-2) We who are alive IN CHRIST are to walk in the way of love, proclaiming the gospel of God. We are more than able to do that through the power of the resurrected Christ. Paul says that we are competent to be ministers. Not only should our words reveal Christ, but our actions also. We are to leave behind the thinking and actions of this world: immorality, impurity, and greediness. Every day, we are to step into the kingdom of love, grace, mercy and sacrifice. Our lives should be filled with attempts to satisfy the needs of others more than our own. Paul accentuates the sin of greed in his message to the Ephesians: For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. (Ephesians 5:5) The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines greed as “a selfish and excessive desire for more of something (such as money) than is needed.” This idolatrous behavior of desiring more of everything has infected our modern world; more always seems to be better, even if it is not needed. But Christ has called believers to a higher standard than focusing on just more of everything. He has called us to be servants of our loving Father, to serve the world as servants even as slaves for the purposes of revealing his love. We should imitate our Father for we are his children. As we read in Paul’s writing, So be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma. (Ephesians 5:10) Paul was given the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God. He revealed God through his actions and words. He exhibited grace and mercy. He was beaten often, threatened by others, not assured of whether he would live another day. Yet, he continued to serve God in his daily walk. We, too, should serve God openly in our daily journey. We are not anemic Christians, needing another sermon, another encouragement. As Paul said, we are competent to do the will of the Father. We have enough knowledge, enough understanding of God’s purposes to be his lights on this earth. Even in the body of Christ, we often see inactivity rather than actions. Sometimes, even the sinful attitude of self creeps into the demeanor and the behavior of the community of Christ. Words that should not have been said, actions that should not have been displayed are sometimes present within the body of Christ. But Paul says that God has given us his goodness, the ability to understand, and the competence to teach each other. We should behave accordingly in and out of the church
We can best understand the body of Christ by looking at the behaviors and actions of a well-founded marriage for Jesus calls the church his bride. The Bible says, Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. (Ephesians 5:25) Christ gave his life for the church. Husbands are to be willing to give up their lives for their wives. We see that a husband will leave his world for the benefit of his wife. He will unite with his wife unreservedly. A Christian will leave his old world and unite with the body of Christ with a fervency to protect everyone in the church. By doing so, the man becomes one with the body. He becomes one with the church, buried IN THE CHRIST. We see in the Bible that the wife must respect her husband. (Ephesians 5:33) The wife must come along side her husband, keeping in step, in harmony. They will live side-by-side, for the wife honors her husband by living in a state of closeness. In the church, we not only become part of the body of Christ, we live in this world side-by-side with Christ. We do not let anything come in between that intimate relationship. If we do let some outside influence affect our love for God, such as loving the world more than Christ, we become adulterers. Our intimate side-by-side relationship is no longer there for something or someone else becomes the love of our hearts. This adulterous relationship will destroy our covenant relationship with God, a relationship based on faithfulness and intimacy and a commitment to sharing the gospel of God. Consequently, we who are sitting around this breakfast table must never allow anything else to come between us and God, the Creator of all things. He has made us to live with him eternally. Eve was made out of Adam’s side. We have been made in God’s image, out of his Being. We are to live side-by-side with him forever. We are to RESPECT his authority. As Paul says we are filled with his goodness. Let us live that way, let us cleave to his side. Let us flee from our old lives, and live actively the life of a NEW CREATURE, made in God’s image. Jesus prayed for his disciples and for those who would believe in the message, My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. (John 17:20-21)
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