Romans 1:11-12

When brothers and sisters n Christ get together,Paul says that there should b a significant part of our getting together that encourages each other n our faith n Christ;His Word;His Spirit;His Way;His Spiritual Gifts...that strengthens our faith(Romans1:11-12,”For I long to see you,that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you-that is,that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith,both yours and mine.”).Paul actually LONGED to get together w fellow Christians,so this MUTUAL ENCOURAGEMENT could happen,because he knew he needed it personally...,& that he yearned for the joy of being used through his personal

faith to encourage others.If there is not this yearning n my life,I lack something that these verses imply should b n my life.So,we should have a longing n us to get together w other followers of Christ....&when we do,a significant part of our “getting together”should b a mutual encouragement that strengthens our Faith n Christ;His Word;His Spirit;His Way;His Spiritual Gifts.N order for this to happen we need to personally b “fresh” n our personal stirring of His Word;His Spirit;His Way;His Spiritual Gifts n our life.If not,there is not much we have to “share from our side” during the “getting together”.& if both of us are not “fresh” n our personal stirring of His Word;His Spirit;His Way;His Spiritual Gifts,then we will more than likely not have much “mutual encouragement” happening when we “get together”.N the 1st century church,this “mutual encouragement”happened all the time.This is one reason why the 1st century church had such an IMPACT in the World for Christ!The lack of this may b one of the reasons that n most nations today,there is not the same IMPACT for Christ happening that positively effects our communities & the world around us for Christ.N fact other faiths that follow false gods are having an impact that the 1st century followers of Christ shook the World with.But there impact is n essence a direct affront to The One True Triune God;His Word;His Spirit;His Way;His Spiritual Gifts.Dear Lord Jesus,stir n me a fresh awakening of Your Word;Your Spirit;Your Way;& Your Spiritual Gifts n my life...& I pray the same for all of those that seek to know & follow You around the World....especially those n my community of followers.May this awakening n us & strengthen us n ways that impact those around us for the sake of Your Gospel....as it did during the time of the 1st century body of Your Followers.

Romans 1:5-8

The people Paul writes to n Romans have had their faith n Christ so change/impact their lives that their “faith is proclaimed in all the world”(Romans1:8).These people took their apostleship(Romans1:5)to heart,& “to life”.And because of this,the people around them were impacted by these “FAITH LIVES”!Verse 8 does NOT say that these people got up and became “Bible Thumpers”,nor that they looked to find who could be their latest “target” to “evangelize”.This verse says that their FAITH was proclaimed...that their neighbors and coworkers;family and friends...saw something in their LIVES that told story after story of a FAITH that sustained;gave hope;gave perspective;gave perseverance;and reflected a Grace&Mercy that could only come from a source of unexplainable Righteousness&Holiness from within...from a living relationship with Christ! There was something inside the people Paul is writing to that changed them and made them different in ways that only The Lord could enable.These people were not having easy laid back lives! They were being persecuted and challenged in all sorts of ways.& n the middle of these challenges,the world witnessed something so special,so unique, that “it” was proclaimed in all the world.Dear Lord,when I ponder these verses...PLEASE change me from the inside out with Your Word&Spirit so that my life may have a Lived Out Faith like these people.May the challenges this world brings on me be met with a FAITH that can only come from YOU...and my YOUR FAITHFULNESS be what people see...

Romans 1

N Romans 1:1-2,Paul says that he is called to a position & a purpose(“I Paul,a servant of Christ Jesus,called to be an apostle & set apart for the gospel of God...”)Before this,He says WHO he is&WHAT he is.And then he says what he is CALLED & SET APART to be and do!N the first 4 verses of Romans,The Apostle Paul identifies who he is,and what Jesus has personally called & set him apart to be!N verse 5 he includes WE into being CALLED & SET APART...for the same purposes that Paul himself was CALLED &SET APART for(“Through Him,&for His name’s sake,we received grace & apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.And you also are among those those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.”).My calling boils down to a FAITH that so overwhelms my life that I seek to live according to the Word;the Spirit/Life of Christ.Paul is saying that if I live my life according to these...then my life will be such an expression of God’s Grace & the apostleship HE has called me to,that my life will “call people” around me to the same Saving Grace of the Gospel of God.SO! If we truly live with THIS FAITH,then people around us will be called out & set apart as we have been.If we do not live with THIS FAITH,but other types of faith...then people around us will be called & set apart for other things.Dear Lord,a lot of my life I do not live like my faith is truly n You;Your Word;Your Spirit...&I do not honor the position that You have called me & set me apart to be.Forgive me...and work n my life through Your Word &Spirit to change my life...so I do honor the position and calling You have planned for my life.

Acts 28

N the Book of Acts,the 1st century disciples of Christ have a faith so intimate,that their lives take the Gospel of Christ to the world around them.The World is shook by the lives of Faith that the new believers live n their families & communities....to the point that our calendar was forever changed to “recognize” the reality of the Life of Christ;His Death;His Resurrection;& His Ascension!And,the most powerful empire of the time was changed by the faithfulness of the 1st century disciples of Christ.Yet,there are those that STILL chose not to believe,&this “choice” hardens their hearts to the point that they fail to see the overwhelming evidences of God and His Offer of Mercy & Grace through Christ alone!At the end of Acts,Paul reminds these people of God’s Sovereign knowledge of their harden hearts,& that fact the HE is still persistent&persevering to all so that no one can claim they did not hear;see;nor perceive that God is God,& that Jesus is The Saving Messiah & the Mercy&Grace through Christ that God’s Love extends to everyone.Paul quotes from Isaiah when he says,”So when they did not agree among themselves, they departed after Paul had said one word: “The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah the prophet to our fathers, saying,

‘Go to this people and say:

“Hearing you will hear, and shall not understand;And seeing you will see, and not perceive;For the hearts of this people have grown dull.Their ears are hard of hearing,And their eyes they have closed,Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,So that I should heal them.”’(Acts28:25-27).Dear Lord,soften my heart so I may truly understand the hearing & seeing evidences of Your Desire to heal every aspect of my life,through Christ & Your Word...and then have my heart/mind/life so changed by these...that I intimately know Your Presence n and around my life...as the first century disciples did.

Acts 19:20

Acts19:20 says,”So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.”This begs the question...what is the reason that “”SO” the word of the Lord grew mightily & prevailed”?!N the verses before,the people had allowed their minds&”ideas” to become so clouded w things far from TRUTH that their hearts/minds/spirits were SO confused&misled that the people had little to no sense of TRUTH.This led them to have lives that had little to no idea of the eternal repercussions of their being SO confused&misled away from TRUTH.Today,we have the same challenges to our hearts/minds/spirits as the people in Acts.The difference being that we have many more “things”& “devices” clamoring for our attention to be drawn away from TRUTH.The more I am drawn by these things,the potential for me to b drawn away from God’s Truths becomes greater.The enemy is clever in his leveraging of these things,n that he will b ever so gradual n the way he uses these things to sneak up on TRUTH,& draw me away from TRUTH.When this begins to happen,the power of God’s Word & His Spirit n our life begins to wane...& a true relationship w The Lord becomes something that is far from the desires of God’s Heart for us.And our lives fail to b ETERNALLY Effective n ways that r TRUE/TRUSTWORTHY/PURE as defined by the only SOURCE TRUSTWORTHY for these-God’s Word&His Spirit!And the Word of the Lord does NOT grow mightily in and around my life as it did n Acts19:20.Dear Jesus,forgive me for letting my time/mind/heart b gobbled up by things and devises that suck Your Word and Your Spirit/Life out of me.Restore n me the things and devices that You have placed n my life to Eternally revive and restore me for what You so desire to teach me;show me;talk w me about;change n me;and shape me to know and be.May Your Word grow mightily in and around me.