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Romans 12:6-16a - B.C.P. 2nd after Epiphany

Ro:12:6: Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; 7: Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; 8: Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness. 9: Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. 10: Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; 11: Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; 12: Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; 13: Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality. 14: Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. 15: Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. 16: Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. ( Be not wise in your own conceits. 17: Recompense to no man evil for evil. )

PRAY

At a meeting of the American Psychological Association, two psychologists presented their findings on how members of the various sections of 11 major symphony orchestra perceived each other.

The percussionists were viewed as insensitive, unintelligent, and hard-of-hearing, yet fun-loving. String players were seen as arrogant, stuffy, and unathletic. The orchestra members overwhelmingly chose "loud" as the primary adjective to describe the brass players. Woodwind players seemed to be held in the highest esteem, described as quiet and meticulous, though a bit egotistical. Interesting findings, to say the least! With such widely divergent personalities and perceptions, how could an orchestra ever come together to make such wonderful music? The answer is simple: regardless of how those musicians view each other, they subordinate their feelings and biases to the leadership of the conductor. Under his guidance, they play beautiful music.

Last week we saw from verses 1-5 of this Chapter that we are to be living sacrifices, transformed by minds renewed by God the Holy Spirit living inside us. At the end of that reading it referred to us being united and different parts of the body of Christ, the church.

Paul now refers to some of the gifts that the Holy Spirit gives to help build up the church. These are gifts and, therefore, are given freely and have no status. God gives different gifts to all believers and having a particular gift doesn't mean that God that God favours one believer over another.

In this passage Paul refers to one third of the total of the gifts listed in all of his letters. prophesying. is speaking the words of God in a particular setting and does not necessarily involve predicting what will happen in the future.

ministering or serving. Any kind of service needed by the body of Christ or by any of its members.

teaching. Where the gift of teaching is mentioned it usually goes alongside pastoring or caring for people. Indeed, without knowing people it is difficult to teach them. This is why the Church of England has it's clergy living within the parishes that they serve and teach.

12:8 he that exhorteth (encouraging) Exhorting others with an uplifting, cheerful call to do what is right. The teacher often carried out this function. In teaching, the believer is shown what he must do; in encouraging, he is helped to do it.

he that giveth (contributing) Giving what is one's own, or possibly distributing what has been given by others.

he that ruleth Possibly a reference to an elder. The Ephesian church had elders by about this time. Church leadership is to be carried out diligently industriously, steadily and earnestly.

he that sheweth mercy Caring for the sick, the poor and the aged. cheerfully. Serving the needy should be a delight, not a chore.

When Paul writes about gifts this is always accompanied by the need for the gifts to be accompanied by love. In all of his letters where he refers to gifts this is always accompanied by stressing the need for and, on occasions, the superiority of, Love. Some of the early church thought that the gifts were the mark of a true believer, and if you had certain gifts you were better than others. But Paul makes it clear that love is the mark of a true believer. Here he mentions two types of love.

William Gladstone, in announcing the death of Princess Alice to the House of Commons, told a touching story. The little daughter of the Princess was seriously ill with diphtheria. The doctors told the princess not to kiss her little daughter and endanger her life by breathing the child's breath. Once when the child was struggling to breathe, the mother, forgetting herself entirely, took the little one into her arms to keep her from choking to death. Rasping and struggling for her life, the child said, "Mummy, kiss me!" Without thinking of herself the mother tenderly kissed her daughter. She got diphtheria and some days later died. Real love forgets self. Real love knows no danger. Real love doesn't count the cost.

First he uses the word agape in the Greek. This refers to a selfless, sacrificial love and is shown in God's love for us. 9 NIV Love must be sincere. This is the type of love that Christians are to show to others. Reflecting the love that they have received from God.

sincere. True love, not pretense. In view of the preceding paragraph, with its emphasis on doing, the love Paul speaks of here is not mere emotion but is active love, rejecting evil and clinging to what is good.

Paul then uses the word philos, which refers to an affectionate love felt by friends for one another. 10: Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; Believers are also to have this type of love for one another. It is love to be shown within the family of God.

in honour preferring one another; Only a mind renewed by the Holy Spirit (see v. 2) could possibly do this.

11: Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;

11 ( NIV ) Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Just as an athlete keeps his appetite for, say, running by training, so Christians are to grow in their faith by exercising their spiritual gifts. Christianity is not a spectator sport.

Rejoicing in hope; The certainty of the Christian's hope is a cause for joy (see 5:5; see also 8:16-25; 1Pe 1:3-9).

patient in tribulation; Enduring triumphantly, necessary for a Christian, because affliction is his inevitable experience (see Jn 16:33).

continuing instant in prayer; or NIV faithful in prayer. One must not only pray in hard times, but also maintain communion with God through prayer at all times (see Lk 18:1; 1Th 5:17).

13: Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality. This is linked with 'he that giveth', verse 8. Some people have the means and the gift of giving, but every Christian has a social responsibility to all people, but especially to other believers (see Gal 6:10).

14: Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. He continues... 17: Recompense to no man evil for evil.

We live in a world where the response to violence is to inflict it in others. We saw this in the way the U.S.A. attacked Afghanistan after the events of September 11th. We see this in Northern Ireland, Palestine and Israel, and all over the world. Paul is echoing Jesus' teaching in Mt 5: 43 "You have heard that it was said, `Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Christians are to be different to mimic God and follow His way. This is a way of peace.

15: Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. 16: Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. ( Be not wise in your own conceits. )

Since before Christmas Melanie has had toothache. This has affected all of her. When one part of the body is hurt it affects other parts of the body. This is why the church is likened to a body. Identification with others in their joys and in their sorrows is a Christian's privilege and responsibility. I was encouraged recently when a member of our congregation who has been unwell told me of the love and prayers of the congregation. At the start of our 10.30 a.m. service we find out if anyone has anything to celebrate, like a birthday or anniversary, and we all celebrate together. We even sing 'Happy Birthday' on occasions !

The unity and diversity that we touched upon last week is to be shown by Christians identifying with one another and using their different gifts to build up the body of Christ, the church, spiritually and numerically.

PRAY

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15/1/06 8 a.m. Romans 12:6-16a - B.C.P. 2nd after Epiphany

Romans :12:6: Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; 7: Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; 8: Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness. 9: Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. 10: Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; 11: Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; 12: Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; 13: Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality. 14: Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. 15: Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. 16: Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. ( Be not wise in your own conceits. 17: Recompense to no man evil for evil. )

PRAY

Tennis is one of the few pastimes where love means nothing. Today's Epistle is about love.

Last week we saw from verses 1-5 of this Chapter that we are to be living sacrifices, transformed by minds renewed by God the Holy Spirit living inside us. This is to be how we are to worship God. This is one of the marks of the early church. The others which I mentioned in my January letter in the Parish news are Evangelizing; Learning and Loving.

Loving:

First Paul uses the word agape in the Greek. This refers to a selfless, sacrificial love and is shown in God's love for us.

9 NIV Love must be sincere/without dissimulation. True love, not pretense. This is the type of love that Christians are to show to others. Reflecting the love that they have received from God.

With its emphasis on doing the love Paul speaks of here is not mere emotion but is active love, rejecting evil and clinging to what is good.

How are we to love. -

Loving by - putting others before ourselves, vs 9-10. God, others, self.

- giving to needy Christians v13a

- being hospitable v13b entertaining strangers,

cf welcome to church

- empathizing verses 14f

Loving in the church by using our gifts, verse 6-8

Loving to God - in prayer v12

- in service v11, linked to gifts but involves more, cf last week "living sacrifices"

Loving our enemies - v14, e.g. Jesus.

We are to love. Encouraged by the example of Jesus. Drawing upon His Spirit as a source of love.

Erwin W. Lutzer (1941� ) "Love is higher than the other gifts in value; love is the one gift open to every member of the church. It is not dependent on ability, popularity, or shrewdness. The greatest path is open to the least of travellers."