Friend

As we finish Paul’s letter to the community of Jesus followers living in Rome, I wanted to take a look at a passage that is easy to overlook; but extremely important.


Romans 16
1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a deacon in the church in Cenchrea.
2 Welcome her in the Lord as one who is worthy of honor among God’s people. Help her in whatever she needs, for she has been helpful to many, and especially to me.
3 Give my greetings to Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in the ministry of Christ Jesus.
4 In fact, they once risked their lives for me. I am thankful to them, and so are all the Gentile churches.
5 Also give my greetings to the church that meets in their home. Greet my dear friend Epenetus. He was the first person from the province of Asia to become a follower of Christ.
6 Give my greetings to Mary, who has worked so hard for your benefit.
7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews, who were in prison with me. They are highly respected among the apostles and became followers of Christ before I did.
8 Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord.
9 Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys.
10 Greet Apelles, a good man whom Christ approves. And give my greetings to the believers from the household of Aristobulus.
11 Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew. Greet the Lord’s people from the household of Narcissus.
12 Give my greetings to Tryphena and Tryphosa, the Lord’s workers, and to dear Persis, who has worked so hard for the Lord.
13 Greet Rufus, whom the Lord picked out to be his very own; and also his dear mother, who has been a mother to me.
14 Give my greetings to Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers and sisters who meet with them.
15 Give my greetings to Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and to Olympas and all the believers who meet with them.
16 Greet each other in Christian love. All the churches of Christ send you their greetings.


Friend. Our journey as Jesus followers wasn’t meant to be traveled alone. We need friends. As you can see, Paul had a lot of them. If you are wondering where to find these types of friends (I call them “journey relationships”), reread the passage and listen closely to when/where Paul found his. One way is through serving together ... Phoebe (2), Priscilla and Aquila (3), Mary (6), Andronicus and Junia (7), Urbanus (9), Tryphena and Tryphosa (12). The other is through groups that met together in houses ... Priscilla and Aquila’s group (5), Asyncritus’ group (14), Philologus’ group (15). At Eastside, we want to be a community that journeys together, not individually. If you haven’t already done so, I challenge you to take the next step in your journey by serving with one of our ministries or connecting with one of our groups this fall.

Stumble

When the church first began, there were numerous conflicts surrounding amoral activities. For example, there was a conflict about whether or not Jesus followers should eat certain foods. According to the laws God had given the people of Israel, these foods were forbidden; but Jesus taught that all food was acceptable (check out Mark 7:1-23). Similar conflicts concerning amoral activities among Jesus followers still exist. In today’s passage, Paul talks about how we should handle these situations.


Romans 14
10 So why do you condemn another believer? Why do you look down on another believer? Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.
11 For the Scriptures say, “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will confess and give praise to God.’”
12 Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God.
13 So let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall.
14 I know and am convinced on the authority of the Lord Jesus that no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat. But if someone believes it is wrong, then for that person it is wrong.
15 And if another believer is distressed by what you eat, you are not acting in love if you eat it. Don’t let your eating ruin someone for whom Christ died.
16 Then you will not be criticized for doing something you believe is good.
17 For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
18 If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too.
19 So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.
20 Don’t tear apart the work of God over what you eat. Remember, all foods are acceptable, but it is wrong to eat something if it makes another person stumble.
21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it might cause another believer to stumble.


Stumble. One of the most important “steps” a Jesus follower takes in their journey is the transition from self-centered to others-focused. This issue offers us an opportunity to work on that step. There is a lot of freedom in God’s grace ... a lot of things that we have the “right” to do while on our journey; but part of the process of maturing as a Jesus follower is knowing when my right interferes with my responsibility. It is our responsibility to help other Jesus followers on their journey and you never know when exercising your right might cause another follower to stumble.

Meanwhile

Every Wednesday, we review the previous weekend’s message. This past weekend, Jonathan talked about the life of Zacchaeus and our need to have an “outsider” in our entourage. Take a minute to reread his story...

Luke 19
1 Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town.
2 There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich.
3 He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd.
4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way.
5 When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.”
6 Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy.
7 But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled.
8 Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!”
9 Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham.
10 For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”


Meanwhile. I love how Luke slides that word into the story. Jesus could have let Himself get distracted by the grumbling. Instead, He focused on an individual the “people” tried to avoid ... an outsider. Today, there are still people that grumble about Jesus. We can allow ourselves to be distracted by those “people” or we focus on individuals that feel ignored or avoided in our time. There will always be debates and arguments about Jesus; meanwhile, God is still seeking out people that feel like outsiders and inviting them to come home ... and we can help.

Fulfill

Last week, Paul wrapped up his discussion of “justification” ... what God has done for us to make us right in His sight. Now, he is offering suggestions for how we should live as Jesus followers in response to what God has done for us.


Romans 11
1 Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God.
2 So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished.
3 For the authorities do not strike fear in people who are doing right, but in those who are doing wrong. Would you like to live without fear of the authorities? Do what is right, and they will honor you.
4 The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good. But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have the power to punish you. They are God’s servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong.
5 So you must submit to them, not only to avoid punishment, but also to keep a clear conscience.
6 Pay your taxes, too, for these same reasons. For government workers need to be paid. They are serving God in what they do.
7 Give to everyone what you owe them: Pay your taxes and government fees to those who collect them, and give respect and honor to those who are in authority.
8 Owe nothing to anyone - except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law.
9 For the commandments say, “You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.” These - and other such commandments - are summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
10 Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law.


Fulfill. When I was in high school, students would use Cliff’s Notes to avoid reading books in our Lit classes (not me of course). It turns out that the idea didn’t originate with Cliff. In verse 8, Paul offers his own version of “Cliff’s Notes” for God’s law.1 I’m not suggesting you avoid reading Leviticus and Deuteronomy (or that Paul was either); but I do appreciate the summary. The thing that stands out to me is how passionate God is about the way we treat each other. If you were taking a test on “fulfilling” God’s law, what grade would you earn?


1 Actually, Jesus came up with the concept first (check out Matthew 22:36-40). Paul was just the first one to publish it.