“Remember that Christ came as a servant to the Jews to show that God is true to the promises he made to their ancestors. He also came so that the Gentiles might give glory to God for his mercies to them. That is what the psalmist meant when he wrote: “For this, I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing praises to your name.” And in another place it is written, “Rejoice with his people, you Gentiles.” And yet again, “Praise the LORD, all you Gentiles. Praise him, all you people of the earth.” And in another place Isaiah said, “The heir to David’s throne will come, and he will rule over the Gentiles. They will place their hope on him.””
Romans 15:8-12 NLT Quoting Psalm 18:49, Deuteronomy 32:43, Psalm 117:1, and Isaiah 11:10 Paul is moved by the Holy Spirit to use the Jew, Gentile relationship as an example of unity. God kept His promise to the Jews by coming, as a Jew, living among the Jews, ministering to the Jews. He also didn't forget the Gentiles. He showed mercy to them as well by making salvation available to everyone. God, in His mercy, loved people who, otherwise would be forgotten. God's character compels Him to love each of us. Through His grace and mercy we are made one in His sight. When we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, He sees us as His children because we are under the same blood, Jesus blood. Under His blood, we are one family. Although we have our labels in this natural world, in God's family, we are under one name: Jesus!!! There is no Caucasian, Latin American, African American, Asian, etc.. There is no Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Church of God, Wesleyan, Nazarene, or other denominational distinctions. In Jesus Christ, we are one. The enemy(Satan) wants to divide us. God wants to unite us. Jesus spoke about this. "And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:” Matthew 12:25 KJV Let me be clear. I'm not advocating accepting all beliefs and practices of those who claim to love Jesus, yet live in complete contradiction to the Word of God. I am challenging those who are truly God's "born again" children to lay aside preferential, petty matters that keep us divided. There is a world out here that needs to hear the gospel. What good is the church if it loses its focus. Why don't we pray this simple prayer: "Father, in Jesus name, make us one"!
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March 2020
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