Friday's Follow-up Verses
Romans 10:9-17
9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”[e] 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”[f]
14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”[g]
16 But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?”[h] 17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.
Footnotes:
[e] Romans 10:11 Isaiah 28:16 (see Septuagint)
[f] Romans 10:13 Joel 2:32
[g] Romans 10:15 Isaiah 52:7
[h] Romans 10:16 Isaiah 53:1
Pondering Point
Here is a simple progression of logic from the Apostle Paul. Read through the highlighted text in the verse again. Here is the directional pattern in reverse.
- Send --> Preach
- Preach --> Hear
- Hear --> Believe
Now, if you don’t think of yourself as a preacher, don’t sweat it. Borrow some imagery from an old camp song:
Do you know O Christian you’re a sermon in shoes…
and let your life and lifestyle do the preaching. Consider this prayer in light of our devotion today:
Prayer
Father God, who are you trying to reach with Your message of love and forgiveness that I know, that I rub shoulders with? How can I help You? Please show me. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Micro-Group Moment:
Considering the place of Jesus, His name, and His promises in relation to a group's power and unity
Matthew 18:15-20
Dealing With Sin in the Church
15 “If your brother or sister[b] sins,[c] go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’[d] 17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
18 “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be[e] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[f] loosed in heaven.
19 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
Footnotes:
[b] Matthew 18:15 The Greek word for brother or sister (adelphos) refers here to a fellow disciple, whether man or woman; also in verses 21 and 35.
[c] Matthew 18:15 Some manuscripts sins against you
[d] Matthew 18:16 Deut. 19:15
[e] Matthew 18:18 Or will have been
[f] Matthew 18:18 Or will have been
How does this teaching from Matthew sound as you think about from the concept of a Micro-Group of Jesus followers (3-4 people)? Often teaching on these verses begins with the offense (or sin) brought up by Jesus in verse 15. But let’s back up and realize that the offense Jesus speaks of occurs in the context of a pre-existing unity that is being broken by the offense or sin. What unity you might ask? It's the one is described in verses 19-20, the unity that returns once an offense is resolved.
This is a stark reminder that sinful offenses serve to impede the power of God in Christians who pray and worship and fellowship – even when they gather in Jesus’ name. Jesus acknowledges that if an offense is not taken care of, it will destroy their unity in Jesus. This means that MGs (or any group) can be built around God and yet be unhealthy. Personal offenses or festering issues can pull groups away from a God-centered focus (as can whining, personal agendas, or gossip BTW). Matthew 18 offers a recipe for returning such groups to powerful, Christ-centered gatherings.
God brings us into unity through Jesus; our mutual faith in Jesus brings together a fellowship and power in His name – even when its as small as two or three people (or four – like a MG size 😊). But this isn’t just unity in faith; it is about unity in prayer (Matt. 18:19). That powerful prayer of agreement is lost when offense is allowed to reign. Powerful things can be done in the name of Jesus and under the promise of Jesus that if we can get past the offense and agree on something before our Father in Heaven. People often wonder why there's a lack of power in our churches. Part of it may be that we allow other things to destroy our unity – or that we allow other things become central to our groups rather than God.
Let’s finish today by praying for God’s insight over the place of MGs in your life.
Prayer
Father God, help me to recognize the unity I have with other believers. Help me to recognize particularly a couple of individuals with whom You would love to see me gather with in Your name, agreeing in matters before You and asking for blessings to come to fruition in the name of Jesus, in whose name we pray. Amen.