2015.06.06 Acts
21: 17-26
Paul shows his love and humility in Jerusalem
And as we study our text this morning… We want to look beyond just the historical
facts… We want to understand Paul character and the spiritual truths that guide
what we see on the surface….
As we have gone along with Paul on his missionary
journeys..….. We have seen his Godly example to the elders and to the church…
In our text today we can clearly see his love and humility… Paul continues to be a good and godly
example of humble servant leadership… In
fact we clearly see that Paul was FAT….
Faithful… available and teachable…. Today we will see that this great man was teachable…
We have often talked about Paul's great power in preaching and teaching….. We have been
amazed at his total commitment to
proclaim the Gospel no matter what the cost… We've talked about his discipline and his
courage…. We talked about so many
qualities that made the man what he was….. But this morning we are going to see
one of the most important characteristics of Paul…. It comes from his correct
understanding of the grace of God…. Paul wrote in His letter to the Ephesians
that our salvation is completely the Grace of God… Ephesians 2… After working to earn his salvation for so long…. He
finally found forgiveness and redemption at Jesus´ feet…
This proud Pharisee realized that His righteousness was as
Isaiah said… like filthy rags (wie ein
beflecktes Kleid.) in the eyes of God… Knowing that truth transformed his legalistic
pride into godly humility…
I want to read to you from Isaiah 64…v6…
Isaiah
64:6 NKJV
slt 2000
6 But
we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like
filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And
our iniquities, like the wind, Have
taken us away.
5 Wir sind ja allesamt geworden wie Unreine, und alle
unsere Gerechtigkeit wie ein beflecktes Kleid. Wir sind alle verwelkt wie die
Blätter, und unsere Sünden trugen uns fort wie der Wind.
Paul knew the scriptures very well… Finally when he met
Jesus… He was humbled and he applied it to his own heart…
Today we see the great apostle of the Grace of God as a humble loving man…. And that
toward people who had falsely accused him… And his example of love and humility becomes
applicable to our lives….. We may never get arrested….. We may never have to suffer
like he did…
But we all need to
learn the lessons of love and humility that he showed us… Let´s begin this
morning in Acts 21…v17…
Acts
21: 17-22 NKJV
17
And when we had come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. 18 On the
following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present.
19 When he had greeted them, he told in detail those things which God had done
among the Gentiles through his ministry.
20
And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord. And they said to him, “You
see, brother, how many myriads of Jews there are who have believed, and they
are all zealous for the law; 21 but they have been informed about you that you
teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that
they ought not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the
customs. 22 What then? The assembly must certainly meet, for they will hear
that you have come.
Acts 21:17-22 slt 2000
17 Und als wir in Jerusalem angekommen waren, nahmen uns
die Brüder mit Freuden auf.
18 Am folgenden Tag aber ging Paulus mit uns zu Jakobus,
und alle Ältesten fanden sich ein.
19 Und nachdem er sie begrüßt hatte, erzählte er alles
bis ins einzelne, was Gott unter den Heiden durch seinen Dienst getan hatte.
20 Sie aber priesen den Herrn, als sie dies hörten; und
sie sprachen zu ihm: Bruder, du siehst, welch große Zahl von Juden gläubig
geworden ist, und alle sind Eiferer für das Gesetz.
21 Es ist ihnen aber über dich berichtet worden, du
würdest alle Juden, die unter den Heiden sind, den Abfall von Mose lehren und
sagen, sie sollten ihre Kinder nicht beschneiden und nicht nach den Gebräuchen
wandeln.
22 Was ist nun zu tun? Auf jeden Fall muß die Menge
zusammenkommen; denn sie werden hören, daß du gekommen bist.
v17…
in Jerusalem… the brethren received us gladly…. How wonderful
it is to see the warm hearted reception that Paul got from the very believers
that he used to persecute…. They knew how
radically the Lord had transformed this man…. Now they were about to hear
how wonderfully the Lord used this man
of God…
v18,19…
He told in detail those things which God had done among the Gentiles through
his ministry…. Upon arriving in Jerusalem…. Paul met with
the leaders of the church… James and all the elders were there….. Paul gave them a full report of his
ministry….
The phrase translated… He told
in detail….. In Greek has the
sense of reporting every single little event….. Paul told them everything God
had done in his missionary efforts… The Lord had used him mightily among the
Jewish believers and the Gentiles too…
v20a… they
glorified the Lord…. The believers in Jerusalem were amazed and thankful
for what God was doing among the Gentiles…. They clearly saw the hand of God
upon this servant… aber….. but… look
at the next part of verse 20…
v20b….
You see, brother, how many myriads of Jews there are who have believed, and
they are all zealous for the law… What is a myriad? For sure
it is a very big number…. In other places a myriad is translated 10,000…. Here
we see Myriads…. It is fair to say many many thousands of Jews had also repented
and believed the Gospel.… In course of time as persecution calmed down…. Most
of them stayed in Jerusalem… the next phrase that I want to look at is at the
end of this verse… Zealous for the law….
They were very big fans of the law and sought to obey it… Paul understood that….
he described himself as zealous for the
law in Galatians ch1… v6..…
In this case…. zealous
for the law… Means that they wanted to keep many of their traditions… They were genuine believers who were
born Jewish…. and they did not want to simply throw away their Jewishness…
but…v21…
v21….
they have been informed about you that you teach all the Jews not to walk
according to the customs….. Some of the Jewish believers stumbled at Paul´s presence in Jerusalem… Paul
was accused of teaching all Jews to ignore the customs of Judaism…. For these
believers… The law and customs were very
important… The Torah and the Mishnah and even the
oral teachings that had come down through the centuries… In the Torah there are
613 laws….. But over time these oral explanations and instructions take up many
thousands of pages of material…. Lots of rules and rules about how to apply the
rules…. These things were a large part of their Jewish Christian experience…
We have been studying the ministry of Paul for some time
now… Was that true….?
Did Paul say those
things…. Not really… What Paul did was to powerfully
proclaim the Good News of the Gospel…. He clearly showed everyone who
listened to him….. That all men…. Jews included…. are under the Judgment of
god… He demonstrated to everyone that being
good would never be enough… He proved to the Jews that even he….. an
awesome Pharisee… was totally unable
to keep the law…. Why?... Because Paul
could not love and serve God from his heart….
When
Jesus appeared to him on the road to Damascus…. He realized
that he was still in his sins…. and that he was in rebellion against the truth that Jesus is the Messiah…
He was radically transformed…. Paul proclaimed the Good News of the Gospel to anyone who would listen…
He showed that we are commanded to repent of our sins and
cry out to the Lord for forgiveness and
mercy…. Because Jesus Christ is our
only hope…
He was the great Apostle of the Grace of God… Ephesians ch2…
Sadly Paul´s teachings to the Gentiles had been
misunderstood by some of them….
Part of the church was concerned that Paul was teaching
against the Jewish customs… Even for the Jewish believers… That was not true… Many
of the Jewish believers still valued these traditions ….
Some of the believers
there were deeply offended…. They were offended at Paul for no legitimate
reason…. Nevertheless They were angry… James then gave Paul some very wise
advice… v23…
Acts
21: 23,24 NKJV slt 2000
23
Therefore do what we tell you: We have four men who have taken a vow.
24
Take them and be purified with them, and pay their expenses so that they may
shave their heads, and that all may know that those things of which they were
informed concerning you are nothing, but that you yourself also walk orderly
and keep the law.
23 So tue nun das, was wir dir sagen: Wir haben vier
Männer, die ein Gelübde auf sich haben;
24 diese nimm zu dir, laß dich reinigen mit ihnen und
trage die Kosten für sie, daß sie das Haupt scheren lassen; so können alle
erkennen, daß nichts ist an dem, was über dich berichtet worden ist, sondern
daß auch du ordentlich wandelst und das Gesetz hältst.
V23,24….
We have four men who have taken a vow… Be purified with them, and pay their expenses…. The
particular vow of consecration was probably similar to Paul's Nazirite vow
mentioned in Acts 18:18…..The elders advised Paul to join those had
taken these vows and …. They also told him to pay the sacrificial expenses for
all of them…. This was a big request…. Buying the animals for the required
sacrifices was a lot of money…. We are talking about 15 animals or more…
depending on whether any of them had been defiled during the time of the vows…
By doing this… Paul humbly shows the
community of Christian Jews in Jerusalem that he is not against Jewish customs….
Paul was however determined to make sure
that no one thought that the law would earn them salvation…. Paul did not
expect the gentiles to become Jewish when they received the Lord Jesus Christ…
We have seen Paul´s love for the church in his
determination to proclaim the Good News of the Gospel….. He did this with all
of his heart…. He did not care how much it cost him…. As we saw last week…. Paul was determined to finish his race with
joy…. Acts 20:24…
Just
like Jesus.... Who endured the cross for the Joy that was set before him…. Hebrews 12… Paul endured sufferings and
beatings so terrible that it is hard to even imagine…. What a tremendous example to the persecuted church… What Grace was at
work in him….
This morning we have a simpler example of the Grace of God at work in Paul´s life…. Well
at least theoretically it is simpler…
As we look at what Paul does today we see a very practical way for us to show the Grace of God to people in our own lives…. James
and the elders tell Paul to reach out to these offended brethren….
Paul
agreed
to do this…. What an example of
humility…. He was indeed teachable… Paul was just fighting against the idea that anything that he or anyone did…. would make them acceptable and righteous
before God…. That was he battle with Judaism…. Legalistic ideas of earning
righteousness… The Old Testament clearly teaches us that we are justified …
Made righteous by faith alone…. Hab 2:4…
Now Paul
loved these Jewish believers
so much that he decided to humble himself… He moved toward them in
reconciliation…. What a great example for us…. It was these Jewish believers
who were upset and offended… They were the
ones in the wrong… As always… Paul continues to demonstrate the Grace of God in His life….. He demonstrated his
love for the Lord by serving and ministering to the church…. He did not decide
to find fault and to place blame…. He did
not cry out…. Ich hab gar nix falsch gemacht…
Shame dich…!
No… The fact that he was innocent did not cause him to
become stubborn or angry…. It was the Grace
of God at work in him….
If it was me … I might say…. What? … Me take these vows….
Me shell out all of that money…. I
didn´t do anything wrong…. Forget that….. They
are wrong…. They need to repent…. they need to come to me and ask for
forgiveness…. I´ll wait right here until they are ready to say sorry….
Now That is the opposite of Grace…. That is pride and
self righteousness…
Thank
the Lord for Paul´s very practical example to us here…. He was full of the
Grace of God… He understood the ministry that the Lord has given to everyone of us…. The Ministry of Reconciliation… turn
with me to … 2 Corinthians 5…
2
Corinthians 5: 18-21 NKJV slt 2000
18
Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus
Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God
was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses
to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
20
Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through
us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.
21
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the
righteousness of God in Him.
2 Corinthians 5:18- 21 slt 2000
18 Das alles aber [kommt] von Gott, der uns mit sich
selbst versöhnt hat durch Jesus Christus und uns den Dienst der Versöhnung
gegeben hat;
19 weil nämlich Gott in Christus war und die Welt mit
sich selbst versöhnte, indem er ihnen ihre Sünden nicht anrechnete und das Wort
der Versöhnung in uns legte.
20 So sind wir nun Botschafter für Christus, und zwar so,
daß Gott selbst durch uns ermahnt; so bitten wir nun stellvertretend für
Christus: Laßt euch versöhnen mit Gott!
21 Denn er hat den, der von keiner Sünde wußte, für uns
zur Sünde gemacht, damit wir in ihm [zur] Gerechtigkeit Gottes würden.
Christian…..
This is our wonderful assignment….. We show grace and patience and the love of
Jesus to everyone in our lives…. Even to our own family….. We
do not let pride or anger or the desire for revenge stand in the way of our mission……Because of the grace of God in
our lives…. We can and should…
demonstrate the love of Jesus even to our enemies…. If you are
taking notes that´s in Luke 6:35-37… Read
it in your own quiet times…. We will stay in 2 Cor… look at verse 18…
v18…
God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ… The source of
our ability to be reconcilers…. The source
of our ability to forgive and forget…. Is rooted in the truth that we have
already been reconciled to God…
If we are honest….
We will admit that we did not deserve His mercy and grace…. Not even a little… Since we believe the Word of God…. We know that we have received Grace that we did not deserve…. Therefore… It is right
and proper that we show grace to
others…. Even when we are falsely
accused…. Even when we are attacked for no reason…..
v19a…
God was in Christ reconciling the World to Himself… This is solid doctrine… God is by nature a redeemer and a
reconciler…. We see this awesome picture in the Bible over and over again….
At the moment we are studying the prophet Hosea on
Tuesday nights…. In Hosea we see God´s earnest desire to reconcile sinners and
rebels to Himself… He pleads with them to repent and turn to Him…. He promises
to restore them and put the kabash on
their sins…. There´s more…
v19b…
God has committed to us the word of reconciliation…..
That´s our mission my friends… The need for mercy and forgiveness is all around
us…. The time is short…. Every day men and women are dying and being thrust
into eternity…. The need is desperate… The mission is so important… We minister
on behalf of God Himself…. Look at verse 20…
v20… as
though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be
reconciled to God…. on God´s behalf…. we are to be pleading…. Begging others to be reconciled to God…. He did nothing
wrong…. We are the sin filled
rebels who have refused to repent… Nevertheless God pleads with us to be reconciled…….
Stop… repent…. Turn to the Lord Jesus Christ before it is too late… I know that
some of you here this morning have not really repented of your sins and cried
out to God for forgiveness…. The Bible is clear…. Today is the day of
Salvation…. We are not promised a tomorrow…. And so…. Based on the Authority of the Word of God…. I am
begging you to repent of your sins
today…
Paul moved to the people who were upset with him…. He
sought reconciliation from those people who were offended with him…. He humbly showed them grace… Even though they
were wrongly accusing him… Paul is acting Just like the Lord when he did that….
Because God has acted on his own to show
us grace and mercy…. To redeem and reconcile with us… Even though we were
angry with him…. without a cause… look at verse 21…
v21… For
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the
righteousness of God in Him….
Here the Lord Himself gives us righteousness as a gift
when we repent from our hearts…. What Good
News we have in this book…..
So then…. Paul fought against the idea that he or anyone
could ever earn their own righteousness by obeying the law…. He was trying to
make sure that the believing Jews did not think that they were doing something
to make themselves righteous by obeying the law….. This is solid truth…. Sound Theology….
If we are saved….
If anyone is saved….. it is by repenting of our sins receiving God´s grace
through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ alone…. Plus nothing…. Over and over
Paul warned to believers not to misunderstand the law…. It never Justified
anyone…. It never did…. It never will…. As Paul himself learned…. We cannot be
good enough… But even we as believers… are in danger of falling into a works
oriented walk with the Lord…. Turn with me to Galatians 5….verse 4…
Galatians
5: 4,5 NKJV
slt 2000
4
You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law;
you have fallen from grace. 5 For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the
hope of righteousness by faith.
6
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything,
but faith working through love.
Galatians
5: 4,5 NKJV slt 2000
4 Ihr seid losgetrennt von Christus, die ihr durchs
Gesetz gerecht werden wollt; ihr seid aus der Gnade gefallen!
5 Wir aber erwarten im Geist aus Glauben die Hoffnung der
Gerechtigkeit;
6 denn in Christus Jesus gilt weder Beschneidung noch
Unbeschnittensein etwas, sondern der Glaube, der durch die Liebe wirksam ist.
v4…
when… Or if… we try to be Justified by
what we do… We are rejecting….
Forfeiting the Grace that God has so freely offered us…
v5…
through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith…
It is the Holy Spirits presence in our hearts….
transforming us day by day…. It is not ever the law….
The law shows us
our sin and points us to the Lord
Jesus Christ… v6… rather it is
6… faith working through love.
Our faith shows itself to be real when we show the love
of God to others…. Especially to those who have wronged us or mistreated us… OK
let´s get back to Acts 21… v…
Acts
21: 25,26
NKJV
25
But concerning the Gentiles who believe, we have written and decided that they
should observe no such thing, except that they should keep themselves from
things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual
immorality.”
26
Then Paul took the men, and the next day, having been purified with them,
entered the temple to announce the expiration of the days of purification, at
which time an offering should be made for each one of them.
Acts
21: 25,26 slt 2000
25 Was aber die gläubig gewordenen Heiden betrifft, so
haben wir [ja] geschrieben und angeordnet, daß sie von alledem nichts zu
befolgen haben, sondern sich nur hüten sollen vor dem Götzenopfer und dem Blut
und vor Ersticktem und Unzucht.
26 Da nahm Paulus die Männer zu sich und ging am
folgenden Tag, nachdem er sich hatte reinigen lassen, mit ihnen in den Tempel
und kündigte die Erfüllung der Tage der Reinigung an, bis für jeden von ihnen
das Opfer dargebracht werden sollte.
v26…
Then Paul took the men…. Paul willingly submitted to the
Elders…. Paul could easily agree to this…. Paul
did this to demonstrate that he never
taught Christian Jews to forsake Moses….. and he did not forbid them to circumcise their children…. and He did not
tell them that they should ignore Jewish customs…. Paul´s constant point was that the law and traditions did not produce
righteousness…. These things were useless if the goal was righteousness…
But even he continued to honor the traditions and customs…. Remember whenever
possible he was in the Temple and in the Synagogues…. His goal was the
Proclamation of the Gospel…. He earnestly desired to see the salvation of
souls….. He describes his attitude in 1 Cor… Let´s turn to 1 Cor … ch9… v19…
1
Corinthians 9: 19-23
NKJV
19
For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I
might win the more; 20 and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win
Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those
who are under the law; 21 to those who are without law, as without law (not
being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win
those who are without law; 22 to the weak I became as weak, that I might win
the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save
some. 23 Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker of it with
you.
1 Corinthians 9: 19-23 slt 2000
19 Denn obwohl ich frei bin von allen, habe ich mich doch
allen zum Knecht gemacht, um desto mehr [Menschen] zu gewinnen.
20 Den Juden bin ich wie ein Jude geworden, damit ich die
Juden gewinne; denen, die unter dem Gesetz sind, bin ich geworden, als wäre ich
unter dem Gesetz, damit ich die unter dem Gesetz gewinne;
21 denen, die ohne Gesetz sind, bin ich geworden, als
wäre ich ohne Gesetz — obwohl ich vor Gott nicht ohne Gesetz bin, sondern
Christus gesetzmäßig unterworfen —, damit ich die gewinne, die ohne Gesetz
sind.
22 Den Schwachen bin ich wie ein Schwacher geworden,
damit ich die Schwachen gewinne; ich bin allen alles geworden, damit ich auf
alle Weise etliche rette.
23 Dies aber tue ich um des Evangeliums willen, um an ihm
teilzuhaben.
Paul was willing to do anything…. and to sacrifice
anything to win people to Jesus Christ…. As far as his rights were concerned he
was free from all men….. but because of his love for all men he would gladly
limit those rights for their sakes….. He
would modify his habits, and his life–style if any of those things caused
someone to stumble… to be offended….. or to be hindered from faith in the Lord…..
Paul knew and taught that because they were In Christ… they
were no longer bound to the rituals, and traditions of Judaism….. Following or
not following any of those things had no affect on one´s salvation…..
But if following them would open a door for his
witnessing to Jews… he would gladly do it… What had once been legal requirements… Now had become loving submission to the
sensitivities of others… This he did for their sake… His motive was only to win
Jews to salvation in Jesus Christ….
Paul gave the Corinthians some very practical advice about not being an offence or stumbling block
to others… These are things that we can do for each other…. Our goal is to love
and encourage each other….. If I do things that stumble or offend my brothers
and sisters…. I am failing to
demonstrate the Grace of God to you… Showing love and grace of the Lord Jesus
means doing my best to not offend…. And when I know that someone is offended
at me…. My job is to reach out to them….. Even if I have done nothing wrong…
Close
Paul writes about this in 1 Corinthians… Let´s look at to
close this morning… 1 Cor ch10…v23….
1
Corinthians 10:23-33 NKJV
23
All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are
lawful for me, but not all things edify. 24 Let no one seek his own, but each
one the other’s well-being.
25
Eat whatever is sold in the meat market, asking no questions for conscience’
sake; 26 for “the earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness.”
27
If any of those who do not believe invites you to dinner, and you desire to go,
eat whatever is set before you, asking no question for conscience’ sake. 28 But
if anyone says to you, “This was offered to idols,” do not eat it for the sake
of the one who told you, and for conscience’ sake; for “the earth is the
Lord’s, and all its fullness.” 29 “Conscience,” I say, not your own, but that
of the other. For why is my liberty judged by another man’s conscience? 30 But
if I partake with thanks, why am I evil spoken of for the food over which I
give thanks?
31
Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of
God. 32 Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church
of God, 33 just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own
profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.
1 Corinthians 10: 23-33 slt 2000
23 Es ist mir alles erlaubt — aber es ist nicht alles
nützlich! Es ist mir alles erlaubt — aber es erbaut nicht alles!
24 Niemand suche das Seine, sondern jeder das des
anderen.
25 Alles, was auf dem Fleischmarkt angeboten wird, das
eßt, ohne um des Gewissens willen nachzuforschen;
26 denn »dem Herrn gehört die Erde und was sie erfüllt«.
27 Und wenn jemand von den Ungläubigen euch einlädt und
ihr hingehen wollt, so eßt alles, was euch vorgesetzt wird, und forscht nicht
nach um des Gewissens willen.
28 Wenn aber jemand zu euch sagt: Das ist Götzenopferfleisch!
— so eßt es nicht, um dessen willen, der den Hinweis gab, und um des Gewissens
willen, denn »dem Herrn gehört die Erde und was sie erfüllt«.
29 Ich rede aber nicht von deinem eigenen Gewissen,
sondern von dem des anderen; denn warum sollte meine Freiheit von dem Gewissen
eines anderen gerichtet werden?
30 Und wenn ich es dankbar genieße, warum sollte ich
gelästert werden über dem, wofür ich danke?
31 Ob ihr nun eßt oder trinkt oder sonst etwas tut — tut
alles zur Ehre Gottes!
32 Gebt weder den Juden noch den Griechen noch der
Gemeinde Gottes einen Anstoß,
33 so wie auch ich in allen Stücken allen zu Gefallen
lebe und nicht meinen Nutzen suche, sondern den der vielen, damit sie gerettet
werden.
v32…
Give no offence…
Offenses will happen …. The Gospel is offensive to people who refuse to repent…. But we should
make every effort… short of watering down the Word of God…. To be at peace with
those who oppose us…. There is nothing to be gained by offending the very people that we are called to love and serve…. Remember
the way Paul wrote about our ministry of
reconciliation in 2 Cor 5 …. We plead…. we gently beg people to come to
Christ…. And We handle each other with
love and patience… turn with me to
Ephesians 4…v1…
Ephesians
4:1,2 NLT Neues Leben
1 Therefore
I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your
calling, for you have been called by God. 2 Always be humble and gentle. Be
patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of
your love.
1 Als ein Gefangener für den Herrn fordere ich euch
deshalb auf, ein Leben zu führen, das eurer Berufung würdig ist, denn ihr seid
ja von Gott berufen worden.
2 Seid freundlich und demütig, geduldig im Umgang
miteinander. Ertragt einander voller Liebe.
Ephesians 4: 3,4
NLT Neues Leben
3
Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves
together with peace. 4 For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have
been called to one glorious hope for the future.
3 Bemüht euch, im Geist eins zu sein, indem ihr
untereinander Frieden haltet.
4 Ihr sollt alle gemeinsam ein Leib sein und einen Geist
haben, weil ihr alle zu einer Hoffnung berufen seid.
Paul demonstrated the
love and grace of God by the way he treated others… He begged us to lead a life worthy of our calling…. We
have received grace and mercy that we did not deserve….. Paul says to us
this morning…. Love and serve others… If
you can avoid it… Don´t offend them by
the way you live or treat them…
Let´s
pray…
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