Imagine...

if the church was to fully live out the life that Paul instructs us to do in Romans 12. In this picture, as Dallas Willard outlines for us, each one of us would exhibit these characteristics:

• Letting love be completely real
• Abhorring what is evil
• Clinging to what is good
• Being devoted to one another in familial love
• Outdoing one another in giving honor
• Serving the Lord with ardent spirit and diligence
• Rejoicing in hope
• Being patient in troubles
• Being devoted constantly to prayer
• Contributing to the needs of the saints
• Pursuing (running after) hospitality
• Blessing persecutors and not cursing them
• Rejoicing with those who rejoice and sorrowing with those in sorrow
• Living in harmony with one another
• Not being haughty but fitting right in with the 'lowly'
• Not seeing themselves as wise
• Having due regard for what everyone understands to be right
• Being at peace with everyone, so far as it depends on them
• Never taking revenge, but leaving that to God
• Providing for needy enemies
• Not being overwhelmed by evil, but returning good instead

We would turn the world on its ear! Don't you want to be a part of a church that looks like this? I sure do! Let's continue to allow God to shape CoHo into this kind of community. It would totally transform our marriages and families. And it all starts with us hearing and accepting God's grace and death on the cross on our behalf. We must revel in His acceptance of us and stand safe and solid in His kingdom. Dallas Willard