Brothers Among Strangers

Scripture Reading: Romans 1:1-17, Acts 28:11-16

Today's Treasure: "There we found some brothers who invited us to spend a week with them. And so we came to Rome" (Acts 28:14).

In the early spring of A.D. 61, God fulfilled a promise to Paul. The apostle arrived in Rome. Our text in Acts does not include Paul's reaction when he reached Rome. Surely, he was overwhelmed by the imposing sight, yet more so by his faithful God.

Paul had never seen anything like Rome. At the time of his arrival, Rome was inhabited by one million citizens and approximately the same amount of slaves. As Paul approached the gargantuan city, I believe God knew he would be overwhelmed by a great sea of strangers and the certainty of enemies.

A number of Christians from Rome traveled to meet Paul as far as from the Forum of Appius (43 miles away) and the Three Taverns (33 miles away). They were not old acquaintances of Paul's. They had never met him, but they were brothers in Christ.

Brotherhood in Christ was an important and profound concept to Paul. Scripture refers to a natural sibling of Paul's only once, yet I counted ninety-nine times in his epistles when he referred to other Christians as brothers. The Greek word for "brothers" is adelphos. In reference to fellow believers in Christ, the term "came to designate a fellowship of love equivalent to or bringing with it a community of life." As Paul approached Rome, God knew he needed a "fellowship of love" or a "community of life."

Paul's need was not unique. People are desperate for a sense of community today. We all want to feel like we belong somewhere. God recognizes our need for community and desires to meet the need through His church—the body of believers God organized to offer a community of life.

Many people believe in Christ as Savior yet never sense a brotherhood or sisterhood with other Christians. I believe that imitating Paul's approach to other Christians would lend the same sense of community for any of us who dared. In preparing for his visit to Rome, Paul wrote the Romans a letter. In the opening verses of that letter, I see three strands that formed the cord of brotherhood he felt toward believers in Rome. Those three cords are: Paul's constant practice of intercessory prayer, his powerful sense of obligation to fellow believers, and his strong commitment to equality.

1. Paul believed in the power of prayer and in our spiritual poverty without it. His intercession on behalf of the Romans was certainly no exception. He wrote, "Constantly I remember you in my prayers at all times" (Romans 1:9-10). Over and over in his letters, Paul assured churches of his prayers. He didn't just ask God to bless them. Paul jealously sought God's best for them.

Paul asked big things of God because he knew God had big things to give. Paul had experienced the riches of an intimate relationship with Christ. He wanted other believers to experience those same riches.

Be bold in your prayers! Ask for the riches Christ intends for you and ask for them in behalf of others too! As a result of Paul's prayers for other believers, he had a strong bond of brotherhood with them. His unceasing intercession fueled a sense of camaraderie and unity in his heart. Likewise, our sincere intercession for others will also result in a sense of closeness, strengthening our family ties in Christ.

Many of us feel or have felt alienated from others in our church family. Think of the impact that interceding for brothers and sisters in your congregation could make in your sense of belonging and bondedness.

2. Paul believed that part of his calling was to share his gifts and faith with other Christians. He truly believed Christians have an obligation to one another as well as to the lost. In 1 Corinthians 12:12 he said, "The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ."

Without apology, Paul instructed believers, as "parts" of the "body" of Christ, to recognize their obligation to one another—and their need for one another. Generally speaking, my spiritual gifts were given for your edification. Your spiritual gifts were given for mine. Paul presented mutual encouragement more as an obligation than an invitation. Paul's sense of obligation didn't result in resentment toward the body of Christ as some might imagine. Rather, his sense of obligation resulted in strong bonds of brotherhood.

3. Paul desired to see all people come to Christ: Jews and Gentiles, wise and foolish. He preached to anyone who would listen, and he considered any convert a brother or sister. All were equally in need of salvation, and all were equally loved by God.

At first consideration, we may fully believe we share his attitude, but sometimes we struggle with the equality of all believers. We may desire to see all people saved regardless of race and position, but we don't necessarily want them to attend church with us. The status struggle is still alive and active in the church. We tend to be selective about those we want to associate with as brothers and sisters. We often think a sense of community comes from others accepting us. Paul's sense of community came from his acceptance of others.

As Paul reached the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns on his way to Rome, he was greatly encouraged by a group of strangers who met him there because they were his brothers. Their faces were unfamiliar, but they each had been washed in the blood of Jesus Christ. They were family. God used prayer, a sense of mutual obligation, and a sense of equality to bind their hearts.

Paul's example teaches us that a sense of brotherhood and community is not derived from the actions and attitudes of others toward us, but our actions and attitudes toward them. As we imitate his approach to other believers, we will form cords of love not quickly broken.

Lord, thank You for Paul's sense of brotherhood with other believers. I pray to follow his example through bold and persistent intercession. Compel me to pray for those I have fallen out of fellowship with. Thank You for the many spiritual gifts You've planted within my church family. They have blessed me in so many ways. Please make me eager to serve them with the gifts You've given me. Forgive me for being selective about the people I want to associate with in the body of Christ. Make me like Christ, who looks upon the heart and loves us equally. In His wonderful name I pray, Amen.

Adapted from To Live Is Christ, by Beth Moore, pages 229-233. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2001. Used by permission.