Today's Passage: Romans 16

This chapter is really cool to me.  It shows the character of Paul and how important He knew it was to continually build positive relationships with fellow believers.  A lot of us will read this and think why make such a big deal about saying hi to all these people.  We have to remember that these people didn't get to talk all the time like we do with all of our advances in technology.  What Paul is saying is I remember you often and how my life has been changed for the better because of our meeting.  How often do we say these things to the people that live in our own house?  It's crazy for me to think that we are connected more physically now but less relationally. 

Something else that jumped out at me was the warning that Paul gives in verse 17-18:

I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.

This passage is pretty self explanatory but basically Paul is saying: If someone is causing you trouble in the church and their stance doesn't match up with scripture, stay away from them because they are only serving themselves.  I think this is also a good call to anyone that is a part of Christ's church to guard their words and check their motives.  Christianity as a human organized religion has a bad track record of leading people on crusades for mans reasons not Gods.  Now I believe that God is the master of making lemonade out of lemons but when man sits in the drivers seat of the church and isn't humbly he is not displaying a Romans 12:1-2 mentality.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Jesus is suppose to be the churches figurehead not man.  What a great book Romans is, I hope that if you have been following our blog for a while that you have learned a ton. I look forward to us starting 1 Corinthians on Wednesday.