THAT ALL MAY GLORIFY GOD
Romans 15:6‑13
The things that divide Christian brothers are rarely ever worthy of such prominence. They usually revolve around personalities, programs, or personal convictions. Such matters as, "who would be the best staff person to fill this position? Should the church build a new building or launch a new program? Is it right to eat meat?" A careful study of divisions in the local churches will reveal these to be the kind of things over which we divide.

Our Christian duty is to be more tolerant of each other. Our Christian love should allow room for differences over the doubtful matters, and over things that do not touch on the vital truth of God. We should be willing to bear with the weaknesses of those with whom we differ. We should be prepared to receive them to full fellowship and friendship in the Lord. We should be careful not to build fences where the Lord has not built fences. These are the things that sum up the Christian responsibility in these matters.

But before turning away from this subject, the Apostle confronts us with another thing. The glory of God is an important consideration. The Apostle introduces this in the prayer he made for the Romans. The reason that he longs for them to be like‑minded is "that ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." He longs to see the whole fellowship standing before God with one common fee!03 of gratitude toward God expressing with one voice the praise and the glory of God, "With one mind" does not mean that they have a uniformity of ideas, or that they all see things from the same perspective, but rather that they have a harmony of feeling. They are harmoniously agreed on the glory and praise of God. Because they are in harmony in their spirits, their voices are in harmony as they express praise to God. Two suggestions are made about this in the text. First, this is the very purpose God had in mind when Re received us into His fellowship. Second, this is a part of our motivation for receiving each other into fullness of fellowship.

THE PURPOSE OF GOD
This truth is expanded to some length by the Apostle. "Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God." "Into the glory of God" means that the purpose of Christ in receiving us included that we might with one mind and one voice glorify God together. He proceeds to support this claim with a series of Old Testament quotations.

The two primary divisions known in the early church was Jew and Gentile. It was the divine purpose in receiving both of these into His fellowship to unite their voices in offering songs of praise and thanksgiving to His name daily. "Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers." The Lord Jesus was the minister "to the circumcision." This is simply a reference to the work God sent His Son to do with reference to the circumcised people, the Jews. He was sent to fulfill and confirm the promises that God had made to the fathers of the Jews, even to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He had promised them a Messiah and Deliverer. In the fulness of time He came to fulfill these promises. So now every believing Jew stands before God to glorify His name for being faithful to His covenants and promises.

But what about the Gentiles that were not included in those promises? "And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy ; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name. And again he saith, Rejoice ye Gentiles, with his people. And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people. And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust." These quotations from Psalms, Deuteronomy, and Isaiah play a common theme. God has bestowed mercy, or will bestow mercy, upon the Gentiles through the Jewish Messiah so that they might stand before him in a joyous song of praise for his mercy.

Do you see the purpose of God in this? To the Jew God has been faithful to His promise in bringing salvation through the Jewish Messiah, the Lord Jesus. To the Gentile God has been merciful in bringing to them salvation through the Jewish Messiah, the Lord Jesus. So they stand before God, the same God, together to offer their common praise to this God with one voice. Since both have been made the recipients of such grace, they can do nothing else. This was in the mind of God when He began His redemptive work from the very beginning. He always designed it to be this way.

If this is true of the Jew and Gentile, it is true of our fellowship though we be entirely Gentiles. God has received us, brown, black, and white that we might with one mind and one voice glorify God. God has received us rich and poor, that we might with one mind and one voice glorify God. God has received us young and old, educated and uneducated, weak and strong, democrat and republican, management and labor, that we might with one voice glorify God.

THE MOTIVE OF THE CHRISTIAN
"Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.'' "Wherefore" makes a vital connection. it points us to a basic motivation for receiving others with whom we may differ on some doubtful matters. "Wherefore" points back to the purpose expressed in the prayer before God. "That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." For this very reason, that this may be accomplished, we should receive one another. "Receive" is the word used earlier in the letter that means to receive to oneself, to receive to fellowship and friendship. The measure by which we are to do this is "as Christ also received us to the glory of God." Surely it is evident that God received us fully and freely. He did not receive us to undergo constant bickering and criticism, but to enjoy His fellowship an! receive His aid. In order that we may with one voice and one mind glorify God, we are to so receive each other.

Have you ever noticed the difference it makes in the praise of a church when they cease to receive each other? Still fresh in my mind is my first encounter with this as a pastor. In the first church I served, unknown to me, two of the ladies of the church had come to some bitter words with each other. The issue between them was not such a monumental thing. It had something to do with who would teach a particular Sunday School class, as I recall. The thing I remember about the incident was the impact it had upon the worship of our little church. While our worship was normally characterized by a real warmth, by joyful singing, and much praise to God, all at once there settled on the worship a coldness. When we lost the harmony of spirit, we lost the song of praise.

I have observed it again and again across the years. You show me a church in which there is no warmth, no song of praise, no glory being given to God, and I will show you a church in which the brothers have not been receiving each other. You show me a church marked by a warm spirit of unity and a joyous song of praise to the Lord, and I will show you a church in which the brothers are receiving each other. They are fellowshipping with each other, though they might not agree on everything. Nothing is more important than this in building a song of praise to the Lord our God.

This should be our motivation! The next time you are tempted to exclude someone from your friendship or fellowship in the Lord because of some minor difference, or some personality conflict, or some difference of opinion over how a certain thing should be done, just ask yourself the question, how will this effect the glory of God? Will this keep me from joining others in giving to God the praise that is due to His name? We should not do anything that is going to hinder the praising of the name of our God. His glory and praise should be the most important thing in our lives.

Today we are gathering in our churches to worship. We will stand in His presence. Will we be of one spirit and one mind? Unless we are there will not be much genuine worship take place.

Is there some brother with whom you have a conflict? Get it resolved so you can glorify God with him.