Receive One Another
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Theres a story that is told of a seminary student who drove about thirty miles to church on Sunday mornings and he would frequently pick up hitchhikers. One day he picked up a young man who noticed that he was wearing a suit and asked if he could go to church with him. The student said, “Of course you can.”
The stranger came to church and afterward was invited over to one of the members home for lunch and fellowship. While there, he received a hot bath, some clean clothes, and a hot meal. In conversation with the young man, his hosts found that he was a Christian, but he had been out of fellowship with The Lord. His home was in another state and he was just passing through on his way back. Later in the evening, they bought him a bus ticket and sent him on his way.
A week later, the seminary student received a letter from the hitchhiker. Enclosed with the letter was a newspaper clipping with headlines reading, “Man turns himself in for murder.” This young man had killed a teenage boy in an attempted robbery and had been running away from the law for some time. But the kindness and hospitality of Christians had convicted him. He wanted to be in fellowship with God and he knew he had to do the right thing about his crime.
Little did those Christians know that by their faithfulness to show hospitality they had influenced a man to do what was right in God’s eyes and thereby help restore him to fellowship with his Lord.
Have you ever considered your hospitality could lead someone to turning themselves in.
Romans 15:7 “Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God.”
NLT says it this way Accept one another
ESV says, Welcome one another
This word recieved in the greek is “proslambano”
it means to receive and keep on receiving one another.
Receive is to welcome someone in your presence similarly like welcoming them in home.
The model Paul uses for us is Christ. Christ didn’t just receive the weak or strong he received
Ungodly Romans 5:6 “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.”
Ungodly is like living your life without a godly frame work, with no belief system in God .
sinners Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
enemies Romans 5:10 “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”
We receive one another because we have in view Gods glory.
“He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.
He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.”
Those who received Christ messengers of the Kingdom received Christ and those who received Christ received The Father.
There was a specific person, sent for a specific time for a specific purpose, sent by a specific Person.
When you receive a prophet or a righteous person you will receive a reward equivalent to a prophet or righteous person.
The prophets bring the message of God and righteous people present the character of God.
Even seemingly insignificant gift of a cup of cold water to a disciple will bring a reward for the hospitable person.
Any honor given to Jesus lowliest disciple overflows to Jesus and The Father.
Acts 18:26 “So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.”
Apollos a man from Alexandria ( which is the northern part of Africa) a Egyptian city.
He was a Jewish man and knew the OT well. And he was a disciple of John.
Apollos teaching was accurate but deficient.
Have you ever went to a church all they speak about is heaven never speak about hell. Always speak about Gods Judgement but never His mercy.
What they are saying about heaven and about Judgement are accurate but deficient.
Thats why its important to preach verse by verse so you can cover the whole counsel of God.
Theres a great possibility Apollos didn’t know about The Holy Spirit’s baptism. Maybe He know about John’s but not The Holy Spirit’s.
John’s baptism is repentance from sin and turning to God.
But Christian baptism pictures union with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection by means of Spirit baptism.
God had two objection to Christ ministry.
The first was to confirm the promised made to the patriarchs Romans 9:4-5
That gentiles may glorify God for his mercy Romans 15:6
Now I say that Jesus Christ has become a servant to the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers,
and that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy, as it is written:
“For this reason I will confess to You among the Gentiles,
And sing to Your name.”
Jesus came to the Jews first to fullfill his promises that He made to the Prophets the Patriarchs
These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
“and that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy, as it is written: “For this reason I will confess to You among the Gentiles, And sing to Your name.””
Speaking about David confessing God among the gentiles
Romans 15:10 “And again he says: “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people!””
Moses is telling the Gentiles to rejoice with His people!
Romans 15:11 “And again: “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles! Laud Him, all you peoples!””
Now it goes from praising the Lord and applauding Him!
Romans 15:12 “And again, Isaiah says: “There shall be a root of Jesse; And He who shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, In Him the Gentiles shall hope.””
Now in Isaiah its speaking about Christ coming specifically to reign over the gentiles and being our hope.