I mentioned I was at a men’s retreat a weekend ago that many of the topics in the book Living On the Edge: Dare to Experience True Spirituality were discussed independent of our study here. I was carrying the book around everywhere I went (hoping for just a couple of minutes free to read a little, but thankfully never got any) and several brothers asked about it. The most common response was, “a whole book on just a single chapter from the Bible?” Well, if you’ve been following along with this study for any length of time, it becomes clear why, as we break down nearly every verse into a practical application for our lives.
I’m not going to give a full post today. I’m running a little behind in my reading again. But to follow up on Jay’s comment yesterday, I want to break this statement down further. Authentic community is when the real you meets real needs for the right reasons in the right way. Applied to Romans 12, Chip breaks it down as such:
Real you (v 9):
- Authenticity- “Let love be sincere”
- Purity- “Hate what is evil, cling to what is good”
Meets real needs (v 10):
- Devotion- “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love”
- Humility- “Giving preference to one another in honor”
For the right reason (v 11):
- Motive- “Not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord”
- Method- Genuine service to God is characterized by diligence and enthusiasm
In the right way (v 12-13):
- Upward focus- “Rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer”
- Outward focus- “Contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing (pursuing) hospitality”
The following chapters and posts will look at each of these individually. Please come back tomorrow as we continue our study.