City Life Starter

I. The Word: Romans 12:9-21 (NIV)

Love in Action
9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

By Stefan Johnsson

Tolerance in the Face of Intolerance.

The word of God is offensive and it is an intolerant belief to many in our society. Speaking about our faith is frowned upon unless it is amongst other fellow Christians. They ask, how can a Christian claim that Jesus is the only way to heaven? Yet, when we speak this truth, we are told that we are intolerant, unable to accept other people’s beliefs. Though, it is they who are being intolerant and unwilling to accept that another person can believe differently than they do. They do not see their own hypocrisy. Do not be disheartened because of this, for it is not you that offends, it is the Gospel.
So, how we do live in our society that is becoming increasingly intolerant to Christians? Romans 12:9-21, I believe speaks to how we should approach this. It can be broken down into three parts.

1. Loving others through witnessing (v. 9-13)

Love MUST be sincere, and this love resonates from our love for Jesus dying for our sins, through the power of the Holy Spirit. That has to remain our focus. Paul speaks further that we should not lack in our zeal for our faith, to continue and share the good news to all around. To let others know what Jesus did on the cross for our sins. This is a command from Jesus himself in Matthew 28. Yes, this may offend others, but not speaking about our faith is an even worse crime. Sharing to others is an outpouring of the love we, ourselves received.

2. Loving others through living life with them (v. 14-16)
Loving others is vital to sharing God’s message. It is also one of the toughest things to do. How do we love those who persecute us? How do we bless them? To lift them up in prayer? Yet, this is what we are called to do. We are to be part of the society we live in and to pray for all around us. Abraham petitioned to God not to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah if a few righteous people were found there. It was because of Abraham that Lot and his two daughters were saved (Gen. 18-19). I believe God calls us to petition for everyone around us as well. To rejoice with those who rejoice, to mourn with those who mourn. And to live in harmony with everyone, if at all possible. No matter our place in society, we are also to associate with those who are in a lesser place than us. Paul makes it clear that no matter the social stature, religion, or race, we are to be loving and tolerant to others.

3. Live in peace with those around you (v. 17-21)
As Christians, we are to live in peace with those around us. There should not be a hint of revenge or retribution. As one professor once told me, there cannot both be peace and justice to end war. One has to give up either peace or give up justice. Peace requires someone to forgive another. Justice requires retribution and revenge, continuing the cycle of bloodshed. We, as Christians, live in peace with others because in Heaven lies the righteous judge that will take retribution, and His revenge is complete and full. Forgive others that do you harm, because, in the end, that person will either find salvation in Christ or find himself at the judgment seat of God.

Do not be overcome by evil and intolerance, my brothers and sisters, but overcome this evil by love through what our savior, Jesus Christ, has done on the cross!