Calvary Chapel St. Cloud

In the book of Hebrews, we're encouraged to “consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.” On Good Friday, we took time to consider Jesus and all that He went through before and on the cross in our place so that we could have peace with God forever.

God has given us two important tools to minister to one another—the word and prayer. There is no more powerful combination for the lives of the ones we love than the ministry of the word and prayer. The Apostle Paul encourages us to wield them wisely as he demonstrates their proper use in Romans 15.

When we’re faced with trouble and despair, what do we do? When we can’t sleep and our minds are filled with questions, where do we turn? In times of distress, we have a choice—we can focus on our troubles, or we can seek the Lord.

God has established 3 institutions: the family, the church, and the government. There are some roles and responsibilities God has given to one that the others should not be involved in. When we study the Bible in context, we gain a better understanding of the specific roles and responsibilities the family, the church, and the government have in a healthy society.

Romans 12:9-21 contains approximately 30 exhortations and applications—practical ways we can practice being the kind of friend to others that Jesus has been to us. Just consider what a good friend we have in Jesus and how we can be that kind of a friend to those around us.

In most letters he wrote, the Apostle Paul spent half the letter addressing doctrine and half the letter addressing application. The letter to the Romans had a little more doctrine than application, but that doesn’t make the application any less intense. Romans 12 begins the application portion of this letter as we ask two questions of the Lord: Who are you? What do You want me to do?