ON BEING “TESTED & APPROVED IN CHRIST”
Romans 16: 1-12
Last month, on a prayer line in which I participate regularly, I was tasked to read, and share a meditation on the scripture of the day. The text was from Romans 16:1-12. Two things jumped at me as I read this passage.
The first was the fact that even today, women’s role in the church has never received the credit that it deserves. It is mind boggling to me that even today, many denominations, including the world’s largest, the Catholic Church, do not allow women to lead their congregations, or even be in their pulpits.
What Paul’s personal greetings tell us is that no matter how admired and significant he was as an apostle, he saw himself simply as one of the believers, a worker, a fellow servant of God’s kingdom on earth. All these women, starting with Phoebe, a prominent servant of the church, whom many believe carried Paul’s letter to the Roman church, had significant ministry roles, including financing, leadership, teaching, and evangelism.
The second thing, even more so than the first, that jumped at me, was verse 10. “Greet Apelles, Tested and Approved in Christ”. What exactly does it mean to be “Tested and Approved in Christ? I invite you to meditate with me on this phrase.
To be “tested and approved in Christ,” means to be mature in the faith. Apelles had probably persevered through many trials, causing others to see him as “tested and approved.” God tests us to purify us and to strengthen us.
In 1Peter 1-7 the apostle tells us to praise God for a living hope. In verses 6-7 we read: “In this, you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes, even though refined by fire – may be proven genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”
So yes, God allows our faith to be tested. Not to learn something he does not already knows. He allows trials so that we can discover our own weaknesses and his infinite strength.
Just as the potter would bake his clay pots to give them strength, our faith is tested when we go through trials. It is in this process that he discovers the ones that are flawed and the ones that are not. We find out what we are made of when our faith is tested. Remember Job?
Are you tested and approved in Christ?
Let us pray. Gracious and Holy God, we praise you. We give you thanks for what you have done, and are doing in our lives. Your faithfulness endures forever. We pray for an outpouring of your Holy Spirit. We pray that He will move among us and dispel the shadows over us, our country, and our world. Renew and strengthen our spirit as we seek to follow you and live according to your Word. Guide us today O God, that we may be true witnesses of your love and mercy amid hatred and malice. Open our minds and our hearts that we may receive your fulness and remain faithful regardless of the trials that we may have to endure. May our relationship with you never falter. And we ask all of this in the matchless
name of our savior, Jesus the Christ. Amen and Amen.
Written By Rev. Franck Aguilh
name of our savior, Jesus the Christ. Amen and Amen.
Last month, on a prayer line in which I participate regularly, I was tasked to read, and share a meditation on the scripture of the day. The text was from Romans 16:1-12. Two things jumped at me as I read this passage.
The first was the fact that even today, women’s role in the church has never received the credit that it deserves. It is mind boggling to me that even today, many denominations, including the world’s largest, the Catholic Church, do not allow women to lead their congregations, or even be in their pulpits.
What Paul’s personal greetings tell us is that no matter how admired and significant he was as an apostle, he saw himself simply as one of the believers, a worker, a fellow servant of God’s kingdom on earth. All these women, starting with Phoebe, a prominent servant of the church, whom many believe carried Paul’s letter to the Roman church, had significant ministry roles, including financing, leadership, teaching, and evangelism.
The second thing, even more so than the first, that jumped at me, was verse 10. “Greet Apelles, Tested and Approved in Christ”. What exactly does it mean to be “Tested and Approved in Christ? I invite you to meditate with me on this phrase.
To be “tested and approved in Christ,” means to be mature in the faith. Apelles had probably persevered through many trials, causing others to see him as “tested and approved.” God tests us to purify us and to strengthen us.
In 1Peter 1-7 the apostle tells us to praise God for a living hope. In verses 6-7 we read: “In this, you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes, even though refined by fire – may be proven genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”
So yes, God allows our faith to be tested. Not to learn something he does not already knows. He allows trials so that we can discover our own weaknesses and his infinite strength.
Just as the potter would bake his clay pots to give them strength, our faith is tested when we go through trials. It is in this process that he discovers the ones that are flawed and the ones that are not. We find out what we are made of when our faith is tested. Remember Job?
Are you tested and approved in Christ?
Let us pray. Gracious and Holy God, we praise you. We give you thanks for what you have done, and are doing in our lives. Your faithfulness endures forever. We pray for an outpouring of your Holy Spirit. We pray that He will move among us and dispel the shadows over us, our country, and our world. Renew and strengthen our spirit as we seek to follow you and live according to your Word. Guide us today O God, that we may be true witnesses of your love and mercy amid hatred and malice. Open our minds and our hearts that we may receive your fulness and remain faithful regardless of the trials that we may have to endure. May our relationship with you never falter. And we ask all of this in the matchless
name of our savior, Jesus the Christ. Amen and Amen.
Written By Rev. Franck Aguilh
name of our savior, Jesus the Christ. Amen and Amen.
Posted in Mid-Week Devotional
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