Standing next to another christian ought to make you want to shout AMEN

Romans 15:4-13

They are your brother and sister in Christ 

Romans 15:7, “receive one another, just as Christ also received us.” Through out this passage the theme of christian brotherhood is clear. This is more than tolerate. Verse 5 states, “be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus”; and verse 6 “one mind and one mouth”.  

Christians come in all shapes and sizes; with different nationalities, languages, and ethnicities…and yet we all share a common re-birth through faith in Jesus Christ - and that makes us brothers and sisters in Christ.

Jesus calls us “the church”. He did not use the more common phrase “congregation”, but used a more greek word - “church”. It means being called to a public assembly. In essence, we are a new community - called out of the life of sin and into a life redeemed by Jesus Christ. And this new community is not limited to people groups, nationalities, or anything else…its open to all who believe that God was working through Jesus on the cross to bring about salvation. We are not merely saved as individuals but we are saved as a people.

and together we bring glory to God

Verse 6, “you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” And again verse 7, “receive one another, just as Christ received us, to the glory of God."  

I’ll never forget visiting the Christian community in Arib Emirate of Dubai. 11 different churches worship in the same building. Standing in their building challenged my views of segregated christianity. Now why is all of this important? How does Christian brotherhood and sisterhood bring glory to God? How do groups of different people, redeemed by Jesus and reborn by the Holy Spirit, bring glory to God simply by their unity? Christian unity brings glory to God because it is a reflection of heaven - one family united by our faith in Jesus Christ. It brings glory to God because it illustrates to a broken and hurting world how to live in peace and harmony with one another. It brings glory to God because it shows the universal love and salvation of God’s plan. And thats why standing next to another christian ought to make you want to shout amen!