“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” Romans 12:12-13
Many years ago as a new Christian, I got involved in a church that encouraged members to join small groups. My boyfriend and I joined a small group full of couples similar in age where we sang worship songs, discussed the sermon, and ate together. Through these people, I learned what Christianity looked like. We encouraged each other during our trials, celebrated our triumphs, and prayed for various requests.
One Wednesday, however, we went to a small group as usual. We plopped down on the couch with our plates full of food and laughed with our friends. This week, the leaders decided to switch from discussing the sermon first to prayer time. We all went around in a circle and stated our various requests, most of them superficial. However, we got to one gentleman, a regular attender. He had no words, just one tear slipped down his cheek. He uttered one word to us all: “Help!” At that moment, we abandoned our agendas, surrounded the man, laid hands, and prayed for him. One person handed him a tissue, another a glass of water. Others rubbed his back while some whispered Scriptures or encouraging words.
To date, it's one of the most genuine expressions of the Body of Christ I've ever seen.
Paul writes the above verses to the Romans, urging them to become a living sacrifice, wholly and pleasing to God. He then reminds them that the purpose of Christians is to display their spiritual gifts to others. He then explains what love in action looks like when displayed in tangible ways. Small groups are perhaps the best way for a church to display not only their spiritual gifts to others but also how to reach the lost.
When people gather in small groups, trust is established. When trust is established, we earn the right to speak into each other 's lives. When we know people are for us, we are more readily able to receive words of correction as well as words of encouragement. When we choose to live our lives fully yielded to God, we’re able to drop our agendas and replace them with God's. We are more in tune with not only our brothers and sisters in Christ who need us in times of desperation, but we're also there to help those in our community and around the world. We grow in our compassion and love for one another when we know others love us in the same way. This is the agape love Jesus displayed throughout his ministry.
An article that defines agape love says, “Agape love, which is most often crowned as the highest form of Christian love, is the kind of love and action that shows empathy; extends the desire for good of the beloved; wants the best; extends help or demonstrates good intentions; and is intended for everyone. Agape love is sacrificial” (1). We display agape love best while in the community with God’s people.
In what ways can you display your love in action to others? Paul also urges us in this verse to practice hospitality. What might hospitality look like for you in today's overly scheduled society? Perhaps it means handing a tissue and rubbing the back of someone who needs it the most. Maybe it means bowing your head and praying with someone who could use prayer for a difficult situation. We can also follow up with others who we know are hurting or are going through difficult situations.
In community, we practice love in action. In small and big ways, we can demonstrate our faith in God to everyone we meet. Whether we share our possessions with those in need, welcome others to our dinner table, or pray for our friends and family, we can be examples of the agape love our world is crying out for.
Father, allow us to be the demonstration of the agape love you showed us on the cross. Help us discover ways we can be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer to others. Let us practice hospitality and share with those in need. May you bless us so we can be a blessing to others. Amen.
1 https://boonecenter.pepperdine.edu/blog/posts/understanding-agapelove.htm#:~:text=Agape%20love%2C%20which%20is%20most,Agape%20love%20is%20sacrificial.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Tinnakorn Jorruang
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Originally published Friday, 19 January 2024.
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