Loving My Brothers and Sisters

Read: Romans 14:1-12

Last Sunday, Dr. Jon Chasteen challenged us to live missionally, bearing in mind Christ’s call to make disciples in Matthew 28:16-20. This coming Sunday, Pastor Ken will help us see the gospel as a uniting force to bring about harmony under Christ’s Lordship. Read this excerpt from A Gospel Primer for Christians in light of Romans 14:1-12, and allow the power of the gospel to craft a true understanding of love in your heart.

Heart Preparation

The more I experience the gospel, the more there develops within me a yearning affection for my fellow-Christians who are also participating in the glories of the gospel. This affection for them comes loaded with confidence in their continued spiritual growth and ultimate glorification, and it becomes my pleasure to express to them this loving confidence regarding the ongoing work of God in their lives.

Additionally, with the gospel proving itself to be such a boon in my own life, I realize that the greatest gift I can give to my fellow-Christians is the gospel itself. Indeed, I love my fellow-Christians not simply because of the gospel, but I love them best when I am loving them with the gospel! And I do this not merely by speaking gospel words to them, but also by living before them and generously relating to them in a gospel manner. Imparting my life to them in this way, I thereby contribute to their experience of the power, the Spirit, and the full assurance of the gospel.

By preaching the gospel to myself each day, I nurture the bond that unites me with my brothers and sisters for whom Christ died, and I also keep myself well-versed in the raw materials with which I may actively love them in Christ.

“Loving My Brothers and Sisters,” in A Gospel Primer for Christians

Song List for Sunday

1.“Life Defined” arr. Shane and Shane

2.“Here is Love,” arr. Matt Redman

3.“Every Knee Shall Bow,” by Crosspoint Music

4.“In Christ Alone,” arr. Passsion

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