faith around the world

Hello gang,

Good to be with you again! How have you been? Good! some not so good...ah cool thanks for your honesty. Everyone doing great here in the boro'. The heat is starting to rise a bit, bodies are plunging into the water and under shade trees to find relief from the heat and humidity.

We have been discussing over the year, our faith and last blog entry was on acceptance. Today i would like for us to dissect Romans 1:8. The NIV translation reads v8 First i thank God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world.

Man, can you imagine. I mean look at what Paul just reported. Your faith is being reported all over the world. How? What were people saying? I look at the translation of faith, which in greek is pistis. i know be careful with that word, someone may think your mad hahaha and find this definition

) conviction of the truth of anything, belief; in the NT of a conviction or belief respecting man's relationship to God and divine things, generally with the included idea of trust and holy fervour born of faith and joined with it

1) the conviction that God exists and is the creator and ruler of all things, the provider and bestower of eternal salvation through Christ

b) relating to Christ

1) a strong and welcome conviction or belief that Jesus is the Messiah, through whom we obtain eternal salvation in the kingdom of God

c) the religious beliefs of Christians

d) belief with the predominate idea of trust (or confidence) whether in God or in Christ, springing from faith in the same

2) fidelity, faithfulness

a) the character of one who can be relied on

So when i read the definition then place in the scripture, Paul is saying your conviction, your strong and welcome belief that Jesus is the Messiah is being heard all over the world. So am i to believe that in this conviction, in this strong belief, manifested out into visible acts?

YES SIR! Galatians 5:22-26 (NIV)But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness v23 gentleness and self-control v24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires v25 Since we live by the Spirit let us keep in step with the Spirit v26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Like the words in the wonderful song by Mercy Me. "i can only imagine" a community not provoking each other or envying each other. i can only imagine a place where we are not keeping up with each other through the temporal but keeping in step with Spirit, that unites us through Jesus Christ! We have glimpses, that exercise the fruits in my presence, thank you. forgive me for the times i don't...

aaaahhhh that just might be what Paul was hearing from around the world. Yea, Paul days before sitting down through the Holy Spirit to write the letter to the Roman church, people are running to him, "Paul Paul have you heard about our brothers and sisters around the world? Paul their faith is growing, people are taking notice of the faith through forgiveness of each other through Jesus Christ. With so much excitment, the people keep runing to Paul, dust flying up as they stop in their tracks to report the news, they shake him to make sure he is listening, Paul Paul are you hearing me? Faith around the world?

I am hearing of faith also, and it is a sweet, sweet sound to my ears!

keep lovin em up gang!

accept

Hello gang,

You know when you look at a photograph, especially a group photo, do you ever wonder the moment right after everyone says Chhheeeeessseee and click? Yea the thoughts rolling through the minds as the photograph is done and we start other random conversations, like i think my eyes were closed, yea i was looking at the traffic behind the photographer, but for the moment in the picture, everyone was in harmony with each other in having their moment captured.

Paul talks about this harmony quiet often in his letters. The past few weeks i have camped out in Romans 14 and 15. Go ahead grab your sword and take a little journey with me. Depending on the version you have in your hands, Romans 14 comes right out of the gate and instructs us, again depending on your translation, to accept, receive, or welcome the one with weaker faith and to not argue, quarrel, don't pass judgment on what you "think" is right versus what your brother/sister "thinks" is right.

Now skip on over to Romans 15. Paul picks this subject up once again. You see the rest of 14 he detailed some areas that was causing our brothers/sisters to argue or not accept each other. Now over to 15 verse 1 Paul states (NLT) We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not please ourselves v2Each of us should please his neighbor for his good to build him up.....go to verse 7

v7Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God...WHAMO moment uh....wait a minute...hold the phone...uh Lord uh how, uh what are You asking me/us here? I know, i know, i know...now let's hang with each other here for a second and ask ourselves this question. How did Paul know his faith was that strong? Remember he said in verse 1 We who are strong....what was he using as a benchmark to determine that his faith was strong? Better yet, how do you and i determine how strong our faith is?.....or if we really want to, let's ask ourselves what are we utilizing to determine where one of our brothers or sisters faith is. hahahaha....

Get's us thinking a bit doesn't it? Sure does and has for me. As i continue to walk this life, and bounce this scripture off where i am walking, i see real quick how i pushback on folks, that may not think exactly like me, or how if someone has accepted me into their circle of friends, yet i'm selective about who comes into mine.

I guess it would be neat if we had faith o meter's or faith o mometer's that we could hold and show the "world" just how strong our faith really is. HMMMM, when you think about this for a second, we already have this measuring device, yea yea yea...Jesus talked about it after he washed the disciples feet. John 13:35 (NLT) Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples. Paul gives another in the letter to the Galatians chapter 5 verse 13 and 14..go check it out!

It's showing the world that yes we do and can disagree, but he/she is my brother in Christ and we are meeting each other back at the empty tomb to worship, to create unity, to manufacture harmony through our resurrected Savior who ACCEPTS me everyday through FAITH in HIM!

love em up!