Sowing Into Other Believers

Romans 12:9–13 LEB

9 Love must be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; be attached to what is good, 10 being devoted to one another in brotherly love, esteeming one another more highly in honor, 11 not lagging in diligence, being enthusiastic in spirit, serving the Lord, 12 rejoicing in hope, enduring in affliction, being devoted to prayer, 13 contributing to the needs of the saints, pursuing hospitality.

Intro:

When most people come to church they are coming for their blessing. Hint we here bless me; pray for me but very often do we here Lord bless me so, that i may be a blessing to someone else, pray for me that God may use me to be a blessing to someone.

See we started this seres saying that we will present our bodies as living sacrifice that are holy and acceptable to God, by the renewing of our minds...

Then we are not to have an obscure thought about ourselves by measuring ourself according to man and this world but that each believer is to set his or her standard of faith by that which is the true standard of faith is Christ.

Now that we have put out focus upward, then we able to focus inward with spiritual growth. Now we start to focus outward, do you know that you spiritual growth and spiritual blessing are tied up on how we sow into others believers.

So, How do we sow into other believer? Paul tells us in...

Romans 12:9 LEB

9 Love must be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; be attached to what is good,

Love Other Believers

Paul begins with an all-important statement about the quality of the love which is to be in the Church: “Love must be sincere”

1. Love’s quality

“love must be sincere.”

Love must be without hypocrisy

The word for “love” here is agape, which to this point had been used in Romans only for divine love (5:5; 8:35, 39), except in 8:28 where it is used for man’s love for God. But here the word is used to indicate the kind of love Christians are to show to others—a Godlike love that loves regardless of the circumstances, a deliberate love that decides it will keep loving even if it is rebuffed.

We are challenged to live out the highest love and to do so with the highest sincerity. Our love is to be genuine, not counterfeit.

This little statement, so simple and so straightforward—“Love must be sincere”—is foundational to Christian conduct. But despite its simplicity, it is not easy to put into practice because much of our lives is shot through with hypocrisy.

Our culture encourages us to live an image. The media repeatedly present us with people pretending to be something they are not, and so tempt us to take up masks ourselves, to counterfeit a love we do not possess.

Illustration:

like the smiling face we present to a police officer as he hands us a ticket, while inside we are saying, “May all your days be filled with traffic jams!”

We even deceive ourselves into thinking we have love for people we neglect and, in fact, do not even like. Paul tells us that we must get beyond pretense—we must sincerely love

If we claim the commitment of Romans 12:1, 2, we must love without hypocrisy. This is not optional! The Scripture repeatedly sets this requirement before us.

“Above all, love each other deeply” (1 Peter 4:8).

“The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith” (1 Timothy 1:5).

“All men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another” (John 13:35).

This is a call to honestly examine our own hearts, asking the question, “Do I love others, especially those in the Church, without hypocrisy?” If the answer is uncertain, we must go to God in prayer, because the Holy Spirit is the only One who can pour love into and through our hearts (5:5).

2. Love’s morality

“Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.”

First, we see love’s morality: “Hate what is evil; cling to what is good” (v. 9b). Some might suppose that love is soft on evil. Not so! Evil is to be hated. Sincere love demands God-honoring moral resolve regarding good and evil.

Romans 12:10 LEB

10 being devoted to one another in brotherly love, esteeming one another more highly in honor,

3. Love’s commitment

“Be devoted [with warm family affection] to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.” Think of what it would be like to see such family love in the Church.

Next, Paul mentions love’s commitment in the Church: “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves” (v. 10). The words “Be devoted” are the translation of a Greek word which combines the words for friendship love and family love. A more helpful translation is, “Be devoted with warm family affection to one another in brotherly love.” Family-type devotion to one another is more than friendship. Such love involves commitment like that experienced in good families.

The natural outcome will be then, as the last half of the verse commands, to “Honor one another above yourselves” (v. 10b). Healthy families have a mutual respect for one another. They defer to one another and take pleasure in the elevation of other family members.

This is the way it ought to be in the Church. Love heightens family commitment and family joy.

This is the way it ought to be in the Church. Love heightens family commitment and family joy. But sometimes the Church fails. Some years ago a certain church in Dallas, Texas, divided. The split was so bad that one faction began a lawsuit to dispossess the other and claim the property. The newspapers picked up the story, and the locals followed what was happening with a great deal of interest. The judge finally stated it was not a matter for the civil courts until the church courts had made a ruling. After much discussion, the church court awarded the property to one of the two factions, and the losers withdrew and formed another church in the area.1 How different things would have been had those in that church heeded Paul’s call to mutual commitment: “Be devoted [with warm family affection] to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves” (v. 10).

Romans 12:11–12 LEB

11 not lagging in diligence, being enthusiastic in spirit, serving the Lord, 12 rejoicing in hope, enduring in affliction, being devoted to prayer,

4. Love’s energetic expression

“Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Think of such blessed fire in the life of the Church.

The word “fervor” carries the idea of burning, and the Revised Standard Version better captures the energy of what Paul is saying here: “Never flag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer” (italics added). Our love is to be dispensed with burning energy toward those around us!

Next Paul challenges us with love’s energetic expression: “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (vv. 11, 12).

Our love is to be dispensed with burning energy toward those around us!

Such fervent loving calls for our best and is costly. Luther said he worked so hard that when he went to bed he literally fell into bed. In fact, one account says he did not change his bed for a year! Now that is tired! Moody’s bedtime prayer as he rolled his great bulk into bed on one occasion was, “Lord, I am tired. Amen.” Calvin’s biographers marvel at his output. John Wesley rode sixty to seventy miles a day and on average preached three sermons a day. When Alexander Maclaren went into his study, he would take off his slippers and put on working men’s boots because he knew that a minister of God is to be a working man! True love labors.

Romans 12:13 LEB

13 contributing to the needs of the saints, pursuing hospitality.

5. Love’s care

“Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”

Lastly, there is love’s care: “Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality” (v. 13). Our care for brothers and sisters in Christ should reach down right into our wallets and purses and cost us. Paul presents this as a privilege rather than a sacrifice because the word “share” is one of our great Christian words, koinonia, which suggests a common sharing or fellowship. Love’s care is natural and right and joyful! When Christ’s Church is living in love, the needs of its people are met through sharing and caring.

hospitality Refers to an extension of generosity to strangers.

In Paul’s time, teachers and philosophers—and Christian missionaries—traveled from town to town, relying on local residents for food and lodging. Paul also relied on such hospitality during his missionary journeys

Love’s care is exhibited when we “Practice hospitality.” Here we must note something both beautiful and convicting: “practice” means “pursuing” or “chasing.” The word sometimes even denotes strenuous pursuit. The idea is that the loving believer does not wait for the stranger to show up on the doorstep, but goes out and gets him.

this was terribly important during the early years of the Church when believers were disinherited. Today it is equally important in many parts of the world where similar situations exist. Moreover, it is important to the life of the Church anywhere. The benefits that mutual hospitality brings to the Church are incalculable: relationships enhanced, love disseminated, souls encouraged. All of us are to do this. Peter put it this way: “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling” (1 Peter 4:9). And our text in Romans says we should aggressively pursue it. Genesis 18 gives us the example of Abraham, and Hebrews 13:2 tells us, “for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.”

Let us review what we have seen about love. Love’s quality: “love must be sincere.” Love’s morality: “Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.” Love’s commitment: “Be devoted [with warm family affection] to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.” Think of what it would be like to see such family love in the Church. Love’s energetic expression: “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Think of such blessed fire in the life of the Church. Love’s care: “Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”