#3. May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Rom. 15:5-6)
Paul wanted the church at Rome - the church he had not established but had grown to love - to live in harmony with each other. He knew that unity is a gift of God - a gift we must work to sustain, but a gift nonetheless. Thus he turns his desire into a prayer.
We need the God of "endurance and encouragement" if we are going to live in harmony. As Romans 14 highlights, there are many issues that can divide a church. Bottom line, we have a mission that is more important than any of those issues. We have a message that surpasses our preferences. And Paul wants the church at Rome to be in unity in glorifying God - the best starting point for missions!
How does this relate to becoming world Christians? There's a reason that Paul - ever the pastor, ever the missionary - prayed for unity. If the enemy can distract us with petty divisions, minor disagreements, "disputable matters" - then he can get us off mission. It's not always major sin that tempts us away from fulfilling His plan. Sometimes it's just distractions. Sometimes it's selfishness. And sometimes it's internal divisions in the church. If we truly are a harmonious congregation, we will be more effective in supporting our missionaries.
Prayer: God, please grant us the gift of harmony. Help us to maintain the unity of the Spirit and keep our focus on the "main thing" - glorifying You in our Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. Bless those missionaries reading this with strong, unified churches to support them and strong, unified churches to attend on the field.
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