“We who are strong ought to bear the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.”
– Romans 15:1
Hi James and Ellen,
Do you know a kid – or a guy or gal, who you just do not like? Do you know a kid – or a guy or gals, who just does not like you? If there is a kid – or a guy or gal, who you just do not like, why do you not like that kid – or that guy or gal? If there is a kid – or a guy or gal, who just does not like you, why does that kid – or that guy or gal, not like you? Do you think that you have a choice – as a Christ-follower, to dislike a kid – or a guy or gal? Do you think that a Christ-follower kid – or a Christ-follower guy or gal, has the right to dislike you? Your grandpaa a couple of weeks ago was in Granada, Nicaragua as the project leader for an 18 participant short term ministry youth team from Wesleyan School. Your grandpaa is committed to be in San Pedro, Guatemala in about seven weeks to be the project leader for a 28 participant short term ministry team from Camden Baptist Church. Your grandmaa and grandpaa over the nearly 35 years that they have been missionaries have had the oversight of a dozen summer teams that spent over seven weeks in Bolivia and in Guatemala and at least that many short term ministry teams. Your grandmaa and grandpaa believe that when a young guy or gal is spending time in another country that he or she is going to have his or her worldview expanded by his or her host country’s geographical, cultural and societal different, captivating sights, sounds and smells. Your grandmaa and grandpaa also believe that as a young guy or gal interacts with his or her hosts through planned and spontaneous ‘ministry’ happenings that he or she will begin to sense what his or her innate gifting, passions, dreams, etc. are. Your grandmaa and grandpaa believe as well that during the days when a young guy or gal is away from the amenities of his or of her home and from his or her core support community, that he or she will be a lot more intentional about asking God for His guidance and help.
How do you think that a summer team or a short term ministry team participant would feel if your grandmaa or grandpaa thinks that he or she has the right to dislike one of the summer team or short term team participants? How do you feel when you know that a kid – or a guy or gal, dislikes you? Even though your grandpaa has been able to maintain a mindset to unconditionally accept each guy and gal who is on a short term ministry team that he is the project leader for, your grandpaa still finds himself having a hard time liking a co-worker or an associate who is an incessant talker or who communicates not having the time to talk with your grandpaa. Paul addresses in Romans 15 apparent relational problems that some guys and gals may have been having with each other in the Christ-follower community that was in the city of Rome. Paul begins his counsel in verse 1 by saying, “We who are strong ought to bear the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.” Paul is saying in this verse that there is always going to be stronger Christ-follower guys and gals – like himself, who must put aside their personal desires to help bear the failures of immature Christ-follower guy and gals. Paul continues to say that a Christ-follower guy or gal must hone having a state of heart that will be pleasing or gratifying to his or her neighbor that will lead to his or her neighbor’s self-worth being validated and enlarged. Paul uses the example of how Jesus Christ – even though He was insulted because He did not go around satisfying or flattering Himself, was able to endure to give hope and encouragement to the guys, gals and kids who became His followers. Paul knew that as guys, gals and kids maintain a focus on just Jesus Christ – on how Jesus Christ lived His life, and then through as one heart and mouth faithfully communicating God’s glory to any guy, gal or kid who will listen to the Good News, that there will be a spirit of unity among them. Your grandpaa concurs with Paul that a spirit of unity will envelop a Christ-follower community of guys and gals when a Christ-follower community purposively listens as God’s equipped and ready servants for the still small voice of God – as God the Father, through God – as God the Spirit, to guide them and when each guy and gal who is in a Christ-follower community wittingly puts the wishes and desires of every other guy and gals before his or her own wishes and desires. Your grandpaa has too often heard Christ-follower guys and gals discussing how to and he has even seen pacts that have been written that include trying to artificially create team or group or community unity. Your grandpaa believes that the spirit of unity will only spontaneously happen that joins guys and gals who are in Christ-follower fellowship into a unified team, group or community is when Christ-follower guys and gals in the fellowship are faced with an identifiable catalysis – such as a catastrophic event, a death, etc., that will keep each guy and gal in a Christ-follower team, group or community from mulling over his or her woes or worries but will have each guy and gal explicitly and overtly focusing on passing on genuine care and sincere compassion to other guys or gals or to another guy and gal. Your grandmaa and grandpaa have experienced a number of times the spirit of unity in teams, in groups and in communities/fellowships. Have you?
What do you think is vital for a guy, gal or kid to be a strong Christ-follower? Paul said that he was convinced that the guys and gals who were in the Christ-follower fellowship that was in the city of Rome were in a good place as they were full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to teach one another. Is this describing you?
Romans 15 (1148)