• Context — Accepting One Another
  • Accept one another as an example of Christ
  • Statement about the church at Rome — Rom 15:14
  • "Competent to Counsel" — the Word
  • Inspire, endorse, support, strengthen, stimulate, motivate, aid, lift,
    relieve, comfort, restore, instruct, nourish, cheer, encourage
• The Ability to Counsel
  • The knowledge from Scripture
    • What a Christian knows: about God, Bible, sin, guilt, confession, faith, death, Heaven, hell, the world, society, hope, security, values, money, relationships, trials, suffering, righteousness
    • Insights into the real issues of life
    • The Christian knows the truth!
  • The goodness from salvation
    • Regeneration
    • Sanctification
    • New
    • Holiness, purity and decency
    • Love God
  • The power from the Holy Spirit
    • The urgent need
    • Internal growth
    • Work in the world
    • The outward work is dependent on the internal growth
    • Not to refuse or reject
    • To choose or select
      • David took five stones
      • Heb 5:1
    • High Priest selection
      • The disciples — Mat 17:1
      • To receive adoption — Gal 4:5
      • We receive — Col 2:6
      • The acceptance is a response, an agreement
  • The experience of His acceptance
    • By the power of the Holy Spirit
    • His work of regeneration
    • The makes it known — the notification of our election
    • We respond —
      • Law or works: I obey God, God sees my works,
        God accepts me
      • Grace: God accepts me, I see His acceptance,
        I respond to Him
    • We receive
    • We accept — believing is receiving
    • The glory of knowing His acceptance
      • Rest — Peace — Joy
      • All undeserved
• The Practice of Our Accepting
  • Grace undeserving — Rom 15:7
  • The qualities involved
    • Sincerity — "Do you care about me?"
    • Approachable — available
    • Unshockable
    • Trustworthy
    • Listening
      • A quality and a skill
      • Requires patience, endurance and energy
      • How to listen
        • To what is said — content
        • To how it is said — feelings
        • To what is not said — omissions
  • The encouragement provided
    • We all need it — rejection is devastating
    • Discouragement can be deadly
      • Hate, bitterness and withdrawal
      • Contagious
    • How to encourage
      • Continually reaffirm the commitment to the relationship
        • Acceptance: permanent — unconditional
      • Continually reaffirm the priority
        • "You are most important to me"
        • I give you my life
      • Meet at the same level
        • Tell how we have been helped
        • Come alongside
      • Reinforce that which is good
        • Good qualities
        • Concentrate on the potential
        • Speak that which edifies — Eph 4:29
        • No cuts — no chops — no accusations
      • Speak the truth in love — Eph 4:13
        • Direct Biblical approach
        • Approach — "Man on a tack"

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