Tabor Baptist Church

Introduction

• Opening remarks
• Warm Christian fellowship
• It was a cost to be a Roman Christian
• They had committed themselves to Christ
• Paul was very thankful for them
• The Roman Church had deep relations with other churches
• Paul had been preaching over 1500 miles
• Christian fellowship
• Paul's love for the people
• He mentions those who have been divisive
• Membership of the local Church
• Although not lists of members, there is a clear body in the Church
• Part of the worldwide Church
• A challenge:
• Are we committed to the wider Church?
• Do we pray for them?
• Do we help
• Overview:
• Commitment to Christ
• Commitment to God's people
• Commitment to unity

Commitment to Christ

• Committed to obeying His word
• A mature church
• Full of goodness
• The people are mentioned in Christ
• Examples - Priscilla & Aquila v3, Epaenetus v5, v8, v12
• The identifiable mark of the Christian - your life is in Jesus Christ
• Have you surrendered your live to Jesus Christ?

Commitment to God's people

• Phoebe (v1)
• A woman
• Of the church in Cenchrea
• Likely she would take this letter to Rome
• A deaconess in the church
• She helped Paul and many others
• Very committed to God's people
• Priscilla & Aquila (v3)
• Wife first, then husband
• Both worked together with Paul
• They were tent makers
• They risked their lives for Paul
• They explained better the word of God to Apollos
• They moved around with Paul (e.g. Ephesus, Thessalonica)
• A church in their own home
• Mary (v6)
• Has laboured much
• We can learn a lot of how Paul commended the men and women who were committed to God
• How committed am I to the Church of Jesus Christ?

Commitment to unity

• Fellow workers
• Paul was not backwards in coming forwards
• Did he leave any names out?
• He mentioned about 20 people in the passage
• He wanted to commend those in the Church
• Examples
• Those who laboured, those who were fellow workers
• These people unify the church and are an example to us all
• Greet
• Fellowship is about warmly greeting others
• Paul used different greetings
• Cultural greetings - examples
• Luke 7:45
• Greet one another with a holy kiss
• Not how you do it / the way you do it
• A holy kiss - nothing sexual about it
• Be warm, affectionate and sincere
• This promotes Christian unity
• This can be difficult for some
• Commending one another promotes unity
• Warning against divisive people
• If we are to remain unified we are to avoid such people
• They malign the word and the leadership
  • Explanation
• A little bit of leaven goes through the whole batch
• The tongue is such a small member
• They are more concerned about their own appetites and lusts
• They are not sacrificial in serving the Lord
• Explanation
• Example of John Wesley and George Whitfield
• Like a cancer that spreads so easily
• Wolves, men with a form of godliness
• In a health church, we must note such (v17)
• Avoid them

Closing Remarks