Day 296: Acts 28:15–16

The believers from there had heard the news about us and had come to meet us. . . . When Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage (v. 15).

Many people believe in Christ as Savior yet never sense a brotherhood or sisterhood with other Christians. In Paul’s life, however, I see three strands that formed the cord of brotherhood he felt with other believers.

1. Paul believed in the power of prayer and in our spiritual poverty without it. 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. He 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.

2. Paul believed that part of his calling was to share his gifts and faith with other Christians. He truly believed that Christians have an obligation to one another as well as to the lost. In 1 Corinthians 12:12 he said, “The body is one and has many parts, and all the parts of that body, though many, are one body” (hcsb). 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.

3. Paul desired to see all people come to Christ. 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 their race and position, but we don’t necessarily want them to attend church with us.

Paul was greatly encouraged by the brothers who met him in Rome. 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 community is not derived from the actions and attitudes of others toward us, but from our actions and attitudes toward them. As we imitate his approach to other believers, we will form cords of love not quickly broken.