TODAY IN THE WORD

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Romans 14:13-23
Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. - 1 Corinthians 8:9
TODAY IN THE WORD
When Mike saw Ed, a Sunday school teacher, standing in the church foyer wearing a small gold earring, he nearly passed out. The next day he went to the pastor's office and demanded that the church tell Ed to either remove the offensive piece of jewelry or resign as a teacher. A few hours later Ed also showed up at the pastor's office, complaining that Mike was being judgmental and legalistic.

Instead of taking sides in the matter, the pastor asked each man to read Romans 14 and say with which person he identified in the text. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, both saw themselves as the stronger Christian and the other as the “weaker” brother. Yet neither wanted to give in when it came to this dispute. The real problem was not their difference of opinion over the earring but their opinion of one another. Each man felt contempt for the other's view.

How do we know when we should allow someone else's views about what is acceptable limit our freedom? A careful study of today's passage reveals that the parameters are fairly narrow. The decision to limit my freedom in matters not explicitly addressed in Scripture is not based merely on the fact that another person disapproves of my behavior. In many cases such differences are merely matters of taste. Every one is free to act according to their preference.

The limits of another person's conscience become the limits of my own when my exercise of liberty creates a “stumbling” block for someone else. In order for this to happen, the “weaker” believer must be tempted to follow the example of the “stronger” believer and so violate his or her own conscience. In the case described above, Mike never considered wearing an earring himself. He simply did not like the fact that Ed chose to wear one. Disputes over matters of Christian liberty are not often easily resolved because we confuse matters of personal preference with questions about what is “biblical” behavior.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Many of the things over which we have conflicts are in themselves neutral. Like meat that had been sacrificed to idols, “we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do” (1 Cor. 8:.

The real problem is not in what we choose or refuse to eat, listen to, or wear. The problem is our disregard for others. Each needs to view the other through the lens of grace.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Romans 15:1-13
Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. - Colossians 3:13
TODAY IN THE WORD
The “Gloria Patri,” a short hymn sometimes sung as a doxology, concludes, “world without end. Amen.” A little girl who misunderstood the words made up her own slightly altered version and sang, “world with weird men. Amen. Amen.” Her sentiment, though not exactly what the “Gloria Patri” had in mind, accurately reflects the experience of many in the church. Eugene Peterson has written that when we get serious about the Christian life, we usually find ourselves in a place and among people that we find incompatible. “That place and people,” Peterson explains, “is often called a church.”

Life in the body of Christ requires patience. According to today's reading this patience is demonstrated by “bearing with” the failings of the weak (v. 1). Paul goes on to describe how those who are strong in faith should help others who are weak: by pleasing or accommodating the weakness of others. Spiritual maturity is not measured by the amount of liberty we exercise so much as by our capacity to adapt ourselves to the needs of others.

Paul's command raises some obvious questions. How do we know when to draw the line when accommodating others? This command includes an important qualifier—the strong are to accommodate the weak for their own good. The goal is edification. In some cases, accommodation may not achieve this goal.

Paul is a good example. When Peter stopped eating with Gentiles because others considered such relationships to be “unclean,” Paul refused to accommodate such thinking. Correctly recognizing this kind of reasoning as a threat to the gospel, he confronted Peter (Gal. 2:11-14). Yet Paul's general philosophy of ministry was grounded on the principle of pleasing others rather than himself (1 Cor. 10:33). “To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some” (1 Cor. 9:22).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
In a way, every congregation is its own world of “weird men” and women. Life in the body of Christ requires patience and sacrifice. Who are the people in your congregation that require a measure of extra grace? Perhaps you demonstrate grace by bearing with a musical style that does not reflect your own taste. You may show it by refraining from certain topics or practices in order to make others feel comfortable. When you are tempted to feel impatient, remember that the goal in such sacrifices is to build up your fellow believers.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Romans 15:14-22
It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation. - Romans 15:20
TODAY IN THE WORD
James Gilmore was a member of the London Missionary Society who traveled to Mongolia in 1872. When he died 21 years later he had little to show for his effort and could point to only a handful of converts. Still, throughout his life Gilmore was driven by a passion to proclaim Christ to those who had not yet heard of Him. Early in his ministry he wrote these words in his journal: “When shall I be able to speak to the people? O Lord, suggest by the Spirit how I should come among them, and in preparing myself to teach the life and love of Christ Jesus.”

Gilmore's desire echoes Paul's ambition described in today's verse to “preach the gospel where Christ was not known” (v. 20). This vision propelled him into regions where others had not yet attempted to bring the good news. The Apostle describes this as a “priestly duty” and characterizes the Gentiles who respond to his message as “an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit” (v. 16).

When Paul refers to himself as a “minister” in this verse, he is not using the title in the way we often employ it today. We usually reserve the title “minister” for someone who has been formally ordained by the church. A minister often functions as an officer of the church and may have the title “Reverend.” In this passage, Paul refers to himself as a minister in a figurative sense, using a Greek word that was often used to speak of a public officer or servant. He uses the same word in Romans 13:6 to refer to the civil authorities who receive our taxes. Anyone who shares the gospel with others is engaged in “ministry” in this sense of being engaged in service to God.

While some believers have been called to “vocational” or “full-time” ministry, every Christian has been made a steward of the gospel. This is our real vocation, no matter how we may earn our paycheck. We are all ministers of the gospel.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Those who see the world through God's eyes will share Paul's passion to see Christ proclaimed where He is not yet known. For a better glimpse of the work that remains to be done, spend some time browsing the World Christian Database, a Web site sponsored by the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (www.worldchristiandatabase.org). Ask God to show you how you can be used to extend the gospel to regions where Christ is not yet known.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Romans 15:13-33
The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. - 1 Peter 4:7
TODAY IN THE WORD
In his book entitled Reaching Out, Henri Nouwen makes the following observation about prayer: “The paradox of prayer is that it asks for a serious effort while it can only be received as a gift. We cannot plan, organize or manipulate God; but without a careful discipline, we cannot receive him either.”

There are few activities that are as common to all believers as prayer. Prayer is the oxygen that fuels the Christian's life and ministry. Yet it could be equally said that there are few areas of the Christian life with which believers are as dissatisfied as prayer. Most feel that they should pray more or could pray better. Even Jesus' disciples felt that their prayer lives needed work (Luke 11:1).

If we are looking for an incentive to pray, we need look no further than today's passage. Our prayers, as ordinary as they may seem, can help others to be more effective in their ministry. Paul asked the believers in Rome to become partners in his struggle through prayer (v. 31). Notice that he provides specific guidelines for their petitions. He did not regard prayer as a mere formality but expected to see concrete results when the church prayed on his behalf.

Some Christians find it hard to ask others to pray for them. They are too embarrassed to expose their needs to others and are afraid making such requests is selfish. Paul had no such misgivings. He saw prayer as a privilege and a responsibility. He prayed for others and often asked others to pray for him. Paul's requests focused on spiritual and practical matters. He attributed his success in ministry to God's grace but knew that it was also affected by the prayers of others.

This is one of the mysteries of prayer. If God alone can answer our prayers and already knows what we need, why does He ask us to pray? Perhaps one of God's purposes in prayer is to remind us of our dependence upon Him.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Who is praying for you today? Do they have enough information about your needs to pray intelligently? Why not call a friend today and exchange prayer requests? Be specific about your needs and desires. As you talk, think of someone whose ministry could also use your prayer, perhaps a missionary or your pastor. Perhaps you can both agree to pray on the same day and time for that person.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Romans 16:1-27
All the brothers here send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss. - 1 Corinthians 16:20
TODAY IN THE WORD
In April 2003, Aron Ralston made international news when he cut off his own arm to escape certain death in a hiking accident. In his book Between a Rock and a Hard Place, he recounts some of his thoughts while trapped in Utah's Bluejohn Canyon: “I go out looking for adventure and risk, so I can feel alive. But to go out by myself, and not tell someone where I'm going—that's just dumb. If someone knew, if I'd been with someone else, there would probably already be help on the way. Dumb, dumb, dumb.” Ralston, an experienced solo mountaineer, discovered the importance of having others involved in his endeavors.

Followers of Jesus Christ are not rugged individualists. Even when we may feel we are embarking on a solo adventure, we still need others in the body of Christ. In his closing chapter to the book of Romans, the apostle Paul sends greetings to many in the church at Rome along with his expressions of appreciation for their ministry. Some of the names are notable, such as Aquila and Priscilla, the couple with whom Paul stayed during his ministry in Corinth. Most are unknown to us today, although Paul provides occasional details about some of the names.

Some scholars have described Paul as a misogynist who disliked and undervalued women. But an examination of our text today does not support such a charge. For example, a woman named Phoebe is the first to be mentioned in Paul's list. This would have been highly unusual in Paul's day to acknowledge a woman so prominently in a letter that would be read publicly. Clearly Phoebe's work in the church had been tremendously valuable.

Through the rest of the chapter Paul sends greetings to the men and women who have labored with him in service for the Lord. Paul was not a solo act; he recognized the ministry of others and took the time to thank and commend them for it. This final chapter of Romans gives us a personal example of how to live out the calling and teaching contained in this rich book.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Paul's appreciation for the hard work of those he greets is apparent in this list. Follow his example and show your appreciation to someone who has ministered to you. Write a note or send a card that describes what you have noticed and expresses your thanks for their hard work on your behalf. You may want to think of someone whose efforts are not usually recognized by others in the church.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 16:13-20
On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. - Matthew 16:18
TODAY IN THE WORD
A wedding ceremony normally begins with what is called the Declaration of Intent. Before the exchanging of vows and rings, the bride and the groom declare their intent to be loyal and faithful to one another. The “I wills” of intent sound the prelude to the “I dos” of the marriage covenant.

Our reading from today reveals Christ's declaration of intent regarding His bride: “I will build my church.” Like a loving husband, His tone exudes a gently possessive quality. My church. Scripture compares the church to many things—a bride, a body, a flock, a family, and a building—but our study this month will focus primarily on the church as the body and bride of Christ. As the body of Christ, we are the hands and feet of Jesus to one another and to the world. As the bride of Christ, we reserve our devotion and faithfulness for Christ alone.

One can imagine how we, humanly speaking, might approach such an immense undertaking as “building the church”— indeed, the way that some do approach this calling. We would focus on the money and manpower needed for the job. But as we can expect, God's plan is different. He's looking not for organizational strategies but for faith.

Peter's confession of faith in verse 16 is the rock upon which Christ will build His church. The world will misunderstand who Jesus is and why He came (v. 14), but the church cannot and must not falter on the identity of Christ. The most fundamental question that the church must answer is this: “Who do you say I am?” (v. 13).

“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (v. 16). Peter's response of faith is the declaration of the entire church, from the Apostles until today. The church is built upon this faith in a God who reveals Himself to His people through His Son (v. 17). Despite different denominations, worship styles, and doctrinal points that get emphasized, all Christians share this foundation of faith in Christ.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
This common faith has been expressed from the earliest centuries of the church to today through the Apostles' Creed. “I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord.” This creed serves to remind us of the foundation of our existence as a faith community, a people drawn together by a God in whom we believe. If you don't know the Apostles' Creed, find a copy and learn it!

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Romans 9:23-10:9
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. - John 1:12
TODAY IN THE WORD
Christian singer and songwriter, Steven Curtis Chapman, and his wife, Mary Beth, have talked often about the profound impact adoption has had on their family and faith. It wasn't until they adopted three children from China that they began to understand more fully their salvation in Christ. They started to grasp the extent of God's love, that He should adopt us as children into His family, “children not born of natural descent . . . but born of God” (John 1:13).

Our verse for today speaks of our spiritual adoption, revealing what it means to be a Christian. As we begin this month's study on the church, one of the most important questions must be this: am I a part of it? Do I belong to God's family?

We are in the family of God not because we've earned our standing there. God has chosen to love an undeserving group of people (9:25). By His grace, He has given us a family identity as sons and daughters (9:26). He is not motivated by sympathy or pity, but by His character. He is merciful, and He wants to express His mercy. So He saves sinners. He is also glorious and wants to prepare a people for glory (9:23). And so He sanctifies sinners.

We're in the family of God not because we deserve to be, and we're there not because we try to be. This passage in Romans speaks about those Jews who pursued righteousness yet missed it. Their zeal was insufficient for salvation (10:2). On the other hand, the Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness did gain it (9:30).

These two examples prove that the way to get into God's family is through faith, the foundation of the Christian's identity (9:32). It is faith in Christ alone for the forgiveness of our sins and the salvation of our souls.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Do you realize that you cannot depend upon your religious efforts to get you into heaven? Have you ever confessed to God that you are a sinner and admitted to Him your need of Christ for salvation? If you haven't, do it today. Join the church of Jesus Christ! God promises righteousness to all who believe (10:3). If you've already confessed your faith in Christ, pray for an opportunity to share this good news with an unbelieving friend or coworker.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Acts 17:24-31
[God’s grace] teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this . . . age. - Titus 2:12
TODAY IN THE WORD
Christians in Romania today belong to either the Orthodox Church, the Catholic Church, or the “Repenters.” The “Repenters” are the evangelical contingent of Romanian believers who earned their nickname during the Communist rule of Romania. The Communists meant the name as an insult, but the Romanian Christians could have taken it as quite a compliment. They were accurately preaching and portraying what it means to be a Christian.

In today's passage from Acts, Paul calls on people not just to believe, but to repent (v. 30). By this, he wasn't advocating salvation by works. Belief in Christ is enough to save us. Jesus proved this when speaking to the thief on the cross (cf. Luke 23:42, 43). However, one of the marks of genuine faith is repentance. That's why a call to salvation has always included both a call to belief as well as to repentance.

They are two sides of the same coin of faith. Has our belief and confession in Jesus Christ generated a new life (cf. John 3:3, 2 Cor. 5:17)? If our belief in Christ is sincere, repentance makes this evident.

We learn from Paul's sermon two reasons God is building His church. He is merciful and is making a way for men and women to find Him and enjoy the relationship they were created to have with Him (v. 27). Moreover, God is also building the church to spare people from the judgment that is sure to come to all at the end of time. This judgment will be meted out with exact fairness (v. 31), and if it's justice we're promised, we surely have no hope apart from Christ. This is the urgency of repentance.

Today's key verse explains that repentance is a change in direction. As sinners, we once followed our own whims and desires. Now in Christ we must yield to God, seeking His will for our lives.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Reflect back to the different times in your life when you've repented and actually changed directions in order to follow God. Thank God for His grace that made those decisions possible. Now consider the areas of sin with which you're struggling now. Do you find yourself in a cycle of sin, confess, sin, and confess without any move towards real repentance? Ask God for an overflow of His grace to help you definitively turn from this sin and turn toward righteousness.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 1 John 3:7-20
He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. - 1 John 3:7
TODAY IN THE WORD
In the hope of answering the nature versus nurture debate, scientific researchers have performed many studies on twins separated at birth. What really influences us most? the researchers asked. Are we shaped more by our environment or by our heredity? These researchers have found that the twins bear striking psychological resemblance to one another as adults, despite never having known one another or been together. According to these studies, nature seems to trump nurture.

Our reading from 1 John emphasizes that our spiritual transformation is a matter of a change in nature, not nurture. At the point of conversion, a definitive change in heredity takes place. God's children are reborn from His seed (v. 9). Our new spiritual genetic code produces an unmistakable family resemblance. Our key verse today emphasizes that true salvation in Christ produces true likeness to Christ.

Do you want to know whether you are truly a child of God or whether your local church fellowship is a community of true believers? The apostle John gives us a no-fail test to administer, two broad categories for all people. Either we are children of the Devil or children of God. There is no neutral ground.

Children of the Devil sin just as the Devil himself has sinned and continues to sin (v. . These people are lawless (cf. 1 John 3:4). They have no regard for God's commands in Scripture. They act in anger, hatred, jealousy, and callousness.

On the other hand, children of God resemble Christ. They renounce sin. They aren't perfect, but they do not persist in patterns of sin (v. 9). However, rather than just simply being characterized by don'ts, they are also recognized by their dos, specifically in this passage, their love for the family of God (vv. 10, 11, 16). In this letter, we hear an echo from the teaching of Jesus Himself (cf. John 13:35).

Like Father, like Son—Like Christ, like the church.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Do you struggle with doubts about your own salvation? This passage ends with a great promise for you. It gives us courage to face the fears and doubts that condemn us. It insists that if our lives exhibit a growing courage and willingness to tangibly love our brothers and sisters in Christ, we can know that we belong to Christ (vv. 18-20). By laying to rest these doubts about our salvation, we can have the confidence He gives us as His children.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Ephesians 2:11-22; Romans 15:5-13
There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. - Galatians 3:28
TODAY IN THE WORD
In October of last year, the Iraqi people voted to approve their new constitution—but not without vehement debate. The Sunnis, who had once held power under the Hussein regime, opposed the Constitution. They feared (as did much of the world) that the Constitution proposed a central government that was too weak. Could it keep this fractured nation together? Can Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds embrace a national identity as Iraqis?

In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul insists upon one collective identity of the church of Jesus Christ. It trumps all dividing walls, including ethnicity and gender and social standing. The unity of the church resembles the unity of the Trinity. One Father, one Spirit, one Christ, and one people, one household, one foundation, one holy temple (vv. 13, 18-21).

The church is unified not by a vision or cause or not even by doctrine. We are unified because of a Person. Christ Himself is our peace as well as the peacemaker (vv. 14-15). Just as He reconciles us to God through His blood (v. 16), He also reconciles us one to another.

This message of unity must have confounded the first Christians. It's hard to imagine greater religious division than that between Jews and Gentiles in Paul's day. For example, in the Jewish temple in Jerusalem at that time, a huge wall separated the court of the Gentiles from the temple proper. On it an inscription read: “No foreigner may enter within the barricade which surrounds the sanctuary and enclosure. Anyone who is caught doing so will have himself to blame for his ensuing death.” But even this dividing wall has been destroyed in Christ (v. 14).

If God could reconcile Jews and Gentiles in the first century, He can reconcile blacks and whites, poor and rich, liberals and conservatives of our day. And He wants to. Christ has one bride and one body. He is Lord of one church.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
By understanding our collective identity as the church of Jesus Christ, we can shed the provincial attitudes that keep us callous to the needs of brothers and sisters in other parts of the world. Persecuted Christians in Sudan will start to matter to us. We'll respond more readily to the need for Bibles in Africa. The church of Jesus Christ will be strengthened by its oneness, heeding the warning that a “household divided against itself will not stand” (Matt. 12:25).

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Romans 15:23-16:5
For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them. - Matthew 18:20
TODAY IN THE WORD
When traveling abroad, Americans carry passports to prove their national identity. When they pass through customs, they don't insist on the fact that they're from Indiana or Idaho. What matters most is their American-ness.

Yesterday we emphasized the collective identity that we have as Christians worldwide. Whether we live in Beijing or Brussels or Boston, we share a common faith in one Lord. Whether we are black or white, farmers or urbanites, our differences do not overshadow our unity.

This collective identity that unifies all Christians everywhere does not, however, eliminate the need for local churches. The New Testament testifies to the existence of small, local bodies of believers, often meeting in homes, which were called “churches.” In today's passage from Romans, we see several examples of this. Paul talks of the believers in Macedonia and Achaia, referred to specifically in 2 Corinthians 8:19 as churches. He speaks of the church in Jerusalem (Rom. 15:26). He mentions the church in Cenchrea, a part of the Achaian community which he has already mentioned (16:1). Notably, Achaia is located only seven miles from Corinth, where another church was established and growing (cf. 1 Cor. 1:2). Paul includes the example of Priscilla and Aquila, and a group of believers meeting in their home constituted a “church” (16:5). The one church (universal) becomes the plurality of churches (local).

These local churches didn't forget their identity as part of the church universal. The Macedonian and Achaian Christians were taking up offerings in their churches to support believers they had never met in Jerusalem (15:26-27). Phoebe, a member of the Cenchrean church, would soon be coming to Rome to help further the work of God there (16:1). Paul was asking the Roman church to become involved in his mission to Spain where he hoped to establish a church (15:24). These local churches gave their money, shared their workers, and prayed for other churches, as a contribution to the church worldwide.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Are you participating on both levels of the church, the church universal as well as the church local? We should be regularly worshiping and serving with people in our communities, which is an important witness for Christ locally. At the same time, we should contribute our money and prayers to global efforts by the church, whether that means supporting international missions or supporting a partnership between your local church and a church in another country.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Ephesians 5:22-33
This is a profound mystery–but I am talking about Christ and the church. - Ephesians 5:32
TODAY IN THE WORD
George Washington Carver discovered over three hundred uses for peanuts as an agricultural chemist. He once said, “When I was young, I said to God, ”˜God, tell me the mystery of the universe.' But God answered, ”˜That knowledge is for me alone.' So I said, ”˜God, tell me the mystery of the peanut.' Then God said, ”˜Well, George, that's more nearly your size.'”

Quite like George Washington Carver, we are trying to learn about a subject that Scripture calls a mystery (v. 32). We cannot fully understand or comprehend what it means to be the church. Knowing this, we'll try to take a peanut-sized chunk of the topic! We've already answered some essential questions about membership in the church, and now we'll examine how the church actually functions.

Ephesians 5 might seem an interesting choice for discussion about the church. It's a passage typically chosen for weddings. From this explanation of the marriage relationship, however, we can learn more about Christ and His church.

Christ is Husband of the church. He loved us sacrificially. He took the punishment for sin that we deserved. Now that He's betrothed the church to Himself by His death, He is divinely jealous for her purity. His goal is “to make her holy” (v. 26).

Christ is Head of the church. If the church is the body of Christ, then our well-being matters to Him (v. 29). We are a part of Him. He's more than a CEO of a giant corporation we call “church.” The church derives its life from Jesus Christ, He also calls us His brothers and sisters (cf. Heb. 2:11).

The mystery of these truths is profound. Why did the Divine become flesh and then join flesh with sinners, forming the body of Christ? And why did the Divine seek out the spiritually unfaithful for His wife, wedding the bride of Christ?
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Read Philippians 2:5-11 to understand more about the mystery of the Incarnation. This passage explains the amazing sacrifice Jesus made in order to become the Head and Husband of the church. After you read, spend time in prayer, worshiping Christ for His great love for the church. Ask Him how you can reflect the same love and concern that He has for His people. Pray that your attitude will be the same as His (v. 5).

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 1 John 4:7-26
Be imitators of God . . . and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us. - Ephesians 5:1a, 2
TODAY IN THE WORD
In his book, His Needs, Her Needs, William Harley writes about “affair-proofing” one's marriage. He asserts that couples can protect their marriages by making “deposits” into their spouse's love banks. By meeting each other's needs and fostering romantic love, couples can protect themselves from seeking emotional fulfillment in extramarital affairs.

It's good advice for two imperfect people trying to love each other, two sinners who care more about being loved than expressing love. But our passage today describes how the church's Husband, Jesus Christ, loves her infinitely more and better than this.

We usually think of love as something we reciprocate rather than something we initiate. Romantic love as well as friendship seems to last only as long as there is mutual give and take. We give love in proportion to how we receive love. But God's love for the church doesn't depend on whether or not we return His affection. To use the example of a scientific model, His love is cause, not effect. He loved us before we loved Him (v. 10).

He loves us not because we're loveable but because He chooses to, because His very nature is love (v. 16). God pursues the people He has made, who have rebelled against Him and who don't have a single reflex in their body capable of loving. We don't have the equipment to love God back without His help (vv. 7, 16). He loved us when we were His enemies (cf. Rom. 5:. And even then He loved us at the highest price to be paid, the cost of His Son's life (v. 10).

This kind of love proves Christ to be the faithful Husband of the church. He won't give up on His vows to us. He won't grow disillusioned by our mistakes. He is building the church in order to bring the people He has made into a love relationship with Himself.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
The church is one of God's many good gifts to His people because it is in the fellowship of other believers that we can joyfully proclaim what it means to be loved by God. Church should be the place where we feel the most loved, the most forgiven, and the most accepted because of the love Christ has shown us. Is this how people feel when coming to your church—whether visitors or members? You can extend this love the next time you greet others in your congregation!

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Titus 2:11-15
Jesus Christ . . . gave himself for us to redeem us . . . and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. - Titus 2:14
TODAY IN THE WORD
New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof wrote a series of articles exposing the tragedy of sex trafficking in places like Cambodia. While there, he attempted to buy the freedom of two Cambodian teenage prostitutes and return them to their families. His effort toward redemption was only partially successful—one of the girls was reunited with her family, but the other girl ended up returning to her old way of life.

Buying the freedom of sex slaves provides an analogy to what Jesus did for us on the cross and His redeeming love. God's rescue is two-fold: salvation from and salvation for. His salvation rescues us from condemnation and for salvation (v. 11). In one sense, our salvation becomes a reality at the very moment of our conversion (cf. Rom. 10:9), and because of this, we can look forward to our hope of heaven (v. 13). But in another sense, a process is still required, a process by which the bride of Christ remains faithful and pure to her Beloved.

In the old covenant, Yahweh declared to the people of Israel that He is a jealous God (Ex. 20:5). Because of His divine jealousy, He commanded the Israelites to worship Him alone and put away false idols. When they rebelled time and again against God, their sin was often compared to spiritual adultery (cf. Jer. 3:. In the new covenant, this divine jealousy is expressed through Christ. He wants a pure and spotless bride for Himself. He asks us to vow our love and faithfulness to Him, “forsaking all others.” His grace is a means for us to learn to love Him more and our old habits of sin less (v. 12).

Clearly the church should reflect this change of affection. If we love Jesus Christ, we will obey Him (cf. John 14:21). We should not be like a redeemed slave who exchanges new freedom for former bondage, rebuffing the saving attempts of her rescuer. We should instead feel immense indebtedness to the one who paid our ransom.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
In 2005, the Barna Research Group published their study on the state of the Christian church in the United States. It noted few significant lifestyle differences between Christians and non-Christians. In Barna's words, “people sleepwalk through their religious paces, oblivious to the fact that many of their beliefs and practices dishonor God.” Would you pray for yourself and your local church that you would live “self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age” (v. 12)?

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: John 17:6-26
Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name–the name you gave me–so that they may be one as we are one. - John 17:11b
TODAY IN THE WORD
In his acceptance speech for the Republican nomination for President, Abraham Lincoln declared emphatically, “ ”˜A house divided against itself cannot stand.' I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free. . . It will become all one thing or all the other.” Lincoln, quoting the words of Jesus from Matthew 12:25, knew the importance of unity. This is true not only for the nation but also for the church.

Today's passage reveals Jesus' earnest prayer for His disciples as He prepared to leave His disciples and send His Holy Spirit. And not only for them, but for the church of the twenty-first century as well (v. 20)! While Jesus was with the disciples, He had protected them (v. 12). As the Good Shepherd, He protected His vulnerable sheep from both attack and their own defenselessness (cf. John 10:11). Jesus knew that the church would continue to be threatened in many areas, and His prayer in these last hours before His crucifixion was for the church's protection (vv. 11, 15).

But protection from what? No doubt the church faces myriad threats, but one particular danger evident from this passage is the threat of disunity. Repeatedly in Jesus' prayer, He asks the Father to make the church one (vv. 11, 21-23). He prays for two kinds of unity in the church: unity among themselves (v. 11) and unity with Christ (v. 21b).

Unity with Christ is our foundation for unity with each other. When we abide in Christ, the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives produces what is necessary for relational peace: love, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22). By being connected to Christ, we necessarily have to be connected to one another. Jesus Christ has one bride whom He has saved and loves. He has one bride whom He longs to purify and present to Himself as radiant (cf. Eph. 5:27). We are one church.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Jesus compared the church's unity for which He was praying to the unity He enjoys with the Father. That unity is characterized by generous sharing (vv. 6, 10) and a spirit of cooperation (v. . The Father and the Son work together, not against one another. What would happen if Christians decided to mirror this kind of unity? Can we, across denominational divides and theological nuances, begin to join hand-in-hand in the work for which we've been sent (v. 18)?