Romans 12C (2017) We ve covered the first two rings, our righteousness in our personal relationship with God and in our church relationships

Transcription

1 Rmans 12C (2017) Fr the past tw weeks we ve been marching steadily utward frm ring t ring n Paul s bull s-eye f sanctificatin We ve cvered the first tw rings, ur righteusness in ur persnal relatinship with Gd and in ur church relatinships There was a lt f material in these sectins S t simplify ur understanding (and t help us remember it), here s a simple chart: VERSE BY VERSE MINISTRY INTERNATIONAL SUMMARY OF SANCTIFICATION ROMANS TEACHING THE WHOLE COUNSEL OF GOD Righteusness In ur Persn Theme: Seeking Christ s hliness in ur persn Daily sacrificing ur fleshly desires as the Lrd directs Renewing ur ur mind in Gd s wrd t live accrding t His cmmands Righteusness Amng the Church Theme: Lving thers in humility with eyes fr eternity Play an active rle in the church accrding t gifting in humility Take advantage f the safety f church t practice lving thers D gd, reject evil, favr ne anther ver the wrld Find hpe in the resurrectin, dn t let trials lead t discuragement Pray cnsistently, help brthers in need and be available t unbelievers Righteusness Befre the Wrld Righteusness Within Sciety 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin. This summary shws the relatinships between the rings The first ring emphasizes thinking and acting like Christ Which requires we discipline the sin nature f ur flesh This battle between ur spirit and flesh the ne Paul described in chapters 6-7 will determine ur success in every ther ring 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

2 Rmans 12C 2! f! 16 We have t start by learning hw t say n t urself s we can hear frm the Lrd and bey Him instead And we have t be practiced at maintaining a gd relatinship with Gd befre we can secede in ur relatinships in the bdy And s n Tday we mve t the third ring, ur relatinship with unbelievers Paul starts this teaching in chapter 12 v.14 Rm. 12:14 Bless thse wh persecute yu; bless and d nt curse. Rm. 12:15 Rejice with thse wh rejice, and weep with thse wh weep. Rm. 12:16 Be f the same mind tward ne anther; d nt be haughty in mind, but assciate with the lwly. D nt be wise in yur wn estimatin. Rm. 12:17 Never pay back evil fr evil t anyne. Respect what is right in the sight f all men. Rm. 12:18 If pssible, s far as it depends n yu, be at peace with all men. Rm. 12:19 Never take yur wn revenge, belved, but leave rm fr the wrath f Gd, fr it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lrd. Rm. 12:20 But if yur enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; fr in s ding yu will heap burning cals n his head. Rm. 12:21 D nt be vercme by evil, but vercme evil with gd. Successful relatinships with the unbelievers begins by understanding they are nt ur enemies they are ur missin Every cmmand in this list is directed at enhancing ur missin f winning them fr Christ If we fllw these cmmands, ur relatinships with unbelievers will be mre likely t win suls fr Christ We re seeking t cnduct urselves in ways that keep avenues pen fr reaching peple with the truth f Jesus It s a strategic mindset that understands that ur relatinships with unbelievers have eternal cnsequences Our gal isn t harmny r friendship with the wrld, ur gal is making pprtunity fr a Gspel mment And Paul begins these instructins reminding us that unbelievers naturally ppse us and ur missin 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

3 Rmans 12C 3! f! 16 The natural state f an unbeliever s heart is t ppse Gd and His wrd and therefre t ppse Gd s peple As Jesus tld His disciples: Jhn 15:20 Remember the wrd that I said t yu, A slave is nt greater than his master. If they persecuted Me, they will als persecute yu; if they kept My wrd, they will keep yurs als= The enemy has deceived the wrld and has set their hearts against the truth This is an incredibly irnic state f affairs Because ur desire is t bring them rescue, t ffer eternal life thrugh the message f the Gspel And we d this at persnal risk and self-sacrifice Yet they ppse us as if we were their enemies seeking t harm them It s like we have an antidte t cure their cancer, but their sickness leaves them unable t swallw the medicine The enemy has lied t them s effectively that they are hardened against the truth that wuld set them free Nevertheless, the Lrd has the pwer t reach these hearts as He did urs, and He asks us t make urselves available t be His messenger And Paul tells us we must think strategically abut psitining urselves fr this pssibility We need t anticipate their ppsitin and use it as pprtunity t d smething they dn t expect When they persecute us, we bless them, lving them despite their hatred Bless them in this way and watch the effect it has n their receptiveness t the Gspel Because bviusly this isn t the wrld s way f dealing with ppsitin The wrld repays evil fr evil, misquting the Bible s teaching n an eye fr an eye They expect us t d the same t them 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

4 Rmans 12C 4! f! 16 S when we shw kindness t thse wh persecute us fr ur faith, then we challenge their assumptins And perhaps we pen an avenue fr Gd t reach their heart We re fulfilling the very purpse Christ had in calling us int faith and leaving us here fr a time t serve Him in the wrld As Jesus tld us Matt. 5:43 Yu have heard that it was said, Yu shall lve yur neighbr and hate yur enemy. Matt. 5:44 But I say t yu, lve yur enemies and pray fr thse wh persecute yu, Matt. 5:45 s that yu may be sns f yur Father wh is in heaven; fr He causes His sun t rise n the evil and the gd, and sends rain n the righteus and the unrighteus. Matt. 5:46 Fr if yu lve thse wh lve yu, what reward d yu have? D nt even the tax cllectrs d the same? Matt. 5:47 If yu greet nly yur brthers, what mre are yu ding than thers? D nt even the Gentiles d the same? Matt. 5:48 Therefre yu are t be perfect, as yur heavenly Father is perfect. Being Jesus hands and feet, His ambassadr, begins with having this charitable attitude tward the unbeliever We must remember we re nt inherently better peple than the wrld is We didn t find Christ because we were smarter, nicer r mre deserving Gd gave us grace while we were still His enemy just like everyne else Of curse, if we frget this and return curses fr curses, then as Jesus said what reward is there in that? We ve frfeited the pprtunity t be rewarded in Heaven fr serving Christ self-sacrificially And we ve given the wrld n reasn t take nte f ur message, since ur behavir cntradicts ur wrds In that sense we re standing ppsed the truth f the Gspel rather than being a witness fr it Practically-speaking, blessing thse wh persecute yu means ding the kind f things yu never imagined yu wuld d 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

5 Rmans 12C 5! f! 16 Fr example, if an unbeliever cmes t yur frnt dr cmplaining abut yur frnt yard Christmas display he finds ffensive Yu dn t respnd the way he wuld expect r perhaps even in the way yu might like t respnd Instead f engaging in an argument r defending yur rights, yu agree t remve it But first yu invite him in fr sme eggng And maybe later yu bring them a gift and card and eventually yu invite them t church In ther wrds, yu shw n regard fr that Christmas nativity scene which prbably had zer ptential t bring suls int the Kingdm Instead, yu put aside the cnflict altgether s yu can attend t the eternal needs f the sul standing at yur frnt dr Yu d s hping that the Lrd rchestrated this encunter t allw yu pprtunity t witness t His lve Mre than a few believers have cme int the Kingdm because f an thughtful apprach t an encunter like this Besides shwing kindness t unbelievers wh wuld intrude int ur lives, Paul says we must als take an interest in their lives We must be ready t rejice with thse wh rejice and weep with thse wh weep Befre we lk at these cmmands, remember the cntext f this passage Paul is speaking abut unbelievers here Which is nt t say we dn t rejice r weep with ur brthers and sisters in the bdy Of curse we d, and Paul reminds us f this requirement as well at the beginning f v.16 But ur true challenge is rejicing and weeping with unbelievers ver the circumstances they face in life 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

6 Rmans 12C 6! f! 16 Unbelievers rejice at weddings and fr new births and when they get prmtins r a new car r a byfriend, etc. If we re thinking strategically abut ur relatinships with unbelievers, we ll jin them in these mments We ll identify with their circumstances and becme part f their mments But smetimes, the unbeliever s lifestyle chices will run cntrary t ur thinking, and these differences may cause us t restrain ur empathy S that as a result f their chices, we may respnd t their ups and dwns in a tempered, insincere manner Fr example, yur next-dr neighbrs invites yur t celebrate the birth f their child, but the parents aren t married D yu feel cnflicted ver cngratulating them n having a child brn ut f wedlck? Or yur wrkmate weeps ver the death f a hmsexual family member wh died f AIDS D yu struggle t shw sympathy knwing the persn s immral lifestyle cntributed their death? These reactins are misplaced mralism and self-righteusness We withhld ur rejicing r sympathy because we re passing judgment n their lives And even if yur judgments are accurate based n scripture, dn t frget these peple dn t knw scripture Because they dn t knw Christ Our purpse in being a sincere part f these mments is s we may intrduce them t Christ But if we re t busy judging them fr nt knwing Christ, then hw will we ever get clse enugh t intrduce them t Christ? And what d we expect anyway? That they shuld receive ur testimny f Christ nly after they ve adpted a Christian lifestyle? Is that hw we received Christ? 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

7 Rmans 12C 7! f! 16 Paul says set aside yur prejudices against unbelievers and live amng them shwing a true appreciatin fr their life s circumstances This is exactly what Jesus did He attended the huse parties f tax cllectrs and assciated with prstitutes, yet He did s withut jining in their sin He lived this way s that He might reach the lst with the lve f Gd and bring them int righteusness As Jesus said, He did nt cme t call the righteus but the sinner S we must be careful abut becming haughty, hlier-thanthu and unwilling t assciate with thse whse lives we dn t apprve Ntice in v.16 as I mentined earlier Paul als asks that we be f the same mind tward ne anther in the bdy I think Paul placed this cmment in the midst f his teaching n relatinships with unbelievers because there is a naturally cnnectin between hw we live in the tw wrlds A Christian wh judges the sin f unbelievers and practices haughtiness tward them is likely t display that same attitude tward believers eventually It s a small step frm judging the unbeliever t judging the believer Paul gives us the antidte t thinking this way in the secnd half f v.16 First, he says we need t assciate with the lwly Spend time with the very peple yu re lking dwn yur nse at s yu can get t knw them And the mre yu knw them, the mre yu ll find that the scalled lwly are a lt like yu Nthing des away with haughtiness faster than learning yu have things in cmmn with the persn yu previusly despised In time we ll develp a cmpassinate cncern fr peple\ Secndly, Paul says d nt be wise in yur wn estimatin 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

8 Rmans 12C 8! f! 16 This is the crllary f assciating with lwly When we judge anther persn, we inevitably place urselves abve them in ur wn minds Yu can t judge smene withut assuming a psitin f superirity ver them Yu find sme way t see yurself as better, nicer, wiser than they are And frm that psitin f superirity yu pass judgment n their inferirity T guard against this haughtiness, Paul says practice humility Dn t place yurself in a psitin f superirity ver thers Being wise in ur wn estimatin is nt being wise at all It s nly assuming we re wiser when in reality we re the fl The best way t avid thinking t well f yurself is t keep a healthy memry f yur wn weaknesses N ne knws ur wn failings as well as we d And bring them back t mind when tempted t lk dwn n the unbelieving wrld r yur brthers and sisters And then remember that Christ frgave yu f all thse failings And He s ready t frgive them t Next Paul says in v.17 we can t pay back evil fr evil This instructin runs hand-in-hand with his earlier cmmand t bless and nt curse thse wh persecute yu The difference here is that we dn t take revenge fr acts already dne against us In the earlier instructins, Paul was asking us t take n ffense when thers attack us fr ur faith Here s Paul s asking us nt t be ffensive t thers by frgetting ur faith 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

9 Rmans 12C 9! f! 16 In the first case, it was ur lve fr the unbeliever that caused the cnflict In this case, it s ur lack f lve fr the unbeliever that causes the cnflict Remember my example f the neighbr wh wanted yur nativity display taken dwn What if instead f asking yu t take it dwn that neighbr destryed yur decratins with a bat At that pint, yu might feel tempted t repay his evil act by taking a bat t smething n his prperty Or by taking pictures f what he did and psting them t Facebk with a nasty cmment Paul says we can t act this way befre unbelievers and still expect t win many fr Christ We need t think strategically abut the mment We shuld act charitably But that desn t mean we have t embrace the rle f victim under every circumstances Ntice at the end f v.17 Paul says we shuld d what s right in the sight f all men We shuld act in apprpriate ways, accrding t the custms and expectatins f the culture we live in S ding what s right in the eyes f all men means living with prper cnsideratin fr thers, being a gd friend, a gd neighbr But it can als mean taking apprpriate actin t defend yurself In the case f the rampaging neighbr with the bat, yu culd chse t call the plice and prsecute his behavir Perhaps the situatin has escalated t the pint where plice actin is the what s right in the eyes f all men Yu re nt required t press charges, but neither wuld yu be wrng fr ding s 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

10 Rmans 12C 10! f! 16 The key is maintaining an understanding that yu re always an ambassadr fr Christ Make sure yu re being a gd neighbr withut giving cause fr ffense Smetimes that means verlking the evil f thers and nt taking ffense Other times it means earning the appreciatin f yur neighbrs by having the curage t prsecute the neighbrhd menace Every such example will be a judgment call S I can t give yu a hard-and-fast rule fr hw t respnd Just cnsider every situatin in light f eternity and the pprtunity t win smene fr Christ Finally, ding what s right in the sight f all men cannt becme excuse fr participating in the wrld s sin The wrld will say many things are right yet we knw they are nt right at all S we cannt use Paul s instructins here as excuse fr fllwing after the wrld s desires in the spirit f maintain relatinships with them Paul s bull s-eye gives us the rule fr knwing when fllwing the wrld is ff limits The inner rings f the Bull s eye take pririty ver the uter rings When ding what is right in the sight f all men cmes int cnflict with ur pursuit f persnal hliness befre Gd, hliness wins Or if ur unbelieving friends ask us t d smething that might stumble a Christian brther, we must decline Paul gets mre int this issue in later chapters Paul sums up the balancing f these pririties between the wrld and ur witness in v.18 S far as it depends n yu, be at peace with all men 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

11 Rmans 12C 11! f 16! Being at peace with all men is ur gal because it furthers ur missin in bringing the Gspel t the wrld Obviusly, we can t witness t the wrld fr Christ if we are embriled in cnflicts with the wrld But at the same time, we can t be effective witnesses if we dn t stand fr smething different than the wrld stands fr And preserving ur witness fr Christ will smetimes leads t unavidable cnflicts that are utside ur cntrl Yu may face time yu re expected t d r say smething that vilates yur cnscience Or friendship with unbelievers may cause yu t vilate the wrd f Gd In thse situatins, we dn t have a chice n hw t prceed We are bund by scripture and by ur cnscience t d what s right befre Gd And as we hld t ur witness, we may spark a cnflict with the unbelieving wrld Friendships may suffer, family relatinships may becme strained r distant, wrking relatinships may be put at risk Often these cnflicts arise because the unbelievers wh see us hlding t ur beliefs feel judged r even cnvicted by ur stance We didn t necessarily pint ut the difference much less said anything abut their chices Nevertheless, they take nte and may react in anger r resentment I remember times in my prfessinal life when I ran int these circumstances (e.g., Hallween parties, use f ful language, etc. These are the situatins Paul is talking abut when he says s far as it depends n us We dn t invited the cnflict but we culdn t avid it and we culdn t militate against it 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

12 Rmans 12C 12! f! 16 The ther party chse t create it, and when it happens, then revert t rule #1 Bless thse wh persecute yu And example f ur day might be the dilemma f a Christian receiving an invitatin t attend a family member s hmsexual wedding Nrmally, we shuld want t rejice with them in their rejicing And we knw we shuld assciate with the lwly And we want t respect what is right in the sight f all men And as far as it depends n us, we dn t want t incite cnflict ver the situatin Nevertheless, we must cnsider ur witness and cnscience, and in ding s we will likely cnclude that we shuldn t attend the wedding event On the ther hand, we might chse t attend the receptin Or instead f attending the wedding events, we might invite the new cuple ver t ur huse fr a meal What we d will depend n ur cnscience, but we re seeking ways t maintain a wrking relatinship s we can win them fr Christ This is a strategic attitude that places the needs f the unbeliever s ptential salvatin abve any persn cncern Withut cmprmising ur hliness r witness Paul s next-t-last cmmand is t never take ur wn revenge s we can leave rm fr the wrath f Gd This is a cmplex cnsideratin, but it s a pwerful way t understand ur service t Christ in the cause f salvatin First, let s understand the situatin Paul s addressing He s talking abut a believer suffering lss at the hands f unbelievers wh are nt respnding t ur witnessing S that things have reached the pint where we might feel temptatin t act in revenge against them 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

13 Rmans 12C 13! f! 16 I m sure many f us have been in this situatin Smene harmed us t severely r s ften that we became preccupied with thughts f retributin Often this happens in a schl r wrk setting r with family Paul says when yu face these situatins, dn t succumb t the desire t take revenge, Because if we d, we re nt leaving rm fr Gd s vengeance We dn t knw Gd s plan fr this persn s life Perhaps Gd plans t save this persn in a future day, And when that day cmes they will receive frgiveness fr all their wrngs against yu If Gd is willing t frgive them, hw can we take revenge against them as if we were presumed t knw the Lrd s will? Hw will we feel in eternity if we act against them while they are unbelieving and then see they received the same mercy we did? We need t leave rm fr Gd t act ne way r anther And shuld Gd decide t leave them in their sin, Gd will take int accunt their sin against believers When they receive their ultimately judgment, it will reflect just punishment fr their ffenses Paul says when we d kind thing fr thse wh hurt us, it s like heaping cals n their head That s a picture f placing judgment n smene s head Once again, we must leave rm fr Gd t act Nw at this pint sme hear Paul s wrds and think he sunds very uncharitable, as if he s encuraging us t wish fr unbelievers t be judged by Gd That s nt hw we shuld hear Paul s wrds He s nt necessarily asking us t have a desire t see unbelievers suffering at Gd s hand 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

14 Rmans 12C 14! f! 16 Rather, Paul s acknwledging ur natural desire fr revenge s he can ensure we cnsider the effect f ur actins Fr that Christian wh can t find it in their heart t frgive a persn and may be seriusly cnsidering taking revenge, Paul says think again He says that if revenge is all yu can see fr that persn, then the best curse yu can take is t let Gd punish them fr yu Refrain frm taking revenge and yu ll ensure they get an even wrse punishment than yu can give But if yu take justice int ur wn hands, yu sin and yu limit Gd s justice In a sense, their judgment in Hell will be lessened in sme way because yu tk matters int yur wn hands Luke 16 teaches that there is a reciprcal relatinship between what we receive here and what we receive in eternity The mre a believer suffers fr Christ here, the greater ur reward in eternity Jesus sums up this principle saying Matt. 5:11 Blessed are yu when peple insult yu and persecute yu, and falsely say all kinds f evil against yu because f Me. Matt. 5:12 Rejice and be glad, fr yur reward in heaven is great; fr in the same way they persecuted the prphets wh were befre yu. Our reward increases as we willingly accept persecutin fr the sake f ur faith S being willing t frg taking revenge nw hlds prmise fr greater benefits in the future Secndly, there is sme suggestins that the mre sin an unbeliever cmmits nw, the mre suffering they must experience in eternity Peter suggests that the punishment fr thse wh sin greatly here is prmtinally greater 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

15 Rmans 12C 15! f! 16 2Pet. 2:20 Fr if, after they have escaped the defilements f the wrld by the knwledge f the Lrd and Savir Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are vercme, the last state has becme wrse fr them than the first. 2Pet. 2:21 Fr it wuld be better fr them nt t have knwn the way f righteusness, than having knwn it, t turn away frm the hly cmmandment handed n t them. While we dn t fully understand this ecnmy, we knw Gd is perfectly just in all His judgments Therefre, we knw He will cnsider all these puts and takes in arriving at the right curse fr each unbeliever But if we step in and enfrce ur wn versin f justice, we sin by interfering in Gd s justice And the persn we are against will see even greater judgment shuld we leave them in Gd s hands But shuld Gd thse t frgive them by His grace in the end, yu will be glad yu didn t act against a future brther and sister Yu are leaving rm fr Gd t make the final determinatin cncerning smene s future And that is a win-win fr yu n matter what curse Gd may take in that persn s life Finally, Paul sums up the chapter saying d nt be vercme by evil, but vercme evil with gd This has a specific meaning but it culd als be a summary statement fr the entire third ring As we engage in the unbelieving wrld hping t win sme fr Christ, be careful they dn t pull yu dwn We wuld better t stay away frm the wrld altgether than t be crrupted by it Here again, this statement takes us back t ur bull s-eye We can nly perate effectively in the third ring as an ambassadr fr Christ living amng unbelievers if we are exercising reasnable cntrl ver ur flesh And if we are already practiced at shwing lve with humility and living with eyes fr eternity amng believers 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

16 Rmans 12C 16! f! 16 If we are weak in either f these tw inner rings, then we will get eaten alive by ur relatinship with the unbelieving wrld We may enter int thse relatinships hping t win sme fr Christ But sn we re find urself sharing their bad habits and sinful attitudes Paul says abve all else, we must vercme these evils by representing the gd f Christ and His wrd We cannt allw the enemy t get the upper hand in ur life We cannt be vercme by the evil we seek t influence fr Christ Let s take a lk at ur chart nce mre with the third ring filled in VERSE BY VERSE MINISTRY INTERNATIONAL SUMMARY OF SANCTIFICATION ROMANS TEACHING THE WHOLE COUNSEL OF GOD Righteusness In ur Persn Theme: Seeking Christ s hliness in ur persn Daily sacrificing ur fleshly desires as the Lrd directs Renewing ur ur mind in Gd s wrd t live accrding t His cmmands Righteusness Amng the Church Righteusness Befre the Wrld Theme: Lving thers in humility with eyes fr eternity Play an active rle in the church accrding t gifting in humility Take advantage f the safety f church t practice lving thers D gd, reject evil, favr ne anther ver the wrld Find hpe in the resurrectin, dn t let trials lead t discuragement Pray cnsistently, help brthers in need and be available t unbelievers Theme: Living strategically and selflessly as Christ s ambassadr Turn the ther cheek t gain pprtunities fr the Gspel Build relatinships with unbelievers by identifying with their ups & dwns Assciate with the wrld s lwly, remember yur wn faults Be blameless and win the wrld s respect; seek peace, nt cmprmise Take n revenge; d nt becme like the wrld; win them with gd Righteusness Within Sciety 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.