Friendship Matters

Of all the things I miss about my growing up years I miss the joy of receiving a heartfelt letter. Nothing compares to the feeling of going to the mailbox and finding in the midst of all the junk mail an envelope with my name and address written out in ink.... along with the return address of someone I have not heard from in a while or better yet a letter from someone I never expected to receive any communication from.

I know we live in the age of electronic messages and I like getting emails from family, and friends, I like getting FaceBook messages from people I love... I like all of this stuff but for some reason a hand written addressed envelope warms my heart.

I think I like it Because in order to receive a letter like this someone had to care for me enough to go to the trouble.

When we feel like others care enough to reach out to us in unexpected ways and times...it not only lifts our spirits but strengthens our connections with each other.

The NT is a collection of personal letters

Romans is a personal letter to a group of people that Paul has never met but has great affinity for in order to encourage them in the faith. Rome was not a place where it would be easy to be a christian…

In fact Rome was a place where being moral or believing in anything would be something that most people around them would never understand. So it would be hard to live victorious in such a place.

I think most of us can agree we live in such a time…personal comfort and a form of hedonism the pursuit of pleasure; sensual self-indulgence is the word of the modern day.

While it is supposed to lead to fulfilment it often leads to a greater sense of emptiness but pride often keeps people from this truth.

Paul has a word for Christians in this environment....Paul is writing a letter that runs counter to the culture many of the Romans Christians live in.

In the midst of this passage I asked you to read this week we see Paul unveil his desire for the Romans not his own vanity.

Paul opens this letter introducing himself becuase unlike many of his other letter he had no physical connection with them.

Romans 1:10–12 NLT

10 One of the things I always pray for is the opportunity, God willing, to come at last to see you. 11 For I long to visit you so I can bring you some spiritual gift that will help you grow strong in the Lord. 12 When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours.

Paul reveals the purity of his actions by getting right to the point of the letter.

Pauls Purpose is two fold and outlined in this passage:

To impart some spiritual gift that will Encourage Growth in the Lord…Not impress but to encourage growth in the Lord…Growth in the Lord leads to growth in all other areas of life.

To worship together in such a way that their faith maybe mutually encouraged....When we invest in others they are more likely to invest in us.

Paul moves from purpose to the outcomes if the Romans will live out what he is sharing as and Apostle of Jesus.

Paul has two outcomes in mind.

To see the Church Strong…Strong Christ centered relationship equal strong churches…This is why fellowship is so important…not just pot lucks but the sharing of life.

To produce a harvest....When we are healthy we are able to share that health with the rest of the world.

Paul teaches them and us that when we allow others to invest in our lives for our good and the good of the kingdom it leads to a more enjoyable gatherings together.

Romans 1:12 NLT

12 When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours.

Paul looked forward to meeting this group…not becuase they rooted for the same baseball or football team, not becuase they were in the same socio economic position nor becuase of they were going to advance his position among the other apostles.

Paul looked forward to gathering to encourage and be in encouraged in the faith.

People who live this way communicate outside of the one day they Gather. Paul had to write letters…there were no phone or e communications or social media…so today it should be easier to lift each other up outside of our gatherings.

It still takes an intentional move on our part to make this happen. I shared a post from a friend on FB that says this.

Adult friendships are hard “ I have learned that you have to text people when you are thinking of them. A simple thinking of you, hope all is well really goes a long way.”

I wonder how many peoples we lose from our lives simply becuase they felt like no one every thought about them?

What if keeping people in our lives it was just as easy as a thinking of you text?....

This week what if instead of thinking about someone and saying I wonder what happened to them and going on we took 30 seconds and sent a text…or maybe take a few minutes and send a letter...

Hebrews 10:24–25 NLT

24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

Imaging a group of people that intentionally let others know they were thinking about them on a regular basis.

Who can you reach out to today…take out your phone.....

A Church where friendship matters is a place that all people can find friends. It is in mutually encouraging each other that we gain the strength we need to develop as God’s people in a society where no one really understands who God is.

Communion