It is natural to expect that gathering together as Christians will be a positive experience: that it will be good for us, for our family, for others, and maybe even “good for God.” We’ll be better off for having attended. We especially think this way about times the church gathers together for special occasions – like celebrating communion.

And yet in I Corinthians 11:17-34, God warns us that not all Christian gatherings are good. Christians can gather together “not for the better, but for the worse.” We can come together in such a corrupted way that God’s church is disgraced, His people are shamed, and we come under His chastening discipline.

How can this tragic type of gathering be avoided? By living in loving toward one another. By remembering the selfless model of Jesus at the Last Supper, by expectantly waiting so that everyone can be included, and by meeting our own needs in advance so that we are free to meet the needs of others.

In that sort of harmony, the church gathers to “proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.”

In that same way that Christ has welcomed us as an act of humility and love, so we are called to welcome one another. That means that despite our strong differences of opinion, we pursue harmony with one another even while we seek to honor the Lord by the way we live the Christian life. There will be significant differences of opinion as to what honoring God looks like, but we don't have to and shouldn't judge the spiritual motives of those who practice their faith differently than we do. More than just making room for those differences, Jesus actually calls us to clear the path for others to live out their faith, taking care that we don't put stumbling blocks in their way as they walk in faith. That's a tall and inconvenient order sometimes, but not if we are truly walking in love toward one another. God makes room for our differences of opinion, even in matters of conscience, and so should we.

Paul writes, "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." As a congregation we find this "one voice" not by reaching unanimous agreement on every issue or resolving every difference of opinion or matter of Christian practice. We find this "one voice" by receiving one another into our hearts and into our fellowship for Christ's sake. Our visible love for one another despite our differences becomes a powerful witness to the grace of Christ at work in our souls. And this love, like Christ's love for us, will bear the beautiful fruit of salvation for others.

Some of the most challenging words I've read of late come from a book written by Andy Naselli and J.D. Crowley titled,

Conscience: What It Is, How to Train It, and Loving Those Who Differ. They write: "Ponder this. The Son of God, who was not a Jew (Christ “became” one), left his complete freedom in heaven and became a good little Jewish boy, and then a good, law-keeping Jewish man. The whole time he perfectly obeyed the very laws that he himself had given at Mount Sinai 1500 years before—even obeying laws that he knew were temporary because he designed them to be temporary (e.g., don’t eat pork, and worship only in Jerusalem). The only laws he pushed back against were those that the Pharisees and others had added or completely misunderstood.

“Jesus in his life practiced what he later preached through Paul in Romans 14. He became a servant to a people who were different from him. He submitted himself to a culture that was foreign to him. He welcomed Jewish culture. He fit into Jewish culture. He wasn’t some counter-culture hippy who railed against everything traditional. He wasn’t a weird outsider or misanthrope. He went to synagogue with his parents, and to the temple in Jerusalem when he was twelve. He regularly celebrated Passover and other feasts in Jerusalem. He rested on the Sabbath and attended synagogue service. He became a servant to the Jews and their culture.

“What happens when people do things like that? What did the Son of God purpose to accomplish when he, for the glory of God, voluntarily became what he was not—a servant to a particular culture that was not originally his own?"

Romans 15:1-13 tells us that in living such a life, Jesus showed the truthfulness of God, fulfilled all the promises made by God, and opened the way for the Gentiles to know eternal life. These truths are at the heart of the next "One Another" command to "welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you." Our willingness to serve one another and welcome one another is a significant measure of our experience and understanding of the gospel. Let's think hard about what Christ has done for us and then determine to serve one another with the same kind of welcome He has shown to us.

We are created for meaningful relationships with others. Families and communities are the visible demonstration of our natural bent toward doing life together. Sin continually drives us apart from one another. But through the work of Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit, God the Father is building a new community of people. The true children of God are those who believe in Jesus Christ, repent of their sins, and follow Him.

God's intention for us as a community of faith is that we distinguish ourselves as true disciples by our love one for another. As we go deeper into Romans 12 we see Paul instructing us in very practical terms about this love. Our love for one another should be a genuine, family-like love, a love that seeks to honor others while displaying a sweet harmony. Clearly this has to be a work of God in us because these are not our normal tendencies. But the same grace that saved us from our sins is the grace that powerfully transforms us from what we once were to what God wants us to be. How good it is to be the children of God and know His power at work in us!

Is your love characterized by these same things? Do others experience this kind of love from you in the daily routines and responsibilities of life? Let's ask our God and Savior to grow this kind of love within us that it would be powerfully displayed around us.

Paul writes to the Church at Rome, For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Romans 10:12-13). The gospel is freely offered to all. A believer's identity is not connected to an ethnic identification such as Jew or Greek. A believer's identity is not created by participation in ordinances or rituals like circumcision or baptism. Rather, the spiritual identity of God’s children is actually a condition of the heart. Through the new birth God creates a new people, a new ethnic community for Himself. And we are born again as we exercise our faith in Jesus Christ, believing that He is the Son of God sent into the world to save us from our sins.

As a central point of our identity, Paul describes us as members of Christ’s body. And as members of His body, we express our love for one another in some very specific ways. Romans 12 shows us a mindset of humility, not thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought to think. At the same time, we are reasonable in how we think about ourselves, recognizing that God has gifted us by His grace in order to serve and bless the community of faith. Being "one body in Christ" also means that we share a special unity with one another, a unity expressed in mutual dependence and service.

Having a place in Christ's body is a grand privilege. Never should we take this privilege for granted, but enjoy it as we build relationships with others, serve one another in love, and experience the blessings of Christ as members of His body. What a blessing to know Jesus Christ as our God and Savior!

We're people created to love and be loved, yet we often find ourselves frustrated, disappointed and lonely. And sometimes it is the people we are closest to who create the greatest pain and frustration. When God saves us and begins the process of remaking us, an essential part of His plan is to bring us into healthy, loving relationship with other believers. In John 13:34-35 Jesus commands us to "love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." Our love for one another is the distinguishing mark of genuine discipleship. In John 15:12-13 Jesus teaches us that the greatest expression of love is personal sacrifice, laying down one's life for another. The sacrifice of Christ's life on the cross is the greatest expression of this kind of love and we are called to follow His example.

With the cross of Jesus Christ as our personal experience and example of this love, we commit ourselves to loving one another. We express that love in acceptance, patience, forgiveness, comfort, and service. There are over fifty particular "one another" commands in the New Testament! And when a church actively loves one another with Christ's kind of love, each of us experiences a powerful, transformational kind of living and our gospel witness is supported with a strong, vibrant credibility. Let's ask God to help us learn what this love is truly like and to give us the ability to love one another as Christ has loved us.

When God raised Jesus Christ from the dead, He signaled that the work of salvation was accomplished. Through the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross forgiveness has been secured. The individual record of debt which stood against sinners has been taken out of the way. The rulers and authorities of darkness have been disarmed. And Jesus Christ has openly triumphed over them by His cross.

When God raised Jesus Christ from the dead, He signaled the beginning of a new era. His work of salvation includes making all of His people to be holy, blameless, and without reproach. He is fully committed to our transformation.

Presently, knowing God is the believer's first priority and greatest blessing. Paul prayed for the Ephesian believers to experience God's enlightening work so they might know Him. Knowing the hope of His eternal, saving call secures us in this present age. Knowing that He considers the saints to be His glorious, cherished inheritance protects us against the doubts and fears that paralyze us in the journey of life. Knowing that the same resurrection power that brought Jesus from the dead is the very power that God exercises in our lives make us hopeful in the face of even the greatest earthly difficulties. O, how He loves His Church, His bride, His people! O, how He loves you!

There is more to the name Gospel Hope Church than just a fresh start with a new sign out front and a new website online. There is actually important biblical truth behind it that is good news for the life we're all trying to live. In Colossians 1:23 Paul encourages believers to continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel. The hope he refers to is tied directly to what he has just written about Jesus Christ: that He is preeminent over all things in heaven and earth and that He has actually reconciled us to God through His shed blood on the cross. Sin has fractured everything we know, but chiefly our relationship with God. By His death on the cross Jesus Christ has intervened to bring God and mankind together again. Paul deepens our hope by stating that Christ's divine purpose is to transform us and one day present us to Himself as holy, blameless, and above reproach. It's not up to us to fix ourselves before coming to God. We come to Christ that He may work this amazing transformation in us. That's really good news for people struggling with their own brokenness in a broken world. That's a really good reason to have hope. It's gospel hope.

Have you ever felt like you couldn't shake those nagging feelings of guilt and failure? Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed with the thought of death and how the end might play out for you? These thoughts and feelings are common to the human race. And sometimes these thoughts arise from the powers of darkness. Satan is called "the accuser of the brothers" and "the one who has the power of death." That is until Christ triumphed over him in the cross. Christ not only made a way for God to justly forgive all our sins by His death on the cross, but He actually disarmed the powers of darkness, stripping them of their weapons and openly humiliating them. Believers are called to live in this reality that their confidence, joy, and hope might abound. It is sometimes difficult to believe and see, but the life we now live and the life that is to come are part of Christ's victory parade. He is the conquering, celebrating King and we are privileged to have a share in the victory.

Have you ever wished that you could hit the reset button of life? Sometimes life is so frustrating and messy that we wish we could call a do-over. The good news of God's word is that in Christ there is not just an opportunity for a reset of the old life, but for an altogether new life. As we are spiritually united to Jesus in His death and in His resurrection, a "new us" is born. In God's kindness and mercy, the past record of our sin that haunts us and the shame that hounds us is wiped clean. Through the suffering and death of Jesus Christ on the cross, God cancels the record of our sin and triumphs over our enemies who have long dogged us with fear and accusation. The empty tomb is not only a sign that Jesus Christ triumphed over death and the grave, but that an entire generation of spiritually dead people has been resurrected with Him. The gospel is the good news of Christ's triumph in the cross.