Kendrick Vinar

Community is something that we long for. We want to live in harmony and get along. We desire there to be a love and unity between people of all different walks of life.

How does community and living in harmony come about?

One answer: Reading Scripture and receiving encouragement, hope and endurance. How many people do you know would say that a key to Christian community is reading Scripture.

This morning as I was reading my Bible (for NT 100 days) I was struck by this amazing connection between Scripture and living in harmony.

“For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” (Rom 15:4 [show]<div class="esv"><h2>Romans 15:4 <object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.esvapi.org/assets/play.swf?myUrl=hw%2F45015004" width="40" height="12" class="audio"><param name="movie" value="http://www.esvapi.org/assets/play.swf?myUrl=hw%2F45015004" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /></object></h2> <div class="esv-text"><p id="p45015004.01-1"><span class="verse-num" id="v45015004-1">4&nbsp;</span>For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. (<a href="http://www.esv.org" class="copyright">ESV</a>)</p> </div> </div>
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Scripture produces in us endurance and encouragement – giving us hope. We think of this in an individual way. I get endurance, encouragement and hope. But watch the connection in the next two verses…

“May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Rom 15:5-6 [show]<div class="esv"><h2>Romans 15:5-6 <object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.esvapi.org/assets/play.swf?myUrl=hw%2F45015005-45015006" width="40" height="12" class="audio"><param name="movie" value="http://www.esvapi.org/assets/play.swf?myUrl=hw%2F45015005-45015006" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /></object></h2> <div class="esv-text"><p id="p45015005.01-1"><span class="verse-num" id="v45015005-1">5&nbsp;</span>May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, <span class="verse-num" id="v45015006-1">6&nbsp;</span>that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (<a href="http://www.esv.org" class="copyright">ESV</a>)</p> </div> </div>
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Wow! Living in harmony is tied to our receiving encouragement and endurance from God – which God just said that we get from the Scripture. So…

Community will be experienced by a people who love and read Scripture – learning to receive encouragement, strength, wisdom, humility, and grace from the words of life.