“We Are the Church” (Romans 16:1-16) - Romans for Everyone 29 -

Why Bother with Names?

In today’s scripture Paul sends his personal greetings to 26 individuals. You may wonder why bother with names? Is it necessary to include all those names and personal greetings in the scriptures? What does this chapter, Romans 16, have to teach us today? Emil Brunner called Romans 16 “one of the most instructive chapters of the New Testament,” because it encourages personal relationships of love in the church.[1] As we reflect on the names and circumstances of the people Paul greets, one particular lesson we can learn today is this: God wants us, the church, to experience a profound unity in diversity.

The Diversity of the Church

The Roman church was a diverse body in race, class and gender. As for race, we have both Jewish and Gentile Christians. For example, Aquila and Pricilla were Jewish Christians in verse 3, and so were Paul’s relatives in verses 7 and 11. But we see that others on his list were Gentiles. As for class, on the one hand, some of the names in the list were slaves. Ampliatus (8), Urnanus (9), Hermas (14), Philologus and Julia (15) were common names for slaves at that time. On the other hand, some were from royal family. For instance, Aristobulus mentioned in verse 10 was the grandson of Herod the Great and friend of the Emperor Claudius. So some of the church members were from imperial household. As for gender, nine out of 26 people named are women. Apparently, Paul thinks highly of them all, and singles out four of them (Mary, Tryphena, Tryphosa and Persis) as having “work very hard.” This shows that women were active and influential in the ongoing ministry and mission of the church. The Roman church was diverse in every way.

The Unity of the Church

Along with this diversity, the Roman church did experience a profound unity that surpassed all its differences. Then and now, issues on race, class, and gender are often considered as an “unsolvable” problem. How, then, were the Roman Christians able to enjoy the great unity in the midst of this essential difference? The answer is “In Christ.” In his greetings, 10 times Paul describes his friends as being “in Christ” (4 times) or “in the Lord (6 times).” The Romans Christians were different in terms of their race, background, social and economic status, gender and many more, but in spite of all these differences, they were still able to be united. How could it be possible? It was possible because they were in Christ! For there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for we are all one in Christ Jesus (Gal 3:28).

Then, what does it mean to live in Christ? It means to live in the reign of Christ. It means to live under the Lordship of Christ. It means to live in his presence. Sometimes a story or picture is worth a thousand words. Let me tell you a story, called, “The Rabbi’s Gift.” The story is about a monastery that was going through hard times. Once it was thriving, but now because of many different reasons there were only five old monks left in the decaying house: the abbot and four monks, all over seventy in age. Basically, the monastery was dying. One day they heard that a rabbi occasionally visited a shabby hut in the deep woods surrounding the monastery, and now he was in there. So the abbot visited the rabbi to get some advice to save the monastery. After hearing the abbot’s story, the rabbi said, “I know how it is. It is the same in my town. Almost no one comes to the synagogue anymore.” So, the old abbot and the old rabbi wept together. The abbot asked, “Is there nothing you can tell me that would help me save my dying order?” “No, I am sorry,” the rabbi answered. “I have no advice to give. But, I can tell you that the Messiah is one of you.”

When the abbot returned, his fellow monks gathered around him to ask, “How did it go? What did he say?” The abbot said, “The rabbi said that the Messiah is one of us. But I don't know what he meant.” Since then, the old monks contemplated the rabbi’s words. The Messiah is one of us? If so, which one? He probably meant Father Abbot. He has been our leader for more than a generation. On the other hand, he might have meant Brother Thomas. Certainly, Brother Thomas is a holy man. Everyone knows that Thomas is a man of light. Certainly, he could not have meant Brother Elred! Elred gets crotchety at times. But come to think of it, even though he is a thorn in people's sides, when you look back on it, Elred is virtually always right. Often very right. Maybe the rabbi did mean Brother Elred. But surely not Brother Phillip. Phillip is so passive, a real nobody. But then, almost mysteriously, he has a gift for always being there when you need him. He just magically appears. Maybe Phillip is the Messiah. Of course, the rabbi didn't mean me. He couldn't possibly have meant me. I'm just an ordinary person. Yet supposing he did? Suppose I am the Messiah? O God, not me. I couldn't be that much for You, could I? As they contemplated, the old monks began to treat each other with respect on the chance that one among them might be the Messiah. And they also began to treat themselves with extraordinary respect.

People still occasionally came to visit the monastery in its beautiful forest to picnic on its tiny lawn, or to take a walk, or to meditate in the decaying chapel. As they did so, they sensed the aura of extraordinary respect that began to surround the five old monks and seemed to radiate out from them and permeate the atmosphere of the place. There was something strangely, mysteriously compelling, about it. Hardly knowing why, people began to come back to the monastery to picnic, to play, to pray. They brought their friends to this special place. And their friends brought their friends. Then, some of them started to talk with the old monks and asked if they could join them. Then another, and another. So, within a few years the monastery had once again become a thriving order and, thanks to the rabbi's gift.[2]

Living in the Presence of God

So how can we, the church, can experience the unity in its all differences? How can we experience revival and thrive once again? There are many important factors: Leadership skill, inspiring message, uplifting music, strategic planning – yes, they are all important. But there is one thing that is far more important: the presence of God. We may have a new, fancy church building. We may have engaging, encouraging words and music. But if we don’t have the presence of God, we are nothing. On the contrary, our church building may be decaying and leaking. Our congregation may be aging. The message may not be compelling and relevant enough. But if we do have the presence of God among us, there is fullness of joy (Ps 16:11), freedom (2 Cor 3:17), peace, life and life-changing stories and testimonies. So what we need most today is the presence of God.

Then how can we experience the presence of God? What does it look like to live in the presence of God? As we heard the story of the Rabbi’s gift, one of the best ways is to love one another. The Bible says, “No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us” (1Jn 4:12, ESV). Where there is love, there is the presence of God. When we live a life of love just as Christ loved us, we build the community filled with the presence of God, bringing healing, reconciliation, and unity. 

Love begins here. Love begins with me, with us. As I close, I would like to call on us, our church, to engage in some concrete actions to foster love – two things. First, personal holy love. Find the Messiah in the church who needs your extra care and encouragement. Reach out to that person. You may make a phone call, or send a card, or visit that person. If you are able, consider opening your house to invite that person. Make yourself available, be fully present, listen to him and her. Do to that person as you would do to the Lord. Second, social holy love. Think about who is your neighbor in need most in the society, and pray for them, and support them. We, as the United Methodist Church, pray for our immigrant, refugee, and asylum-seeking neighbors, pray for their safety, protection, and freedom. As we know, UMCOR ministry is very active worldwidely. Refugee ministry has been at the heart of its work. In 1999 UMCOR established Justice For Our Neighbors (JFON) for more effective and specialized refugee ministry. Throughout the month of July we, as a church, will support JFON ministry via UMCOR, so that our JFON network may offer immigration legal services to separated families. Consider supporting JFON ministry.

As we love one another deeply from the heart in our church, as we love our neighbors in need, particularly our immigrant and refugee neighbors today and treat them with respect and dignity, people would sense the aura of respect and smell the fragrance of Christ’s love. Then, they would say, “Surely the presence of God is here in this place.” And they will glorify the Father in heaven. My beloved friends in Christ, let us love one another. Amen.

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[1] John Stott, The Message of Romans: God's Good News for the World (InterVarsity Press: Downers Grove, IL, 1994), 392.

[2] M. Scott Peck, The Different Drum: Community Making and Peace (Touchstone, 1998), 13-15.

“My Gospel” (Romans 16:25-27) - Romans for Everyone 28 (Children's Sunday) -

“Am I Going to Die If I Accept Jesus?” 

One day a 5-year-old daughter asked her mom, “Am I going to die if I accept Jesus?” What a big theological question! As they talked more, the mom learned that her daughter had recently heard the Gospel at church, and in her mind, that message boiled down to one simple message: "When you ask Jesus into your heart, you go to heaven." Apparently her daughter hadn't prayed to accept Jesus because she didn't want to die just yet.[1]

What the Gospel Is 

So what is the gospel? The gospel literally means “Good News.” In today’s scripture, the conclusion of the letter, basically Paul tells us two things: what the gospel is and what the gospel does.

So first, what the gospel is. In verse 25 Paul says, “Now to the one who is able to strengthen you with my gospel and the message that I preach about Jesus…” (ISV). In other words, the gospel is the message about Jesus. In Romans 1:3-4 Paul describes what the gospel is wonderfully well: [Let’s read it together] “The Good News is about his Son. In his earthly life he was born into King David's family line, and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 1:3-4 NLT). In a word, the gospel is about his Son… Jesus Christ our Lord!

Now let me explain this same message in a different way. This morning I brought this to show and tell. It’s called a “Gospel Cube.”

Scene 1: As we sang this morning, our God is a Maker. He is a Creator. And he is good. Everything good comes from God – love, kindness, lovely plants and animals, beautiful sunrise and sunset. Out of his beauty and goodness, God made humans – Adam and Eve – in his image. God had a plan to have fellowship with them and live with them forever. But Adam and Eve chose to disobey God’s will for their lives. They ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge because they themselves wanted to be like God. And sin entered. You see this separation between God and man? Sin is anything that separates us from God.

But God still loved Adam and Eve. And he clothed them with animal hides. That’s a symbol of how death is necessary to pay for humanity’s sins. (cf. Heb 9:22) Since then, humans made animal sacrifice to pay for their sins. But God always had a better, perfect plan for forgiveness. When the time had fully come, God sent His Son, Jesus, to die and pay the penalty for our sins.

Scene 2: Here we need to remember Adam and Eve are not just the oldest ancestor. They are us. We all are separated from God. We all need forgiveness. The Bible says, “All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him [Jesus] the sins of us all.” (Isa 53:6, NLT) I still remember the day when my mom cried. When I was young, I told lies to my parents. I forgot exactly what it was, but one day I told a huge lie. My dad was very upset and was about to cane me. So I hid behind my mom. And I thought, “Now I am safe.” Do you know what happened next? My mom got the cane instead of me. My dad caned my mom. I was shocked. This experience made me stop and think, “Wow, wait a minute! Telling a lie is serious stuff!” Jesus was punished instead of us. He died in our place.

Scene 3: Then he was in the tomb for three days. Jesus was in the tomb, in the dark, all alone for three days. Have you sat in the dark, feeling alone, sad, rejected, abandoned? Jesus knows your feelings, because he has been there.

Scene 4: After three days, what happened? Yes, Jesus was raised from the dead. He conquered death! He conquered sin! Jesus’ resurrection is so important, because by his resurrection God proved that Jesus was indeed the Son of God, the Messiah.

Scene 5: And Jesus bridged the gap between God and humans. He opened the door of salvation to everyone who believes.

Scene 6: Now we have a choice. The Bible says, “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (Jn 1:12, NIV). So if you haven’t yet, this is the day. Open the door of your heart, and accept Jesus. Trust him. Believe him. And you will become children of God.

Why don’t we read John 3:16 and put our names in the blank spaces? 

 “For God so loved ___________ that he gave his one and only Son, that ________ believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (Jn 3:16). Amen! That is the gospel in a nutshell.

What the Gospel Does 

Now we move on to the second part of Paul’s message: what the gospel does. In verse 25 he says, “Now to the one who is able to strengthen you with my gospel…” (ISV) This is very important. Not only does God save us with the gospel, but also he strengthens us with the gospel. In other words, the gospel is the power of God to save and strengthen us. Like Timothy Kelly said, the gospel is not just the A-B-C’s of the Christian life, but the A-Z of the Christian life. Some people begin their Christian journey with the gospel, and then leave the gospel behind and try to get stronger with something else. No! We never outgrow our need for the gospel. God saves us with the gospel. Not only that, but also he strengthens us, changes us, shapes us, grows us with the gospel.

Let me give you an illustration from my own life how God strengthens us with the gospel. In 2010 I went on a mission trip to China with the church members. The mission trip schedule was heavy, and we had to travel a long distance each day. One of the members was pregnant at that time. One night she discharged blood heavily and had several other symptoms of miscarriage. One member said, “My wife had exactly the same symptoms like this, and finally she had a miscarriage. So we have to prepare for the worst.” As I heard what he said, my heart was so heavy. I didn’t know what to do. The word, “miscarriage” was ringing in my ears all night. Early the next morning I ran to God and poured out my heart like water before him. God did speak to me through the psalm of the day, Psalm 27:13-14, “I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living! Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.” As soon as I read this passage, my fear, my anxiety, my burden was gone. Instead, God gave me new hope, new faith, that was resurrection hope, resurrection faith – “God will save this child. But if not, it wouldn’t make any difference. If Christ is exalted in this situation, whether by life or by death, I will rejoice.”

There are times when we hear those voices:

• being a pastor isn’t worth it; preaching the word isn’t worth it; 
• being a wife and mother isn’t worth it; being a husband and father isn’t worth it; 
• being honest at work isn’t worth it; 
• spending my time, my money, my gifts for church mission and ministry isn’t worth it; 
• teaching this class of boys and girls isn’t worth it; 
• obeying my parents and teachers isn’t worth it. 

Then, when our feelings and the world tell us these messages, what should we do? The answer is we must go back to basics – the gospel. That is why it is so important to read the Bible everyday. And as we read, we ought to take the Bible, not as a series of isolated morality tales, like 66 or more different stories, but as one big story, pointing to one person, Jesus Christ. The Bible is the gospel story as a whole. And if we read the gospel story properly, we will find this: the gospel is not about us. It is not about our happiness, health, well-being, safety and security, even though God does care for us. The gospel is all about Jesus, and the glory of God. The Bible says, “Jesus died for us, so that we should no longer live for ourselves but for him who died for us and was raised again.” (cf. 2 Co 5:15) So believe this gospel. And live with Jesus and live for Jesus. May God strengthen you, help you, sustain you, with the gospel, so that you may glorify him through your lives. Amen! 

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[1] Ann Vande Zande, “How to Share the Gospel with Your Child,” https://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/spiritual-growth-for-kids/how-to-share-the-gospel-with-your-child

“Imitatio Christi” (Romans 15:1-7) - Romans for Everyone XXVII -

The Power of Love 
A 4th grade boy, Travis Selinka, was diagnosed with a brain tumor. He went to Houston for radiation and lost all his hair. After that, he was embarrassed to return to school. He was afraid what the kids would think. Some of his friends heard this from Travis’ mother, and made a very special plan. Fifteen of them went to the barber shop and shaved their heads. The day came. Travis anxiously came back to school, jamming his hat on. But then, he found that all the boys in his classroom were bald just like him. Since they did it, Travis hasn’t worn his hat. Travis said, “I want to thank them all very much for doing that. It has made it a lot easier for me.” And his mother said, “It was overwhelming and every time I think about it, it brings tears to my eyes... every one of them shaved their head for Travis.” The kind, self-sacrificial gestures have eased Travis’ transition back into school, something this fourth grader has come to appreciate and change.[1] 

From Selfish to Sacrificial 
Our Christian journey is to transform our hearts and minds from selfish into sacrificial. In a word, a journey of becoming more like Christ. In today’s scripture Paul begins his exhortation by giving us a practical principle for Christian ethics: “We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves” (v. 1). To be self-centered and self-seeking is natural to our fallen human nature. But when we did receive Jesus and believe in his name, God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us (Rom 5:5). And God has changed our hearts from being selfish to being sacrificial and concerned for the good of others. We call this “born-again,” or “transformation.” 

Every born-again Christian has a before and after story. Before we thought, “This is my money. I worked hard for it.” But now, we look at our money as given to us by God to enrich and build up those without it. Before we related to people just like us or to people who build us up emotionally. But now, we love and reach out to people who are draining and difficult. Before we asked ourselves as we chose our residence, “Where would I be most comfortable living?” But now we ask, “Where could I be most useful to God and others?” 

The October, 2012 Money magazine has an interview with Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen, who is one of the most influential thinkers in management today. Professor Christensen, who was 60 at that time, shares that four years ago he had a heart attack. Then it was discovered that he had advanced cancer that put him into chemotherapy. Then two years ago he had a stroke. He had to learn to speak again one word at a time. He shares what he learned through these difficult trials: [2] 

“The more I focused on the problems in my life, the more miserable I was. And then somehow I realized focusing on myself and my problems wasn’t making me happier. I started to say, ‘Every day of my life I need to find somebody else who I could help to become a better person and a happier person.’ Once I started to reorient my life in this direction, the happiness returned…” 

“So if you look at retirement and you think, ‘Oh, finally I can focus on myself,’ you run the risk of becoming very bored very quickly. The most important piece of planning for retirement most of us need to think about—of course you need enough money to survive—is, How are we still going to orient our lives on helping other people become better people?” 

This is exactly based on the principle in today’s passage: Do not just please yourself; instead, help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord (NLT). 

Christ Our Example 
We may ask, “Why should we please our neighbor and not ourselves?” It is because Christ did not please himself (3). Instead, he gave himself up for us. He had equal status with God. He had the greatest right of all persons to please himself. But, he did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing and then humbled himself to serve and die for us (cf. Phil 2:6ff). And we, Christians, are called to follow in Jesus’ footsteps. We are called to live a sacrificial, atoning life. 

How Can We Keep on Hoping? 
This is the way. This is Christ’s way. But it’s not an easy way. It takes a lot of long-suffering, persistence, perseverance, endurance. As we serve the ungrateful, as we relate to people who are draining, as we wait on God without seeing any change in our circumstances for years, how can we keep going? In spite of all this, how can we keep on hoping? The answer is the Scriptures! In verse 3 Paul says, “For Christ did not please himself,” then he quotes Psalm 69, a messianic psalm: “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.” Then he says, “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through the endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (4). In other words, if used properly, the Scriptures will give us hope in hard times. 

The Scriptures should give us hope because it shows us that God is faithful to his promise, in spite of our trials, in spite of what seem like unanswered prayers, in spite of unchanging circumstances. The Scriptures should give us hope because it shows us God’s perspectives on things. That biblical perspective changes how we think, how we process our trials, and it keeps us going in tough situations. The psalmist says: 

“The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. 
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. 
The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. 
The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.” (Ps 19:7-8, NIV) 

About this time last year I was in the midst of the 40-day prayer, as both my family and the church were in transition. And I was seeking God’s guidance. I was praying the psalms. The following is part of my journal on Saturday, June 17, 2017 (Day 16) – Psalm 69. 

“For zeal for your house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.” (9) 

- Remember me, O God! Remember my zeal to keep your house as your pure bride. I love you, Lord. Please let not those who hope in you be put to shame! 

“I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving.” (30) 

- Yes, Lord! I will never cease to sing praises to your name no matter what! I will sing with all my heart, and I will offer thanksgiving as my sacrifice day by day! 

“For God will save Zion and build up the cities of Judah, and people shall dwell there and possess it; the offspring of his servants shall inherit it, and those who love his name shall dwell in it.” (35-36) 

- Amen! Praise God! Yes, Lord, you will save your church (Houlton and Hodgdon UMCs) and build up your church. You will raise your servants and draw people to this place. And they will come and dwell in this place! Amen! 

[Prayer adapted from Missionary Horace Underwood] 

Lord, nothing is visible. I feel like I only see a little cloud like a man's hand. But now, Lord, what I do I look for? My hope is in you! Although I am as if standing on a desert with bare hands, I believe that the day will come when we all will rejoice with tears, realizing that they are one with our spirit in Christ, and that we all have one Kingdom and one Father in Heaven. Amen.

The Scriptures! 
So how can we keep on hoping in hard situations? The Scriptures! During World War II, some men in a German prisoner of war camp received a secret message that Germany had surrendered to the Allies, but it was three more days before the Germans heard that news. During those three days, their miserable circumstances were no different than before, but their spirits were uplifted because they now had hope. The news was certain, but not yet realized.[3] 

Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Lk 9:23) So as we deny ourselves and seek the good of others, we face opposition and discouragement. Then, how can we overcome it? It’s hope that keeps us going in tough situations. And that living hope comes from the Scriptures. 

Blessed is the man…

his delight is in the law of the Lord,

and on his law he meditates day and night.

He is like a treeplanted by streams of water,

that yields its fruit in its season,

and its leaf does not wither. (Psalm 1:1-3) 

We need endurance. We need encouragement. We need hope. Where does it come from? It comes from the Scriptures! So sisters and brothers in Christ, let us meditate on God’s word day and night and also do the word. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit! (Rom 15:13)

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[1]  “4^th graders shave heads to support friend,” http://fox5sandiego.com/2013/06/12/kids-shave-heads-to-support-friend/#ixzz2WWEuBK8u

[2] Clayton Christensen, How Will You Measure Your Life? (Harper Collins, 2012), 142, quoted in Steven J. Cole, “Lesson 97: Me First or Me Last?” (Romans 15:1-3), https://bible.org/seriespage/lesson-97-me-first-or-me-last-romans-151-3

[3] Steven J. Cole, “Lesson 98: Why You Need the Old Testament” (Romans 15:4), https://bible.org/seriespage/lesson-98-why-you-need-old-testament-romans-154