Unashamed Reading Plan
Check out all the previous Unashamed readings here.
Unashamed Reading Plan | Week 17 | Day 4
Prayer
Take a moment to be silent and still. In order to be fully present in body and mind, take a deep breath in and let it out slowly. Do this three times. Ask God to give you His wisdom today.
Bible Reading: Romans 16:16-23
Read these verses three times slowly.
Greet one another with a holy kiss.
All the churches of Christ send greetings.
I urge you, brothers and sisters, 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. Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.
The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.
The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
Timothy, my co-worker, sends his greetings to you, as do Lucius, Jason and Sosipater, my fellow Jews.
I, Tertius, who wrote down this letter, greet you in the Lord.
Gaius, whose hospitality I and the whole church here enjoy, sends you his greetings.
Erastus, who is the city’s director of public works, and our brother Quartus send you their greetings.
Reflection & Questions
We’re in the home stretch of Romans this week, and in his last words Paul is getting very practical and real in how to live out the Christian life. He is giving specific instructions and specific examples of people who are worthy to be mimicked.
In today’s verses, Paul says, “Greet one another with a holy kiss.” Many cultures around the world greet each other with a kiss. In ours this would be strange and uncomfortable. However, this doesn’t mean we shouldn’t pay attention to how we greet one another. Paul is calling his readers to have an affectionate heart toward one another, and one way they can do that is through a meaningful greeting. In our culture, it might be a smile, a handshake, a hug (or a bro-hug). It can take many shapes, but we’re to pay attention to how we greet one another – it sets the tone for our relationships and our unity as brothers and sisters in Christ.
And with that in mind, Paul says, “watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned.” Unfortunately, in any church community, there are those who consciously, or unconsciously, will cause division. Their gossip or teachings are poison and a threat to the health of the church. Their behavior is not to be mimicked, but to be corrected, gently of course, but corrected all the same.
- Who is someone who greets you really well? How does it make you feel?
- Be intentional in how you greet people today and notice what is different in your conversation.
Prayer
Talk to God in response to today’s reading.
Worship Song
You might use this song today to worship Jesus today:
Bible Reading: Romans 16:16-23
Read these verses three times slowly.
Greet one another with a holy kiss.
All the churches of Christ send greetings.
I urge you, brothers and sisters, 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.
Reflection & Questions
In todays’ verses, Paul says, “Greet one another with a holy kiss.” There are many places around the world where people do this – it is expected and normal. In our country it would be strange and uncomfortable! But that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t pay attention to how we greet each other. Paul is telling us to have an affectionate or caring heart toward one another and one way we can do that is in how we greet one another. In our country, it might be a smile, a handshake, a fistbump, or some kind of hug. The reason we should pay attention to how we greet one another is because it sets the tone for our relationships with others. Imagine if you came into church and someone just scowled at you. That wouldn’t be a very nice way to start a friendship, would it?
Paul also tells his Roman friends to watch out! There are people in churches who can cause division. Sometimes they do it on purpose, sometimes they don’t even know they are doing it! They might gossip or teach in a way that is not pleasing to God or give lessons that aren’t from the Bible. That can be like poison to a church! Their behavior is not to be copied, but to be corrected so that the church can be healthy again.
- Have you thought about how you greet others? Is it in a way that makes them feel welcome?
Pray
Ask God to help you beware of those around you who might not be good influences. And ask Him to help you be a positive influence to others in the church and in your community.
Check out more Bible Reading Plans here.
Questions?
Ed Applegate
