Themes from Romans - Mutual Encouragement

[George]

"For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of
his Son, that without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers,
asking that somehow by God's will I may now at last succeed in coming
to you. For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual
gift to strengthen you-- that is, that we may be mutually encouraged
by each other's faith, both yours and mine." -- Romans 1:9-12 ESV

Paul the great apostle, had never been to Rome. The Church in Rome was
established by someone else, yet Paul wanted to visit to "impart some
spiritual gift to strengthen you." We see the tenderness of Paul's
heart as he states "I long to see you." What is astonishing, is to
read the next statement in verse 12 "that we may be mutually
encouraged by each other's faith." Wow, Paul the great apostle is
seeking mutual encouragement by the faith of other people in the
church. It is amazing to me that each of us no matter how young in the
faith, have the ability to encourage and support brothers and
sisters.

God calls His Church and makes us into a community of believers. We
gather together for fellowship, worship and to support one another. We
gather to hold each other accountable to walking in a manner that is
worthy of our calling. God calls His people to be members of a united
body, working to proclaim the gospel of our Lord in this world.

Jesus spoke of the greatest commandment "love the Lord you God with
all you heart, mind and strength." and second it to "love your
neighbor as yourself." It is supremely important to Love the Lord. It
is also important to love the church of our Lord, for the church is
the bride of Christ. He laid down His life for her to save her and to
sanctify her. We can never overestimate the importance of the
fellowship and gathering of believers on a frequent and regular basis.
it is not always about what we get out of it, it is also about what we
do for others who are in God's family.