Category: Digging in Deeper

Digging in Deeper: Romans 12:11

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“Do not lack diligence in zeal; be fervent in the Spirit; serve the Lord.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

When I was growing up, we had a golden retriever named Ginger. She was a really good dog. I’ve never had another dog since. I still remember the last time I took her for a walk before we had to put her to sleep. In any event, when she was a puppy, the rule was that she couldn’t leave the kitchen. She could enjoy our full, big backyard, but in the house, the kitchen and dining room was the extent of her domain. The stated reason for this was so she didn’t make the rest of the house dirty. The real reason was that every time my dad got home from work, she would get so excited to see him that she would pee all over the floor. Linoleum is easy to clean, and we cleaned it a lot. Carpet…not so much. She had lots of zeal, but not much diligence. Today we’re going to keep working our way through Paul’s list of specific instructions giving us a framework for what it looks like to follow Jesus. And unlike our previous couple of attempts, I’m not even going to try to tackle more than one verse. Let’s dive in.

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Digging in Deeper: 1 Corinthians 12:14-18

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“Indeed, the body is not one part but many. If the foot should say, ‘Because I’m not a hand, I don’t belong to the body,’ it is not for that reason any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, ‘Because I’m not an eye, I don’t belong to the body,’ it is not for that reason any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God has arranged each one of the parts in the body just as he wanted.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Earlier this week we spent a bit of time with Paul’s characterization of the church as the body of Christ in Romans 12. I noted then that in 1 Corinthians 12, he explores this theme in a great deal more depth and detail. I also noted then that we were going to come back to the idea today through the lens of the latest season of Wednesday on Netflix. Well, here we are. I reviewed the first season here. We’re not going to do a full review of the second season today, but there was one scene and a minor theme that jumped out at me as filled to the brim with Gospel implications. Let’s talk about cousin Thing and disembodied parts.

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Digging in Deeper: Romans 12:9

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“Let love be without hypocrisy. Detest evil; cling to what is good.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

What does it look like to follow Jesus? It looks like living as if He were Lord. Okay, but what does that look like? We want details. We want specifics. We want to know what kinds of things we should be doing on a day-to-day basis. Thankfully, Paul’s letter to the believers in first century Rome, and especially chapter 12, is a thing. Starting here in Romans 12:9, and running through the rest of the chapter, Paul gives us a bullet list of characteristics that should define the lifestyle of a follower of Jesus. All told, there are 25 commands here. Let’s start walking through them, one at a time.

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Digging in Deeper: Romans 12:6-8

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“According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts: If prophecy, use it according to the proportion of one’s faith; if service, use it in service; if teaching, in teaching; if exhorting, in exhortation; giving, with generosity; leading, with diligence; showing mercy, with cheerfulness.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

The church is a complicated organization. Yes, I know it should be as simple as it can be. Unnecessary complexity tends to diminish the amount of actual Gospel-advancing work it does. But if a church is accomplishing all the things God has designed it to accomplish, even a small church has a whole lot of moving parts and critical pieces. Now, some churches, by sheer virtue of size are able to do a lot more than others, but God equips all of them to do all the things He has called them to do. Paul here is talking about one of the ways He does that. Let’s join him.

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Charlie Kirk and a Character that Counts

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“You are blessed when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of me. Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:11-12 CSB – Read the chapter)

Most days are mundane. That’s not to say they are boring, but they don’t stand out as particularly notable. They won’t likely be remembered for long. But every now and then, something happens that is going to be remembered; something happens that will define a whole generation. And while we don’t always recognize these moments as they happen, other times there’s really no doubt. Yesterday we crossed the 24th anniversary of 9/11. That was a generation-defining moment if there ever was one. The day before that our nation experienced another moment that will likely come to define this generation when a young man was murdered—assassinated, really—in cold blood. Let’s reflect for just a few minutes in Charlie Kirk.

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