Romans-One New Humanity-Part 5-The Call To Die And Live

I have typically read Paul's letter to Rome like it was an essay written for the church at large for all times and for all places.  In fact Paul, Jesus' apostle to the nations, in about 57 A.D., wrote a pastoral letter to several house churches in Rome. He mentions 26 members of the Roman church by name in chapter 16.  He knew a lot about the churches and he was very concerned with simmering divisions within those churches.  The churches were composed of a great diversity of folks, Jews and Gentiles, slave and free, as well as male and female.  A dispute was heating up in the church between a group that Paul called the "Weak," primarily Jewish believers, and a group that Paul called the "Strong," primarily Gentile believers.  Neither group had much use for the other and that was the problem!  He had strong words for both groups. The issues have to do with the place of circumcision, sabbath keeping, and the Jewish food laws in the life of the Churches.  Paul used eleven chapters to give the churches a solid Christ centered foundation on which to live together as "One People of God."  His overriding message was that one church, composed of Jews and Gentiles, living to the Glory of God, is the will of the LORD God.  He declared in chapter 12, "All of us are members one of another."  He followed up this declarative in chapter 15 with the imperative:  "Welcome each other as Christ has welcomed you, for the Glory of God." Tom Wright was recently asked, "What about today's church would most disturb the apostle Paul?" To which he replied. "Our many, many divisions and our LACK OF CONCERN about it." Come on this journey with us through Paul's wonderful letter which invites us to rediscover the "Power of Oneness."