TwelveTwelve: The Leader Blog of North Wake Church

Condemning Kindness? Read:  Romans 12:19-21 9 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Reflections In the verses from last week and this week, Paul pivots from internal church dynamics to the much harder task of dealing with those

The Ministry of Meekness Read: Romans 12:14-18 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. The German theologian and pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer is a personal hero of mine. He followed Jesus courageously until his death in a Nazi concentration camp. While running an underground

Confident Hope Read: Romans 12:12-13 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. We have a joke in our home that hope is a bad word. We are always hoping that something will happen, but most often the exact opposite occurs. Why does hope stir such strong feelings? Because we want good things to happen, and we know that isn’t always reality.  It leaves us to wonder what hope looks like in our daily lives. How do we come to terms with the need for hope while knowing that too often what we hope for

How Then Shall We Live? Read:  Romans 12:9-11 9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Questions for Reflection In Romans 12:9-11, Paul continues to move from the theology of the earlier chapters into the biography of how a believer actually lives. These verses are a rapid-fire series of commands: sincerity, hatred of evil, brotherly affection, and spiritual fervor. Having read these commands, take some time to personally reflect on the following

Humble Service Read: Romans 12:3-8 3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his

What a Living, Creative, Active Powerful Thing is Faith! Read: Romans 12:1–2 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Paul is clearly taking a turn in Romans 12. He addresses the church in Rome directly and calls them to obedience in light

Read: Romans 11:25-36 25 Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion,he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”; 27 “and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.” 28 As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. 29 For the

Broken Places Meant For Growth Read: Romans 11:11-24 11 So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. 12 Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean! 13 Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry 14 in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. 15 For if their rejection

God's Chosen Remnant Read: Romans 11:1-10 I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” 4 But what is God's reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 So too at the