Wow, there is so much in Romans 15. I like verses 15:5-7.
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Jesus Christ, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
Paul’s prayer is that the “spirit of unity” would be manifest in the church at Rome. “Spirit of unity” implies not a uniformity where everyone thinks alike but an attitude of grace and humility that pursues unity despite the differences we all have. Such a spirit of unity requires at least three things:
1) God must work in our hearts. It is God who must give us endurance (to bear with one another), encouragement (to move our hearts toward unity) and the spirit of unity itself (by the work of His Spirit in our hearts).
2) We must be following Christ. Paul says that this spirit of unity comes only as you follow Christ Jesus. When we’re not following Christ, we are following our own wants, desires, and agendas…and unity is the first casualty.
3) We must learn to accept one another as Christ accepted us. How did Christ accept us? He looked past all of our faults, weaknesses, and sins and decided to love us, pursue us, and embrace us anyway. That is the attitude that must pervade our church before a spirit of unity is possible.
Paul says that God is glorified and praised when this kind of unity exists in the church. I believe the converse is also true. When a spirit of unity does not exist, God is not glorified and praised. We may sing all the songs we want, preach/teach all we want, and smile all we want, but it is the spirit of unity that evidences the Spirit of Christ and brings God true glory.
Another thought hit me from Romans 15. At the end of the chapter Paul asks the church to pray for him. Pray that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea and that my service in Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints there, so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and together with you be refreshed (15:31-32). I assume the church did pray for Paul. What is interesting is that God did not answer this prayer…at least in the way Paul or the Roman believers expected. Paul was eventually arrested in Jerusalem. But by God’s providence, it was Paul’s arrest that eventually brought him to Rome for trial before Caesar. So God brought Paul to Rome but in a far different way than Paul expected. It is reminder to me that God often accomplishes our prayers through different means and ways than we expect. We simply have to trust God along the way. He will accomplish His purpose. In Paul’s case, his arrest and trial in Rome gave him an opportunity to not only impact the church at Rome but also the Roman imperial guard (chained to Paul 24 hours a day) and the church around the world (through his prison epistles).
Lord, give SWBC a spirit of unity as we follow You. Help us also trust You when You take us down different paths than we expect or prefer knowing that You will always accomplish Your purpose in the end.