Most of Romans 12

By John Henry

Part of the Liturgy today comes from Romans 12, it is the basis of the message that came out when I sat down to write;"Give your bodies to Christ, Let them be a living and holy sacrifice- the kind he will accept." When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? Don't copy the behavior and customs of the world but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.This is as good an explanation I have read on what the "Salvation of Christ" means. It does not require a single event for salvation, it does not insist upon a grand and glorious infilling of the Holy Spirit, it is a transformation, like a caterpillar to a butterfly. How do we get there? What can we do? Can we will it to happen? No, God will do it for us, as for the Caterpillar. It does give us some serious guidance on what it means to give ourselves to Christ, "let them be a living and holy sacrifice- the kind he will accept. Also, "Don't copy the behaviors and customs of the world." Too many of us have become what we have been told to avoid. We have been caught up in the worldly demands placed upon us. We have bought the more, bigger, faster, "I want it all," mentality that has been pushed upon us by the world (Press, Media, Government, Church, and the "Jones’s"). I included the church in there, because we have allowed the church to become our God, instead of requiring that the church teach the Bible, we have looked for a church that will validate our wanting all the world can give. And many churches have done just that, preaching messages of prosperity, and get what you can, and telling us to forgive others when they have done wrong and have not repented and turned away from sin and death. We need to understand that to forgive is well and good, but if we forgive and do not teach that what had been forgiven was wrong, needs to be changed, and that it is important to actually do good, then we have forgiven for ourselves, not for the sinner. As Jesus told the woman at the well, "Go, and sin no more" simply asking for forgiveness is not enough, we must change to become more like Christ, to allow ourselves to be transformed into a new person by God.Be honest in your estimate of yourselves, measuring your value by how much faith God has given you. If we are honest with ourselves, we know we do not measure up, we fall short in how much faith we have in God. Here is where keeping up with the Jones’s is even more dangerous. We often measure ourselves against others, we say- well, look how those kids cannot sit in church, how did their parents raise them... or look how they dress, or I would never talk back like that, or If they were more like me, wouldn't that be better? Instead we should be asking, what did Jesus do? What would Jesus do? How do I measure up to Jesus in this area? How much worry do I have, is it tearing me apart? What does the bible say about that, who can I turn to for help in this area?This is where we need to be honest with ourselves that is maybe the most difficult and rocky path to climb. Since we are all one body in Christ, we belong to each other and each of us needs all the others. God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well...All too often, church members expect others to do everything, because they are talented, available, and/or willing to participate. Very little time is spent in getting to know what ability an individual is blessed with, prophesy, teaching, encouraging, serving, leading, or showing kindness, are all mentioned, having the ability is only half of the issue, taking the responsibility seriously is the larger portion. The body of believers joined together to form a church needs to have all members share in the responsibility of keeping the body together. Too old, too young, too busy, too anything is not the answer. Identifying how you are going to serve the body for the coming year may be your greatest gift to the church this year. It is greater than your money and your talents. The manner in which you serve needs to be mindful of your abilities, as well as within your honest estimate of yourself. If you or I become overworked, or over stressed, or burnt out, how can we be effectively serving God? Don't pretend that you love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Stand on the side of the good....Love the sinner; hate the sin, that goes for each of us, we cannot be tolerant of sin, of bad behavior, of evil deeds. We must not err on the side of tolerance in this area. Some things are just wrong. We cannot be like Christ and be accepting of things that are wrong. It was wrong for moneychangers and others to be taking advantage of the pilgrims in the temple, Christ did not turn the other cheek, he turned over the tables, he called them thieves and cheats, he called the kettle black. What would he do with the headlines today, Man forgot 17 month old child in car, child dies of suffocation, Man goes free, terrible accident to forget you have a child.... What would he do with the politicians of today, those too afraid of their own standards to admit to having any at all? Those with standards so low they rely on their wives to explain away their indiscretions. Those who say one thing to get elected and then turn their back on their own promises. Would Zacheus have made it into the bible if he had not changed and done what he said he would, paying back all he cheated, giving away much of what he had to the poor? Would Saul have written much of the bible if he had turned his back on his conversion on the road to Damascus? We cannot turn our back on others, but we cannot condone, encourage, or free them of their own responsibility to do well. We must hate what is wrong, and separate ourselves from the wrong being done, and in so doing, assist the wrongdoers in knowing what is wrong and overcoming the worldly temptation of continuing to sin.Never be lazy in your work, but serve the Lord enthusiastically. Be glad for all God is planning for you.Enthusiasm is contagious, and have you noticed how much fun the enthusiastic person is having? When I listen to people I hear their enthusiasm. I also have noticed that the person not having fun is not trying, not participating, not providing assistance, and they are the first to complain, the first to quit, the first to leave. The enthusiastic person is the hardest working, the longest working, the last to go, and the first to volunteer to do it again. The enthusiastic believer is sure of their place, they are confident in their faith, they are vocal in their expression of their faith, and are surrounded by others, remember it is contagious, and many of us want to catch it. So take it and run with it, run faster than you can, run farther than you can, bite off more than you can chew, and invite others to help you get it done. You will be blessed by the new experiences, new friends, new horizons that God has waiting for you over that mountain that you had to I think I can, I think I can, I think I can over. God will bless you according to his plan for you. Who are we to complain about the blessings that God wants to give us?Be patient in trouble, and always prayerful. When's Gods children are in need, be the one to help them out....Be an angel for someone, all it takes is a watchful eye and a willing hand. You may just save a life, or a soul.Live in harmony with each other. Don't try to act important, but enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don't think you know it all.Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do your part to live in peace with everyone, as much as possible....Mark Twain said, "Live your life in such a way that when you die, even the undertaker will be sad." There is much to be said in today's world about finding a person of such honor, such integrity that they will do what they say, and say what they mean. If you can find a person of integrity, an honest person who does what is right, you will find a popular person, a person with many friends, because everyone wants a friend like that. The best way to get a friend like that is to be a friend like that. Never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God....Don't let evil get the best of you, but conquer evil by doing good.I have noticed that you can not beat the evil out of someone, but you can tickle it out. You can hug it out; you can love it out. I have never seen a dog become friendly to the boot that kicks it, but they will wag their tails off if you pet them. Let us pray.

Father accept us as a living and holy sacrifice, transform us into the person we need to become. Give us the strength to invite the sinner into our homes, to love them as you love us. Help us to know ourselves and make us aware of our abilities. Fill us with the needed energy and enthusiasm so that we may joyfully serve you as a part of the body of Christ's church. Give us the opportunity to overcome evil with the good you have given us, in Christ's name we pray. Amen.