We All Need Transforming To Be Able To Receive Others

I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that fully well (Psalm 139:14) Looking at the big picture how do you value human life and your attitude towards others? Consider also how woman man's other half was made it speaks volumes about the intent of God regarding us human regarding our relationship which indicates closeness. It is true that our corrupt nature separated what God had made us united.

But the moment we are born again and God fills us back or so to say begin to transform and fill us with His life such separation shouldn't be visible among dear brethren.Is that the case though in our churches where ethnicity, racial and national divide is normal; people can be in the same church with several others for years but will not have spoken or get concerned with about each other?

Sometimes when brother sins and returns to our churches (which is supposed to be the Inn where Jesus Christ is treating the badly beating and bruised persons) the bitterness showed to such people is sometimes is appalling. It is as if such persons treating the offender have themselves never sinned or offended or they suddenly have become judges instantly.

if the world is wiser and is thinking of at least rehabilitating prisoners or people who break the law and to bring them back into the public, how unwise could Christians be?

Rom 12:2 ...be transformed by the renewing of the mind that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and well-pleasing and perfect.

14:1 Now him who is weak in faith receive....
15:7 Therefore receive one another, as Christ also received you to the glory of God.

I wish I have sufficient time and space to throw out the light on these scriptures but will try and summarise the spiritual intent of Jesus Christ when He spoke these words through our elder and Brother Paul.

In order to receive our fellow believers in the Lord, we need transformation. If we remain natural, we shall be unable to go along with others. In fact, according to our natural disposition, we cannot even agree with ourselves consistently. We all fight with ourselves. Thus, it is very difficult for any Christian remaining in his natural

disposition to go along with others. Receiving the saints requires transformation.

I believe that Paul's word in Romans 12:2 concerning being transformed by the renewing of the mind not only governs the section on the practice of the Body life but also all the other chapters relating to the church life. Our understanding on such matters has been blurred as a result of the poor interpretation or rightly dividing the word of God. Or sometimes some churches never have time study the Holy Bible in-depth.

If we are not transformed to at least a certain degree, we shall be unable to be one with other believers. Although we may meet with them, we shall be unable to fellowship with them or to open ourselves to them. If we were to open ourselves to them, we would end up fighting with them because we are untransformed and so natural in our concept, behaviour, and all that we are and do.

Thus, in order to receive our fellow believers, we need transformation. All of Romans 14 and part of 15 is devoted to this matter. This emphasis how important such matter was important in the church in Rome or for that matter many of our churches today. Does it mean Jesus christ has failed in His bid to build the church? No, is the answer there are many churches where true love and respect is accorded to many and all.

Does your church does the same or there are too many people in that church that interpersonal relationship is missing in both church life and Body life? SHALOM