By Tyler M. McKinney
When was the last time that you had a real conversation that wasn’t just swapping stories about how your weekly routine has been? When was the last time you had the privilege of being really received into someone’s home?
Listen to what Paul says to the church in Rome.
9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. [1]
This describes a reality that we seek to allow God to have free reign over at Shadycrest. As God continues to send us new people, we must not be satisfied with being friendly. We must not be satisfied by sharing our space. We have no space. It is all God’s and so must our heart be also.
Let love be genuine-a miracle from God. We must be connected to a life transforming relationship where we are receiving love from God.
Love one another with brotherly affection-We must enjoy and participate in being a member of God’s family who seeks to find fulfillment in the way of Christ, which is always toward others.
Be fervent in Spirit-We must be more and more concerned and driven by what God wants and not what we prefer or are comfortable with. Our answer must be yes before we know the question.
Constant in prayer- “If Christians have won a battle by worldly means, we have really lost.” WE must be a church of prayer. IF we build a church by strategies and effort, it won’t be a church at all. We must confess, that we are dependent on hearing from God before we move. And in order to hear from God we must be constant in prayer.
Show Hospitality-be more than friendly. Share your life with people. Share the dinner table and welcome them as friends. If we are to fulfill the vision that God is giving to us, we must not only teach the things that Jesus taught, but we must behave and do what Jesus did. Truth without relationship is empty.
Life with Christ is an adventure to be pioneered by average souls redeemed by an extraordinary God. If we try to undertake the journey on our own, we will fail, but if we are led by the Spirit “We are more than conquerors”(Romans 8).
[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ro 12:9–13.
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