CCMI Sunday

From Romans 13, Pastor Malcolm teaches that love is the one debt we never finish paying. Every commandment — no adultery, no murder, no stealing, no lying — is summed up in one line: love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no harm to a neighbor, so love is the fulfillment of the law.

He warns against a Christianity that's just a Sunday habit — a religion kept inside the church walls and left behind the rest of the week. Genuine faith can't be separated into a category like a job or a hobby. If your vertical relationship with God is real, it has to show up in your horizontal relationships with people. First John 4:20 says it plainly: if you claim to love God but hate your brother, you're a liar.

The love he's talking about is agape — the selfless, sacrificial love of 1 Corinthians 13. Not the love that waits for someone to change or appreciate it first. Jesus didn't wait for us to be worth loving before he went to the cross. And Philippians 2 shows how he loved: he emptied himself, took the form of a servant, and became obedient to death.

You can't manufacture this love. It's the fruit of the Spirit, and it grows naturally when you abide in Christ — like a branch connected to the vine. The key is going back to the cross, letting gratitude for God's love overflow your soul, and watching it spill onto everyone around you.

This week we backtrack to Romans 12, verses 14 through 21 — the practical commands for how Christians are to live in a hostile world. Bless those who persecute you. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another, and repay no one evil for evil.

We look at Jesus' own example — praying 'Father, forgive them' from the cross — and at real-life witnesses like Corrie ten Boom, who forgave a former Ravensbrück guard, and Louis Zamperini, whose story is told in "Unbroken".

Pastor Malcolm beseeches us to not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. We close with Psalm 139:23 — 'Search me, O God, and know my heart.'

After covering justification by faith and the Christian among Christians in Romans 12, Pastor Malcolm Wild turns to how believers live in the real world — not isolated in a Christian subculture, but engaged as witnesses. The Great Commission is the mission: make disciples, not Christianize society. When true Christians decline in a nation, the church can drift from that calling — but the only Christian nation is God's holy nation, His people.

Romans 13 gives practical instruction for living under secular authority. All authority is appointed by God — even the ones we didn't vote for. Resisting authority is resisting God's ordinance. Rulers are God's ministers, a terror to evil and a praise to good, so we pay taxes, render what's due, and live with integrity. The debt of love is never paid — love fulfills the law. We're here for a reason, placed in our communities to live the gospel, not just speak it.

In today's message, Pastor Malcolm Wild teaches from Romans 12, regarding the attitudes that should mark every believer in service to the Lord. The focus is on four practical exhortations: rejoicing in hope, being patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer, and caring for one another through hospitality.

Hope here isn't wishful thinking — it's a joyful, confident expectation of future glory, the helmet of salvation that protects the mind when the enemy whispers that serving God is a waste of time. Tribulation isn't something to merely endure but to glory in, because it produces perseverance and shapes character. Prayer isn't a last resort but a first response, sustained by the Holy Spirit. And fellowship isn't optional — it's the practical expression of God's love, sharing what we have so no one carries their burdens alone.

If you've ever felt weary in ministry or wondered how to keep going when the battle gets hard, this message will steady you.

Today's teaching opens Romans 12, verses 10 through 15, with a focus on verse 11 — "not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord" — and pairs it with the parable of the talents in Matthew 25.

Pastor Malcolm shares a personal story of traveling as a music duo and the strains of ministry, then unpacks the parable: two servants doubled what they were given and heard "well done, good and faithful servant," while the one who buried his talent was condemned for slothfulness. The core message is that every believer is a steward of time, resources, and gifts, accountable at the judgment seat of Christ — and that God rewards faithfulness of heart over quantity of results.

In today's message, we explore Romans 12:9-10 in the context of spiritual gifts and the body of Christ. The apostle Paul calls us to let love be without hypocrisy — to hate what is evil, cling to what is good, and be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, giving preference to each other. Pastor Malcolm discusses how all spiritual gifts become worthless without agape love, echoing the powerful truth of 1 Corinthians 13. True service in the church isn't about recognition or self-promotion — it's about love that puts others first. We also dive into the fruit of the Spirit, showing how real love expresses itself through joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The message challenges us to move beyond selfishness and allow God's love to overflow from our lives into the lives of others. A timely reminder that the greatest evidence of Christ in us is not power or gifts, but love.

In today's teaching from Romans 12, we explore how every believer has a vital role in the body of Christ. The focus is on spiritual gifts as manifestations of the Holy Spirit that empower us to serve beyond our natural abilities. From prophecy and teaching to serving, giving, leading, and showing mercy, each gift is given for the benefit of the whole church, not personal glory. Pastor Malcolm emphasizes yielding to the Spirit, using our gifts with faith and love, and recognizing that all lasting kingdom work is accomplished through God's power, not human effort. A powerful reminder that we're called to serve together as one body, each part functioning as God designed.

Today's teaching in Romans chapter 12 explores what the Church really is. It's not a building or an event we attend, but a community of believers called out of the world to gather with Christ and one another. The message challenges consumerism, pride, and the idea that the Church exists to serve us, instead calling us to find our place and serve in the body of Christ.