*** SHOW NOTES (not fully edited or a transcript) ***

Lead:

Today we close out Romans reflecting on life and King.

Intro:

Today’s show is dedicated to you who are misunderstood, the misfit, the round peg in a square hole.

You don’t have to look far on the website for this show to see that I love questions. I pursued my master’s degree in apologetics because the first person I need to answer questions for is myself. And if you were sitting across the table from me, I’d love to ask you questions and genuinely say, “I hear you.” The nature of a podcast, however, is that it’s a one-way communication, so I warn you…trying to talk to you will get a little personal from me.

Something I found myself saying repeatedly during this trip through Romans is that Paul writes “chewy” stuff. We’re not going to understand. We’re going to have our cultural sensibilities bump up against God’s word and decide who gets to be right, even when we don’t understand.

So today I just to finish out Romans and share with you a reflection that is contemplative rather than instructive. In a way, since I had the pleasure of hearing from several of you this week with thoughts and concerns and questions, it’s my way of just saying, “I hear you. I am really glad you felt safe enough to share.” So I hope you’ll hang with me through our All Our Minds segment today.

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Bible:

Passage: Romans 15-16
Translation: NLT (New Living Translation)
Verses: 60
Words: ~1312

All Our Minds:

By definition, being a Christian means being “set apart.” And as you’ve heard me share before in the episode called Why I Almost Didn’t Become a Christian, I hated the idea of being identified with all those Christians who were idiots. And to be sure, some are. But Jesus kept saying to me what He’s saying to you: “Yo! Eyes on me! Are you going to love the love of God more than the love of other people? You’re going to be counted a misfit. A simpleton. Oh, and you know, even though I affirmed the authority of the Old Testament and promised the Divine Authority of the New Testament, a whole bunch of people around you are going to tell you you’re brainless if you actually believe that. Oh, and some of those accusers will be people who call themselves My followers who won’t have a conversation with you but are happy to talk about you behind your back or on social media.”

My friends, in most ways I’ve had the best year of my life. And at the same time, it’s been one of the most painful. And if you ever struggle with wondering why you have been rejected, I understand. If you’ve been falsely accused and given no hearing, I understand. If you’ve had someone not trust you one something on which you’ve been trustworthy, been there.

But more important than me, Jesus has been there. Unlike me, He’s perfectly trustworthy and sinless and loving.

In this program our middle segment is called “All Our Minds” because that’s where I sense that culture is encroaching into the Christian worldview — that feelings are more important than facts. God made us mind, heart, body, soul, all important AND created in His image, perfect before sin entered the world. But Jesus tells us to worship in spirit and in truth. And worshipping in our spirits isn’t our feelings.

Romans is a hard, in-your-face kind of book. Thanks for being on this journey with me. Keep sending me your stories, questions, doubts, and yes, even feelings. You are not alone. You’re a misfit. And I love you.

It is fitting that we close out this trip through Romans with Psalm 110, one of the two most explicitly Messianic psalms. It’s a prayer for the Davidic king, and I pray that you’ll pray it with me and that God will quicken your heart to also see how this typologically portrays the glory of the ultimate Davidic king.

Wisdom:

Passage: Psalm 110
Translation: NLT (New Living Translation)
Verses: 7
Words: ~115

Love you!

-R

ForTheHope is a daily audio Bible + apologetics podcast and blog. We’ve got a passion for just keepin’ it real, having conversations like normal people, and living out the love of Jesus better every single day.

Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in digitally-extended communication and connection, an award-winning speaker, award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. Follow him on Twitter -- @RogerCourville and @JoinForTheHope – or his blog: www.forthehope.org.

Sources and resources:

Thank you for supporting this ministry should you choose to use the Amazon affiliate links below.

(1) E. Tod Twist, Barry John D., “The Remnant,” in Study Like a Pro: Explore Difficult Passages from Every Book of the Bible, ed. John D. Barry and Rebecca Van Noord (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2014). (link)

Today’s translation: NLT - New Living Translation

Not cited today, but one of my faves! —> Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008).

#925: Romans 15-16 | Reflection | Psalm 110