Partakers Christian Podcasts

Romans 12: Living Life

Study 13: Gift of Kindness & Mercy

8 And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

This could also be the gift of Mercy… We know that God is a God of mercy and kindness, therefore those who claim to follow Him, must also be cheerfully kind to others. Some people have an extraordinary capacity to be kind and merciful to people they meet who are in need – they certainly have this gift! They give a WOW about God. People like Mother Theresa.


However, all Christians should seek to be kind and merciful. This would include visiting the sick, caring for the elderly, sick and disabled, the unemployed, orphans, widows, the destitute. It could simply be a listening ear, a smile or a kind word at the right time to somebody. One way to do it cheerfully and gladly is to do it as a generous thanksgiving to God. If you are to help people with kindness and mercy, show you are happy to help! The word Paul uses here is hilaroteti. We get the word ‘hilarious’ from it! Laughter can be good medicine when used appropriately! As Calvin said “to observe sadness in the countenance of those by whom assistance is given, makes them to feel themselves despised.”


How are you and your church being kind and merciful to people in need? How are those you know who are housebound being shown kindness? Are you and the church using imagination to be kind and merciful – helping people to be a part of the church community? How can you help with kindness and mercy those who are unemployed and looking for work? Let each of us use our imaginations to help those in need with kindness and mercy.


I read today of a homeless man who died in one of the richest parts of London. As he died, he fell and was found dead impaled on fence railings. The link to the story is here. Imagine if that man had been shown genuine kindness and mercy? To be fair, he may have rejected any kindness towards him. I don’t know. But I do know that we sometimes reject the kindness and mercy of people out of pride instead of accepting with gratitude and humility. I know I am like that sometimes!


Go! Be cheerfully kind and merciful. Thank you.

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Psalm 81

For the choir director:

A psalm of Asaph, to be accompanied by a stringed instrument.

¹ Sing praises to God, our strength. Sing to the God of Jacob.
² Sing! Beat the tambourine. Play the sweet lyre and the harp.
³ Blow the ram's horn at new moon, and again at full moon to call a festival!
⁴ For this is required by the decrees of Israel; it is a regulation of the God of Jacob.
⁵ He made it a law for Israel when he attacked Egypt to set us free. I heard an unknown voice say,
⁶ "Now I will take the load from your shoulders; I will free your hands from their heavy tasks.
⁷ You cried to me in trouble, and I saved you; I answered out of the thundercloud and tested your faith when there was no water at Meribah.

Interlude

⁸ "Listen to me, O my people, while I give you stern warnings. O Israel, if you would only listen to me!
⁹ You must never have a foreign god; you must not bow down before a false god.
¹⁰ For it was I, the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it with good things.
¹¹ "But no, my people wouldn't listen. Israel did not want me around.
¹² So I let them follow their own stubborn desires, living according to their own ideas.
¹³ Oh, that my people would listen to me! Oh, that Israel would follow me, walking in my paths!
¹⁴ How quickly I would then subdue their enemies! How soon my hands would be upon their foes!
¹⁵ Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him; they would be doomed forever.
¹⁶ But I would feed you with the finest wheat. I would satisfy you with wild honey from the rock."

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Romans 12: Living Life

Study 12: Gift of Leadership

Romans 12:8 If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously.

Now Paul comes on to the gift of leadership. Leaders are to lead with diligence, take their responsibilities seriously but also with care for those they are leading. The word used here indeed can mean leader but also mean to give aid or care for. Perhaps Paul meant both – a leader must be caring and giving aid to those in need – doing so with diligence and without manipulation or favouritism.


Whatever kind of leader you are – for example pastor, priest, elder, deacon, Sunday School teacher, Small Group leader or Prayer Group leader you are to lead with care and diligence and to lead by putting all your heart into it! Love those you lead as Christ loves the church – sacrificially – doing your best for those you are leading – regardless of the size of group you are leading. Leading and being willing to show people your love of God and your love of them.


As a leader, you are being watched and looked up to by those you lead – whether you want to be or not. As a leader, you are not to lead others by being filled with pride and being unapproachable! Rather, you are to lead others with godly humility, be encouraging of others cheerfully and being approachable. As a leader you are to set the example, and demonstrate a way forward to those you are leading. WOW!


Good leadership also has good accountability to others as well as to the whole community. As a leader, are you accountable to anybody else for what you do and how you do it? As part of your Godly responsibility, you are to be accountable to others to live a life of integrity worthy of the gospel, which is seen to be as holy and blameless. As a leader, it is a necessity that you be dependent on the Holy Spirit for strength and care – remember that He lives within you!


Finally, whether you are a leader or not, pray for your church leaders – they need your prayers and dare I say, they will covet your prayers for them.

Go! Lead others with diligence, responsibility, love and care.

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Psalm 60

For the Chief Musician. To the tune of “The Lily of the Covenant.”

A teaching poem by David, when he fought with Aram Naharaim and with Aram Zobah, and Joab returned, and killed twelve thousand of Edom in the Valley of Salt.

60:1 God, you have rejected us. You have broken us down.

You have been angry. Restore us, again.

60:2 You have made the land tremble.

You have torn it. Mend its fractures, for it quakes.

60:3 You have shown your people hard things.

You have made us drink the wine that makes us stagger.

60:4 You have given a banner to those who fear you,

that it may be displayed because of the truth.

Selah.

60:5 So that your beloved may be delivered, save with your right hand, and answer us.

60:6 God has spoken from his sanctuary:

“I will triumph. I will divide Shechem, and measure out the valley of Succoth.

60:7 Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine.

Ephraim also is the defense of my head. Judah is my scepter.

60:8 Moab is my wash basin. I will throw my shoe on Edom.

I shout in triumph over Philistia.”

60:9 Who will bring me into the strong city?

Who has led me to Edom?

60:10 Haven’t you, God, rejected us?

You don’t go out with our armies, God.

60:11 Give us help against the adversary,

for the help of man is vain.

60:12 Through God we shall do valiantly,

for it is he who will tread down our adversaries.

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Romans 12: Living Life

Study 11: Gift of Giving

Romans 12:8 If it is giving, give generously.

And now we have a gift which echoes that of God the gift-giver – the gift of giving! When we give to others, contributing to those in need, we are to give generously and liberally. I wonder if that describes your giving? Again, some people have this wonderful gift – they are able to give just like that – generously and liberally. Yet, all Christians are to give generously because that is how God gives good gifts – generously and abundantly.


Jesus said in Matthew 6:3-4 “But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
We are not to give to others in need in the hope of getting something in return for that help. Giving to others is for the benefit of the person being helped and not to be for our own benefit? Does that describe you when you give or when you are the receiver of somebody else’s generous giving to you? Too often we don’t give generously and use the excuse of it being poor stewardship of our money as the reason not to give generously to those in need.
If you are in need and somebody offers to help you generously, how do you react? Do you accept with humility and a grateful heart, giving thanks to God for His provision through other people? Or, in your hour of need, are you too proud to accept the help of God as He uses other people as His hands and feet? Too often we can hinder the work of God in our lives because we are too proud to accept help when it is offered.

Giving – go and give generously to somebody in need today and every day!

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Psalm 71

71:1 In you, Yahweh, I take refuge. Never let me be disappointed.
71:2 Deliver me in your righteousness, and rescue me. Turn your ear to me, and save me.
71:3 Be to me a rock of refuge to which I may always go. Give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.
71:4 Rescue me, my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.

~

71:5 For you are my hope, Lord Yahweh; my confidence from my youth.
71:6 I have relied on you from the womb. You are he who took me out of my mother’s womb. I will always praise you.
71:7 I am a marvel to many, but you are my strong refuge.
71:8 My mouth shall be filled with your praise, with your honor all the day.

~

71:9 Don’t reject me in my old age. Don’t forsake me when my strength fails.
71:10 For my enemies talk about me. Those who watch for my soul conspire together,
71:11 saying, “God has forsaken him. Pursue and take him, for no one will rescue him.”

71:12 God, don’t be far from me. My God, hurry to help me.

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71:13 Let my accusers be disappointed and consumed. Let them be covered with disgrace and scorn who want to harm me.
71:14 But I will always hope, and will add to all of your praise.
71:15 My mouth will tell about your righteousness, and of your salvation all day, though I don’t know its full measure.
71:16 I will come with the mighty acts of the Lord Yahweh. I will make mention of your righteousness, even of yours alone.

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71:17 God, you have taught me from my youth. Until now, I have declared your wondrous works.
71:18 Yes, even when I am old and gray-haired, God, don’t forsake me, until I have declared your strength to the next generation, your might to everyone who is to come.
71:19 Your righteousness also, God, reaches to the heavens; you have done great things. God, who is like you?
71:20 You, who have shown us many and bitter troubles, you will let me live. You will bring us up again from the depths of the earth.

~

71:21 Increase my honor, and comfort me again.
71:22 I will also praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, my God. I sing praises to you with the lyre, Holy One of Israel.
71:23 My lips shall shout for joy! My soul, which you have redeemed, sings praises to you!
71:24 My tongue will also talk about your righteousness all day long, for they are disappointed, and they are confounded, who want to harm me.

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Romans 12: Living Life

Study 10: Gift of Encouragement

Romans 12:8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging.

Now we come to perhaps one of the most amazing gifts – encouraging! Why is it amazing? Because of the impact it can have on the receivers of encouragement! This could mean anything from encouraging to exhorting to comforting to counselling to rebuking gently. The encourager is to build people up in their faith and life with words of warning, comforting words or a sign or gift of appreciation. The gift of encouraging can be done in the gifts so far in this lift: prophecy, preaching, serving, or teaching as well as the gift in this list to come: giving!

Encouragement can be done from the platform to many people at the same time. However more often than not, it is as one person interacts with another person, individual to individual. Encouragers urge people to respond rightly to God. Encouragers strengthen the weak and comfort those who are in sorrow. Paul himself had a great encourager on his ministry team – Barnabus (Acts 4:36; Acts 9:26ff)! If you are a counsellor in your church, you are exhibiting your gift of encouragement. Are you aware of that? WOW!

Oh how the church needs encouragers! A quiet encouraging word to that teacher or preacher you just heard in your church, or the music leaders – anybody! Your pastor or church leader would appreciate a kind word or a gift from you.

I can tell you from personal experience, that I get more verbal encouragement from those who are not Christian than I do from those who are self-professed Christians. But it should not be that way! Again, every Christian can encourage somebody else – even without the specific gift of encouragement. As we looked at in verse 5, as Christians, we belong to each other, so let each of us be practical in our encouragement of each other! Perhaps the next person you speak to will need a word of encouragement! What will you do? Encourage that person or simply ignore them? Who are your encouragers? Have you made sure they know how much you appreciate their encouragement of you?

Of course, God the Holy Spirit is also the great encourager – always urging us and encouraging us to live obedient lives worth of Jesus Christ whom we follow. Will you listen to His encouragement of you, as He urges you to go encourage somebody else? Or will you ignore His encouraging voice to do so?

Let each of us encourage at least one person a day.

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Psalm 76

For the Chief Musician. On stringed instruments. A Psalm by Asaph. A song.

76:1 In Judah, God is known. His name is great in Israel.

76:2 His tabernacle is also in Salem; His dwelling place in Zion.

76:3 There he broke the flaming arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the weapons of war.

Selah.

76:4 Glorious are you, and excellent, more than mountains of game.

76:5 Valiant men lie plundered, they have slept their last sleep. None of the men of war can lift their hands.

76:6 At your rebuke, God of Jacob, both chariot and horse are cast into a deep sleep.

76:7 You, even you, are to be feared. Who can stand in your sight when you are angry?

76:8 You pronounced judgment from heaven. The earth feared, and was silent,

76:9 when God arose to judgment, to save all the afflicted ones of the earth.

Selah.

76:10 Surely the wrath of man praises you. The survivors of your wrath are restrained.

76:11 Make vows to Yahweh your God, and fulfill them! Let all of his neighbors bring presents to him who is to be feared.

76:12 He will cut off the spirit of princes. He is feared by the kings of the earth.

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Romans 12: Living Life

Study 09: Gift of Teaching

Romans 12:7b If you are a teacher, teach well.

How is your church doing at teaching the Gospel truths? How, if you are a teacher, going about it? Teaching is different from preaching. Are you aware of that? While preaching is expressing the mind of God to people, teaching is also training and taking a person or people on a journey from one point to another. That could be a teacher in Bible college, a Sunday School, a home group or other small group as well as one to one discipleship. Teaching is leading people into understanding God’s word.

Calvin describes a bible teacher somebody “who forms and builds the Church by the word of truth.” Does that signify your experience of teaching – by others you hear or even yourself?

Teaching is part of the Great Commission expressed by Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20. So everybody who is a Christian is at some point is to do some kind of teaching - as that is part of evangelism. Evangelism is for all Christians to do – of one kind or another.

Of course some preaching can also be teaching. Teaching is interpreting the Bible to make it understood to both the individual and a group of people. That is expository Bible teaching which is also preaching…

But just because somebody is a gifted teacher, or indeed also a preacher, we are to test the Bible for ourselves. Even if you think that Bible teacher is amazing, test what that person says. Analyse it for yourself and don’t be afraid to disagree with the teacher. Even the finest of Bible teachers would want you to be like that! If a teacher insists that they are right, and there is no discussion about it, then be very wary. In Romans 16:7, Paul writes this about teachers “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.”

Conversely, how about next time going up to a teacher, talking to them and giving them some encouragement. But more about encouragement in our next study!

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Romans 12: Living Life

Study 08: Gift of Serving

Romans 12:7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well.

Did you know serving is a gift? Wow! Is this serving only a gift for some people or for all people? Some people do have a gift of serving and are particularly adept at doing it! However, serving is for all Christians – whether they specifically have this gift or not!

This serving is by offering assistance to other and in that way, we also serve God. We are to serve wholeheartedly, not just other Christians, but all others including our enemies – those that despise and ridicule us. Serving others is a way of loving others. Serving is love in action. Serving is love getting it’s hands and feet dirty in service of others.

When we as Christians serve and help others, we are emulating of course the greatest servant of all, Jesus Christ. For it is through serving, that the Christian Disciple reflects the greatest servant of all - Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ came to serve and to give his life for others.

As Jesus said in Mark 10:45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

The Christian life is not to be static or inactive, but rather it is to be dynamic and active. The word ‘servant’ is used at least 500 times in its various derivations. Spiritual growth comes from serving, rather than being served. This is because what ever is given in service of God and others, faith grows and Jesus Christ gives back even more. Serving others is a sign that you, as a Christian Disciple, trust God and are having faith in Him.

When you, as a disciple and partaker of Jesus Christ, serve in any capacity, then God’s honour is released. This is done because service shows the beauty and glory of Jesus Christ to those being served and to those watching. That is to be our motive for service. Serving is never about what you can get out of it. When that is the motive, God is patently not glorified. God’s glory and supremacy is the goal of all those who would call themselves a Christian Disciple.

So go … serve. As Christians, we are all commanded to serve God.

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