Beyond Sunday - Week 25

Beyond Sunday

Week of July 14, 2024, 
“Celebration, Caution, Conclusion”
When in Rome Week 24, Romans 16

Thoughts: I am an introvert and a “task-oriented” person. Like nearly all people, I need and want emotionally and spiritually intimate relationships, in other words, community. I enjoy being around people, but in manageable doses. Larger groups especially deplete my “social batteries.” My task orientation makes me want to “get ‘er done” to quote a well-known comedian. After a certain amount of talking, I am ready to build something or fix something. After all, my nickname in our family is “Papa Fix-it.”
I have many good relationships, and yet I wish I was better at it, more like my wife. She has this amazing gift for seeing the best in people, making them feel known and valued, calling out in them the potential she sees, and building them up. I think in that regard, she is a lot like the Apostle Paul, who dedicated over half of Romans 16 to doing those things for his friends in the church at Rome.
I think Paul’s brief cautionary paragraph in Romans 16:17-19 where he warns against false and divisive teachers, reveals a little of what I hope I have in common with him, a desire to be discerning, to separate truth from error. I like to think that I have been gifted with discernment, and I know I must guard against allowing that to morph into cynicism. Cynicism would ignore or deny the transformative power of the Gospel in the life of another person.
I am so grateful that the Gospel is for EVERYONE, including me and those I love. Like Paul, I hope that “…all the Gentiles [all nations] might come to the obedience that comes from faith…” I know that God alone, “…him who is ABLE…” has the supernatural power required to develop the kind of authentic community Paul worked to establish and build up in Rome. I pray that He continues to build up the community that is Rock Hills Church.

Read:  Matthew 22:36-40, 1 John 4:19-21, 2 Timothy 1:5-8, Mark 3:31-35, Ephesians 3:14-19 

•All of Scripture reveals the Truth that relationships are of utmost importance to our triune God. First and foremost, our relationship with Him, and of nearly equal importance to God is our relationship with other people. Jesus connected our loving relationship with Him (the “vertical dimension”) to our relationships with other people (the “horizontal dimension of love”) in such a way that for either dimension to be right, both must be right.
•What do those first two passages reveal to you about God?
•Hate (used in 1 John 4) is a very strong word, but I imagine that like me, you have relationships that could be improved.
•How does your love for Jesus motivate you to improve your less-than-great-relationships?
•What is one small step or change you could make to move in that direction?
•What, if anything, would have to die in you to make that possible?
•In 2 Timothy, Paul does a wonderful job of speaking into Timothy, celebrating how Timothy is becoming who God designed him to be, and encouraging him to grow even more. Think of some people you could speak into and encourage. Make an action plan to spend time with them and do that.
•In Mark 3, Jesus reveals the value He places on SPIRITUAL family. That is the epitome of authentic community. Who are some of your spiritual family? Who might you invite into your spiritual family?
•In Ephesians, Paul prays for the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit to strengthen and empower the Ephesian community.
•What does it mean to you to be “rooted and established in love?”
•Paul prays that the Ephesians “may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Explain in your own words what he means by that.

Read:  Matthew 24:10-13, 2 Peter 2:1, Acts 17:11, 1 John 4:1, 1 Corinthians 1:10-13 

•The Scriptures tell us that there WILL BE false prophets and teachers, and deceivers attacking and/or infiltrating the church.
•What do these Scriptures teach you about protecting yourself, your faith, from them?
•In 1 Corinthians Paul warns about one specific source of division, sort of a “grassroots” division, that of elevating strong Christian leaders to an unhealthy level. What is the preventative that Paul prescribes?

Read: 2 Corinthians 3:17-18, 1 Corinthians 15:9-10, 2 Timothy 4:6-8 

•Paul writes to the Corinthians about the power of the Gospel not only to save, but to transform lives. He boldly uses himself as an example, writing that “His grace to me was not without effect.” As Troy asked on Sunday, “How is your life responding to God’s Grace?”
•Scholars believe that 2 Timothy was the very last letter written by Paul before he was executed, and so Pastor Troy brought it into our consideration of Paul’s conclusions. In 2 Timothy 4, Paul uses the metaphors of fighting the good fight, finishing a race, and holding onto his faith.
•It is good to ask ourselves, “Is every fight I am fighting, WORTH fighting?” How do you answer that question? What makes a fight worth fighting?
•I used to run half-marathons and marathons. I always had a general idea of the course layout, but had to rely on signage along the route or helpful volunteers to keep me on course. Our Christian Walk can be like that. How are you making sure that you are running the right race, staying on the course God wants you to follow?
•What challenges your faith, making it difficult to hold onto?

Pray: Praise God for bringing you into the authentic community of Rock Hills Church. If you have not yet put your faith in Jesus, start your faith journey today by accepting Him as your Savior{1}. Thank Jesus for making a way for you to get into right relationship with Almighty God. Thank Him for the way your life is being transformed.

Next Steps:
•We all need to surround ourselves with a community of others fully surrendered to God, a community that will support us as we walk closer to Him. Check the website here to see what groups might fit your schedule.
•If you have chosen to surrender completely to God, but have not yet declared that publicly by being water baptized, you can sign up to take that step here.
•If you want more info or help with surrendering your life to Jesus, or just want to share your news that you have made that choice, reach out to the church by calling (785) 775-0012, or email to info@myrockhillschurch.com

{1} If you want to receive the salvation that is available through Jesus, place your faith in Him. Fully trust His death as the sufficient sacrifice for your sins. Completely rely on Him alone as your Savior. That is the biblical method of salvation. If you have received Jesus as your Savior, say a prayer to God. Tell God how thankful you are for Jesus. Offer praise to God for His love and sacrifice. Thank Jesus for dying for your sins and providing salvation for you. That is the biblical connection between salvation and prayer.