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Tag Archives: Pauls letters to the Romans

Christmas Challenge: Romans, Day 15

23 Sunday Dec 2012

Posted by Holly Michael in 16 Chapters to Christmas, Christianity

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Accept one another then just as Christ accepted you in order to bring praise to God., Anglican Church, Anglicanism, Anglo-Catholic, Anglo-Catholicism, Bishop Leo Michael, Blog, Christmas, Christmas Challenge, HCCAR, Holly Michael, Holy Catholic Church Anglican Rite, Kansas City, Merry Christmas, Paul, Paul visits Rome, Pauls letters to the Romans, Romans 15, St. James Anglican Church, Stained glass

Almost finished with Romans. Thanks for coming along on this Christmas Challenge, journeying into Paul’s letters to the Romans. Christmas eve is tomorrow and I can’t wait until the Christmas Midnight Mass! And Lessons and Carols in our Anglican tradition.

Here’s one of our beautiful stained glass windows at our cathedral, St. James Anglican Church (Holy Catholic Church, Anglican Rite) in Kansas City, where my husband serves as Bishop and rector (consider this my Christmas card to all of you wonderful blog followers.) Merry Christmas and God Bless you!

stainedglasswindow

 

Romans 15

 

New International Version (NIV)

15 We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. 2 Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. 3 For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” 4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

friendupliftthesoul

5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, 6 so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

romans 15.5.6

7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.

Romans 15.78 For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth, so that the promises made to the patriarchs might be confirmed 9 and, moreover, that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written:

“Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles;
I will sing the praises of your name.”

10 Again, it says, 

“Rejoice, you Gentiles, with his people.”

 

11 And again, 

“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles; 

let all the peoples extol him.”

 

12 And again, Isaiah says, 

“The Root of Jesse will spring up, 

one who will arise to rule over the nations;

in him the Gentiles will hope.”

 

13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

romansmc

Paul the Minister to the Gentiles

14 I myself am convinced, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with knowledge and competent to instruct one another. 15 Yet I have written you quite boldly on some points to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles. He gave me the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

Romans15_16

17 Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God.

18 I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done— 19 by the power of signs and wonders, through the power of the Spirit of God. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ. 20 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. 21 Rather, as it is written:

“Those who were not told about him will see,
and those who have not heard will understand.”

22 This is why I have often been hindered from coming to you.

Paul’s Plan to Visit Rome

23 But now that there is no more place for me to work in these regions, and since I have been longing for many years to visit you, 24 I plan to do so when I go to Spain.

illyricum-01I hope to see you while passing through and to have you assist me on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company for a while. 25 Now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem in the service of the Lord’s people there. 26 For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the Lord’s people in Jerusalem. 27 They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews’ spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings. 28 So after I have completed this task and have made sure that they have received this contribution, I will go to Spain and visit you on the way. 29 I know that when I come to you, I will come in the full measure of the blessing of Christ.

30 I urge you, brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. 31 Pray that I may be kept safe from the unbelievers in Judea and that the contribution I take to Jerusalem may be favorably received by the Lord’s people there, 32 so that I may come to you with joy, by God’s will, and in your company be refreshed. 33 The God of peace be with you all. Amen.

 

romans 32What a beautiful chapter. Paul encourages Christians to uphold and love one another, so that we may all glorify God the Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Then he speaks of his confidence in the gentiles, and of his upcoming journeys, asking for prayers. You can really feel the voice of Paul in this, and the love he has for followers of Christ.

Merry Christmas to all! May we uphold one another in love and prayers as we journey on this earth until we reach our permanent home in Heaven. Glory to God in the Highest! And Peace to His People on Earth!

 

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Christmas Challenge: Romans, Day 13 – Wake Up! The Hour Has Come!

21 Friday Dec 2012

Posted by Holly Michael in 16 Chapters to Christmas, Christianity

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Blog, blogging, Christ, Christian, end of the world, end times, Holly Michael, Love, love fulfills the law, Paul, Pauls letters to the Romans, Romans, Romans 13, salvation, submission to the government, The hour has come, Wake up, www.writingstraight.com

I look forward to Paul’s next letters to the Romans, each day. Here’s Romans 13 with a short reflection.

Romans 13

New International Version (NIV)

Submission to Governing Authorities

romans13al

13 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2 Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. 4 For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.

6 This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. 7 Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

Love Fulfills the Law

romans8.138 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

The Day Is Near

tumblr_mam01pDFra1qhmhdfo1_50011 And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.

I’m not going to dwell on the first section, where Paul talks about obeying the government. Caesar had Paul killed and that wouldn’t have happened if Paul’s message was all about obedience to civil authorities. I believe Paul’s words were not for the secular, but for the followers of Christ. He was beheaded for promoting a rival government known as the Kingdom of God. On the other hand, while Christians are citizens of Heaven and must first obey God, at the same time, we should obey earthly governments. We are responsible to submit to the laws of the country in which we live.  

Now, onto the fun stuff! Scroll up and read the last part again. Romans 13: 11-14 is so appropriate for a day that’s been feared to be the “last day on earth.” To this, I say: Whatever (with an eye-roll). I mean, really, what’s all this hoopla? Are we so silly that we tremble at these predictions? We should, every day, be trembling while working out our salvation with God. (Philippians 2:12). Instead of worrying about the last day of earth, we should be thinking: “…It is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.” (Romans 13:11, NKJV).

timeSo, wake up! Have you looked around? Do you not see that death can happen at any time, to anyone. A small child reading a book in her elementary school classroom. A teenager speeding on the highway. People die of cancer every day, regardless of their age. Accidents happen. There’s no guarantee how many days we will be given.  We are not immortal beings, here on Earth forever. So, I say, “Wake up!” And realize that our earthly life can and will end any time. And we don’t always get a warning.

So, though we still have some hours left to the “end of the world day,” day, if the world doesn’t end today, our lives could end tomorrow. So a more important question than, “when?” is, “Are we ready?”

Looking forward to Christmas and Romans 14, and if it tomorrow doesn’t happen for me or the world, then looking forward to seeing you all on the other side!

 

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Holly Michael

Done this: Regular freelance ghostwriter and online editor for Guideposts for Teens/Sweet 16 Magazine, creator/editor of a magazine for Wal-Mart Corp., journalist, newspaper features writer, published in a variety of national magazines and local newspapers, script writing/editing for corporations. Doing this now: author of fiction and nonfiction, blogger, and editor of Koinonia Magazine. I’m the wife of Rt. Rev. Leo Michael, an Anglican Bishop in the Holy Catholic Church-Anglican Rite. Mom to three great kids: Nick (#81 Rajin Cajuns), Betsy (Super cute professor) and Jake (T1D & NFL player) Also, enjoy my travels extensively across the United States and internationally.

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