How to become the church known throughout the world?
In Romans 1:8 Paul thanks Christ for the church in Rome and praises them for having a faith that is known throughout the world (First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is known throughout the whole world.). I believed that they achieved this by their true worship of God; love for each other, and out reach and love for the community. I also believe that we also can achieve this in the same manner, but what does each of these mean?
True worship of God: What is it? I believe it is best described by Christ Himself in John 4:23, “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and Truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.” But what does He mean when He says Sprit and Truth? Well Spirit is explained in the very next verse John 4:24 when Christ says, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and Truth.” He also is trying to tell us that we must have a clear mind and be solely focused on God to worship in Spirit. You have to leave everything else behind and realize that He is all you need. Christ also says you must worship in Truth, but what does He mean? To find that answer we must remember what Christ said in John 14:6, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” We learn is this passages that Jesus is the Truth therefore we must worship God through and in Jesus. If we do these thins we will be true worshipers of God.
We must love each other: In John 13:35 Jesus says, “By this all will know that your are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Therefore, if we love one another like Christ says to in this verse He tells us that everyone will know that we are His. In Hebrews 10:24-25 the author tells us to consider each other and not to forsake the gathering of believers, “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and some much the more as you see the day approaching.” If we consider what Jesus and this author said then we will love each other because God said to but we must show that love by helping each other in times of need, in times of joy, and in times of struggle in faith and out side of it. In Hebrews 10:25 the author also gives us another way to show our love for each other and that is to exhort each other or the raise each other up in prayer.
Out reach and love for the community: In Matt. 10:8 Christ tells the twelve “Freely you have received, freely give.” In John 15:12 Christ tells us to “love one another.” In Matt. 28:19-20 Christ says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of age.” Seeing what Christ has told us in His word we must love the community and try to reach them for Christ. To become the church known throughout the world we must reach out to the community and not just set in our churches and think we are o.k. because while we sit here people are going to Hell.
I believe that if we do these things with a true and pure heart we can become a church known throughout the whole world.
